Take your homemade mayo to the next level by stirring in roasted garlic cloves. This Roasted Garlic Aioli is the flavorful dip or spread you’ll want to use on everything!
Table of Contents
Why Make This Recipe
- So Flavorful: Roasted garlic is one of my favorite things in the world—it adds a mild garlicky flavor and a bit of caramel sweetness to classic mayonnaise flavor.
- Makes Any Dish Special: This aioli is the kind of ingredient that will make someone exclaim “what is that?!” after taking a bite. Especially great for adding some savory punch to vegetarian dishes.
- Easy to Make: Roasted garlic is a snap to make, and homemade mayonnaise is much easier than you’d think. Follow my easy steps below, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can make this. Once you have built up your aioli confidence, try my recipes for Truffle Aioli, Sriracha Aioli, Black Garlic Aioli, and Pesto Aioli.
🥗 Ingredients
- Egg yolk: This recipe includes a raw egg yolk, so look for pasteurized eggs if this concerns you.
- Lemon juice: Whenever possible, use a real lemon to squeeze the lemon juice you need. Packaged lemon juice just doesn’t have the same flavor as the fresh-squeezed variety.
- Vegetable Oil: I like to use a neutral oil for my aioli, so I tend to use vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower oil. You can also use olive oil to make your aioli, but I would combine it with another oil in a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio. Using all olive oil for the aioli will give you a stronger flavor that may overwhelm the roasted garlic.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius. Cut off and discard the top ¼ of the garlic head.
Place the rest of the garlic head on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle the garlic with olive oil. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt.
Wrap the foil up around the garlic head, enclosing it entirely. Roast garlic for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven. Test whether it is ready by opening the foil, and sticking the point of a knife into a garlic clove. When the knife goes in with no resistance, it’s done. Set roasted garlic aside to cool.
Meanwhile, to make the aioli base, whisk together an egg yolk, 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a small-medium bowl.
Pour ¾ cup of neutral oil into a measuring cup with a spout. 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. 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—you will likely need to add about a tablespoon of water total.
Squeeze the cooled roasted garlic cloves out of their skin and into the bowl. Mash them with a fork and whisk into the mayonnaise.
Let sit for at least 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
🧐 Recipe FAQs
Ok, yes, there is. If you avoid eating raw egg yolks or just really don’t want to make your own mayonnaise, you can also make roasted garlic aioli by whisking ¾ cup of store-bought mayonnaise with your roasted garlic.
In the past, aioli referred to a very traditional emulsion of garlic with olive oil. Today, the word aioli is used almost interchangeably with mayonnaise. It usually refers to a mayonnaise (homemade or not) that is mixed with garlic, but is now also used to describe mayonnaise mixed with all sorts of spices or other ingredients. Smoked paprika aioli, sriracha aioli, garlic aioli, basil aioli—the possibilities are endless.
This recipe, since I am using an egg yolk to make the aioli, is not vegan. 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! Combine ¾ cup of vegan mayonnaise with your head of roasted garlic.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Making aioli or mayonnaise is definitely tricky, and you may need to know how to fix a broken mayonnaise. 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.
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.
It can be helpful to have a very stable bowl while you are whisking, especially as you are whisking with one hand and pouring oil with the other. You can try placing your bowl on a damp dish towel to help stabilize it. Or, you might consider sitting down and holding the bowl securely between your legs as you whisk. I found sitting on the couch with my bowl secured by my legs and the edge of the coffee table worked really well!
Keep in mind that heads of garlic vary in size by quite a bit. Yours may take longer or shorter to roast depending on how big it is. Note that if you have a large head of garlic (or just don’t love garlic flavor), you may want to use just some of the roasted garlic with your aioli.
You can always squeeze out the rest of the roasted garlic to spread directly on a roll or a baguette, or use in another recipe. Finally, when you cut the top off your garlic head, you’ll notice that you are cutting off the tips of several garlic cloves. Pop them out of their skin, mince, and put in the refrigerator for another use.
How to Use Roasted Garlic Aioli
You can use roasted garlic aioli in many places you would usually use mayonnaise. Use it as a spread on your sandwich du jour—a BLT with roasted garlic aioli is simply amazing, but it works on almost any sandwich you would normally slather with mayo.
Blend this aioli into mashed potatoes (yummmm) or serve on top of a potato frittata. Mix it with some dijon mustard and serve as a sauce for crab cakes.
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 try steamed asparagus, green beans, and new potatoes.
You can serve with Baked Potato Wedges or sweet potato fries instead of ketchup. In the South of France, where bouillabaisse is popular, a bowl of that seafood stew often comes with baguette toasts slathered with aioli—why not try this roasted garlic version instead?
You might also take a cue from the popular oeufs mayonnaise (eggs mayonnaise) in France and just put a dollop of aioli over a hard-boiled egg that has been sliced in half.
Other Delicious Condiments and Dressings
Sometimes it’s the components of a meal that make something truly delicious. A great sauce or salad dressing can really take a dish over the top. Here are a few of my favorite “secret weapons” that add that wow factor to your meals.
- Simple Lemon Basil Pesto
- Healthy Honey Mustard Dressing
- Honey Balsamic Fig Spread
- Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing
- Lemony Ramp Pesto with Basil
- Roasted Garlic Horseradish Aioli
- Meyer Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
- Roasted Garlic
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and 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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📖 Recipe
Roasted Garlic Aioli
Roasted Garlic Aioli features sweet roasted garlic mixed with homemade mayonnaise for a creamy spread or dip you'll love.
Ingredients
- 1 head of garlic
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- Up to ¾ cup neutral oil, such as vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius.
- Cut off and discard the top ¼ of the garlic head.
- Place the rest of the garlic head on a sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle the garlic with olive oil. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt. Wrap the foil up around the garlic head, enclosing it entirely.
- Roast garlic for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven. Test whether it is ready by opening the foil, and sticking the point of a knife into a garlic clove. When the knife goes in with no resistance, it’s done. Set roasted garlic aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, to make the aioli base, whisk together egg yolk, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and salt in a small-medium bowl.
- Pour the neutral oil into a measuring cup with a spout.
- 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.
- 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—you will likely need to add about a tablespoon of water total.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and into the bowl.
- Use a fork to mash them against the side of the bowl, then whisk into the mayonnaise.
- Let sit for at least 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
Notes
This recipe includes a raw egg yolk, so look for pasteurized eggs if this concerns you.
Make-Ahead Instructions: Roasted Garlic Aioli will keep up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How to Fix a Broken Emulsion: 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. 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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 318Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 31gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 201mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
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!
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