Pesto Aioli may become your favorite summer condiment. Fresh basil pesto mixed with homemade mayonnaise for a creamy, herby spread or dip you'll love!
Pesto Aioli is the summer condiment that takes your meal from so-so to sublime. You’ll start by making basil pesto, which is quite easy with the use of a mini food processor. Next, you’ll make your own mayonnaise. Combine the two, and you’ve got a delicious dip or sandwich spread that you’ll want to eat with pretty much everything. For ideas, read on!
Pesto Aioli Ingredients
- Pine nuts: Pine nuts provide a nice creamy texture to your pesto. Alternatives include walnuts, cashews, or almonds. Highly recommend toasting whatever nut you choose!
- Basil: Fresh basil leaves make a classic pesto. See the Recipe Variations section for more ideas!
- Parmesan cheese: Use a high-quality parmesan cheese for the best flavor in this pesto.
- Lemon juice: I always recommend squeezing a lemon for the lemon juice you need, but of course bottle lemon juice is a fine substitute. You’ll need a little lemon juice for the aioli as well.
Ingredients for Aioli
- Vegetable Oil: Using vegetable oil to make aioli gives you the most mild flavor. Alternatively, you could use grapeseed oil or sunflower oil. If you wanted to add in some olive oil flavor, I would recommend using half olive oil and half vegetable oil so that the olive oil flavor is not overpowering.
- Egg: This recipe includes a raw egg yolk, so look for pasteurized eggs if this is a concern for you.
- Dijon Mustard: Just a little bit of mustard deepens the flavor of the aioli.
- Garlic Clove: Optional, but goes really well with the pesto flavor in this aioli.
How to Make Pesto Aioli
- The first step is to make your pesto. Follow these easy instructions in my Simple Lemon Basil Pesto recipe, then report back right here!
- Next, begin the aioli. Whisk together 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt in a small-medium bowl. I like to use a glass bowl so I can really see what is happening.
3. Very slowly, begin to drip ¾ cup of neutral oil (vegetable, grapeseed, etc.) into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously. You are making an emulsion, and emulsions are very tricky. At the beginning, you must literally add the oil drop by drop, making sure it is incorporated before adding more.
4. The mixture will thicken little by little at first, and then faster and faster. Once you have added about ¼ cup of oil, you can speed up the rate at which you are adding the oil.
Continue to whisk constantly, taking a break if your arm tires. If your bowl is moving around a lot, try putting a damp kitchen towel under it.
5. After about ½ cup has been added, you can speed up a little more until all the oil is incorporated. If the aioli is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen it up to what you desire. Note that this recipe includes a raw egg yolk, so look for pasteurized eggs if this concerns you.
6. Now whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of pesto and let sit for at least 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld before serving.
Pesto Aioli Recipe Variations
You can make all kinds of different Pesto Aioli variations depending on the type of pesto you make. Of course basil is the classic, but you can make pesto from so many other types of herbs and greens. Try spinach, arugula, or kale instead of the basil, especially when fresh basil is not in season. If it’s ramp season, add in some fresh ramps, as in this Ramp Pesto recipe. You can also change out the nuts. Rather than pine nuts, try almonds, cashews, or walnuts. You can even substitute sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Try using sun-dried tomatoes, for a totally different pesto idea that still pairs beautifully with the aioli. Finally, try Pecorino Romano instead of the Parmesan cheese.
How to Use Basil Aioli
You can use pesto aioli in most places you would usually use mayonnaise. Use pesto aioli instead of mayo to make chicken salad or egg salad with a twist. May I suggest this Egg Salad with Bacon recipe? Or, use it as a spread on your burger or sandwich du jour. This pesto aioli makes a next-level summer BLT. Blend it into mashed potatoes or serve on top of a potato frittata. Mix it with some dijon mustard and serve as a sauce for crab cakes. It also makes a great sauce for pasta salad—try it instead of using pesto + mayo in this Pesto Tortellini Salad with Chicken or this vegetarian Tortellini Caprese Salad.
But this aioli is so good you’ll want to use it by itself and not just as a component in your dish. It makes a fantastic dip for a crudité platter, or for a bowl of chilled shrimp. Steam artichokes and dip their leaves in aioli to eat. Or serve with regular or sweet potato fries instead of ketchup. You can also toss it with steamed green beans or asparagus, or serve with roasted cauliflower.
How long will Pesto Aioli last in the refrigerator?
