Easy to make at home, aioli serves as a garlicky, flavor-boosting accompaniment to veggies, fish, BLTs, or fries. This mayo-like sauce is that extra special you’ve always been craving!
In southern France, aioli—a creamy, rich and intensely garlicky mayonnaise-like sauce– is usually served with platters of vegetables, scooped over fish, or tossed in bouillabaisse (fish soup).
It’s a no-brainer for the summer table. Drizzle it on an open tomato sandwich, add it to a BLT, or dip your oven fries in it. This versatile sauce will elevate even the most modest meal.
Like mayonnaise, aioli is an emulsion. We all know that oil and water don’t mix, but through the magic of kitchen science, liquid can be broken up into many tiny droplets and forced to combine with oil.
With aioli, as with mayonnaise, this is achieved by very slowly Beat oil in one egg yolk mixed with lemon juice or a small amount of liquid. Start by adding just a few drops at a time and as the emulsion starts to melt you can add a little more at a time. The key is to go slow.
How Much Garlic Do You Need for Aioli?
The hallmark of aioli is garlic. how much is up to you I recommend adding only half at first and trying to see if that’s enough. You can always add more, but you can’t remove it once it’s added, and raw garlic can be potent!
Puree the garlic with coarse salt to a smooth puree, so that no small pieces of garlic end up in the sauce; it penetrates the sauce better and looks more appealing too. You can do this in two ways:
- Use a mortar and pestle.
- Using the flat side of a large knife, scrape the minced garlic across a cutting board a few times.
Either way, coarse salt will help break down the garlic and you’ll need it to flavor the sauce anyway.
If you want a sweeter, milder aioli, you can use roasted garlic. Just crush it like the raw garlic.
What is the best oil for aioli?
Traditional aioli is made from 100 percent olive oil. If your olive oil is very strong (slightly bitter, excessively burns your throat), you can cut it with a mild vegetable oil like canola or grapeseed oil. Taste the olive oil before you decide.
- Try the Simply Recipe team’s favorite olive oil!
How to adjust the consistency of aioli
Oil makes aioli fat. Add a little more if you want a thick sauce. If your aioli is too thick after adding the oil, simply adjust the consistency by adding water or lemon juice little by little.
Is Raw Egg Safe?
I personally have no fear of using a raw egg yolk to make aioli or mayonnaise, especially knowing my eggs are fresh and from a reliable source e.g. B. from a small, local producer.
If you are concerned about raw eggs, you can purchase pasteurized eggs. Food scientist Harold McGee developed a method for sterilizing eggs in the microwave, which he explains here.
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How to fix a broken aioli
If you’ve added the oil a little too quickly, the mixture may separate. Sometimes you can salvage it by simply whisking vigorously before adding more oil.
But all is not lost if that doesn’t work. Just put a new yolk in another bowl, whisk it with some water, then gradually add the “broken” aioli to the yolk.
Swaps and Substitutions
The recipe below is for a simple easy garlic aioli, but there’s a wide world out there in aioli land! Here are some of my favorite tweaks/flavor additions.
- Make it mayonnaise: Keep the garlic and add lemon juice or vinegar for the acidic ingredient. I love Dijon mustard (add about a teaspoon or to taste.) Or stir in chopped chives, tarragon, parsley, or other herbs of your choice. How to Make Mayo in a Blender!
- Make it remoulade: Holding the garlic, stir in some chopped cucumbers, chopped capers, lemon juice, finely chopped onions or chives, chopped parsley, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Here’s a favorite tartar sauce recipe!
- Make it sharp: With or without garlic, add a pinch of ancho chili powder (slightly hot), chipotle powder (smoky hot), sriracha, gochujang, or your favorite hot spice.
- Make it herby: Stir in some mashed basil or cilantro, with or without garlic, for a green version. BLT’s, anyone?
- Make it pink: Stir in some mashed red peppers from a jar or mashed sun-dried tomatoes.
How to use aioli
You made a batch in 10 minutes; Congratulations! What now?
- Spoon it over veggies. Spicy aioli goes great with a baked sweet potato, lemony aioli with asparagus, garlic or basil aioli with thick tomato slices – either in a sandwich or on its own.
- Use as a creamy salad dressing to toss with veggies or over a composite salad with hard-boiled eggs.
- Spoon it over poached eggs on toast.
- Spoon it over fish. A flavorful aioli contrasts nicely with salmon, and a herb aioli goes well with almost any grilled fish.
- Add it to tacos. Cilantro or chipotle aioli over chicken or steak tacos are a winner.
- Prepare Mexican grilled corn: Make the aioli with lime juice instead of lemon juice, stir in mashed coriander or chili powder, and brush over grilled corn.
More spreads, dips and sauces
- How to make homemade mayonnaise
- remoulade
- homemade tartar sauce
- Blue Cheese Sauce
- Thousand Iceland Dressing
Simple aioli
ingredients
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2 cloves garlicfinely chopped
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1/8 teaspoon kosher or coarse Saltplus more to taste
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1 big egg yolkat room temperature
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2 teaspoon lemon juice
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1/2 Cup mild tasting olive oilor 1/4 cup olive oil plus 1/4 cup vegetable oil
method
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Puree garlic:
Mix garlic and salt in a mortar. Blend together until the garlic forms a smooth paste. If you don’t have a mortar, place the garlic and salt on a cutting board and pass the blade of a large, heavy knife over it a few times until it forms a smooth paste.
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Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice and olive oil:
Set the bowl on a damp kitchen towel to keep the bowl from sliding around. In the bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice until combined. Pour the oil into a measuring cup with a spout.
Slowly, stirring constantly, add the olive oil a few drops at a time, gradually increasing the amount into a thin, steady stream as the egg and oil emulsify. When the mixture starts to separate, stop adding the oil and beat until the oil is fully incorporated before adding more oil.
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Add Garlic:
Stir in half of the garlic. Taste and add more salt and garlic if you like.
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Adjust the consistency:
If the aioli is thicker than you’d like, whisk in a few drops of water or lemon juice. If it’s too thin, slowly stir in more oil.
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Save on computer:
Place in a small bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to use. Aioli will keep refrigerated for 3 to 5 days.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 136 | calories |
| 15g | Fat |
| 0g | carbohydrates |
| 1g | protein |
