This spicy mayo recipe requires only 2 ingredients! It adds a tangy richness to sushi, burgers, sandwiches, and more.

Spicy mayo

Want the best drizzle to add a pop to your bowl meal, taco, or burger? Enter: spicy mayo! This easy condiment often served with sushi, but it works with burgers, bowl meals, fried rice, and more! It adds tangy umami to every bite! Luckily it takes literally 2 minutes to make: and it stores in the fridge for months. Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients in spicy mayo

Spicy mayo is just two main ingredients: mayonnaise and Sriracha! This popular tangy hot sauce originated in Thailand and is made of chile peppers, vinegar, garlic and sugar. You can whip up this sauce in just 1 minute to add umami and richness to so many different foods. It comes out so full of flavor! Here’s what you’ll do:

  • Start with ½ cup mayonnaise. Use any type of mayo. Vegan mayo works, or use Kewpie mayo to make spicy mayo for sushi.
  • Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons of Sriracha hot sauce. Taste and see if you’d like it hotter. Experiment with a range of 1 tablespoon (fairly mild) to 2 tablespoons (solidly spicy). If you’d like it even spicier, go ahead!

If you’d like, you could also add 1 teaspoon soy sauce to bring out a savory flavor, or lime juice to bring out a tangy flavor. Neither are required, but they add an additional dimension.

Spicy mayo

Types of hot sauce

Use different hot sauces to change up spicy mayo to fit your dish or what’s in your pantry! Here are a few alternative hot sauces to use instead of Sriracha:

  • Mexican-style hot sauce: Substitute Cholula or another Mexican-style hot sauce for the Sriracha.
  • Chili garlic sauce: It’s similar to Sriracha but with a thicker and chunkier texture, made with chilies and lots of garlic. It tastes a little brighter than Sriracha and has more nuance.
  • Sambal oelek: This hot sauce is an Indonesian chili sauce made of chili peppers, garlic, ginger and lime. It has a chunkier texture and little to no sugar.
  • Gochujang: Use Korean Gochujang instead of Sriracha for a nuanced, funkier spicy mayo.
  • Frank’s hot sauce: You can also use this hot sauce to make an American-style spicy mayo that’s great for burgers and fries.

Storing spicy mayo

When you stir together the sauce, it will be slightly runny in texture. This works perfectly as a drizzle for bowl meals like a Poke Bowl. If you’d like the texture to be thicker, refrigerate it for about 2 hours until it’s cold. Spicy mayo stores for about 3 to 4 months refrigerated, so you can make up a big batch and then use it when the craving strikes!

Vegan poke bowl

Ways to use spicy mayo

There are so many ways to use spicy mayo:

  1. Sushi. Use it for drizzling over sushi rolls.
  2. Fried rice. Make fried rice even tastier with a dollop.
  3. Poke bowls. This Hawaiian bowl meal is heavenly with spicy mayo!
  4. Burgers. Slather spicy mayo on a burger bun.
  5. Fries. Use it for dipping oven baked fries.
  6. Tacos. Try it with your favorite tacos recipe.
  7. Sandwiches. Slather it on bread to take your sandwich over the top.
  8. Fish. Try a drizzle over seared ahi tuna or ahi poke, or use it as a dipping sauce for baked fish.

Use Kewpie for spicy mayo for sushi

Want that signature flavor that’s served with sushi? You’ll need a special type of mayo: Kewpie! It’s a Japanese style of mayonnaise that’s even richer and creamier than American. It uses rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar.

Because people are so into Kewpie, it’s become more widely available in mainstream grocery stores. You can also find it in Asian grocery stores and here’s a link to buy Kewpie online. You really can taste a difference!

Spicy mayo

This spicy mayo recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy free. For vegan and plant-based, use vegan mayo (available at most mainstream grocery stores or online).

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Spicy mayo

Simple Spicy Mayo


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

This spicy mayo recipe requires only 2 ingredients! It adds a tangy richness to sushi, bowl meals, burgers, and more.


Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup mayonnaise or vegan mayo*
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce, or more to taste (1 to 2 tablespoons range)
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce or lime juice (optional)

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Use immediately as a drizzle, or for a thicker texture refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before using. Stores 3 to 4 months refrigerated.

Notes

*For authentic spicy mayo for sushi, use Kewpie mayo: it’s a Japanese mayonnaise that’s even richer and creamier than American. It’s made with rice vinegar instead of distilled vinegar. You can find Kewpie mayo at mainstream grocery stores, Asian groceries, or online.

  • Category: Condiment
  • Method: Stirred
  • Cuisine: Asian

Keywords: Spicy Mayo

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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2 Comments

  1. Saw a recipe for sushi made in a muffin pan which included nori, rice, a mixture of salmon cubed, sesame oil, soy, scallions and a blend of spices marinated. This mix is put on top of the nori and rice in the muffin holes. Then spicy sushi mayo and avacado are added after being in the oven. Can’t find out the spices in marinade. Thanks! What spices do you think were used?

    1. Wow that sounds delicious! I can’t say we’ve heard of this recipe before so I don’t think we can help you. I’d Google “sushi in muffin tin” and see what comes up!