The Best Spicy Aioli Sauce Recipe

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It’s my favorite spicy all-purpose dipping sauce and drizzle. Perfect for sandwich spreads, dipping fried shrimp and drizzling over stuffed potato skins.

Spicy garlic aioli in a small bowl with a wooden ladle on top

We have an easy one today, team, but it’s a stud.

Sauces make everything better. It’s their whole job. We’ve already talked about fresh ginger scallion sauce, parmesan cream sauce and salmon patty sauce, just to name a few. This spicy garlic aioli takes its place on that all star roster of sauces.

What is homemade aioli sauce? Thanks for asking. Bon Appetit tells us that while aioli has evolved over decades, it has always referred to an emulsion. In Mediterranean cultures, aioli was an emulsion of olive oil and roasted garlic ground together with an old school mortar and pestle. Which sounds like magic in a bowl.

But no one can stop progress, even with a mortar and pestle. So today, America’s most popular emulsion – good old mayonnaise – is most often used as the base for aioli. Garlic cloves, fresh herbs and a variety of hot sauces are often called upon to add supporting flavors to the mix.

Keep reading to uncover all the wondrous variations to this delicious dipping sauce and save this one to your Pinterest board!

What you’ll need to make spicy aioli recipe:

mayo
garlic clove
Dijon mustard
hot sauce
fresh lemon juice
ground cayenne or peri-peri
sea salt
chives

Step by step instructions for the spicy mayo sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove. Finally, taste and adjust seasoning.

ingredients for spicy aioli mixed in a bowl

Serve as a sandwich spread on blackened grouper, a dip for seafood stuffed potatoes, or with crispy southern fried shrimp.

spicy aioli served with fried shrimp and garnished with a lemon wedge

To store aioli, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. Then keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

FAQ’s and Variations for Spicy Mayo:

Can I use vegan mayo in this spicy mayo recipe?

Absolutely. This is one of those easy recipes that takes really well to modifications, so feel free to sub your favorite vegan mayo here.

I don’t have any fresh garlic – can I use garlic powder?

You sure can – this will produce a very smooth sauce for the spicy condiment. Start with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder (NOT garlic salt) and after resting the garlicky sauce for 15 minutes, taste and add more, if needed.

Can I use regular mustard in this quick recipe for spicy sauce?

In addition to a little acid, Dijon mustard adds a hint of spice – a faint whisper of horseradish – to the the creamy sauce. If you don’t have any Dijon, you can add a teaspoon or two of yellow mustard, or just skip the mustard and add a bit more acid.

What kind of hot sauce should I add to give this sauce a spicy kick?

I’m so glad you asked…please keep reading for a number of variations, depending on the spice level you’re looking to achieve.

Variations
Sriracha aioli sauce recipe: sriracha sauce has become as popular in the US as most home-grown hot sauces. Sometimes called “rooster sauce” for the company logo, sriracha is manufactured by Huy Fong Foods and famously packaged in clear plastic bottles with a bright green squeeze cap. The flavor profile is spicy from chiles, but has also offers balancing bright flavors from vinegar and savory notes from garlic. The spicy sriracha flavor is tempered by mayonnaise if used to make a homemade sriracha aioli. Add fresh lime juice in place of lemon juice and use your sriracha lime aioli to dress up baked salmon sushi or crispy rice spicy tuna. It’s also a great condiment for dipping shrimp wontons or good old french fries.

Chipotle aioli sauce recipe: Chipotle peppers are fire roasted jalapenos, so they bring a warm heat and a lovely smoky flavor to this popular sauce. Chipotle aioli brings amazing flavor to shrimp or fish tacos, tostadas, empanadas, french fries, and anything else it touches.

Sambal oelek aioli sauce: I like to think of sambal as sriracha’s chunky little cousin. Chunky, because it has whole chili seeds and is – literally – chunky. And little because it comes in a short jar, instead of the tall bottle. Sambal is a chili paste condiment that has more savory notes and a bit more acid than sriracha. It will produce a thicker Asian aioli style sauce, but full of intense flavor. And if you’re looking for a smoother sauce, use your immersion blender or food processor for a few seconds and a smooth sauce you shall have.

Tabasco / Texas Pete / Louisiana Hot Sauce: I am not implying that all of these sauces taste the same…just that they have a similar flavor profile and texture. This is my go-to category of hot sauce for everyday spicy aioli. Balances perfectly with the garlic, lemon and Dijon mustard, and tastes sublime as a sauce for crab cakes, salmon patties and grouper sandwiches. Even better as a great dipping sauce for fries, onion rings or tater tots (hold me, baby Jesus). I suppose you could also use it as a dipping sauce for veggies. When all the tater tots are gone.