This homemade Horseradish Aioli is a simple sauce made with creamy store-bought mayonnaise, pungent prepared horseradish and tangy fresh lemon juice.
While aioli is typically made with garlic, olive oil and egg yolks, this creamy horseradish sauce skips the homemade aioli and instead leans on store-bought mayonnaise. Like our vegan Avocado Aioli, I opted to keep out the egg yolks. This recipe is, in essence, a spicy horseradish mayo, but includes lemon juice, grated fresh garlic and chives. This is a perfect sauce for steak, prime rib, grilled chicken, sandwiches and fish. Plus, you can use it as a creamy horseradish dip for fresh cut vegetables, bread or even our Crispy Air Fryer Red Potatoes.
Jump to:
Ingredients that Matter
This homemade creamy horseradish sauce uses a handful of pantry staples and some fresh ingredients. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:
- Mayonnaise. Yes, using store-bought mayonnaise is a bit of a cheat. But, I think this horseradish sauce still tastes great even if you don't make your own mayonnaise. Reach for full-fat mayo, if possible, or swap in a lighter version, if desired.
- Horseradish. Most grocery stores sell prepared and creamy horseradish. I recommend prepared horseradish for this recipe as you want a big, bold horseradish flavor.
- Garlic. This aioli is all about the horseradish, but adding a bit of garlic goes quite well with the pungent heat of the horseradish. You can swap in garlic powder, if desired, or even use some roasted garlic.
- Lemon Juice. Between the mayo, horseradish and garlic, there are a lot of big, rich flavors in this sauce. A splash of lemon juice goes a long to cut through those flavors and a nice zip of tang.
- Chives. Some fresh chives adds delicious oniony flavor to this rich and creamy horseradish sauce.
- Salt and Pepper. A big pinch of table salt and black pepper is all you need to season this sauce.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Creamy Horseradish Aioli
This recipe takes about 5 minutes to prepare and simply requires you to stir together the ingredients until smooth. But there are a couple important things to keep in mind when make this recipe. Here's how it all comes together:
Add to a small mixing bowl the mayonnaise, prepared (drained) horseradish, grated garlic, chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Stir together the ingredients and adjust seasoning with more lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with a bit more black pepper and chives.
Hint: Before starting, be sure to measure out and drain the horseradish. Most prepared horseradish is packed in vinegar, and while it's delicious on its own, it will thin out the sauce if not first drained.
Substitutions
This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian as written, but there are further ways to adjust it to meet your dietary needs and flavor preferences. Try these tweaks:
- Vegan - You can make this recipe vegan simply by using a plant-based mayonnaise. Prepared horseradish is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- Lower Fat - Swap in a light mayonnaise to cut back on the fat.
- Fresh Herbs - If chives aren't your thing, feel free to swap in scallions, parsley or even tarragon.
- Dried Herbs - No fresh herbs on hand? No problem! Use any mild tasting dried herb like Italian seasoning, dried parsley, basil or even dried chives.
- Fresh Horseradish - Did you know fresh horseradish is available in many grocery stores these days? You can certainly find it in gourmet, health food or specialty markets. It's a root vegetable that looks like a dark brown, wrinkly carrot. If you find it fresh, peel it first then grate it fine. Taste it before adding to your sauce as that's the only way you can tell how pungent it is.
What to serve with horseradish aioli
Use this creamy sauce on a sandwiches, grilled meat, roasts or veggies. Try it on:
- Za'atar Chicken Salad
- Smothered Skillet Chicken with Artichokes and Red Peppers
- Tender Braised Beef Shanks
- Chickpea Patties
- Skillet Charred Corn on the Cob
- Air-Fryer Zucchini Fritters
- Air Fryer Steak Fries
- Red Lentil Patties
- Crispy Herb Roasted Potatoes
- Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
Storage
Store leftover horseradish mayo in a mason jar or airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this recipe. Note that as the sauce sits in the refrigerator, some of the liquid from the horseradish may separate, creating little pools of liquid on your sauce. Simply stir it well before serving.
Adam's Pro Tip
If you've never had horseradish before, or if you don't want a bold, pungent sauce, you should start by adding one tablespoon of horseradish. Taste it, then add the second tablespoon of prepared horseradish if desired. I like the bold flavor of horseradish, so this sauce fits my tastes, but you may want to start a bit tamer.
FAQ
Depending on who you ask, you should either never substitute mayo for aioli, or it's totally fine to use the store bought stuff. Depending on how you plan to use it, you should freely use store-bought mayo instead of making homemade aioli, especially if making a flavored sauce like horseradish mayo.
Feel free to use either prepared or cream style horseradish when making horseradish aioli.
Absolutely! It is recommended to peel fresh horseradish, finely grate it then taste it before adding to the other ingredients as the only way to tell its spice level is by tasting it first.
More Sauce
Looking for other sauce recipes like this? Try these:
Dinner Ideas
Need some inspiration for dinner tonight? Try these recipes:
Recipe
Horseradish Aioli
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup 1x
Description
This homemade Horseradish Aioli is a simple sauce made with creamy store-bought mayonnaise, pungent prepared horseradish and tangy fresh lemon juice.
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish, drained well
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
- 1 pinch table salt
- 1 pinch black pepper, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise to a small mixing bowl along with drained prepared horseradish, garlic, lemon juice, chives, salt and pepper. Stir together well until combined then adjust seasoning with more lemon juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with more chives and black pepper, if desired.
Notes
- Store leftover horseradish aioli in an airtight container or mason jar for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
- It's very important to drain off the vinegar in the prepared horseradish or the sauce will be too thin.
- You can also use cream-style horseradish for this recipe.
- Or, try using fresh horseradish. Be sure to peel it first then finely grate it. Taste it to determine how spicy it is, then add it to the mayonnaise and other ingredients.
- Serve horseradish cream sauce with steak, a roast, grilled chicken, fish, a sandwich, crispy potatoes, bread or vegetables.
- Feel free to use light mayonnaise, if desired.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stirring
- Cuisine: American
Leave a Reply