I will show you just how easy it is to make homemade Garlic Aioli Sauce! Making it from scratch is quick and easy, but I have a cheater version that is even quicker and easier. Either way you make it, aioli is lemony garlicky heaven! It will be your new favorite condiment in no time. 

close up shot of garlic aioli recipe with french fries

I ran out to Carl’s Jr. to get fries for these pictures. I went in the drive through and ordered 3 large natural-cut fries and nothing else. I pulled through and waited at the window. I sat there spacing out for who knows how long, thinking that it was kind of taking a while, but maybe it was the lunch rush?

garlic aioli sauce in a jar with french fries

Then I saw one of the employees walk out a back door and wave me forward with this funny look on her face. I was at the wrong window, which I only then noticed looked totally shuttered up. They must have thought I was a complete weirdo, ordering nothing but fries and then not even making it to the right window??

What is it with me!! I did ask if I was the first one to stop at the wrong window and they said no, I wasn’t the only one. Small comfort that I’m not the only oblivious person out there.

how to make garlic aioli

How’s July treating everyone? We went up to visit Eric’s parents in Montana and had the best time. It’s a two day drive one way. We got home last night in time to make scrambled eggs and smoothies for dinner (the only food we had) and Eric was trying desperately to herd the children to bed quickly.

He said, I don’t know why but I just want them IN BED ALREADY. I said, could it perhaps be that it’s because you spent two days in an enclosed space with literally no escape from the heathens?? Probably. Our kids are actually pretty well behaved on car trips, we are lucky. But still. I mean, they are kids. They can’t help themselves. We must all go through what we put our parents through at some point, right?

garlic aioli sauce in a jar with a plate of fries

How to make garlic aioli sauce

I wish they gave out tubs of aioli instead of ketchup packets at fast food joints. (It would make road trips with children much more bearable). Garlic Aioli is basically mayonnaise with some lemon and garlic added in. You can either make your own homemade mayonnaise with eggs and olive oil (classic recipe) or you can start with store bought mayo and add in some lemon and garlic (cheater recipe). Both are ridiculously delicious!

using a chef's knife to crush salt into minced garlic

Here’s how to make the classic version. Start by crushing some kosher salt into some minced garlic. Gimme alllll the garlic.

crushing garlic with a knife to make paste, and rubbing a knife to eliminate garlic scent on fingers

Keep crushing it together until it forms a paste. Then rub your fingers on the side of your chef’s knife under running water. Do you know about this trick? It gets the garlic smell off your fingers. It works so well. If you’ve never tried it, you will be amazed!

using an immersion blender to make garlic aioli

Let your garlic marinate in some lemon juice for about 15 minutes. The lemon juice will take on the garlic flavor and get all cozy. At this point, if you are garlic shy (or like, if you have a hot date or something) then you can remove some of the garlic, up to half or even a bit more. It’s already worked it’s magic on the lemon juice and you will be left with a more subtle garlic flavor. I’m a garlic freak so I left it all in!

Then add in an egg and a yolk, and some olive oil and vegetable oil (olive oil has kind of a strong flavor so we’re tempering it with a more neutral oil), and blend it all up. I used an immersion blender but a normal blender works fine too. You can even do it by hand. You will have to gradually whisk the oil in, real slow. See notes!

The cheater version doesn’t even deserve pictures. Just take some mayo, stir in some garlic infused lemon, and voila! That’s it. And it really is so good.

The best part about making it at home, either classic or cheater, is that you can adjust it to taste. Hopefully you can tell from the photos that this aioli is a mayonnaise consistency. I love it thick and creamy! If you like a thinner aioli, add a little more lemon juice, or a teaspoon or two of water.

what is garlic aioli

What to eat with Aioli?

Really the question is what NOT to eat with Aioli, because once you try it, you’re going to want to put it on everything. But here are some ideas:

I’m sure you can come up with about a hundred other ideas. Basically anything you would pair mayonnaise with, you can sub aioli. I really should have some pictures of other things you can dip in this magic stuff. I kind of have tunnel vision though. Aioli and fries go together like salt and pepper!

overhead shot of garlic aioli with a plate of fries

More aioli ideas and dipping sauces!

