Spicy Korean Style Mayo (known also as Gochujang Mayo) takes just a few ingredients and three minutes of prep time to put together. It’s a condiment or dipping sauce that will turn even the most ordinary meal into something amazing, and is the perfect accompaniment for a variety of finger foods, tacos, burgers, and seafood, or most commonly as a deliciously simple French Fry dipper.

Spicy Korean Mayo is full of savory flavor yet can also be described as creamy, tangy, and spicy at the same time. There’s no need to cook or heat it up, plus you can make it ahead and it will keep well in the fridge if you make a big batch! I find it’s a great complement to other traditionally spicy or saltier sauces, and is a great tester for youngsters looking to dabble with chili type flavor.

There can be differing approaches to the Spicy Korean Mayo ingredients. Some recipes call for the use of Kewpie mayonnaise, which is popular in Korea and Japan. It’s a fine option but I find that when using the other ingredients – tangy lime juice and rice wine vinegar in particular – I can create better balance and subtle flavor when matched with whole egg mayo, because it’s creamier and not as sweet.

Another thing to be aware of is to make sure you buy gochujang sauce rather than gochujang paste (it’s thicker and less refined), as it has other ingredients and is much easier to work with for use in mayo. Most supermarkets carry gochujang sauce rather than paste, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much!

I love that you can whip up a batch of Spicy Korean Mayo in just a few minutes, and you can keep it for days after in the fridge. It tastes so good though, that you’ll start inventing reasons to use it, and will cycle through batches more quickly than you realize!