Spicy Chile Mayonnaise

Spicy Chile Mayonnaise

The Spruce / Abby Mercer

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 5 mins
Servings: 8 servings

Spicy chile mayonnaise is a great dip to serve with French fries, chicken fingers, or even wings, and it makes a fabulous spread for burgers and other types of sandwiches. This recipe combines mayo with Sriracha sauce and sambal oelek (or chile garlic sauce), which can be found in the Asian section of the supermarket. They are made with red chile peppers and salt, and most contain some vinegar. There is a small amount of sugar in Sriracha sauce while there is none in sambal, and the combination of the two sauces with the mayonnaise produces heat, a touch of sweetness, and an interesting texture. Feel free to adjust the amount of sambal or Sriracha if you want more or less heat.

Prepare the dip a few hours in advance and refrigerate it until serving time. This spicy chile mayonnaise is also great with raw vegetables, fried seafood, and crab cakes.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise

  • 3 teaspoons Sriracha sauce

  • 2 teaspoons sambal oelek (or Asian chile garlic sauce)

  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or lime juice)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for chili mayonnaise

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

  2. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to blend thoroughly. Taste and add more chile garlic sauce if you'd like more heat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

    Spicy chili mayonnaise in a bowl, whisk

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

  3. Spoon into small bowls and serve with fresh vegetables or appetizers, or spread onto burgers or sandwiches and enjoy.

    Spicy Chile Mayonnaise in a bowl, served with french fries

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

How to Serve

This spicy mayo makes a delicious sauce for crab cakes, salmon patties, and savory fritters. Or consider serving it with fried shrimp or fried oysters as an option along with remoulade sauce or tartar sauce. The dip makes a wonderful side with chicken nuggets as well, and it is fantastic with sweet potato or regular French fries. As a spread, it is amazing on turkey burgers or fried chicken sandwiches.

What's the Difference Between Sambal Oelek and Sriracha?

These two sauces are similar, but there are some subtle differences. There is some sugar in Sriracha sauce, but none in sambal. The absence of sugar means the chile pepper flavors stand out. Sambal also has more texture than the smoother Sriracha sauce.

Recipe Variations

  • For a sweeter sauce, add a dash of sugar or honey or use sweet Thai chile sauce instead of sambal.
  • To add more garlic flavor, peel, mash, and mince 1 small clove of garlic and add it to the dip. Or add about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, or to taste.
  • Stir about 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro into the mayo mixture for additional color and flavor.
  • Add a teaspoon of spicy mustard, or to taste.
  • Add 1 teaspoon of finely minced ginger.
  • Instead of jarred mayo, use homemade mayonnaise.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
96 Calories
10g Fat
1g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 96
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 165mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 18mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)