Gochujang Aioli (Korean Spicy Mayonnaise)

This quick gochujang aioli sauce is so easy to make and bursts with amazing Korean flavors. Made using only a few simple ingredients, it comes together within 5 minutes and makes for a perfect dipping sauce for French fries or to use as a spicy mayo for burgers, sandwiches or to drizzle over bowls and vegetables. 100% vegan and easy to make gluten-free.

This easy 5-min Korean gochujang aioli sauce is so wonderful to lift up sandwiches, burgers, French fries, grain bowls or roasted vegetables. You will want to put it on everything!

Especially if you love Asian flavor and spicy food, this sauce is going to be perfect for you.

Most of its amazing flavor comes from gochujang paste, which is a Korean spicy bright red fermented paste that brings an amazing Korean twist to a regular aioli sauce. It is a great ingredient to bring a lot of flavor without much effort!

I use it to make gochujang soup, gochujang sticky tofu and even creamy rich gochujang pasta dishes. It is so versatile!

Gochujang paste is sweet + tangy + spicy + smoky, which makes this aioli SO flavorful. This Korean spicy sauce also includes some garlic and just a touch of rice vinegar, to brighten up the whole recipe.

Also, for the creamy base, I made this sauce using a combination of both vegan mayonnaise and yogurt. Cutting the mayo with some yogurt helps lighten up the sauce a bit and it also adds a little more tang to it, but feel-free to only use mayonnaise if that's easier.

Making this gochujang sauce should take you no more than 5 minutes: all you have to do is whisk the ingredients together! I like to make it ahead to allow the flavors to deepen, but it can be made last-minute in a pinch too.

And if you are sensitive with spicy food, then know that you can also easily adjust how spicy you want your aioli to be by including more or less of the spicy paste. Even a small amount will add lots of flavor without overpowering the sauce with too much heat, making it more family-friendly.

Let me know if you gave it a try! ❤️

Highlight of this recipe

• Very quick and easy to prepare
• Ultra flavorful sauce without requiring much effort
• Versatile ways to serve it
• Great for meal-prep and stores well
• Easy to customize the spicy level
• 100% vegan, egg-free and dairy-free

Ingredients you'll need

• Mayonnaise: I used the vegan mayo from the brand vegenaise. For an healthier whole food plant based recipe, then make your own mayonnaise using cashews!
• Yogurt: I used the vegan cashew yogurt from the brand Forager, but feel-free to use your favorite kind as long as it is unflavored and unsweetened.
• Gochujang paste: any brand is great, so simply use the one that you can find. I used the Seoul gochujang paste from the brand Lucky Foods that I ordered online.
• Garlic: you will need fresh garlic and not powdered for best aioli taste. I only used 1 clove of garlic, but you might want to add more for extra flavor.
• Rice vinegar: balances out the sauce with a tangy fresh flavor, can also be swapped for lime juice.
• Green onion: just for a mild-oniony taste, you can also use chives.

How to make a spicy gochujang aioli

This sauce literally takes 5 minutes to make!

Combine

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, rice vinegar, gochujang paste (start with 1 tablespoon for a milder version, I used 2 tablespoons total), garlic and green onion.

Whisk until smooth.

Taste and +/- chill

Make sure to taste the aioli to adjust flavor: add more gochujang for more heat and more garlic if you can handle the taste of raw garlic. Also, add salt to taste.

You can serve the aioli right away, although I noticed a nice boost in the overall flavor when I allowed the sauce to chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Helpful tips

• Using yogurt loosen up the consistency of the sauce, which I don't mind. BUT, if you are looking for a thicker consistency, then you might want to use 100% mayonnaise instead.
• If you include more garlic, then you might want to consider slightly cooking it first. To do this, warm up a small non-stick pan, then add a little oil (sesame oil would be great here) and then crush the garlic cloves over the pan. Keep on medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring constantly. Don't let the garlic burn and remove from the heat before it starts to brown. Cooking the garlic before incorporating it to the sauce would allow to add more of it without an overwhelming raw garlic taste.
• Even though this is a great last-minute recipe, try to make it ahead of time to allow the flavors to develop and intensify.
• If you are looking for an ultra smooth sauce, meaning without little pieces of garlic and green onion, then use an immersion blender to smooth out the consistency.

Serving suggestions

There are so many ways you can serve this aioli, making it a great meal-prep sauce to make in the weekend and serve during the week in all sorts of different dishes. Here are some serving ideas:

• Burgers: try it over this oyster mushroom burger or jackfruit burger for a nice Korean twist.
• Salad dressing: this sauce goes great with lettuce and crunchy raw vegetables. Try pairing with a mix of romaine, cucumber, chickpeas and tomatoes. Check out my rainbow salad for inspiration!
• Buddha grain bowls: this is a great sauce to pour or dollop over grain bowls, such as this crispy tofu buddha bowl.
• Savory breakfast: if you love spicy meals to start the day, then try drizzling over a savory breakfast bowl or avocado toasts or use the sauce to dip in these delicious vegan egg bites !
• Dipping sauce: perfect for homemade French fries, but also use to dip in tofu egg rolls, jackfruit nuggets or tofu nuggets, raw cauliflower florets or any raw veggie sticks.
• Sushi: instead of using a regular spicy mayo when serving sushi rolls, then try this gochujang aioli next time! It would pair very well with these sweet potato sushi or these shiitake sushi rolls. Or drizzle over an edamame poke bowl!
• Sandwiches: especially goes great stuffed in tortilla rolls, such as in these crusted tofu wraps, but also drizzle in a smoky roasted tofu sandwich for a great pairing in flavor.
• Roasted vegetables: we love this sauce generously drizzled over roasted potatoes and broccoli, but also try over roasted peppers, cauliflower or mushrooms.
• Tacos: drizzle this yummy spicy sauce over lentil tacos for a nice Korean twist at your next Tuesday taco dinner!
• Noodles: toss with warm soba or ramen noodles and add a bunch of fresh herbs, crunchy veggies and roasted tofu for such a nice meal.

Variations to the recipe

Like most sauces, you can easily tweak the ingredients to your taste, so don't hesitate to swap and add extra ingredients if you feel inspired! Here are a few suggestions to try:

• Sesame oil: a small amount would add a nice toasted nutty flavor. A little goes a long way, so start with only a few drops!
• Soy sauce: instead of adding salt, add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, which would pair well with the overall Asian flavor of this aioli.
• Oil-free: in that case, use only yogurt or make your own healthy cashew mayo instead of using store-bought mayo.
• Ultra spicy: other than simply adding more gochujang paste to make this mayo spicier, then you can also add some gochugaru (Korean dried chili powder, found in the spices aisle section) or simply cayenne pepper.
• Sweeter: add a little maple syrup for a sweeter version or to balance the spiciness of your sauce.

Storage tip

This gochujang aioli stores very well in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 4-5 days. Stir well before serving.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

FAQ's

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I hope you enjoy this spicy gochujang aioli as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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