Quick Aioli (2 Minutes)

  • 1/2 cup (125g) good quality mayonnaise
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or crushed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • Optional: pinch of cayenne, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, fresh parsley
  1. 1

    Crush or grate the garlic very finely

    The finer the garlic, the better it distributes through the aioli. Use a garlic press, microplane grater or the side of a knife with salt (salt acts as an abrasive — crush the garlic under the flat of the blade). Raw garlic is strong — start with 2 cloves and add more to taste.

  2. 2

    Mix everything together

    Combine mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl. Stir well until completely combined.

  3. 3

    Taste and adjust

    Taste and adjust: more lemon for brightness, more garlic for punch, more salt to bring everything together. The flavour deepens as it sits.

  4. 4

    Refrigerate for 15 minutes before serving

    Even a short rest in the fridge allows the garlic flavour to mellow and meld with the mayonnaise. Serve chilled. Keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days.

What to serve with aioliChips and wedges. Grilled chicken or fish. Crudites (carrot, celery, cucumber). Calamari. Roasted vegetables. Burgers. As a spread on sandwiches and wraps. Alongside steamed artichokes.

Traditional Aioli (From Scratch)

Traditional aioli is made by emulsifying raw garlic with olive oil — no mayonnaise. Crush 4 garlic cloves with salt into a paste. Slowly whisk in 120ml olive oil drop by drop, then a teaspoon of lemon juice. Time-consuming but the flavour is exceptional. The mayonnaise version above gives 90% of the result in 2 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Traditional aioli is a garlic-olive oil emulsion from Provence — essentially a very garlicky, olive-oil-based sauce with no eggs. Modern aioli (and what most restaurants serve) is garlic-flavoured mayonnaise, which is egg-based. The terms are now used almost interchangeably outside culinary circles.
Yes — use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder as a substitute for 2 cloves of fresh. The flavour is milder and less sharp than fresh garlic. For a roasted garlic aioli (sweeter, more mellow), roast a whole head of garlic at 200°C for 40 minutes, squeeze out the roasted cloves and mash into the mayonnaise.