Mayo. Mayonnaise. Aioli. It’s not just for BLTs! This creamy, wonderful sauce is a powerful binder and thickening agent of its own right thanks to plentiful oils and protein from eggs. We’re going to dive into the many ways in which just a dollop of mayo can change your favorite recipes into something remarkable.
1. Dips
Move aside sour cream… Mayo’s in town and ready to transform this dip recipe into something the party guests will be talking about for months.
- Creamy Hearts of Palm Dip
- Mayo Dill Dipping Sauce with Air Fryer Pickles
- Spinach Artichoke
- Fish Dip
-
Ranch with Cauliflower Wings
2. Dressings
Fresh out of your favorite dressing? Ain’t no thang! Follow this recipe template to whip up a dressing your whole family will love. All you need is mayo and a few other ingredients.
Basic dressing recipe:
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Chosen Foods Classic Avocado Oil Mayo
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch granulated sugar (optional)
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
3. Marinades
Marinades aren’t just for grilling, they’re a useful tool for making your flavors pop when sautéing, baking or frying. You don’t need a designated marinade; just repurpose any leftover dressing—homemade or store bought. If you’re making one from scratch, mayo makes a fine marinade additive, lending a creamy texture and tangy flavor.
Pro tip: Remember to use an oil with a higher smoke point, like Chosen Foods Avocado Oil featured in both our Mayos and Dressings, to avoid oxidation once cooking begins.
4. Cakes, Brownies, and Baked Goods
Not only do mayo cakes and brownies flaunt a heavenly decadence you’ve probably only experienced in restaurants, their recipes usually forgo the use of eggs entirely. This means you can feed two birds with one scone and still end up with a better tasting result!
Try this technique with our Grain-Free Banana Bread recipe.
5. Juicy Burgers
As with cakes, you can substitute mayo for eggs in your burger recipes. The change will result in some of the juiciest burgers you’ve ever tasted, whether you’ve opted for real meat, meat substitutes, or truly plant based recipes with a base of beans or lentils.
Try our Juicy Turkey Burger Sliders or our Wasabi Salmon Burger recipe!
6. Creamy Pasta Sauce
Serve up an extra helping of deliciousness with your pasta recipes by folding a quarter cup of mayo into your sauce along with cream and cheese (dairy or nut based). Mayo’s vinegar content imparts a slight tanginess to the sauce that can be accentuated with a squeeze or two of fresh lemon (and a tablespoon of capers, if you’re at it).
Take this technique for a spin with our Creamy Provencal Chicken recipe.
7. No Fail Stack-etizers
Guests arriving in 30 minutes? If you have mayo, crackers or crostinis, and a few toppings, you can make a crowd pleasing recipe in a pinch. Simply lay out your base, add a generous smear of plain or flavored mayo, and top with any of the following:
- Cheese: smoked cheddar, gouda, gruyere, parmesan, bleu
- Meat: pepperoni, prosciutto, biltong, shrimp, smoked fish or lox, vegan sausage
- Vegetables: red onion, cucumber, tomato, artichoke, asparagus
- Fruit: raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, figs, avocado, mango chutney, golden raisins, pepper jelly
- Sliced hard boiled eggs
- Herbs: dill, parsley, basil, cilantro, za’atar
- Fancies: capers, pesto, pine nuts, olive tapenade, pickled mustard seeds, kimchi
- Spicy: chili sauce, jalapeños, datil peppers
Still need inspiration? Check out our Zesty Beef Wasabi Mayo Bites.
A note on flavored mayos: If you’re starting with a plain mayo, feel free to add an element of surprise by whipping in any of the following ingredients:
- Sriracha, lime juice, horseradish, cayenne pepper, chopped sundried tomatoes, honey, chives, curry paste, ginger and sesame oil, etc.
Chosen Foods Mayo in Wasabi and Roasted Garlic are also a great place to start.
8. Mac N’ Cheese
Believe it or not, there’s a place for mayo in this mac daddy of casseroles. An unmistakably American innovation, mayo mac calls for a hefty dollop folded into your sauce, along with milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, etc. What makes the addition work so well is its acidity, which cuts the heaviness of cheese to prevent it from overpowering all other ingredients.
9. Deviled Eggs
Ever wondered what gives deviled eggs their creamy texture and piquant flavor? It’s plenty of creamy mayo blended into the cooked egg yolks, plus a dash of mustard for a pungent bite. Though seasoned eggs have been popular since the days of the Romans, it wasn’t until the 19th century that someone got the bright (err, genius) idea to fold yolks into yolks, revealing the party favorite appetizer we know as deviled eggs.
10. Chickpea Salad Sandwiches
You grew up with tuna salad and egg salad, but have you met chickpea salad? This tangy, crunchy mix is full of all the healthy plant-based protein and fiber you could ask for in a meal. Make it to your liking with fresh dill, red pepper, lemon juice, or other fixins. But whatever you do, don’t forget the celery!
Try it with Vegan Mayo to make the recipe vegan friendly.
11. Colorful Slaw
Colorful coleslaw recipes exist to brighten your plate, satisfy your taste buds, and fill you up with your daily dose of phytonutrients. These natural compounds found in plants are responsible for giving carrots and pumpkins their orange color, purple cabbage and plums their mystic glow, and broccoli and avocados their vibrant green hues. But they’re not just for looks; phytonutrients work in the body to protect against oxidizing stress, so remember to eat your colors!
A colorful slaw made with mayo will be simultaneously creamy and tangy, making it the ideal pairing for heavier dishes like burgers, steaks, and chicken.
12. Mashed Potatoes
Butter might always be the chief fattening agent in mashed potatoes, but we’d argue there’s room for another element. Mayo, when whipped into fluffy, yet insufficiently seasoned mashed taters, adds a velvety, luxurious texture you won’t find elsewhere.
But don’t take our word for it! Sam the Cooking Guy will be the first to vouch for this technique. Check out this video in which he makes (for possibly the first time in history) Wasabi Mashed Potatoes.
13. Grilled Chicken
Another great tip from STCG is to use a high-quality mayo to slather chicken breasts before grilling. Mayo, with its high fat and protein content, effectively seals in moisture with a creamy layer of mouthwatering flavor. Sam opts for Chosen Foods Roasted Garlic Mayo to get the job done.