Make this spicy, creamy Sriracha Aioli from scratch, and you may never go back to store-bought condiments. Perfect as a dip or a sandwich spread!
The first time I made my own mayonnaise as a personal chef, I was blown away by how much better it tasted than store-bought. Adding sriracha turns it into the perfect dip for fries or spread for wraps and burgers.
And while many other recipes just stir sriracha into mayo and call it a day, the extra steps in this recipe to make your own aioli are truly worth it. Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of tips for making sure the texture stays silky and not gritty or broken.
Once you’ve got the technique down, try variations like this Black Garlic Aioli or Truffle Aioli.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love this Spicy Aioli Recipe
- Foolproof Method for Homemade Aioli: I’ve been making aioli this way for years. Takes a little elbow grease, but it works every time!
- Better Than Store Bought Flavor: Once you taste this sriracha mayo, you’ll never go back to buying something pre-made.
- Makes Everything Delicious: As soon as I made this and had it sitting in my fridge, I found numerous ways to slather it on all sorts of things. See Expert Tips for some ideas.
- Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, and Dairy-Free: Perfect for adding to vegetable dishes for a little extra flavor with almost no carbs and no gluten!
Sriracha Aioli Ingredients
- Sriracha: I love the classic Sriracha chili sauce with the rooster on the bottle, but there are fancy new versions of this coming out now. Use whatever you like! And feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking—if you need more heat, whisk in more sriracha!
- Egg Yolk: This recipe includes a raw egg yolk, so look for pasteurized eggs if this worries you.
- Lemon Juice: Whenever possible, use a real lemon to squeeze your lemon juice. Packaged lemon juice just isn’t the same! You could also replace with with lime juice to make a sriracha lime aioli instead.
- Vegetable Oil: I like to use a neutral oil for my aioli, so I tend to use vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower oil. You can also use olive oil to make your aioli, but I would combine it with another oil in a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio. Using all olive oil for the aioli will give you a stronger olive flavor that may compete with the sriracha—also, it can make your aioli turn a bit green-ish, which isn’t great with the orange sriracha.
How to Make Sriracha Aioli Sauce
- Whisk together 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small-medium bowl. Using a glass bowl is nice, so you can easily see what’s happening.
2. Put ¾ cup neutral oil into a measuring cup with a spout. Very slowly, begin to drip the oil into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously. You are making an emulsion, and emulsions are tricky.
3. At the beginning, you must literally add the oil drop by drop, making sure it is incorporated before adding more. The mixture will thicken little by little at first, and then faster and faster. Once you have added about ¼ cup of the oil, you can speed up the rate at which you are adding the oil. Continue to whisk constantly, taking a break if your arm tires. After about ½ cup has been added, you can speed up even more.
4. If the aioli is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen it up to what you desire. Whisk in 1 tablespoon sriracha and let sit for at least 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
Sriracha Aioli Recipe Variations
Instead of making the mayo in this recipe from scratch, use store-bought mayonnaise for the base. Or try a combination of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt for a lower-calorie sauce. For another spicy aioli that doesn’t use sriracha, try blending in some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Or try this Spicy Harissa Aioli recipe. You can also add in more flavors to this sriracha aioli by stirring in grated garlic cloves, adding fresh herbs like cilantro or chives, or adding lemon juice or zest.
Want to try out different chili pastes instead of using sriracha? Check out this guide to the best chili paste options around. So many choices!
How to use Spicy Aioli
Now that you have this delicious and easy sriracha aioli, you’re going to want to know how to use it. My advice? Think about all the places you usually would use plain mayonnaise, and substitute sriracha mayo!
- Make next-level chicken salad or egg salad. Use it as a sandwich spread (try it on a summer BLT!) or slather it on a burger. It’s fantastic on top of a Spanish potato tortilla, a frittata or this Crustless Quiche Lorraine.
- But this homemade sriracha aioli is so good you’ll want to use it as a dipping sauce and not just as a component in your dish. It makes a fantastic dip for a crudité platter, or for a bowl of chilled shrimp. It pairs perfectly with crab cakes or fritters of any kind. (Actually, is it weird to say that it goes with almost anything you’d make in the air fryer??)
- Steam artichokes and dip their leaves in aioli to eat, or make to go with these Roasted Artichokes. They'd be fantastic on the side of Roasted Celeriac or Roasted Turnips too.
- Serve with Roasted Potato Wedges, sweet potato fries, or potato skins instead of ketchup. You can also toss it with steamed green beans or asparagus, or serve with roasted cauliflower. And maybe my favorite use? Drizzle it on shrimp or fish tacos!
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Making homemade aioli is definitely tricky. Go too fast when adding the oil, and you run the risk of your aioli separating. That has happened to me more times than I can count when I’ve tried to use an immersion blender or food processor.
If that is your preferred method, and your aioli separates, I do have a trick to fix it for you. Just crack another egg yolk into a clean bowl, then slowly, slowly, a little at a time, whisk the broken mayonnaise into the bowl with the egg yolk.
This will usually help the emulsion to form again, and you’ll get a beautiful mayo without having to throw out your first batch.
It can be very helpful to have a very stable bowl while you are whisking, especially as you are whisking with one hand and pouring oil with the other. You can try placing your bowl on a damp dish towel to help stabilize it. Don’t be afraid to sit down with the bowl, and hold it securely between your legs as you whisk.
Spicy Aioli Recipe FAQs
Ok, yes, there is. If you avoid eating raw egg yolks or just really don’t want to make your own mayonnaise, you can also make sriracha aioli by whisking ¾-1 cup of mayonnaise with a tablespoon of sriracha (or more, if you like it spicy!). My favorite store-bought brand of mayonnaise is Hellmann’s (Best Foods) Real Mayonnaise, but use whatever you like!
In the past, aioli referred to a very traditional emulsion of garlic with olive oil. Today, the word aioli is used almost interchangeably with mayonnaise (which is exactly what it tastes like).
Aioli usually refers to a mayonnaise (homemade or not) that is mixed with garlic, but is now also used to describe mayonnaise mixed with all sorts of spices or other ingredients. Smoked paprika aioli, sriracha aioli, garlic aioli, basil aioli—the possibilities are endless.
If you have never had sriracha, it is a chili sauce that is quite spicy. Sriracha ingredients include chili peppers, sugar, salt, vinegar, garlic, as well as some preservatives (in some types of sriracha). It’s vegan and gluten-free. It’s fantastic on tacos, chicken wings, sandwiches, sushi, and more.
This recipe, since I am using an egg yolk to make the aioli, is not vegan. However, if you’re looking for a vegan version, I would suggest searching for a vegan mayonnaise recipe on Google (there are plenty of them) or buying a “veganaise” at the grocery store. Hellman’s (Best Foods) even has a vegan version now!
More Aioli Recipes
I am honestly obsessed with homemade aioli. The flavor is just so much better than what you can buy at the store, and it’s one of those secret ingredients that elevate your entire meal. If you want an easy version that starts with store-bought mayo, try this Lemon Garlic Aioli. Here are a few other favorites:
If you try this Sriracha Aioli recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Vanilla Bean Cuisine.
Sriracha Aioli (Spicy Aioli Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Up to ¾ cup neutral oil such as vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
- Whisk together egg yolk, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt in a small-medium bowl. Using a glass bowl is nice, so you can easily see what’s happening.
- Put the neutral oil into a measuring cup with a spout.
- Very slowly, begin to drip the oil into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously. You are making an emulsion, and emulsions are tricky. At the beginning, you must literally add the oil drop by drop, making sure it is incorporated before adding more. The mixture will thicken little by little at first, and then faster and faster.
- Once you have added about ¼ cup of the oil, you can speed up the rate at which you are adding the oil. Continue to whisk constantly, taking a break if your arm tires.
- After about ½ cup has been added, you can speed up even more until all the oil is incorporated.
- If the aioli is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen it up to what you desire.
- Whisk in the Sriracha and let sit for at least 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this spicy 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!
Sara Jelinek says
What a great for fixing a broken aioli! I’ve definitely messed it up before and threw it out rather than thinking about how to re-emulsify the mixture. Thanks for the tip!
Chef Molly says
I did that so many times myself. But the extra egg yolk trick really works, and I'm so glad I learned it!