Garlic Aioli

There’s nothing like having a batch of homemade Garlic Aioli in the fridge to make fries, burgers, sammys, wraps, and roasted veggies instantly better. This budget-friendly aioli is made from scratch in a food processor (not just mayo with garlic stirred in!), and it only takes a handful of basic ingredients to pull together. It’s rich, lightly tangy, and balanced with a touch of honey for a sauce that tastes SO much better than store-bought. It only takes 5 minutes, and I love keeping it on hand for anything that needs a creamy, garlicky boost!

A Sauce Worth Making From Scratch

I know aioli sounds a little fancy, but this version is really just simple ingredients, a food processor, and a slow drizzle of oil doing their thing. Aioli traditionally comes from the northwestern Mediterranean and started as a simple garlic-and-oil emulsion (aioli actually means garlic and oil!). Today, a lot of garlic aioli recipes are really more like garlic mayo, and this version is built from scratch with egg and oil blended into a thick, smooth, and glossy emulsion. The fresh garlic makes it unmistakably aioli, the Dijon adds savory flavor and helps the emulsion hold together, and the lemon juice keeps it bright instead of heavy.

I use vegetable oil here because it keeps the flavor mellow and lets the garlic shine. Extra virgin olive oil can turn bitter when blended hard in a food processor, so I don’t use it for this method. The two big things that make this sauce extra creamy are starting with a room-temperature egg and streaming the oil in slowly. Once you see it turn pale, thick, and glossy, you’ll know you nailed it!

Recipe Success Tips

Grate the garlic. I grate the garlic directly into the food processor so it blends smoothly into the sauce. This gives you big garlic flavor without crunchy pieces or sharp bits of raw garlic throughout.

Chill before serving if you have time. You can use this garlic aioli right away, but 30 minutes in the fridge gives the garlic time to settle into the sauce and makes the flavor even better!

Try roasted garlic for a sweeter flavor. For a softer, more mellow sauce, swap the raw garlic for roasted garlic. Roasted garlic is sweeter and less sharp, so you can use a few extra cloves if you want a deeper garlic flavor without the bite.

Two Simple Tricks for the Creamiest Aioli

A good aioli is less about effort and more about patience with the oil. The food processor does most of the work here, and these two simple steps help the sauce blend into the thick, glossy texture you’re looking for:

Start with room-temperature ingredients. A room-temperature egg blends more easily with the oil, which helps it emulsify into a smooth, creamy sauce.

Pour the oil in slowly. Keep the food processor running and drizzle the oil in a thin, steady stream. Go slowly and don’t rush it at the beginning. Once you see the mixture turn pale, thicker, and glossy, you can drizzle the oil a little faster.

How to Fix a Broken Emulsion

If the sauce looks loose, oily, or separated, don’t panic. It just means the oil joined the party a little faster than the egg could handle it. The first thing I try is adding 1 teaspoon of ice-cold water while the food processor is running. Sometimes that’s enough to bring everything back together without wasting any ingredients.

If it still doesn’t come together, add one room-temperature egg yolk to a clean food processor bowl and blend it for a few seconds. Then, with the machine running, slowly drizzle the separated aioli back in. It should thicken back up into a smooth, creamy sauce.

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Garlic Aioli

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This creamy Garlic Aioli recipe is made from scratch in a food processor with fresh garlic, Dijon, lemon juice, honey, egg, and oil in just 5 minutes!

Course Sauce

Cuisine Mediterranean

Total Cost $1.06 recipe / $0.07 serving

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings (1 Tbsp each)

Calories 127kcal

Author Jennie Alley

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

1 large egg room temperature, $0.12*

2 garlic cloves peeled and grated, $0.18

2 tsp Dijon mustard $0.05

¼ tsp salt $0.02

1 cup vegetable oil 8 oz., $0.60**

1 tsp lemon juice $0.02

1 tsp honey $0.07

Instructions

Gather all of your ingredients.

Place the room-temperature egg in the bowl of a food processor and blend for about 20 seconds to break it down.

Add the dijon mustard, salt, and grate the garlic cloves directly into the food processor. Blend again for another 20-30 seconds until well combined.

With the processor running, very slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil in a thin stream.*** Continue blending until the mixture turns pale, thick, and creamy-about 30 seconds after the oil is fully incorporated.

Add the lemon juice and honey, then blend briefly to combine. Taste and adjust salt or lemon juice as needed.

