The Best Garlic Aioli
- PREP 15min
- TOTAL 15min
Our easy aioli recipe is a creamy garlic sauce made with simple ingredients like fresh garlic, salt, olive oil, and sometimes egg. It’s popular in the cuisines of the Mediterranean coast like Provence, France, and Catalonia in Spain. We use egg in this recipe, which makes it luxuriously creamy. Many aioli recipes call for egg yolks, but we use one whole egg and one egg yolk, which makes this recipe more fail-proof and extra easy.
Note: Some readers have found the olive oil flavor to be too strong. Use a mild extra-virgin olive oil for the best results. If you are sensitive to bitterness in olive oil, you can substitute neutral oil instead.
You Will Need
2 small garlic cloves
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 large egg at room temperature
1 large egg yolk at room temperature
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, fruiter and mild is best (120ml)
¼ cup neutral oil like sunflower, grapeseed, or vegetable oil (60ml)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Use a microplane grater to grate the garlic. If you do not have a fine grater, finely mince the garlic or mash it into a paste.
2Place the garlic, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in the bowl of a food processor. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3Add the whole egg and yolk, then pulse until blended and frothy.
4Combine the oils in a measuring jug, which makes pouring the oil into the food processor easier.
5Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, turn the food processor on, then begin to slowly add the oil in tiny drops until about a quarter of the oil has been added (this is critical for proper emulsification). Watch our video for reference.
6You can be less strict when you notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken and emulsify. With the processor on, continue to drizzle it in slowly, increasing to a very thin stream instead of drops of oil.
7When the oil is incorporated, and the aioli is thick, taste it and adjust it with additional lemon juice and salt. I usually add a couple more pinches of salt and an extra squeeze of lemon juice to make the flavor pop. Aioli is less thick than store-bought mayonnaise.
8Serve with a sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper over the top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Roasted garlic aioli: If you are sensitive to the taste of raw garlic, consider reducing it to one clove or using roasted garlic instead.
- Shortcut aioli with mayonnaise: Combine 1 cup mayonnaise with 2 to 3 finely grated garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Taste, and then season with more salt and lemon.
- Vegan aioli: Combine 1 cup vegan mayonnaise with 2 to 3 finely grated garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, and 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Taste, and then season with more salt and lemon.
- Food processor: We make this recipe using a 12-cup food processor (Magimix), and it works beautifully. If you have a larger processor or are concerned that your model’s blade will not have enough contact with the ingredients, you can use the smaller bowl attachment that often comes with food processors. This recipe also works when made using a high-powered blender. Finally, you can use an immersion blender.
- Raw eggs: When choosing eggs for homemade aioli, go for fresh, properly refrigerated, clean pasteurized grade A or AA eggs with intact shells.
- Storing: This lasts in an airtight container in the fridge for about 1 week (possibly longer when made with pasteurized eggs). I do not recommend freezing aioli. The emulsification will likely break when you thaw, and the texture will change.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.