Quick Garlic Aioli is one of my favorite condiments. It is easy to prepare and really takes a meal from ho-hum to uber excellent.
In fact, sauces are what commonly separate the most extravagant of chef prepared meals from those made in your home kitchen.
Some might call it cheating, others might even say it isn’t actually an aioli, but I beg to differ. It is just a good, solid easy recipe full of garlic flavor.
Aioli Vs. Mayonnaise
Traditionally, aioli is an emulsion made by pounding fresh garlic with salt, then slowly working in olive oil (sometimes with a splash of lemon) until it thickens—no eggs required. Modern day version use egg yolk to thicken and stabilize it, making it very close to mayo.
Mayonnaise is an egg yolk based emulsion of oil, acid (lemon or vinegar), and salt with no garlic (unless you are making roasted garlic aioli!).
However, the lines blur. Many restaurant “aiolis” are really flavored mayonnaise (garlic mayo, sriracha mayo, truffle mayo) because egg yolk makes emulsifying fast and reliable.
Uses for Leftover Roasted Garlic
Roasted garlic is a condiment in my home. Here are some other creative ways to use roasted garlic.
- Stir into mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash
- Whisk into aioli, mayo, or salad dressings
- Smash onto garlic bread or toast with butter
- Swirl into soups (tomato, potato-leek, butternut)
- Fold into hummus, white bean dip, or baba ghanoush
- Melt into pan sauces for steak, chicken, or pork
- Toss with roasted veggies or sautéed greens
- Mash into butter for steaks, seafood, or dinner rolls
- Spread under pizza sauce or over flatbreads
- Mix into ricotta for lasagna, stuffed shells, or toast
- Stir into risotto, polenta, or creamy grits
- Blend into mashed avocado or guacamole
- Whisk into scrambled eggs or frittata base
- Finish pasta with roasted garlic + olive oil + Parmesan
- Add to burger or meatball mix for mellow garlicky depth
Homemade Mayonnaise
The best part is that condiments and sauces, like my quick garlic aioli, can be made in just a few minutes and usually ahead of time. While I like to make my own mayonnaise, you can surely use a store bought mayo. I’d stick with actual mayo though and shy away from Miracle Whip.
Serving
What can I put garlic aioli on? What don’t you serve is really the question!
Serve it with roasted or grilled veggies, as a dipping sauce for French fries or sweet potato fries, on crostini as a topping for chicken or crab cakes, even use it as a sandwich spread.
My favorites are probably for Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, Hearts of Palm cakes and Blue Cheese Stuffed Fried Olives.
Serving & Storage
For plating, you can serve your aioli in small ramekins or scoop it into a plastic baggie and snip one corner, creating a makeshift pastry bag and “pipe” it onto your dish in a artful way. This works best with a really chilled sauce or even throw it in the freezer for a few minutes to get it nice and tight.
Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
I do not recommend freezing.
More Common Questions
Yes and no… yes, the base is typically egg or just egg yolks, but these days it is common for most eggs to be pasteurized and this already heat treated for safety. Look for this on packaging.
Yes and no, there is a much more detailed response above (in case you are skimming).
More sauce recipes!
- Clarified Butter
- Beurre Blanc Sauce
- Jalapeno Pineapple Sauce
- Balsamic Cocktail Sauce
- Coconut Curry Sauce
Balsamic Reduction Sauce
Garlic Relish
Wasabi Aioli Sauce
Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Roasted Garlic Aioli
Ingredients
Roasted Garlic:
- 1 head garlic
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- sprinkle coarse sea salt
Aioli:
- 1 cup good-quality mayonnaise*
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Roasted Garlic:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Slice the top ¼ inch off the 1 head garlic head to expose cloves. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle coarse sea salt and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Set it on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast the garlic for 35–40 min until the cloves are soft, golden and fragrant. Remove and allow to cool before squeezing out the paste into a bowl set aside.
Aioli:
- In a small food processor, combine the 1 cup good-quality mayonnaise*, 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil with 1 tablespoon of the roasted garlic paste. Taste test and decide if you want to add more to make it bolder.
- Chill and use as needed.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
This is amazing and yet sooo simple! Even with missed garlic in a jar and real lemon in a bottle,, the flavor combination was great!
I love aioli, but you take it up a notch with the garlic!
Absolutely beautiful. Quick and so easy! Saving this recipe right now! Thanks for sharing!
This stuff is addicting! I love to make it with roasted potatoes. Delish!!
This aioli is super simple to make. Made this for spanish tortilla and it was the perfect topping.
This was such a delicious condiment! And I didn’t realise the difference between aioli and mayonnaise was the oil! The whole time I thought aioli was just something we made with mayonnaise to give different flavours. My daughter loves sauce and she’s always experimenting. She said this was a winner!
Its good
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
Looks great! i assume the calorie count of 1536 is for the 1 cup batch of aioli and not per individual serving or we’re all gonna die! (ie happily)
LOL- yes, the whole batch 🙂 Individual servings will really depend on what you put it on.