Bright, herby, and silky, this pesto aioli blends fresh basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts, lemon, and good mayo for a restaurant-style dipping sauce or spread. Use this basil aioli on fries, chicken sandwiches, burgers, roasted veggies, or shrimp—and it’s ready in about 5 minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Pesto Aioli
A creamy condiment that is full of flavor with simple ingredients- what’s not to love!
- Use on anything – Pesto aioli is the perfect condiment for so many different foods. With fresh flavors of basil and garlic, slather it on sandwiches and paninis.
- Creamy texture – This staple condiment has the best smooth texture, making it perfect for so many things.
- Gluten-free – If you’re following a gluten free diet, no worries! This pesto aioli has none in it.
Recipe Essentials
Although the ingredient list is short, this pesto aioli is full of fresh flavor. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Mayonnaise – You can use your favorite store bought brand, or try your hand at making homemade mayonnaise. Just make sure it’s a higher quality mayo for the best flavor.
- Fresh garlic
- Fresh basil
- Pine nuts
- Fresh lemon juice
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make this pesto aioli your own. Here are a few suggestions.
- Spice – If you’d like to make this sauce a little spicy, try adding some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Acidity – Instead of or in addition to the lemon juice, try using dijon mustard, white vinegar or even mustard powder.
- Cheese – A lot of pesto recipes have cheese. Try adding some grated parmesan cheese into the mix.
How to Use Pesto Aioli
Aioli is excellent as a dipping sauces or condiment to slather on sandwiches or burgers. You can dip olives, carrots, sweet potato fries or potato chips and even put a dollop on top of cooked veggies or crab cakes.
It pairs particularly well with proteins like chicken breasts and shrimp. You could even add it to pasta to create a pesto pasta.
Pesto Aioli Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves , roughly torn
- 2 cloves fresh garlic* , roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts , toasted
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
Instructions
- Combine the 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped 2 cloves fresh garlic*, 1 tablespoon pine nuts,1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and Pinch of Kosher salt in a small food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. You might need to scrape down the sides and do this several times.
- Add the 1/2 cup good mayonnaise and blend until fairly smooth.
- Transfer to an airtight container and chill for 30 minutes before using.
- If you liked this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Video
Notes
How to Store Pesto Aioli
You can store this homemade aioli in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.Can I Freeze Aioli?
We do not suggest freezing aioli. Mayonnaise based condiments do not tend to thaw properly.Nutrition
More Aioli Recipes
Aioli is a sauce popular in Mediterranean cuisine. It’s made of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and egg yolk, which makes it sneakily similar to a garlic mayo. Here are a few of our favorites.
What do you classify as “good mayo” any brand you can name?
I prefer anything that has an olive oil base, as I feel like it has more flavor. Hellman’s or Dukes are usually my preferences. I would shy away from the store brands, which often don’t have any flavor at all and sometimes have less body. Lower fat mayos are often the same.
This was delicious! Great on so many dishes, saving to make again soon!
This is a 5-star recipe! Absolutely delicious!