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Garlic Aioli Recipe (Classic and Cheater Versions)

Yields 1 cup     adjust servings

I will show you just how easy it is to make homemade Garlic Aioli Sauce! Making it from scratch is quick and easy, but I have a cheater version that is even quicker and easier. Either way you make it, aioli is lemony garlicky heaven! It will be your new favorite condiment in no time. 

Ingredients

Classic Homemade Aioli

  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, optional
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup light-tasting olive oil or vegetable oil
  • parsley, to garnish, optional
  • French fries from Carl's Jr. Just kidding

Instructions

How to make Classic Homemade Aioli:

  1. Use a chef's knife to smash 4 cloves of garlic. Remove the peels and mince the garlic finely.
  2. Top the garlic with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Use the side of the chef's knife to smash the salt into the garlic, over and over, making a paste. See photos.
  3. Add the salt and garlic to a blender, or if you plan to use an immersion blender, add it to a mason jar or whatever to want to blend in.* (See note if you are not using a blender!) Add about 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the garlic and salt. (I love to use my microplane grater for zesting. It's so sharp!)
  4. Add 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons lemon juice to the garlic. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Stir it together with a spoon and let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes, to let all the flavors get nice and friendly.
  5. At this point if you are garlic shy, you can use a spoon to strain out some of the garlic. The garlic has already worked a lot of magic on the lemon juice just from the 15 minute marinade. I left it all in because I am a garlic freak. But if you plan on kissing anyone soon, you might want to remove some (up to half or more) of the minced garlic, being careful to strain it well so you don't lose any lemon juice.
  6. Add 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk. If you are using a regular blender or making this in a bowl, slowly drizzle 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup light tasting olive oil or vegetable oil into the bowl while whisking constantly*, or drizzle the oil into the blender while it is running. Blend or whisk until smooth.
  7. If you are using an immersion blender, add all the oil at once and place your immersion blender all the way at the bottom of your container. Blend on low, slowly moving the blender up higher and high, until it is all emulsified.
  8. Taste it and add salt and pepper as needed, or a bit more lemon or Dijon if you want.
  9. Garnish with chopped parsley.
  10. Eat with Carl's Jr. french fries. I'm only joking, but aioli really is great with fries. It's also great with a fresh relish tray: carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, etc. Try dipping roasted Brussels sprouts in aioli. Slap it on a sandwich. It's also really great on this Bacon and Goat Cheese Aioli Burger. The options are endless!

How to Make Cheater Aioli:

  • 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced finely
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice, depending on what consistency you want
  • 1 cup high-quality mayonnaise
  • 1/2 or 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, optional
  • pepper to taste
  1. Use a chef's knife to smash 2-3 cloves of garlic. Remove the peels and mince the garlic finely.
  2. Top the garlic with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Use the side of the chef's knife to smash the salt into the garlic, over and over, making a paste. See photos.
  3. Place the salted garlic in a medium bowl.
  4. Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir it together and let sit for 15 minutes.
  5. At this point if you are garlic shy, you can use a spoon to strain out some of the garlic. The garlic has already worked a lot of magic on the lemon juice just from the 15 minute marinade. I left it all in because I am a garlic freak. But if you plan on kissing anyone soon, you might want to remove some (up to half or more) of the minced garlic, being careful to strain it well so you don't lose any lemon juice.
  6. Add in 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and some cracked pepper. Taste it and check the consistency and add more lemon juice as desired. Devour with french fries!

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Recipe Notes

Variation: Aioli reaches a whole different level when you roast the garlic first. Spread 4-5 cloves of unpeeled garlic on some foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap up. Roast at 400 for about 30-40 minutes until a fork slides in easily. Let cool. Prepare aioli with the garlic as usual. 

*If you do not have a blender or immersion blender, you can do all this in a bowl. Whisk all the ingredients together up until the eggs, then SLOWLY whisk in the oil in a gradual stream. Whisk constantly while slowly adding oil to make sure it emulsifies. 

The flavor of olive oil is kind of strong, which is why we are toning that flavor down with a lighter flavored oil. (But if you only have one kind or the other, it's still going to taste great!)

All images and text © The Food Charlatan
If you make this recipe, share it on Instagram using the hashtag #TheFoodCharlatan so I can see it!