Imagine a smooth, creamy mayonnaise flavored with the delightful pungency of fresh garlic. This is the essence of one of Spain's best loved condiments: Spanish alioli, or homemade garlic mayonnaise. You only need 5 simple ingredients to make it!
Serve your homemade alioli with patatas bravas or as a dip for finger foods like these gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp).
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Introduction
My introduction to Spanish alioli was during a warm summer evening while dining out with friends on one of Madrid’s terrazas. My group of friends had ordered patatas bravas, Spanish-style fried potatoes smothered in two dipping sauces: a spicy red bravas sauce and a white alioli.
As an American, a red dipping sauce was not a foreign concept to me, but the white sauce sparked my curiosity. “What’s that?” I asked.
“A-li-o-li,” my Spanish friend pronounced the name slowly, making sure that I could understand each syllable. The Catalan name for this homemade garlic mayonnaise sauce (alioli) is the most popular way to say it. In Catalan, all means garlic, and oli means olive oil. (We often call this Spanish sauce aioli in English.)
The smooth texture of this garlic alioli reminded me of mayonnaise, but the punch of garlic made it the most flavorful mayonnaise I had ever tried! Now that I'm in the United States, I enjoy making this simple Spanish alioli recipe for friends and family who are eager for a taste of Spain.
Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make a batch of garlic alioli? Fortunately, there's only 5 simple ingredients in this Spanish mayonnaise.
- Egg Yolk: This is definitely a key ingredient, as the egg yolk absorbs the olive oil and thickens and emulsifies the mayo. Be sure to use a room temperature egg yolk, as it will more readily absorb the oil.
- Olive Oil: Use great quality olive oil for the very best flavor.
- Garlic: I like to use 3-4 cloves of garlic, but you can add a little extra if you like a punchier flavor.
- Salt: This adds flavor.
- Lemon Juice: This brightens the mayo, and complements the garlic nicely.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Peel and mince the garlic.
- Pound it in a mortar and pestle until it's well mashed and smooth.
- Add the egg yolk and salt to the garlic and mix well.
- Gradually add the oil, mixing well in between each addition. Be sure to add it slowly so the mixture doesn't split!
- Once the mixture begins to thicken, add the lemon juice.
- The alioli should be perfectly smooth!
- Refrigerate until you're ready to serve it.
- Enjoy with patatas bravas or as a dip for finger foods.
Recipe FAQs
The only difference is in the name! In English, this mayonnaise-style sauce is called aioli, while the original Catalan name combines the names for garlic (all) with the name for oil (oli) to make the name allioli or alioli. The sauce is the same regardless of the name.
Alioli is an emulsion of olive oil and egg yolk flavored with salt, lemon juice, and garlic. It packs a lot of flavor, and has a wonderfully creamy texture that makes it the perfect sauce for a wide variety of dishes!
Although alioli and mayo have a lot of similarities, they're not the same. Alioli is made with extra virgin olive oil, and may or may not contain an egg yolk. Mayonnaise always uses egg to improve the emulsification, and typically is made with a neutral oil such as canola instead of olive oil.
Serve
This alioli is a great crowd pleaser at house parties. Use it as a dip for finger foods ranging from raw vegetables to shrimp! Try it on top of baked potatoes or patatas bravas, or spread it on a sandwich for an extra kick.
Store
Leftovers: This alioli will keep for about 7 days in the fridge. Keep it tightly covered.
Freezing: Alioli can't be frozen because it will separate when thawed. It's best to make it in small batches that you can eat within a week.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the egg yolk is at room temperature. Otherwise, it won't absorb the oil very well.
- Be sure to add the olive oil slowly and carefully, mixing well between each addition. Adding the oil too quickly may cause the mixture to split, as the egg yolk and garlic won't be able to absorb large amounts of oil at once.
- The key ingredient in alioli? Elbow grease--or a hand mixer. Keep the hand mixer pressed to the bottom of the bowl at first, then as the mixture increases in volume, bring the beaters up to fluff the mixture.
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Easy Spanish Alioli Recipe: Homemade Garlic Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- ⅔-3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Peel and mince the garlic cloves.
- Place the minced garlic into the mortar. Using the pestle, begin to pound the minced garlic until it is well mashed.
- Add the egg yolk and salt to the mashed garlic and stir well.
- Start adding the olive oil very slowly and only a little at a time, making sure to stir the mixture constantly. Go slowly so that the garlic and oil have a chance to blend well. (Feel free to use a hand mixer for this process to keep your arm from getting fatigued.)
- Keep going until all the oil is added and the mixture is thick and smooth, then add the lemon juice.
- Refrigerate the mixture until ready to serve as a dip or sauce with your favorite appetizers or on a sandwich. It will keep for up to 7 days in the fridge.
Notes
- Make sure the egg yolk is at room temperature. Otherwise, it won't absorb the oil very well.
- Be sure to add the olive oil slowly and carefully, mixing well between each addition. Adding the oil too quickly may cause the mixture to split, as the egg yolk and garlic won't be able to absorb large amounts of oil at once.
- The key ingredient in alioli? Elbow grease--or a hand mixer. Keep the hand mixer pressed to the bottom of the bowl at first, then as the mixture increases in volume, bring the beaters up to fluff the mixture.
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
Sashi
Way too much garlic for this ammount 🙂
LiseB
Agree with Sashi. All I can taste is raw garlic. Maybe it depends on the type of garlic? I used Rose de Lautrec.
Chang San San
I will try to do, seems like good try cause I love Mayonnaise!!
Thank you very much!!
Alba
Hey! You are missing one "l" in the allioli word. All, with two els, not one. In Catalan it is written all-i-oli with hyphens. As All means garlic and oli meand oil.
The traditional Catalan recipe does not use the egg yolk but it makes it easier to mix.
Dennis
For anyone who loves a sandwich with a kick, this garlic mayonnaise recipe is perfect! As a garlic lover myself, I can't wait to copy this recipe onto my iphone 7s, so I can whip it up later to use on my next turkey sandwich. Anything with fresh garlic has my name all over it, and I can't wait to add this mayo to my recipes!