Name: Garlic Mayo (Mayo Aioli)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1/3 cup high quality mayonnaise (vegan as desired); 1 small garlic clove; 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice; 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard

Want the shortcut way to homemade aioli? Make this quick and easy garlic mayo, made with garlic and purchased mayonnaise.

Love aioli and shortcuts? Here’s how to make aioli the shortcut way: garlic mayo! This tasty garlicky, tangy sauce is perfect for dipping French fries or slathering on a sandwich. You’ve probably had it at a restaurant before, and there are lots of gourmet aiolis sold in stores. But want to make your own? It’s quick and easy: especially with this shortcut method! A traditional aioli has raw egg yolk, but this cheater garlic mayo skips that in favor of storebought mayonnaise. Here’s how to make it!

Garlic mayo vs aioli

Aioli is a sauce that comes from the South of France and Spain. The traditional version is made from garlic that’s blended in a mortar and pestle with egg yolk, lemon juice or vinegar, and olive oil. Mayo is made using a similar method, but with canola oil and no garlic. Since the 1990’s, it’s actually become common in the US to call any flavored mayonnaise aioli. So, there’s a lot of cross-over!

This garlic mayo is a shortcut way to make aioli…using mayo! It’s quick and simple, and results in a tasty sauce that tastes similar to the “real” thing.

How to make garlic mayo

This garlic mayo recipe is so simple and takes only 5 minutes to whip up. There’s not much to know about this easy recipe, but here are a few tips:

Mince the garlic as finely as possible. Then you can use the side of your knife blade to mash and grind it into a paste. You don’t want big chunks of raw garlic: try to get it as smooth as possible.
Use highest quality mayonnaise. You can taste a difference! Using a great mayonnaise will make the flavor even richer and more savory.
Mix in vinegar and yellow mustard. Yellow mustard adds a little savory flavor and more importantly: color to look more like a traditional aioli.

Ways to use garlic mayo

You probably already have some ideas on how to use this garlic mayo. But here are a few more ways to use this tasty sauce:

French fry dip: It’s incredible with fries. Try it with our Baked Fries, Homemade Fries, Perfect Seasoned Fries, Pomme Frites, Greek Fries, or Potato Wedges.
Burger sauce: Spread it on a toasted bun for this Portobello Burger, Best Veggie Burger or Chickpea Burger.
Sandwich spread: Slather on a Chickpea Salad Sandwich or Ultimate Tuna Sandwich.
Roasted vegetables: Use as a dip for Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Okra, or Roasted Cauliflower.
Shrimp: Use as a dip for Grilled Shrimp or Sauteed Shrimp.

Garlic mayo flavor variations

You can also mix up the flavor on garlic mayo depending on your recipe! These flavors of garlic mayo are perfect for fries or burgers. Here are a few ideas:

Lemon aioli: Use 2 teaspoons lemon juice instead of the vinegar, and add ¼ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest to make Lemo n Aioli.
Basil aioli: Add 2 tablespoons very finely chopped basil to make Basil Aioli.
Sriracha aioli: Add hot sauce to make Sriracha Aioli.
Truffle aioli: Stir in 1 teaspoon truffle oil to make Truffle Aioli.
Chipotle aioli: Or blend up hot peppers for Chipotle Aioli.
Pesto aioli: Like pesto and garlic mayo at the same time! Go to Pesto Aioli.

Pesto Aioli

Chipotle Aioli

Lemon Aioli

Spicy Sriracha Aioli

Easy to make vegan

Another note about this garlic mayo is that it’s easy to make vegan! Vegan mayonnaise is fairly easy to find at the grocery store or online. Grab a bottle of your favorite vegan mayonnaise to make a plant-based garlic mayo. A brand we like is Sir Kensington’s vegan mayo, which is made with aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas).

This garlic mayo recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, use vegan mayo.

Love garlic? Try more Great Garlic Recipes, like Garlic Butter and more!