Garlic Aioli

I learned to make Garlic Aioli in high school from a woman who had recently moved to the United States from France. She showed me the traditional method for homemade aioli, using a mortar and pestle, to wrestle egg yolks, garlic, olive oil, and salt into creamy submission. Delectable, but time consuming and not the recipe I’m sharing with you today.

You can make this version, that’s equally creamy and delicious, in 5 minutes with an immersion blender.

Garlic Aioli Ingredients

• Eggs: large or extra large yolks
• Garlic: medium fresh garlic cloves
• Lemon Juice: ideally fresh
• Avocado Oil: Ideal for this recipe because it won’t become bitter with the speed of the immersion blender blade. You can also use grapeseed oil.
• Olive Oil: extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher Salt

Aioli, a compound of words meaning simply “garlic” and “oil” is a creamy, garlic flavor forward condiment of the Mediterranean. In its simplest form, it’s just garlic emulsified with salt and oil, but I prefer the richer version of France that includes egg yolks – essentially a garlic mayonnaise.

You may remember the Avocado Oil Mayonnaise that I posted a while ago? It uses a similar method, but is made with just avocado oil. I want my garlic aioli to have a presence of olive oil flavor, so I never considered using a hand blender as its whirlwind blade insists on making olive oil bitter. But then I came across this recipe that creates a base aioli with a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil (I prefer avocado) and whisks in olive oil at the end. Genius!

There is a certain joy in preparing food slowly, like stirring a classic risotto or caramelizing onions for French Onion Soup. If you’ve made mayonnaise from scratch with a whisk, you know the patience building pursuit of coaxing an egg yolk and oil to emulsify. You have to add the oil literally drip by drip, whisking constantly, to keep the mixture from breaking. Once you’ve succeeded in a base blob of emulsified mayonnaise, you can add the oil in a slow, steady stream. This recipe uses the same principle.

You create a base aioli with the immersion blender and whisk the olive oil in at the end. It works beautifully.

Tips for Perfect Garlic Aioli Every Time

• Use a standard 2-cup glass measuring pitcher with a base that’s slightly larger than the head of your immersion blender.
• Make sure that the head of the immersion blender is flat on the bottom of the pitcher before turning it on and do not lift it until you see the aioli forming (just a few seconds).
• If disaster strikes and your aioli breaks, don’t throw it away! Add an egg yolk to a fresh bowl, whisk it and then, very slowly, whisk in the broken mixture until it starts to emulsify. Continue to drizzle and whisk until you have a bowl of smooth, creamy aioli.

How to Serve Aioli

• Use as a sandwich spread for all kinds of savory sandwiches. It would be amazing on this Pork Belly Sandwich!
• Serve as a sauce for dipping raw or blanched veggies and steamed or grilled artichokes.
• Whisk in a teaspoon or more of Dijon mustard and serve as a dip with french fries or Salt Potatoes.
• Kick up the spice by whisking in sriracha and garlic to make Sriracha Aioli, or pesto to make Pesto Aioli, extra lemon and zest to make Lemon Garlic Aioli, or cayenne pepper, black pepper, or chipotle powder to serve as a dipping sauce for appetizers like Crab Cakes, Fried Green Tomatoes, or Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.
• Instead of raw garlic, use whole roasted garlic cloves to make roasted garlic aioli.

How to Make Garlic Aioli

Step 1: Add egg yolk, minced raw garlic cloves, and avocado oil to a 2-cup glass measuring pitcher. Insert the head of an immersion blender and lay it flat against the bottom. Turn on at it’s high speed, not lifting until you see aioli begin to form. Lift and move the blender side by side until all of the oil is incorporated.

Step 2: Whisking constantly, add olive oil in a slow steady stream. Whisk in salt. Serve or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days.