If you love bold, fresh flavors and quick recipes, this Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Aioli is about to become your new favorite condiment. Creamy, zesty, and garlicky, it's a simple lemon garlic mayonnaise that comes together in three minutes and instantly elevates everything from sandwiches and grilled veggies to seafood and fries.
One of the things I learnt in culinary school is that the kitchen, the solution is often add some acid. Most home-cooked meals don't need more salt; they need a 'brightener.' This 4-ingredient Lemon Aioli can transform a piece of fish or chicken into a meal in no time.
My easy lemon aioli recipe is a lot quicker than a traditional aioli, but still tastes amazing with a vibrant lemon flavor and velvety texture.
This garlicky sauce uses simple ingredients and can be served with a variety of meat, seafood and vegetable based dishes. It also makes a great dipping sauce for fries.
For ease I've used store-bought mayo in this recipe, but if you have your own homemade mayo - feel free to use that instead.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Lemon Aioli
- Lemon Aioli Ingredients
- How to Make Homemade Lemon Aioli- Step-By-Step
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Variations & Substitutions
- Pro Tips & Tricks For Making
- How To Serve
- How To Store?
- Pin This Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Aioli (Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise) Recipe For Later
- What Do You Think?!
- More Easy Side Dish Recipe Ideas
- Printable Recipe
- Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Aioli Recipe (Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise)
- Reader Comments & Ratings
Why You'll Love This Lemon Aioli
- Easy to make with a handful of simple ingredients and a little sea salt, this lemon garlic aioli recipe can be whipped together in just 5 minutes.
- A great make ahead dip, this easy aioli recipe can be mixed together a few days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- A healthy alternative to store bought sauces and dips, which often contain artificial flavorings and added sugar. By contrast, this is all natural flavor.
- Try some of my favorite dips and sauces
Lemon Aioli Ingredients
Find the full list and quantities in the recipe below.
Mayonnaise - in this easy recipe I like to use a good quality regular mayonnaise. You can used homemade mayo in this recipe too.
Garlic - for the best garlic flavour I recommend using freshly crushed raw garlic cloves.
Lemon Juice - to ensure a vibrant lemon flavor I always used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Sea Salt - season to taste using fine sea salt.
How to Make Homemade Lemon Aioli- Step-By-Step
Find the full printable recipe card below.
Mix together mayonnaise, minced garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice and sea salt in a small bowl.
Allow the aioli to sit for at least 5 minutes to allow the flavours to meld and the garlic to mellow. Ideally serve chilled.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between mayo and aioli?
While they are both an emulsified sauce with a creamy texture, traditional aioli is usually always made with olive oil and flavored with garlic. Whereas mayo can often be made with vegetable or seed oils.
Is aioli healthier than mayonnaise?
No, strictly speaking as this lemon aioli is a mayonnaise based sauce, it is not healthier than mayo as they both have similar ingredients. But garlic does have health benefits due to compounds like allicin and other antioxidants.
Variations & Substitutions
You can use garlic mayo rather than regular, you will just need to adjust the amount of fresh garlic used.
Make a vegan aioli by swapping regular mayo for a plant based alternative.
Don't like garlic? Then leave it out and make a lemon mayonnaise instead. It will have a more delicate flavor, amazing with smoked salmon, eggs and as a dip for meats.
Make the sauce extra lemony by adding some fresh lemon zest.
Change the flavor of this garlicky sauce, by swapping fresh lemon juice for lime juice instead.
Add fresh herbs like parsley, basil, chives or dill.
Pro Tips & Tricks For Making
Always check the sauce for flavor and balance, add a little more salt or lemon juice if you think it needs it.
I like to use a garlic press to finely crush the fresh garlic cloves.
This dip can be made up to 24 hours in advance and will taste even better the next day once the flavors have really developed.
You could make a healthier version of this sauce by using half mayo and half Greek yogurt. You could also stir through some extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil to loosen the sauce.
How To Serve
This delicious aioli recipe is a versatile sauce that can be used as a wonderful dip, sauce or topping.
The fresh lemon flavor makes this the perfect sauce to take seafood to the next level. Drizzle some sauce over my Salmon with Potatoes & Vegetables, or my Garlic Lemon Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles.
The flavors of lemon and garlic also work well with other main dishes. Try it with my easy Bavette Steak, or Grilled Chicken Thighs with Lemon & Garlic. Or use it as a sauce for tacos, try my Big Mac Tacos, or Fish Stick Tacos.
This sauce also makes a great dipping sauce for French fries, Crispy Potato Wedges, Sweet Potato Fries, Baked Sweet Potato Slices, Corn Riblets, or onion rings.
How To Store?
Store leftover homemade lemon aioli in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Pin This Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Aioli (Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise) Recipe For Later
What Do You Think?!
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More Easy Side Dish Recipe Ideas
Printable Recipe
Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Aioli Recipe (Lemon Garlic Mayonnaise)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 small clove Garlic - finely minced or grated
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice - freshly squeezed
- Sea Salt - to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and zest until smooth.
- Let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes (or longer in the fridge) to let the garlic flavor mellow and infuse.
- Taste and adjust the balance of flavors with a pinch of salt or more lemon if needed.
- Serve chilled.
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