A creamy, spicy and slightly smoky mayonnaise that is delicious as a dip, spread or sauce. Harissa mayo combines spicy harissa paste and store-bought mayonnaise for a quick and easy condiment. Made with only four ingredients and ready in just 5 minutes, this flavourful mayo is delicious with your favourite appetizers or a spread on burgers and sandwiches.
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What is Harissa Mayonnaise?
Harissa mayo is a creamy, spicy condiment with a slightly smoky flavour that works well as a dip, spread or sauce.
It is made with mayonnaise mixed with harissa paste, garlic and just a squeeze of fresh lemon. It only takes about 5 minutes to prepare and will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
This mayonnaise is a delicious condiment for grilled foods such as burgers, meatballs, and chicken fingers. It also works well as a dip for other appetizers, such as breaded shrimp, french fries, potato wedges, or Grilled Nuggets.
This mayonnaise’s spicy, smoky flavour pairs well with bold proteins, such as beef and works especially well with grilled dishes.
What is Harissa Paste?
Harissa paste is a spicy paste made from dried red chilli peppers, garlic, oil, and an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice. Sometimes it also contains tomato paste or sundried tomatoes.
The final product is bold, slightly spicy and has a smoky flavour.
Harissa paste can come in various spice levels, depending on the chillies used to prepare it and whether or not it is blended with other ingredients, such as tomato.
If you don’t like a lot of spice, select one labelled as mild or use less of the paste in your mayonnaise.
Ingredients
For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
This easy recipe comes together with just four ingredients.
Mayonnaise – Choose your favourite brand of store-bought mayonnaise. You can use full-fat, low-fat or even fat-free mayonnaise. If you have a favourite recipe for homemade mayonnaise, you could also use that.
Harissa paste – A spicy, slightly smoky chilli paste with flavours of garlic and other spices. Some harissa paste also contains sundried tomatoes or tomato paste. You can use any store-bought harissa paste.
Garlic – This recipe uses a small, fresh garlic clove which adds to the flavour but doesn’t overpower the other flavours. If you don’t have fresh garlic, use a quarter of a teaspoon of granulated garlic instead. You can also use equal parts of store-bought minced garlic instead of fresh.
Lemon juice – Lemon juice adds a bit of acidity to the mayo, brightening and bringing all the flavours together. Fresh lemon juice is always preferred, but bottled lemon juice may be used.
Pro-Tip: Use fresh garlic and lemon juice, if possible, for the best flavour. You can substitute with store-bought garlic paste if you don’t have fresh. Powdered or granulated may also be used but reduced by half.
Step by Step Instructions
Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl.
Use a spoon to mix the ingredients until smooth and well blended.
Taste the mayonnaise; add a bit more chilli paste if it isn’t spicy enough.
Move the prepared mayo to a small jar for storage.
Pro-Tip: This mayo dip can be served immediately, but the flavours will blend more if it has time to rest for at least thirty minutes before serving. You will also notice the flavour becomes stronger after a day or more in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
Harissa mayo is a delicious condiment that can be used in various ways.
This creamy, slightly smoky mayo is perfect as a dip for French fries, sweet potato fries, air-fried tater tots, chicken bites and roasted veggies.
It is also excellent with breaded or fried shrimp, meatballs and other appetizers.
The flavour combination of smoky chilli paste, garlic, and lemon makes it an excellent condiment for grilled dishes such as beef or chicken.
Harissa mayonnaise is also perfect as a spread for burgers or sandwiches.
Storage
You can store homemade harissa mayonnaise in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. It should keep well for about two weeks.
Small mason jars work very well for this.
Storage time may be reduced if you use homemade mayonnaise rather than prepared, store-bought mayonnaise as the base for this recipe.
Top Tips & FAQS
- You can easily double or triple this recipe depending, on the quantity you need.
- Make this harissa mayo vegan by choosing a vegan mayonnaise.
- The prepared mayo can be served immediately, but letting it rest for thirty minutes before serving will allow the flavours to deepen.
Harissa mayo can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about two weeks.
Harissa mayo is mildly spicy with a touch of smokiness. The spice level of the chilli paste can vary depending on the brand, so if spice is a concern for you, make sure you choose one labelled as mild and taste it before you mix your condiment.
More Flavoured Mayo Recipes
Printable Recipe
Harissa Mayo
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 1 small garlic clove crushed
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice fresh
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.