Classic Homemade Aioli Recipe

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In a world of many sauces, aioli is a front runner in the eyes of many. Bursting with creamy richness and a delicious blend of flavors, this versatile condiment can be used in many ways and is so easy to make. Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this easy aioli recipe and says, "I always say that the right sauce can make or break a meal. This one is beaming with fragrant garlic and lemon, and because it's made fresh, it gives you a completely different taste experience than cheater recipes made with mayonnaise."

You can use this sauce for sandwiches, burgers, fries, and even with coconut shrimp. It's also great on all types of Mexican food and is fabulous with salads and veggies. If you want to use it as more of a dressing, you can easily thin it out with a little water or extra lemon juice. To level up your sauce game, read on and grab a pen for that grocery list.

To get started, grab some fresh garlic and lemon from the produce aisle, then be sure you also have eggs, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Such a short list, right? "Most people typically have all of these ingredients on hand, making this sauce an easy, spur-of-the-moment condiment you can throw together," Hahn remarks.

Now it's time for some mise en place. Use a garlic press or knife to finely mince the garlic, keeping in mind that it will ultimately be blended up with an immersion blender. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl, making sure there are no seeds in the juice. "I have a citrus squeezer that I use daily and highly recommend. It extracts every bit of juice and stops the seeds from getting inside," Hahn shares. Finally, we'll be using one whole egg plus one yolk, so separate one of the eggs and save or discard the extra white.

In this step, we're going to be using an immersion blender, so you'll want a deep cup to do the blending in. "I like to use the cup of my Nutribullet for this task, but you could use a wide mouth mason jar or a drinking glass with a wide opening," Hahn says. Put the crushed garlic, lemon juice, egg, egg yolk, Dijon mustard, and salt into the cup, then slowly blend the ingredients until smooth.

Now that the bulk of the ingredients are nice and smooth, we can slowly blend in the oil. We're going to add it ¼ cup at a time, blending to incorporate before pouring in more. Once the condiment is pale yellow and fully emulsified, it's time to add the pepper, give it a stir, and admire your homemade aioli that's ready to serve. The sauce will last in your fridge for about 3 days if kept in an air-tight container. It's sure to become your new best friend as you use it to elevate your favorite recipes to new heights.

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An immersion blender is an extremely useful kitchen tool, especially when it comes to making a sauce that requires emulsification, like an aioli. While the use of an immersion blender in this recipe makes for a nearly foolproof aioli (and one that comes together very quickly), you don't have to skip over this aioli recipe if you don't happen to have the appliance at home.

Instead of using an immersion blender, opt for another handy kitchen appliance: a food processor. The beauty of using a food processor is that you can still follow the recipe as written, and you don't need a separate bowl or cup to do the mixing in. So, you'll start by blending all ingredients but the oil (and pepper) until combined, then you'll slowly drizzle in the oil with the food processor running until you have a thick, emulsified aioli.

Another option is to whisk the aioli together by hand, simply using a bowl and a whisk. Again, follow the recipe as written by first whisking everything but the oil (and pepper, save that for the end) together. Then, gradually drizzle in the oil while continuously whisking until you've reached your desired consistency. It may be an arm workout, but the rich, garlicky result is well worth it.

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