Easy Cajun aioli blends simple pantry ingredients like creamy mayo with freshly minced garlic and a dash of hot sauce with bold Cajun seasoning for a fiery, flavorful sauce. It’s a perfect way to add a kick to air fryer chicken burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and fried seafood.

What is Aioli?
Aioli (pronounced āˈōlē) is a Mediterranean condiment comprised of raw egg yolks, fresh garlic, neutral oil, and fresh lemon juice. Since mayonnaise has similar ingredients, I use it as a base for the creamy sauce. What sets the mayo-based Cajun aioli recipe apart from other sauces is the addition of Cajun seasoning, so it’s just like regular aioli but with a Cajun twist!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Buttermilk: Include tangy buttermilk for an extra creamy aioli. If you don’t keep buttermilk on hand, that’s okay! All you need is regular milk and fresh lemon juice. Pour the milk into a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and squeeze a teaspoon of lemon juice over the top. Stir and set it aside for 10 minutes to create homemade buttermilk. It won’t have the same thickness as store-bought or homemade buttermilk, but it will do the trick!
- Mustard: Use Dijon or Creole mustard to emulsify the sauce.
- Hot Sauce: Any hot sauce works, but I love Crystal’s Hot Sauce or Texas Pete’s. Add more or less depending on your heat tolerance.
- Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice from half a lemon brightens the sauce and cuts the richness of the other ingredients.
- Garlic: Add four fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Cajun Seasoning: Finish the aioli with homemade Slap Ya Mama Seasoning, or use Cajun seasoning from the grocery store. My homemade seasoning includes smoked paprika, seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes.
- Mayonnaise: Use a high-quality mayonnaise, like Duke’s or Hellman’s, or prepare a simple aioli from scratch with two egg yolks and 2/3 cup of vegetable or canola oil. Add the ingredients to a small blender with smashed garlic cloves and fresh lemon juice.
Additions and Substitutions
The versatile aioli sauce is easy to make and customizable. Adjust the creaminess and flavor using this recipe as your starting point, and make it your own. I use my homemade Cajun seasoning, but you can mix it up with Tony’s Creole Seasoning, Cajun Two Step Spicy, store-bought Slap Ya Mama that comes in different heat levels and flavors, Louisiana Fish Fry Cajun Seasoning, or one of these Slap Ya Mama Seasoning substitutes.
You can also replace the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt or sour cream to reduce calories, but it won’t have the same taste and thickness.
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
You will need a medium bowl and a whisk to make the simple aioli. If you don’t feel like preparing the sauce by hand, use a small food processor, a small blender like a Magic Bullet, or an immersion blender.
How to Make Cajun Aioli
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
This is such a simple dump-and-go recipe. All you have to do is add the ingredients to a bowl and whisk or stir them together.

Whisk the Ingredients

Incorporate the Mayonnaise

Expert Tips
- Refrigerate the sauce for 30 minutes before serving to thicken, and let the ingredients combine.
If you enjoy the cajun dipping sauce, try one of these Southern recipes!

Serving Suggestions
Zesty Cajun aioli is one of my go-to sauces for dipping, and it comes together in about 5 minutes! Pair it with crispy baked chicken wings, fried shrimp, onion rings, crab cakes, air fryer smashed Brussels sprouts, French fries, fried salmon bites, roasted potatoes, and fried pickles.
Spread it onto fried chicken sandwiches, turkey smash burgers, air fryer skirt steak, chicken or shrimp po’boy sandwiches, and broiled salmon recipes.
You can also incorporate the spicy aioli into potato salad, deviled eggs, chicken salad, or tuna sandwiches instead of mayonnaise.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover Cajun aioli in an airtight container or glass jar for one week.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between mayonnaise and aioli?
Aioli and mayonnaise are creamy condiments used to flavor and enhance meals. Homemade mayonnaise combines neutral oil, egg yolks, and lemon juice. Aioli is a Mediterranean condiment consisting of fresh garlic, egg yolks, neutral oil, and sometimes fresh lemon juice.
More Aioli Recipes:

Cajun Aioli
- Bowl
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama Seasoning
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Whisk the buttermilk, mustard, hot sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and Cajun seasoning in a bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise and whisk until smooth. Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
- Refrigerate the sauce for 30 minutes before serving to thicken, and let the ingredients combine.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.