This Jalapeño Mayo has just 7 ingredients, it takes 10 minutes to make, and it's packed with flavor! You can make it mild or extra hot based on your preference. It's so creamy, delicious, and a little bit of Greek yogurt makes it extra light, too! It's the perfect spicy dip for BBQ wings or a great sauce for tacos, rice bowls, burgers, and more!
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Why You'll Love This Jalapeño Mayo
Creamy and flavorful - The dip has just 7 simple ingredients, but it's incredibly flavorful! Jalapeños make it spicy, but you can easily regulate the heat level by adding more or leaving the spicier parts of the jalapeños out. Fresh cilantro gives it a beautiful green color, and freshly squeezed lime juice balances everything out.
Quick and simple - While you can make the mayo part from scratch, I tried to make things extra simple by using store-bought mayonnaise. It keeps it easier if you don't want to handle the raw eggs, and it's so much faster! I also add Greek yogurt to lighten up the dip and add more flavor.
Lots of uses - You can serve it as a dip, drizzle it over tacos, add it to sandwiches, burgers, burritos, rice bowls, salads, and so much more!
Ingredients
- Mayonnaise - I like using 100% olive oil or avocado oil mayo because they tend to have cleaner ingredients and no seed oils, but any mayo you have on hand works great. You can also make your own! Use vegan mayo if needed.
- Greek yogurt - Look for full-fat Greek yogurt. You want it to be thick and creamy so that the finished sauce isn't too runny.
- Jalapenos - You'll need 1-2 fresh jalapenos. I don't recommend using canned jalapenos because they have a very different flavor that would change the flavor of the sauce, and it would make it runnier as well.
- Cilantro - Fresh cilantro adds a ton of flavor and gives the sauce a beautiful green color. If you don't like cilantro, you can skip it or add other herbs like parsley or chives instead, but this will change the flavor.
- Garlic - One clove is all you need. I recommend grating or pressing it into the blender to make sure it's properly blended into the sauce.
- Lime juice - I highly recommend using freshly squeezed lime juice for the best flavor. You can use lemon juice in a pinch, but lime creates the best flavor here.
- Sea salt - A little bit of fine sea salt will balance all the flavors. I recommend always using either sea salt or Himalayan pink salt. Table salt can be too salty, and it's stripped of all minerals.
Variations and Substitutions
- Sour cream - If you don't have Greek yogurt, you can use sour cream instead. It will give the sauce a slightly different flavor, and it might make it even creamier!
- Canned jalapenos - While I don't recommend swapping fresh jalapenos for pickled ones, you can add 1 or 2 slices for more flavor and tanginess. Pickled jalapenos are packed with flavor, and if you don't have enough lime juice, you can add some of the brine instead.
- Garlic powder - If you don't like the flavor of raw garlic (though you can barely taste it in the sauce), you can use garlic powder instead. I would do ½ teaspoon for this recipe and add more to taste.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the chopped jalapenos, fresh cilantro, grated garlic, fine sea salt, and lime juice to a small food processor. Alternatively, you can also do this using an immersion blender for a completely smooth mayo.
- Pulse the mixture a few times until evenly chopped. You may need to scrape the sides a few times.
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- Add the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt (or sour cream) to the food processor.
- Blend again for a minute or so until you reach your desired consistency. It will be quite runny right after blending, but it thickens in the fridge.
- Chill the sauce in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow it to thicken and for the flavors to develop.
Tips & Tricks!
- Easy way to adjust the heat - The seeds and white membranes are where most of the heat is in a jalapeno. The pepper itself is also hot, but it's very mild if you don't include any of the seeds or white parts.
- Food process vs an immersion blender - If you want your mayo completely smooth, similar to jalapeno aioli, use an immersion blender. I like using a small food processor (a chopper) because it chops up everything well, but doesn't make the sauce completely smooth. It leaves tiny pieces of the jalapenos and cilantro, which give the sauce a little bit of texture.
What to Serve It With
- Chicken, meat, or fish - Serve it as a dip or sauce with chicken wings, ribs, steak, salmon, shrimp, and other fish. It's amazing with anything from the grill or anything with BBQ sauce!
