Say Hello To Your New Favorite Sauce, Garlic Aioli!
With an international presence across Europe and the US, garlic aioli is known for its rich, creamy deliciousness. Packed with loads of garlic and seasoned lightly with lemon, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper, it’s best served coast-side overlooking the Capri-colored ocean and with a salty breeze, but we’ll settle for a nice lawn chair and the comfort of our backyard! This recipe for garlic aioli comes together in a flash, but note, it needs 30 minutes to chill to marry all the flavors together. We promise it’ll be worth the wait when you see the look of delight on your friends’ and families' faces when they taste it for the first time.
What is an Aioli?
Is aioli just fancy mayo…and many more questions we’re here to answer! Many folks confuse mayonnaise with aioli, although similar, we like to think of them as cousins! Both are emulsions, which is when oil and another ingredient that wouldn’t usually mix (think oil and vinegar!) come together by using an emulsifier, like egg yolk, to create a homogeneous mixture. They both also fall into the dip, spread, and/or sauce category, making them perfect served alongside Homemade French Fries, our Patatas Bravas, or in place of the mayo on a BLT Sandwich. Aioli, originally dating back to early European times and used to make dishes lavish across France, Greece, and other Mediterranean countries, loosely translates to “olive oil and garlic.” In the olden days, in its simplest form, aioli was only made from olive oil and garlic pounded together in a mortar and pestle. Nowadays, it’s usually mayo-based with a generous addition of garlic and, sometimes, other ingredients like lemon, salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Our homemade garlic aioli recipe is a simple version, using mayo. We love this life hack because it's easy enough for most beginner cooks to master.
What is Garlic Aioli Sauce Made Of?
To be considered an aioli, an emulsion must be included, whether with olive oil and another ingredient, or mayonnaise. We add a little olive oil to our easy garlic aioli recipe, and punch it up a bit by using not one, but two types of garlic! Our garlic aioli ingredients include:
Mayonnaise
Garlic Cloves
Lemon Juice
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
If you have extra time on your hands and want to take the extra step, try making your own Homemade Mayonnaise.
What to Serve With Homemade Garlic Aioli
Technically, it’s so good you could eat it by the spoonful, but we recommend slathering it on Baked Salmon or swapping out the pesto mayo for garlic aioli on this Club Sandwich. And, of course, we could never forget the Grand Aioli - a quintessential French, vegetable-heavy feast fit for a Queen! It’s also commonly devoured with Homemade French Fries because it’s just that good. Really, it’s the perfect condiment, adding a little something special to any meal. We’ll let you decide!
How to Make the Best Garlic Aioli, Ever
This quick and easy recipe for the best garlic aioli dipping sauce will add a little extra flair to your meal. Most, if not all, of the ingredients you might have in your pantry already!
Mix! Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pro Tip: This is a great way to get the kids involved and teach them about measuring out ingredients!
Chill! Cooling and allowing the flavors to mingle is essential to creating a creamy, tangy, and flavorful sauce!
The Simplest Tools:
Like Sauces? So Do We!
We’re a sucker for a good sauce! Add another dimension to your dish by trying some of our favorites:
Garlic Aioli: Spread? Dip? Sauce? It’s Up To You!
It’s bright! It’s rich! It’s easy! And it’s delicious! But, best of all, you can use it in so many different ways! How did you use it? Show us by snapping a photo of your garlic aioli and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
