Making homemade aioli or mayonnaise is easier than you think! This chili aioli is a perfect balance of savory and sweet – an excellent addition to sandwiches, burgers, fries, and vegetables.
Try one of these variations of aioli: chipotle lime sauce, gochujang aioli, or ancho aioli!
What’s Chili Aioli?
Aioli is a creamy Mediterranean condiment made from raw egg yolks, fresh garlic, neutral oil, and lemon juice. What sets this garlicky chili aioli recipe apart from other sauces is the fiery addition of chili oil or chili crisp. It’s just like classic aioli but with a spicy twist!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Egg Yolks: Raw egg yolks, garlic cloves, and neutral oil are the base for the creamy aioli.
- Garlic: I use four fresh garlic cloves, but measure with your heart.
- Mustard: Dijon mustard gives the sauce a creamy texture and prevents the aioli from breaking.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar cuts into the creaminess of the sauce. You can substitute it with more lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
- Lemon Juice: Include fresh lemon juice from one lemon. You can use lime juice or lemon juice concentrate, but it won’t have the same fresh flavor.
- Spices: Taste the chili aioli and season with salt as needed.
- Chili Oil: Use your favorite chili oil or chili crisp for a flavorful twist, or make your own from scratch.
- Oil: Incorporate avocado oil or canola oil with the other ingredients to create a smooth texture, or use extra-virgin olive oil.
- Sesame Seeds: Finish the aioli with toasted sesame seeds for texture.
Additions and Substitutions
- Can I make the aioli with mayonnaise? Avoid making homemade aioli and use store-bought mayonnaise instead. Combine the simple ingredients for the aioli in a small bowl, then stir in one cup of high-quality mayonnaise; I recommend Duke’s or Hellman’s. You can also use a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt.
- Can I use other chiles? There are several ways to prepare chili aioli to give it a spicy kick.
- Incorporate fresh chiles like cayenne peppers or red jalapeno peppers.
- Rehydrate dried chipotle peppers or ancho peppers and use them in the creamy sauce.
- Add chili powders, such as chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, or ancho chili powder.
- Try a chili paste like chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sweet chili sauce, Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, hot sauce, or fruity aji amarillo pepper paste.
- Sweeten the aioli by adding honey, brown sugar, white sugar, or a sugar-free alternative like monk fruit if you find it too spicy or prefer something sweeter.
- Include a splash of fish sauce for even more flavor.
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
Use an immersion blender, food processor, or high-speed blender to make creamy chili aioli. I highly recommend using an immersion blender when making salad dressing and sauces that require emulsification.
Use the cup that comes with the immersion blender, a wide-mouth jar, or one of these meal prep containers to ensure the blender works properly and to avoid a big mess.
How to Make Chili Aioli
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the egg yolks, garlic, Dijon mustard, rice vinegar, and lemon juice using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.
Step 2: Whisk in the chili oil a drop or two at a time. Then, pour the neutral oil slowly into a blender cup or blender while processing until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Stir in the toasted sesame seeds. Taste the sauce and season with salt and sesame oil to serve.
Expert Tips
- Ensure the ingredients are at room temperature before starting – especially the eggs. Cold ingredients make it more challenging to achieve a proper emulsion. I recommend removing them from the fridge 30 minutes before you make it.
Tips for Emulsification
What is Emulsification?
Emulsification is a cooking term for combining ingredients that do not naturally mix, such as oil and vinegar and helping them stay together using an emulsifier.
What is an Emulsifier?
An emulsifier acts like a bridge between two opposing ingredients, holding them together in a smooth, stable mixture. The best emulsifiers contain water and oil-friendly properties to help the ingredients combine. The most common emulsifiers are egg yolks, mustard, mayonnaise, soybeans, honey, and xanthan gum.
How to Create a Stable Emulsification
If you want to learn how to make homemade vinaigrette, dressing, hollandaise sauce, aioli, or mayonnaise, then learning how to create a stable emulsification is key.
- Choose an Emulsifier: Select an emulsifying ingredient based on what you are making.
- Combine the Ingredients: Mix the water-based ingredients, such as vinegar or lemon juice with an emulsifier.
- Slowly Add Oil: Add a few drops, then pour the oil gradually in a slow, steady stream while whisking or blending the ingredients. The gradual addition helps to achieve a stable emulsion (so the two liquids combine instead of separate).
If you enjoy the sauce, pair it with one of these dinner recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Chili aioli is a perfect dipping sauce for savory snacks and appetizers. Pair it with sweet potato fries, quinoa balls, calamari, chicken nuggets, fried salmon bites, chicken tenders, meatballs, coconut shrimp, and crunchy potato chips – to name a few!
Incorporate the spicy sauce into pasta salad, spread it onto turkey and egg sandwiches, or drizzle it over grain bowls, fish tacos, crab cakes, or baked salmon.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the leftover chili sauce in an airtight container or glass jar for one week.
More Aioli Recipes:
- Chimichurri Aioli
- Horseradish Aioli
- Wasabi Aioli
- Cajun Aioli
- Dijon Aioli
Chili Aioli
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- fresh lemon juice, 1 lemon
- 1-2 tablespoons chili oil
- ⅓ cup neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- kosher salt, to taste
- sesame oil, to garnish
- Combine the egg yolks, garlic, Dijon mustard, rice vinegar, and lemon juice using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.
- Whisk in the chili oil a drop or two at a time. Then, pour the neutral oil slowly into a blender cup or blender while processing until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Stir in the toasted sesame seeds. Taste the sauce and season with salt and sesame oil to serve.
- Ensure the ingredients are at room temperature before starting – especially the eggs. Cold ingredients make it more challenging to achieve a proper emulsion. I recommend removing them from the fridge 30 minutes before you make it.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.