- Buffalo cauliflower or BBQ cauliflower - In the photo below, I'm dipping a piece of crispy BBQ cauliflower into the mayo. It's my favorite way to serve this sauce, it's so good!
- Tacos, burritos, sandwiches, burgers - Drizzle the mayo over tacos, spread it on toasted burger buns, bread for sandwiches, or add it to wraps! Try it on these Spicy Shrimp Tacos!
- Bowls and salads - Drizzle it over quinoa or rice bowls or salads. It's thin enough to be used as a salad dressing, but you can thin it out more with water or olive oil. It's delicious drizzled over roasted veggies or anything with beans or chickpeas. It would even go with this Vegetarian Burrito Bowl!
- Fries - If you want to change things up and skip the ketchup, serve your fries with this jalapeno mayo instead! It's especially delicious with sweet potato fries.
Making it Ahead and Storing
This mayo can easily be made ahead and stored in the fridge until ready to use. I would even say it tastes better the next day! You actually want to put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes after blending to cool it down, to allow it to thicken slightly, and for the flavors to blend together.
Store the mayo in an airtight container or a jar in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. I don't recommend freezing it because the texture changes after defrosting, and it separates.
FAQs
Too thin: After blending, the sauce is more liquid and will thicken slightly as it cools in the fridge. If you want it thicker right away, stir or blend in a spoonful of mayo or Greek yogurt.
Too thick: If it's too thick, stir or blend in some water. Be careful not to add too much; 1-3 teaspoons will be plenty.
Other Spicy Sauces and Dips
Below are other dips and sauces that can be served in a similar way to this mayo. To see all the latest ones, head over to Dips, Dressings, and Spreads!
- Spicy Sriracha Mayo (Even quicker than this one and no blending!)
- Creamy Chipotle Sauce (Did you know chipotles are just smoked jalapenos?)
- Roasted Chili Corn Salsa (With jalapenos and poblanos, mild but so delicious!)
- Cilantro Chimichurri (A cilantro twist on the classic sauce!)
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Have you tried this Jalapeno Mayo? Please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Hungry for more dips? Grab my free Top 10 Best Appetizers e-book for more dip recipes, and don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram!
Print📖 Recipe
Jalapeno Mayo
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Jalapeno Mayo has just 7 ingredients and takes a few minutes to make, and it's packed with flavor! You can make it mild or extra hot based on your preference. Serve it as a dip for BBQ wings or a great sauce for tacos, rice bowls, burgers, and more!
Ingredients
- 2 small jalapenos, seeds and white membrane removed, roughly chopped (⅓ cup chopped)*
- ¼ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ½ cup mayonnaise (I recommend olive oil or avocado oil mayo)
- 2 tbsp full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
Instructions
- Add the chopped jalapenos, fresh cilantro, grated garlic, fine sea salt, and lime juice to a small food processor. Alternatively, you can also do this using an immersion blender for a completely smooth mayo.
- Pulse the mixture a few times until evenly chopped. You may have to scrape the sides a few times.
- Add the mayonnaise and Greek yogurt or sour cream to the food processor.
- Blend again for a minute or so until you reach your desired consistency. It will be quite runny right after blending, but it thickens in the fridge.
- Chill the sauce in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow it to thicken and for the flavors to develop.
Notes
Jalapenos: If you want the dip to be a little spicier, leave the white membranes in. If you want it to be extra spicy, leave some of the seeds in. Keep in mind that a small food processor probably won’t be able to chop them.
Immersion blender: If you want the sauce to be extra smooth, blend it using an immersion blender instead of a chopper (small food processor). If you go this route, you can blend everything together at once.
Storing: Store the jalapeno mayo in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing it because the mayo will separate after defrosting.
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Jolene says
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Please may you share your recipe for BBQ cauliflower? Looks so yummy in the picture!
Veronika Sykorova says
Hi Jolone, thank you, I actually just shot it with BBQ cauliflower from a vegan restaurant here in Toronto called Fresh. I will make a note to try to make a homemade version and share the recipe!