How to make the best aioli at home
On a sandwich or with drinks for dipping crunchy vegetables: aioli remains a favorite dip and is more than worth the garlic breath. The very best is made entirely from scratch, precisely this way.
Aioli is very similar to mayonnaise with garlic mixed in, but the original version is much simpler. Mayonnaise also contains mustard and lemon, while aioli contains only egg yolk, garlic, salt and olive oil. So you can grab your favorite mayo, stir garlic through it and pat yourself on the back, but the real deal is made entirely from scratch. Don’t stress, you’ll ultimately spend no more than ten minutes on it.
How to make the best aioli at home
You need: 1 large egg yolk; 4 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated; 1/2 tsp fine sea salt; 125 ml olive oil and 1 tsp water. Have an immersion blender? Great, then you’ll be done within two minutes. Don’t have one? With a bowl and a whisk, you’ll be done within ten minutes while building your muscles in the process. Even better.
Too much garlic
Tip: add three cloves of garlic first and taste whether the aioli is strong enough. Garlic cloves vary considerably in size, and it would be a shame to end up with too much garlic in your sauce. Too much garlic is difficult to fix, but you can always add more later.
Immersion blender
Place all the ingredients in a tall, narrow measuring cup (the one that comes with your immersion blender). Place the immersion blender on the bottom and turn it on until you see the mixture thicken. Now pull the immersion blender up very slowly. If all goes well, the aioli will become increasingly thick and will be completely ready by the time you reach the top.
Not entirely clear? Then check out this video for the technique:
By hand
Whisk the egg yolk, salt, garlic and 1 tsp water in a bowl. Keep whisking constantly while adding the olive oil drop by drop. Once the mixture starts to thicken, you can add the olive oil a little faster: in a thin stream. If you do this too quickly, the sauce will split and you’ll have to start all over again. Keep whisking until the oil has been fully incorporated and the aioli is thick enough.
Seasoning to taste
As with every recipe: taste to see whether it’s good as it is or whether you need to adjust anything. Is the garlic flavor present enough? Does the aioli need more salt? Add more if necessary and your aioli is ready.
Also read:
- Never suffer from garlic breath again
- The garlic press is unnecessary
- An ode to ready-made garlic baguettes
