This garlic aioli is creamy, garlicky, and ready in just 5 minutes! It's an easy Mediterranean sauce made with fresh garlic, egg yolk, olive oil, and lemon juice. Serve as a dip, spread, or sauce to go along with steak, chicken, seafood, or roasted vegetables!

This fast and easy garlic aioli is creamy, rich, and perfect as a sauce, dip, or spread! It's made from scratch and ready in just 5 minutes when using a food processor or blender.
My favorite way to serve garlic aioli is as a dip for roasted vegetables or French fries! You can also use it as a spread in any sandwich or serve on the side of steak, chicken, or seafood!
What is garlic aioli?
Aioli is a creamy, rich sauce that's made of garlic, olive oil, salt, and egg (depending on the region). It's a popular sauce in France and Spain that's served as a dip, spread, or on the side of meats and vegetables.
In France it's common to add egg and mustard as emulsifiers, however in Spain it's tradition to use just garlic, olive oil, and salt.
Ingredients
- Egg yolk - Use pasteurized eggs if preferred. You can also substitute mayo instead as mayo is made of egg yolks and oil. See recipe notes for more details.
- Garlic - It's important to mash the garlic into a smooth paste for a creamy, silky texture.
- Olive oil - Use extra version olive oil for best flavor.
- Lemon juice - Fresh squeezed is a must.
- Dijon mustard - This helps emulsify the sauce into a creamy, rich texture.
- Salt
How to make garlic aioli
- Set aside the olive oil and add all the ingredients into a small food processor or use an immersion blender.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while mixing until emulsified and the sauce thickens.
- Mix in more oil if it's too thin. If too thick, add a few drops of water or lemon juice.
- Taste and adjust with more salt or lemon juice to your liking.
Variations
If you'd like to substitute the egg yolk, you can also make a version using mayo. Substitute the egg yolk and olive oil for ¼ cup of mayo and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Garlic aioli will still taste delicious when made with mayo. But in my opinion, the version made from scratch has a silkier consistency though both are still very good!
For a mild garlic flavor, you can use roasted garlic or skip the fresh garlic and use garlic infused olive oil.
Any of the following would pair well with aioli: roasted vegetables (carrots, zucchini, asparagus), French fries, sweet potato fries, steak, roasted chicken, seafood, crusty bread, or sandwiches.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Please share, rate, or comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
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Thanks so much for stopping by! 🧡 -Jamie
Recipe
5 Minute Garlic Aioli
☑ Ingredients
- 1 large egg yolk - see Note 1 for mayo alternative
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice - fresh squeezed
- ⅕ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard - (optional)
Instructions
- Add the garlic, egg yolk, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and salt to a small food processor or use an immersion blender. Turn it on and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified. It should be thick and creamy. See Notes 2 if you don't have a food processor or blender.1 large egg yolk, 1 to 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, ⅕ teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon dijon mustard, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if desired. Blend in more oil if it's too thin or water if it's too thick. Transfer to a bowl and serve. Enjoy! Makes ⅓ cup.
✎ Recipe Notes
- Don't want to use egg yolk? Substitute the egg yolk and olive oil with ¼ cup of mayo and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix together all the ingredients until combined.
- If you don't have a food processor or blender, mince and mash the garlic into a smooth paste. Add it to a mixing bowl with the egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice and salt. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly until emulsified and thickened.
- For a mild garlic flavor, you can use roasted garlic or leave out the garlic and use garlic infused olive oil.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
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