This horseradish mayonnaise is made from scratch using fresh horseradish root and homemade mayo. It’s creamy, spicy, extremely versatile and delicious with a variety of dishes. See my serving suggestions at the bottom of the post.

Can I use prepared horseradish instead of fresh

I do not recommend it. You won’t get the same degree of pungency and, crucially, delicious fresh horseradish flavour. Prepared horseradish, sold in jars, is grated horseradish combined with vinegar, sugar, salt and various other ingredients used to prolong its shelf life. It typically contains around 60% of horseradish, is quite acidic and contains a lot of moisture (which would affect the consistency of your mayo).

Similarly, if you use horseradish sauce (which contains an even smaller amount of horseradish!) the result won’t be as good.

Mayonnaise has a complex flavour profile, including sour, sweet and savoury notes, and you simply don’t need to add ingredients with more acidity, salt or sweetness.

That’s why, in my opinion, fresh horseradish root is the best ingredient to use in homemade mayonnaise with horseradish.

Can I use readymade mayo

I do not recommend it. Commercially produced mayonnaise is not as thick and rich as homemade and would make your sauce too runny (I tested it).

However, if you prefer not to make mayo from scratch you can halve the amount of fresh horseradish and use readymade mayo (your sauce won’t be as spicy).

Horseradish mayonnaise ingredients and substitutions

Fresh horseradish root.
Oil: I like to use a combination of mild-tasting oils such as vegetable and cold-pressed rapeseed (which tastes a little nutty and will give your sauce a nice yellow colour), but you can use other neutral tasting oils. Olive oil is a bit too strong for this recipe and I do not recommend it.
Egg yolks: ensure they are at room temperature.
White wine vinegar.
Dijon mustard.
Honey.
Salt.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Make mayo: Place the egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of vinegar and mustard in the small bowl of your food processor. Pulse to combine then with the food processor on start adding the oil, drop by drop at first (to ensure the mixture doesn’t split). When the mixture starts to thicken pour the oil in a very slow stream.

2 egg yolks and mustard in food processor.

Egg yolk mixture in food processor bowl.

2. When you’ve added about ⅔ of the oil mix in the honey, salt and remaining vinegar then continue slowly incorporating the rest of the oil. Set aside.

TIP: It’s helpful to pour the oil from a small jug or glass with a spout.

Top down view of creamy mayo in food processor.

3. Prepare horseradish: Peel then finely chop the horseradish root.

Peeled, finely chopped horseradish with knife on cutting board.

4. Puree: Place in a mixing bowl (glass, not metal) and add about ⅓ of the mayo. Puree until thick and creamy. Stir in the rest of the mayo until thoroughly combined.

Chopped horseradish and mayo in glass bowl.

Pureed horseradish with mayo in glass bowl with blender end.

5. Chill: Transfer to a jar, close the lid and refrigerate overnight before using (the mixture will thicken, and the flavour will continue to develop over the next day).

How to use horseradish mayo

As a spread: with sandwiches, such as ham, turkey, roast beef or salmon.
Add to potato dishes: including mashed potatoes, potato salad or baked potatoes.
With eggs: serve with deviled eggs or add to cottage cheese egg salad or salmon egg salad.
As a dipping sauce: by adding sour cream/yogurt, fresh chives/dill and serving with fish cakes, fish fingers, chicken fingers, steak or roast beef.
In a salad dressing: combine with lemon juice and pour over potato salmon salad, roasted celery root salad and others.
With fish spreads: such as mackerel, tuna or salmon.

It’s also delicious with smoked salmon!

How to adjust the pungency

This recipe produces quite a spicy horseradish mayonnaise. If you want less heat you can simply use less horseradish. If you find that’s it’s still too hot after it’s been in the fridge overnight you can add a little readymade mayo.

On the other hand, if you’ve turned it into a dipping sauce (by adding yogurt, for example) and find that it’s not spicy enough simply add a little more freshly grated horseradish root.

Optional ingredients you can use

This mayonnaise with horseradish is delicious as it is, but you can add other ingredients for a different flavour twist. They can include:

Garlic powder: about ⅕ teaspoon.
Mustard: although the recipe does contains a little mustard you can add 1 more teaspoon for a stronger mustard flavour.
Lemon zest: not lemon juice (it might make your mayo too runny).

TIP: These ingredients can be added after you’ve made the mayo.

Top tips

This creamy mayo with horseradish is quite spicy - for a milder finish use a little less fresh horseradish.
Prepare the horseradish just before assembling the recipe (peeled, chopped horseradish might lose some of its pungency if not used immediately).
For best results I recommend using a combination of neutral tasting oils, such as sunflower, vegetable and cold-pressed rapeseed (which has a vivid yellow colour and a slightly nutty flavour).
Refrigerate your mayo overnight before using.
Keep in a jar, refrigerated, for up to 5 days.
Not suitable for freezing.
Leftover horseradish root can be frozen, in an airtight container, for up to 3 months (it might lose some of its potency). Alternatively wrap it tightly and keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 weeks.

See also these other delicious sides/sauces!

Recipe

Keep in touch!

If you make this fresh horseradish mayonnaise recipe I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Was it as spicy as expected? How did you use it? Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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Homemade Horseradish Mayonnaise