The best smooth, drizzle-able, garlicky vegan aioli recipe. This easy creamy authentic homemade Aioli is made without eggs…it’s a vegan dairy-free restaurant-style garlic sauce that’s a hit at parties. Aioli is the best creamy garlic dipping sauce for any occasion. Try this creamy Aioli as a dipping sauce with fries or use it as a sandwich topping or a sauce for dinner.
Jump to RecipeIn this easy authentic Catalan Aioli recipe I will walk you through the steps to make homemade aioli traditionally with a mortar and pestle as well as the easy way to make Aioli in a blender. It’s a perfect dipping garlic sauce and it’s surprisingly easy to make.
Creamy, cool, and garlicky sauce. Is there anything better? Not if you’re a sauce lover like me. Just imagine dipping crispy golden nuggets into creamy garlic sauce. Not to mention dunking golden fries into this velvety vegan aioli and scooping up all that creamy goodness. Yum.
What is garlic aioli?
Aioli is a creamy garlic sauce made with simple ingredients like garlic, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. It’s similar to garlic mayonnaise but this aioli recipe is completely vegan and dairy free.
Aioli is a traditional Catalonian emulsion sauce. It originated from Catalan in Spain and its delicious garlic creaminess means it’s spread throughout France and Europe where it’s a very popular day.
Although some aioli recipes use eggs the authentic Catalan way to make aioli is without eggs (although this is a topic of hot debate as everyone seems to have their own opinion)
Tips to make the best creamy Aioli every time
Mince the garlic – to make the best creamy Aioli you want your garlic to be as finely chopped as possible. To get the garlic as fine a consistency as possible you can grate it, mince it, use a garlic press, or even substitute the fresh garlic with garlic powder. Fine garlic is one of the secrets to a really good creamy aioli.
Use a granite mortar and pestle – making Aioli in a mortar is most effectively done by using a granite or marble mortar and pestle. The rougher surface of the material will make the Aioli come together more quickly.
Note: you can use a wooden mortar and pestle but it will take nearly twice as long to make the aioli.
Add the olive oil a little at a time – getting the right consistency to your aioli is much easier if you only add 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil at a time. Adding too much oil at a time will ruin the aioli.
Lemon juice – Be careful with the lemon juice and don’t feel tempted to add extra. The balance between the acid in the lemon juice and the olive oil needs to be just right to make the best creamy Aioli.
Extra creamy tip – if you want an extra creamy Aioli you can add 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk to the sauce. There are natural emulsifiers in soy milk that makes it easy to get the right creamy Aioli texture. Just make sure you’re using natural unsweetened soy milk.
Ingredients tip – Because this is so simple, use the best quality ingredients you can.
Ingredients to make easy vegan creamy aioli without eggs
Garlic – aioli is all about the garlic. Grate it, mince it, or crush it as finely as possible to get the best creamy Aioli texture and to release all the wonderful garlic flavors in the sauce. If you don’t have fresh garlic you can substitute it with garlic powder. It won’t be quite as good as using fresh garlic but it will still make a delicious garlicky Aioli sauce.
Olive oil – I recommend using a good extra virgin olive oil or other good quality neutral flavored oil. Because aioli is a simple ingredients sauce you need great flavors. Olive oil is slightly bitter and makes the aioli taste fresher. You can also use any other good quality neutral-flavored vegetable oil that you prefer.
Salt – coarse salts like sea salt or kosher salt help emulsify the sauce and bring it all together.
Lemon juice – a little lemon juice brings freshness to the sauce and also helps emulsify the oil and make it extra creamy.
Water – only add a little water if your aioli is too thick and needs a little more creamy lightness.
Soy milk – adding soy milk to your aioli is optional but it will give you an extra creamy garlic sauce that also keeps for longer. You can easily omit soy milk in the aioli if you prefer.
How to make homemade eggless aioli with mortar and pestle
Step 1:
Use a garlic press to crush the garlic or grate it very finely.
Put the finely crushed garlic in the pestle and mortar and start grinding.
Add the course salt and continue to grind with the pestle.
Step 2:
Whilst grinding: pour in a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Step 3:
Pour in the olive oil teaspoon by teaspoon while continuing to grind with the pestle. Continue incorporating olive oil, teaspoon by teaspoon, mashing and stirring until the aioli thickens up. If the aioli gets thicker than you like, add a few drops of water.
After about 5 or 6 teaspoons you can gradually add the olive oil a bit quicker.
Continue to grind with the pestle until the aioli is thick and creamy.
Easy way to make homemade aioli in a blender (no eggs)
Use a garlic press to crush the garlic or grate it very finely.
Put the finely crushed garlic along with all the other ingredients in a large jug and blend with an immersion blender until thick and smooth.
What to serve with aioli
Aioli is great with everything. Use it as a dip with French fries or fresh vegetables, serve it as a sauce with roasted veggies or use it as a delicious sandwich spread. Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with aioli on the side:
Vegan nuggets – the creamy garlicky sauce was made for dipping my crispy vegan nuggets into.
Sesame roasted potatoes – these sesame roasted potatoes are AMAZING with a side of garlicky aioli. Yum!
Portobello mushroom steaks – portobello mushrooms and garlic sauce is a match made in heaven.
Couscous salad with roasted carrots and Dukkah – serve this tasty couscous with a dollop of aioli. It’s a flavor match made for each other.
Meatless meatballs – my delicious meatless meatballs are perfect for dipping into aioli.
Frequently asked questions
There are just around 175 calories per serving in aioli
Any neutral-flavored vegetable oil will work. I prefer using extra virgin olive oil, but canola oil and even sunflower oil are also great.
Aioli is best when eaten freshly made, but you can store it in a clean sealed container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Just stir the aioli before serving.
No. The oil in the aioli will split and the sauce will break apart when frozen and defrosted.
Yes. You can use vinegar such as white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice.
Authentic Aioli recipe without eggs (vegan)
Ingredients
- 4 large cloves Garlic peeled
- ½ tsp Sea salt or Kosher Salt or another course-grain salt
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil or other good quality vegetable oil
- 1 tsp water to adjust texture, add more as needed
- 5 tbsp Soy Milk (optional) room temperature
Instructions
How to make homemade eggless aioli with pestle and mortar
- Use a garlic press to crush the garlic or grate it very finely. Put the finely crushed garlic in the pestle and mortar and start grinding.Add the course salt and continue to grind with the pestle.
- Pour in the olive oil teaspoon by teaspoon while continuing to grind with the pestle. Continue incorporating olive oil, teaspoon by teaspoon, mashing and stirring until the aioli thickens up. If the aioli gets thicker than you like, add a few drops of water.After about 5 or 6 teaspoons you can gradually add the olive oil a bit quicker.Continue to grind with the pestle until the aioli is thick and creamy.
- Whilst grinding: pour in a teaspoon of lemon juice and the soy milk.
How to make homemade garlic aioli with a blender
- Use a garlic press to crush the garlic or grate it very finely. Put the finely crushed garlic along with all the other ingredients in a large jug and blend with an immersion blender until thick and smooth.