Transfer to a clean airtight container and refrigerate.**** Use within 4 days for best quality.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*Room-temperature ingredients are important for a smooth, stable emulsion. If needed, place the whole egg in a bowl of warm (not hot!) water for a few minutes before starting. Since this recipe uses raw egg, I highly recommend using a pasteurized egg. Pasteurized eggs are gently heat-treated to reduce the risk of harmful bacteria without cooking the egg, which makes them a better choice for uncooked sauces like this one.

**Use a neutral oil, such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil, for the smoothest flavor. I don’t recommend extra virgin olive oil for this food processor method because it can turn bitter when blended at high speed.

***Add the oil slowly while blending to prevent the aioli from breaking. Once the emulsion starts forming, you can drizzle slightly faster.

****For a stronger garlic flavor, refrigerate the sauce for 30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Tbsp | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 48mg | Fiber: 0.04g

how to make Garlic Aioli Step-by-Step Photos

Gather all of your ingredients. Having everything ready makes the emulsifying step much easier!

Blend the egg: Add the room-temperature egg to the bowl of a food processor. Blend for about 20 seconds, or until the yolk and white are fully broken down and the mixture looks smooth and slightly foamy. A room-temperature egg blends more easily and helps the sauce emulsify.

Add the mustard and garlic: Add 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and ¼ teaspoon salt to the food processor. Grate 2 peeled garlic cloves directly into the bowl so the garlic blends in smoothly without leaving large pieces behind. Blend for another 20-30 seconds, or until everything is well combined and the garlic is evenly mixed through.

Make the emulsion: With the food processor running, very slowly drizzle in 1 cup vegetable oil in a thin, steady stream. Don’t rush this step. Adding the oil too quickly can cause the mixture to separate instead of turning creamy. As the oil blends in, the mixture should start to turn pale, thick, glossy, and creamy. Continue blending for about 30 seconds after all the oil has been added.

Add the lemon and honey: Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon honey, then blend briefly just until combined. The lemon juice brightens the flavor, and the honey softens the sharpness from the garlic and Dijon. Taste and adjust with a little more salt or lemon juice if needed.

Serve or store: Transfer the sauce to a clean airtight container and refrigerate. It’ll thicken slightly as it chills. You can enjoy your homemade garlic aioli right away, but chilling it for at least 30 minutes will give you a stronger garlic flavor! Use within 4 days for the best quality.

Serving Suggestions

Garlic aioli works as a dip or spread, so it’s an easy way to make whatever you’re already serving feel a little more special. Keep it simple with fries and potatoes, or use it anywhere you’d normally reach for mayo or ranch:

Fries and potatoes: This is the classic pairing you’ll often see on a restaurant menu! Serve it with fries, tater tots, potato wedges, or crispy roasted potatoes.

Crispy appetizers: Use it as a dip for zucchini fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, or any snacky finger food that needs a creamy garlic sauce on the side.

Sandwiches, burgers, and wraps: Spread it onto hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, veggie sandwiches, or wraps instead of plain mayo.

Bowl meals: Add a spoonful to a simple grain bowl with rice or quinoa, roasted vegetables, greens, and chickpeas or grilled chicken. The sauce adds enough richness and flavor that you don’t need much to make a delicious meal!

Roasted or grilled vegetables: Drizzle it over roasted or grilled asparagus, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, roasted cauliflower, or broccoli right before serving. The warm vegetables soften the aioli slightly and make it extra delicious.

Fish and seafood: This sauce is a great swap for tartar sauce with salmon, cod, fish and chips, shrimp, or crab cakes.

Raw veggies: Serve it as a creamy dip with cucumbers, carrots, radishes, bell peppers, or any simple veggie tray.

Salads and pasta salads: Thin it with a little extra lemon juice or cold water to turn it into a creamy garlic dressing for leafy greens or pasta salad.

Storage Instructions

Store homemade garlic aioli in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, as per USDA guidance on storing emulsions made with raw pasteurized eggs. Since this recipe is made with raw egg and raw garlic, keep it chilled whenever you’re not using it. Use a clean spoon each time you scoop from the container, and give it a quick stir before serving if it separates slightly during storage.

Room Temperature

Don’t leave this sauce sitting out for extended periods of time. Raw garlic stored in oil at room temperature can create an environment where harmful bacteria can grow, and the raw egg also needs to stay chilled. As a general food safety rule, don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour if the temperature is 90°F or above. I’d keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to serve, then just return it to the fridge after using.

Freezer

I don’t recommend freezing this from-scratch aioli. The egg-and-oil emulsion can separate after thawing, leaving the texture grainy, oily, or broken instead of smooth and creamy.

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