Name: 3-Minute Spicy Garlic Aioli (Chili Garlic Mayo Sauce)
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1 clove garlic (or sub with 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder); 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder; 1 teaspoon dijon mustard; 2 teaspoons lemon juice ((optional) for additional tanginess)

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Easy spicy garlic aioli, made in 3 minutes! This garlicky mayonnaise-based sauce is a creamy chili mayo sauce that will surely elevate your meals!

A spoonful of spicy garlic chili aioli, with more spicy aioli in the background.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Mayonnaise: Our creamy base!
- I use my oil-free vegan mayo but feel free to use any other mayo of choice.
Garlic: Packs bold flavor and spice; swap with garlic powder for convenience.
Cayenne Pepper: The ingredient that brings on the heat!
- If you don’t have this, you can also use sriracha (like in my sriracha mayo), Indonesian sambal (like in my sambal aioli), or Italian Calabrian chili oil (like in this Calabrian mayo)
Dijon Mustard: Adds a tangy, sharp depth.
- Sub with your favorite types of mustard if you don’t have Dijon.
Lemon Juice (Optional): Brightens and balances the flavors!
- Lime juice or any other vinegar also works.

Ingredients for spicy garlic mayo sauce with labels.

How to Make Spicy Aioli

Grate or finely chop the garlic.

Mix all the ingredients (except the lemon juice) in a small mixing bowl until smooth.

Taste and adjust if you would like to add the lemon juice and if you would like more cayenne pepper. Enjoy your garlic chili aioli!

Mayonnaise, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and minced garlic in a small white ramekin.

Marbled look of garlic chili aioli as it is being mixed.

Top Tips

You want the garlic to be as finely chopped/grated as possible. This ensures that there are no bigger garlic pieces which can be unpleasant to bite into!
Let your spicy garlic mayo sit for at least 5 minutes—it helps the flavors meld.
Taste test and adjust this spicy aioli sauce according to your taste. Add lemon juice if you want more tanginess, and add more cayenne pepper for more heat.

Dipping a French fry into spicy garlic aioli sauce.

Serving Suggestions

Dipping Sauce: Perfect for adobo fries, gochujang fries, sweet potato fries, roasted veggies, onion rings, or these air fryer ramen spring rolls.
Spread: Slather it on sandwiches, burgers, or your avocado bagels for a spicy kick.
Topping: Drizzle over grain bowls, vegetarian poke bowls, baked potatoes, or loaded fries.
Salad Dressing: Thin it out with a bit of water to dress salads.

Close-up of garlic chili aioli to clearly show its texture.

Storage and Meal Prep Instructions

Storage and Meal Prep: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, depending on the freshness of your ingredients. For meal inspirations, check out the Serving Suggestions above.

Freezing: Not recommended, as mayonnaise doesn’t freeze well in general.

FAQ

It’s typically made from garlic, mayo, lemon juice, and other seasonings for a creamy, flavorful sauce. Some people make the mayo using eggs and olive oil, while I use my oil-free mayo made with cashew or silken tofu!

Sriracha aioli would use sriracha sauce to make things spicy, while spicy mayo can use other chili sauces (like Indonesian sambal) or chili powder (like cayenne pepper) for the heat.

Aioli is a type of garlic sauce. So all aiolies can also be called garlic sauce, but not the other way round!

Traditionally, no. But in this modern times, this is often correct.

Traditional mayo contains eggs while aiolie is traditionally made without eggs. However, they are both creamy oil-based sauces! Moreover, mustard is usually added to mayonnaise but not to aioli.

If you would like to learn more about it, check out this article by Lid & Ladle.

Close-up of spicy garlic chili aioli with a spoonful of it in the middle.

Want More Spicy Sauces?

Then check out my gochujang mayo, kimchi aioli, sambal mayo, or Calabrian chili mayo recipe.

For something a bit milder, try my raspberry chipotle sauce, harissa mayo, sun-dried tomato mayo, tandoori mayo, or my hamburger aioli.