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close up shot of garlic aioli recipe with french fries
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4.79 from 33 votes

Garlic Lemon Aioli (classic and cheater versions)

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.
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings (1 cup aioli)
Calories: 259kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

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 vegetable oil or light-tasting olive oil
  • parsley to garnish, optional
  • French fries from Carl's Jr. Just kidding

Instructions

How to make Classic Homemade Aioli:

  • Use the side of a chef's knife to smash 4 cloves of garlic. Remove the peels and mince the garlic finely.
  • 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.
  • 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!)
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Add 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk.
  • Pay attention now. Lots of people mess this up, but you're not one of them. WITH THE BLENDER RUNNING, slowly drizzle 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup light tasting olive oil** (or any vegetable oil). If you are making this in a bowl, SLOWLY drizzle the oil into the bowl while you are whisking constantly.* Blend or whisk until smooth. If you add the oil all to the blender or the bowl all at once without having the blender on or whisking constantly, it will not combine (emulsify) and you will be left with an oily mess.
  • 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 higher, until it is all emulsified.
  • Taste it and add salt and pepper as needed, or a bit more lemon or Dijon if you want.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley.
  • 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!
  • See notes for ingredients and instructions for making cheater aioli!

Notes

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!
 
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!)

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Potassium: 18mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg