Basil Garlic Aioli sauce made from scratch only takes a few easy minutes and the result is a flavorful dip or spread that packs a real raw garlic punch.
Basil Garlic Aioli is a great way to use the basil from the garden (or from the store if you aren’t the best gardener) and this is a perfectly easy recipe. Whether you use it as a dip for your fries and tater tots (notice I said and instead of or because who could choose between the two?) or as a spread on a burger or a sandwich, you will love this recipe. I don’t know why, but its really hard to find recipes for homemade aioli. I love to make flavored aioli for french fry dipping and burger spreading, but when I scour the interwebs for inspiration, most of the recipes tell you to mix stuff with mayonnaise. Why? Tell me why?
Making your own homemade version is lickity split plus you get the added satisfaction of getting to say that you made it from scratch rather than stirring something into mayonnaise (which is totally fine, mind you, but I like to pretend I’m an over achiever sometimes).
The other week week my 8-year-old daughter (update: she is now 10 years old as this post was originally written a couple years ago but was in need of an update) got her first babysitting gig. She got to watch my friend’s adorable little 10-month-old little girl while I supervised while mom and dad went out on a day-date to the movies. Afterward, we have them over for dinner and I made caprese burgers. Now, for the basil component of the burgers, I was left with a few options: 1) just put fresh basil on the burgers in lieu of lettuce and call it a day, 2) whip up some basil pesto, or 3) do right by our guests and whip up a homemade basil garlic aioli that will have them heading home with stinky raw garlic breath. Yes.
Stinky garlic breath always wins.
I used my tried and true recipe for my chipotle aioli and simply removed the chipotle and small amount of sugar in the recipe and threw in a bunch of basil. BAM. Perfection. Do you all like my six-year-old (updated to say that he is now 8-years-old and still holds food in photos for me) son’s modeling hands? The deal was that he got to eat the first french fry if he would dip it for the camera. That’s a win-win combination… plus I get to admire how cute those chubby little hands are for eternity. I will tell you this – making your own basil garlic aioli from scratch really is super easy and only takes a few minutes, but it sure does impress folks when they ask what this wonderful sauce is and you can boast that you made it with fresh ingredients the old fashioned way. YUM!
MY OTHER RECIPES
Leftover aioli. Now what? Here are some ideas of what you can do with any leftover basil garlic aioli:
- You can also use it as dressing for potato or tuna or chicken salad.
- Dip steamed artichoke leaves in it!
- Make potatoes aioli. It’s a potato salad with boiled potatoes, aioli, and fresh parsley… typical in Spain.
- Use as a sauce on grilled fish or chicken, on grilled or steamed vegetables.
- If you want to get real fancy, you could make a traditional French aioli platter: Take a large tray/platter, and put a bowl of aioli in the center. Surround this with cooked & trimmed artichokes, poached cod, beef carpaccio, blanched snow peas and green beans, steamed new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, hardboiled eggs, sliced red bell pepper, sliced zucchini…really, whatever vegetables appeal to you. You can leave out the meat and fish entirely, or do shrimp instead. Sprinkle the whole platter with chopped parsley and capers, and enjoy!
- Basically, anything your average store bought mayo is used can be replaced with flavorful homemade aioli.
There are a few kitchen must-haves for this recipe:
Food Processor – I have a big one. Sure it’s heavy and can sometimes be a pain to clean depending on the recipe, but it does the job and it does it well.
Garlic Press – Having a good garlic press can make all the difference. I use this one because it’s not only easy to squeeze, but it’s easy to clean. Both are equally important, in my opinion.
Flexible Measuring Cups – My sister and I first found these at a cooking class and we thought they were just the best invention. Any time you are measuring and/or pouring liquid, these are simply the best to have on hand. They make a great gift for your favorite cook, too!
Citrus Squeezer: These are the best ways to quickly get all of the juice out of a lemon, lime or orange without the seeds!
- 4 tablespoons fresh basil (about one large handful of leaves)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (about 2-3 large cloves)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Place basil, garlic, yolks, lemon juice, and salt in food processor. Pulse to combine.
- Turn processor on and slowly pour in olive oil mixed with the vegetable oil. Process until aioli forms, about a minute. Turn processor off, scrap sides, process again until combined.
- Serve immediately or store in air tight container in refrigerator until ready to use. Makes approximately one cup.
Oh yummy! I’ve got a whole bunch of basil in the garden that’s just waiting to be turned into this!!
This sounds great! However, I don’t see egg yolk in the ingredient list but they are mentioned in the instructions. How many egg yolks did you use? Thanks!
Nevermind! I see them now!
can I substitute another ingredient for the egg yolk?
Hi Belle, I know of no other way to make aioli than with egg yolk. Sorry. 🙁 Krissy
You can. Do a google search. You’ll find a recipe.
I’m going to make this tonight. Sounds amazing! And perfect for sweet potato fries. I’ll leave another review after I make it. Here’s the thing though…I have been looking online for over an hour, trying to find a way to replicate my favorite restaurant’s chipotle pesto peanut aioli sauce. I know it sounds like a weird combo but it’s honestly the tastiest thing ever. So I’m going to try to combine your chipotle aioli recipe with this one…and maybe add some peanut butter? I’m nervous…we’ll see what happens. That said…if you feel like giving it a shot sometime and come up with a yummy result, I would be FOREVER GRATEFUL!!!
In my option, peanut butter makes everything better! If you happen to make it your way, please let me know how it turns out! Krissy
Hello! Can I use a regular blender instead of a food processor? I love home made mayo, but can not get it right. Any advise? I’m doing something wrong. Help!
Hi Carmen, I have a Blendtec and love it, but have always used my food processor to make my aioli. I think if you got the speed setting right, a blender would do the trick. I just don’t know what that is. Krissy
Due to health issues, I cannot use veg oil….is there any reason why all evoo wouldn’t work?
Hi Lauren, EVOO would work, but the aioli might not be as thick. If you don’t mind a thinner aioli, then you’re good to go! -Krissy
How is the egg prepared for the aioli? Do you use the raw egg yolk?
Yep! I hope that doesn’t gross you out because its WONDERFUL! Krissy
Recipe sounds yummy but ingesting something with raw egg makes me very nervous!
I hear ya! If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never gotten sick. 🙂 -Krissy
I got VERY ILL ingesting raw egg yolks!! Not worth it 🙁
Oh no! I’ve always been told that the quality and freshness of the eggs make all the difference.
Mine came out really thin…is that normal?
Mine was pretty thin too. The thickest aioli I’ve ever made was my chipotle aioli – all the others were rather thin and best used as a spread or a dip. -Krissy
I made this today with avocado oil instead of veggie oil, and it came out thick and perfect. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It is delicious!
Awesome! I’ll have to try that next time! -Krissy
The easiest best aioli recipe..finally found one! And it gets quite thick which I loved.
Can you somehow cook the egg yolks ?
I know this grosses a lot of people out, but essentially they’re not cooked. As long as you use good quality pasteurized eggs, you should be good to go.
I cant use olive oil: a family member is allergic. Is there a good substitute?
Not that I know of.
I’ve cut vegetable oil out of my diet. How would I substitute that?
avocado oil, perhaps?
This was very good! How long does it stay in the fridge for?
I would say at least a week.
I made this today and it’s super runny! Probably the consistency of water. What happened? Can I fix it?
Hi Sara, I replied to someone else and we figured they didn’t add enough basil. Could that be it?
Oh my word– I came across this recipe when I was looking at your pulled pork recipe (brining right now). I just whipped it up & it is amazing!!
How long will this keep in the frig? I assume it cannot be frozen?
Hi Sue, I haven’t tried freezing aioli before. I would think it would last 4-7 days in the frig? Not sure… we usually devour it the day I make it. We’re big fry dippers in our house! – Krissy