Pesto Aioli will keep up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you have leftover pesto, that will also last a few days in the refrigerator. It’s best to store with plastic wrap on top of the pesto, since the pesto will lose some of its vibrant green color over time.
Basil Pesto Aioli FAQs
Ha! Of course there is. You can replace either the pesto or the aioli (or both) with store-bought versions. Aioli is really just mayonnaise, after all. If you’re going the store-bought mayonnaise route, my favorite mayonnaise brand is Hellman’s (or Best Foods in the Western U.S.).
As for pesto, there are lots of good options out there—I tend to look for ones with the smallest number of ingredients, and nothing I can’t pronounce. As always, I think the homemade versions have better flavor—the fresh herbs really come through in homemade pesto, for example. But when time constraints prevent doing the whole thing yourself, feel free to cut yourself a break, and buy one or the other.
This recipe is not vegan, since I am using an egg yolk to make the aioli and parmesan cheese in the pesto. However, if you’re looking for a vegan version, I would suggest searching for a vegan mayonnaise recipe on Google (there are plenty of them) or buying a “veganaise” at the grocery store. Hellman’s (Best Foods) even has a vegan version now! You can find or make vegan versions of pesto as well—try just substituting vegan "parmesan" in my pesto recipe for example.
Making aioli or mayonnaise is definitely tricky. Go too fast when adding the oil, and it’s easy to end up with either separated mayonnaise or something that looks like it’s combined but is much thinner than mayonnaise is supposed to be. This often happens (to me at least) when trying to shortcut the by hand method and use an immersion blender or food processor.
The good news is that you can usually easily fix this with the addition of another egg yolk. Crack an egg yolk into a clean bowl, then slowly, slowly, a little at a time, whisk in the broken mayonnaise. This will usually help the emulsion to form again, and you’ll get a beautiful mayo without having to throw out your first batch.
Other Aioli Recipes
Now that you've tried this Pesto Aioli, try your hand at some of my other favorite homemade mayo recipes.
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
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Pesto Aioli Recipe (Basil Aioli)
Ingredients
For the Pesto
- ¼ cup of pine nuts
- 1 cup of packed basil leaves
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ ounces olive oil
- 1 small garlic clove optional
For the Aioli
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup neutral oil such as vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
Instructions
- Toast pine nuts in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch carefully, as pine nuts turn quickly from toasted to burned. Let cool.
- Combine cooled toasted pine nuts, basil, lemon juice, salt, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and garlic clove (if desired) in a small food processor.
- Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides a couple of times. You may need to tip the processor over a bit to blend it better if the blade does not quite reach the bottom. When finished, you’ll have about ½ cup of pesto.
- To make the aioli, whisk together egg yolk, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt in a small-medium bowl. I like to use a glass bowl so I can really see what is happening.
- Very slowly, begin to drip the oil into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly and vigorously. You are making an emulsion, and emulsions are very tricky. At the beginning, you must literally add the oil drop by drop, making sure it is incorporated before adding more. The mixture will thicken little by little at first, and then faster and faster.
- Once you have added about ¼ cup of the oil, you can speed up the rate at which you are adding the oil. Continue to whisk constantly, taking a break if your arm tires. Place the bowl on a damp kitchen towel if it is moving around while you whisk.
- After about ½ cup of oil has been added, you can speed up a little more until all the oil is incorporated.
- If the aioli is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time to loosen it up to what you desire.
- Whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of pesto and let sit for at least 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld before serving.
Notes
- Pesto Aioli will keep up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover pesto will also keep for a few days in the fridge, but cover it with plastic wrap to help stop the top layer of pesto from browning.
- This recipe includes a raw egg yolk, so look for pasteurized eggs if this concerns you.
- For a vegan version of this recipe, use a vegan mayonnaise in replacement of the homemade aioli.
- To fix a broken mayonnaise, crack an egg yolk into a bowl, then whisk in the broken mayonnaise very slowly. It should come back together for you!
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Josiah - DIY Thrill says
This pesto looks really yummy, thanks for sharing this easy recipe!
Chef Molly says
My pleasure! It's really a delicious summer condiment!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
I loved your tips on how to fix broken mayonnaise and how to keep the pesto aioli fresh in the fridge longer. I am a huge fan of Pesto, but I have never tried this before. What have I been missing!?!
Chef Molly says
Oh you should definitely try it! Pesto is so great mixed with aioli/mayo, and you'd be surprised how much you can use it on!