Aioli is just a fancy mayonnaise (especially if you already use a vegan mayonnaise). This basil aioli with garlic takes those aioli flavors and notches it up a whole lot. One of the best summer condiments ever!
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- Five ingredient, ten minute recipe. Similar to my basil mayonnaise, this is a simple, quick recipe that is super versatile.
- Great way to use up fresh or frozen basil. I love making this when I need a nice creamy sauce and want to use up some fresh herbs.
- Perfect pairing of garlicky, citrusy flavors. Thanks to basil, garlic, and lemon juice / zest, this condiment is super well balanced yet indulgent!
📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need fresh basil leaves, mayonnaise, garlic cloves, lemon juice and lemon zest. I tend to use vegan mayonnaise but you can use good old fashioned mayo too.
📖 How to make basil aioli
No rocket science involved here either. You basically pulse the ingredients in a food processor one step at a time.
- Discard the tough stems of the basil
- If you have a food processor or blender - dump the mayonnaise and the fresh basil leaves into the bowl and pulse until combined. Then, add the garlic cloves, and then finally finish with some lemon juice and zest.
- If you don't have a food processor - rough chop the basil as small as you can, and then use a fork or a whisk to combine with the mayonnaise. Mince the garlic separately and add to the basil mayo, and then finally add the lemon juice and zest and whisk vigorously! You're all done.
If you're wondering what tastes great with this basil aioli - the first and right answer is everything! But my favorite is probably the air fryer artichoke pictured next to it in the image below! So. Delicious!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
When stored in an airtight container, the basil aioli lasts in the fridge for up to two weeks. But if I were to be completely honest, I put this on everything so it rarely ever lasts that long!
If you like this recipe, check out my other fun sauce and dip recipes:
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Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
📖 Recipe
Basil Aioli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise, I use vegan mayonnaise
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Instructions
- Add one cup of mayonnaise and one cup of basil to a food processor and pulse until fully combined, typically 45-60 seconds.
- Then, add three cloves of garlic (ideally chopped or run through a garlic press) and then pulse again until well combined, typically 30-45 seconds.
- Finally, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest and pulse until well combined, typically 30 seconds.
- Serve with all your favorite sandwiches and wraps!
Notes
- Mayonnaise and aioli are slightly different in that the former uses eggs and canola oil, the latter uses garlic and olive oil. However, if you use vegan mayonnaise, it becomes quite easy to transform this into an aioli.
- You can totally use other herbs than basil - for instance, I've tried this with cilantro, parsley and oregano to name a few. You do have to use fresh herbs though!
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