This easy Horseradish Aioli combines mayonnaise, roasted garlic, and horseradish into a delicious sauce you’ll want to use on seafood, steak, and vegetables too!
This aioli is a bit of a cheat recipe, as it starts with prepared mayonnaise. But I love making mayonnaise from scratch too. For instructions for how to start with homemade mayo, check out my Black Garlic Aioli or my Truffle Aioli posts. (This girl loves her aioli!)
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Why Make This Recipe
- Great flavor combination: I’ve been making a similar roasted garlic horseradish cream sauce for years with a beef tenderloin recipe, but this is a much easier version that is just as delicious!
- So versatile: Trust me, make this and you’ll want to use it everywhere: as a dip, as a sandwich spread, as a sauce, and more.
- Make-ahead: This horseradish aioli sauce will keep several days in the refrigerator, so you can make it in advance, and have it ready to go when you want to serve.
🥗 Ingredients
- Garlic: Look for heads with smooth, tightly packed cloves. The bigger the cloves, the better, as they will be easier to squeeze out after roasting.
- Mayonnaise: Choose your favorite brand of mayonnaise here. I really prefer the full-fat version, but you can use whatever you normally have in the house. You can also substitute greek yogurt for half of the mayonnaise if you prefer.
- Horseradish: The term “prepared horseradish” generally means that the horseradish root has been grated and mixed with vinegar. You’ll usually find it in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
- Dijon Mustard: I love the additional layer of flavor this adds to this horseradish garlic sauce, but you can leave it out if you don’t have any on-hand.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut off the top quarter of a head of garlic, reserving the cut off cloves for another use.
Place garlic head on a sheet of aluminum foil.
Drizzle head with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Wrap up tightly in foil.
Roast for 45-60 minutes. (Check whether garlic is fully roasted by unwrapping foil and piercing with skewer—it should go in with no resistance.) Let cool slightly.
For more tips and tricks on roasting garlic, see my post on How to Roast Garlic.
Squeeze out garlic cloves into medium bowl and add horseradish.
Use a fork to mash together.
Stir in ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with the remaining ½ tablespoon parsley.
Let creamy horseradish sauce chill for 30 minutes before serving.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Horseradish Aioli
There are two types of aioli. The first is a traditional Mediterranean emulsion of garlic and olive oil. The second is an aioli like this recipe, referring to a mayonnaise base flavored with spices, herbs, or other ingredients. You often find the terms horseradish aioli and horseradish mayo used interchangeably, for example.
This aioli will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. I wouldn’t recommend freezing aioli, as the mayonnaise will break when it is defrosted.
Personally, I’d describe this horseradish mayo as more zesty rather than spicy, but if you up the amount of prepared horseradish you stir in, you can get to spicy pretty quickly. The horseradish definitely gives it a kick!
Sure! Just use vegan mayonnaise instead of regular mayonnaise.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Wondering about all of the uses for this garlic horseradish aioli? There are a ton! Here are just a few ideas:
- use as dipping sauce for crab cakes or boiled shrimp
- spread on a sandwich or a wrap instead of regular mayonnaise
- dollop on filet mignon, Prime Rib, or roast beef
- serve as a dip with Baked Potato Wedges or sweet potato fries
- spread it on salmon fillets, top with bread crumbs, and bake, as in this Panko-Crusted Salmon recipe
- put it on a burger or a BLT
- try it as a dip for Roasted Artichokes
Keep in mind that heads of garlic vary in size by quite a bit, and so will take different amounts of time to roast. Also, if you have a very large head of garlic, you might want to use just half of it in this horseradish sauce recipe, and save the other cloves to spread directly on a roll or a baguette. Taste as you go, and you decide!
Other Aioli Recipes
I can’t get enough of aioli recipes—they truly make everything better. Check out these delicious flavor options:
If you try this easy Horseradish Aioli recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me.
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📖 Recipe
Garlic Horseradish Aioli
This easy Horseradish Aioli combines mayonnaise, roasted garlic, and horseradish into a delicious sauce you’ll want to use on everything!
Ingredients
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, squeezed dry
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped parsley, divided
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut off the top quarter of a head of garlic, reserving the cut off cloves for later use.
- Place garlic head on a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Drizzle head with olive oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Wrap up tightly in foil.
- Roast for 45-60 minutes. (Check whether garlic is fully roasted by unwrapping foil and piercing with skewer—it should go in with no resistance.) Let cool slightly.
- Squeeze out garlic cloves into medium bowl and add horseradish.
- Use a fork to mash together.
- Stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice, dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper.
- Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with the remaining ½ tablespoon parsley.
- Let chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Storage Tips:
This aioli will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. I wouldn’t recommend freezing aioli, as the mayonnaise will break when it is defrosted.
Recipe Tip:
Keep in mind that heads of garlic vary in size by quite a bit, and so will take different amounts of time to roast. Also, if you have a very large head of garlic, you might want to use just half of it in this horseradish sauce recipe, and save the other cloves to spread directly on a roll or a baguette. Taste as you go, and you decide!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 156Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 319mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Roasted Garlic Horseradish Aioli recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Todd says
This I think is the recipe I was looking for! Needed a horseradish aioli for Elk Burgers...Cant wait to try this one out! Thanks ahead of time.
Molly Pisula says
Oh good, happy to be of assistance! I just made this to go with some steak on my daughter's birthday, and remembered why I love this recipe. 🙂