This recipe was meant to come out in my new book later this year but I decided to gift it to you all early because, well, things have gone a bit to sh*t. It could actually be my favourite recipe of all time; the holy grail of all things garlicky and creamy. Seriously, everyone goes nuts for it. I no longer use store-bought mayo – this stuff is inexpensive, lightning-fast to prepare and goes with just about anything. Smeared on sandwiches and burgers, served alongside roast potatoes or veges, dolloped on just about any type of dinner for a creamy element, used as a dip for chips…safe to say we go through it at an astonishing (even slightly worrying) rate of knots. Make a double batch if you have a few people in your family – one batch won’t last long enough.
Before you ask…
- I’ve tried this recipe with other plant milks and it doesn’t come out as lush, so I really recommend you use soy. Try and find one that says ‘creamy’ on the label (I use an organic one).
- You can use another neutral oil like sunflower, rice bran or safflower – even light olive oil. Don’t try making this with extra virgin olive oil, the flavour will be overpowering. However you can substitute ¼ – 1/3 of a cup of if you like the flavour. I never recommend canola oil for anything, as it’s so refined and bleached – but if it’s all you have for now, by all means use it – desperate times!
- It keeps for about a week in the fridge.
- The flavour gets better as time goes on.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have both lemon juice or vinegar – one of the other will do, start with 1 tsp and add to taste.
- The mixture thickens up almost instantly using a bullet or a stick blender (AKA immersion blender). A high-speed or regular blender will do, it just takes a bit longer. Unfortunately, a food processor just doesn’t really cut the mustard. The method for these is below.
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Ingredients
1 cup grapeseed oil (or sunflower oil)
½ cup creamy soy milk (organic is best)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ tsp fine white or black pepper
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
Method
BULLET
This is the easiest and quickest way. You don’t need to crush the garlic clove for this one. The most important thing to remember here is not to shake it up first, or it won’t emulsify.
Place the oil, soy milk, mustard, salt, garlic and pepper into the bullet cup, twist the base on, then very gently turn it over and place it on the machine. Let it sit for 30 seconds so it separates out into layers. Whizz for a few seconds, or until it turns thick and creamy.
Remove the lid and stir through the lemon juice and vinegar.
STICK BLENDER
Place the oil, soy milk, mustard, salt, garlic and pepper into a tall, narrow container. Your stick blender may have come with one, or use the big cup of a bullet blender, or any tall plastic container or jar (about 1 litre capacity).
Let the ingredients sit in the container for 30 seconds to settle.
Stand the blender so that it sits firmly at the base of the container, and turn it on without moving it for about 5 seconds. As the mixture starts to emulsify, gently move the blender up and down to combine the ingredients.
Add the lemon juice and vinegar, give it a stir, and that’s it!
REGULAR BLENDER
Add all ingredients except the oil, vinegar and lemon juice to a blender and turn on to a medium speed. Slowly drizzle in the oil in a very thin stream until it’s all used up (make it very thin and slow at first, then you can speed up as you get past half-way) – the mixture should thicken and emulsify into a nice creamy aioli by the end.
Stir through the vinegar and lemon juice to taste.
STORAGE
Transfer the aïoli to a clean glass jar (or airtight container). Keeps in the fridge for a week, if you’re lucky that is! It doesn’t freeze well though.
I usually follow the recipe but ran out of soy today so tried part soy, part oat milk. I don’t recommend for anyone who is wondering. So runny. I make this all the time so lesson learned to follow Chelsea’s recipe as he’s perfection!
Yum! This is amazing!
Is there a reason the vinegar and lemon are added at the end rather than blended with the other ingredients? Thank you!
they can make it split x
Hi Chelsea – thanks for this. All my omni friends go mad for this and it’s so easy and I keep thinking up more things to eat it with! During lockdown I made some preserved lemons and they take this aïoli to next level! It’s the best ever.
So easy and yum. I used canola with no issues!
This is amazing. Made it this morning and can’t believe how quick, easy and cheap it is to make, tastes so good!
Thank you
love love love this aioli!
I often add chipotle peppers to the mix or smoked garlic, never lasts more than a day in this house.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe <3
Hi Chelsea
What brand and where do you buy creamy soy milk, organic or not. Just looked at a large New World at all the milks and couldn’t see it.
Thanks Katrina
Macro organic x
Amazing recipe. It is so quick, easy and yummy! Thank you so much Chelsea, really love all of your recipes.
Works well with almond milk original
We have dairy and soy allergies as well as sensitivity to coconut. What would be the next best “milk” to use?
Try cashew x
Hello can I us rice or goats milk instead the only to milks everyone in our house can have.. thank you
Chelsea, you’re a bloody genius. This is just about the best thing to ever come out of my kitchen (along with a few of your other recipes). It is un-freaking-believable.
Hi there, could you use rice bran oil for this? :)
So good, thanks Chelsea! I was out of vegan mayo for our burgers tonight and this has turned out perfectly x
Hi chelsea just wondering i wantrd to make this when i realised i only have dijonaise mustard and hot english mustard what would be better? I was hoping to make it tonight :-)
This is amazing. So much better than anything from a cafe. Another plant based alternative that’s better than the original.
This recipe really is the holy grail of Aioli! I biffed it all together (halved the recipe to try it first) including the lemon juice because I didn’t re-read recipe as I made it, but it came out perfect and saved me a step. I used a George Foreman Mix & Go and it only took about 3 seconds. The flavour is perfect!
Yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM! I made this last week, and it was delish! Because we had to use it in a week, I used it in every thing, I even put the rest of it in our mash tonight, I used a blender and was really surprised how quickly it came together, I also wondered if 1 garlic clove was enough and it was, very yummy!!!
Best ever !!! It’s amazing on Poached Eggs, Smoked Salmon, Wilted Spinach on toasted Sour Dough.
Better than Hollandaise Sauce !!
Thank u ????
Was really good I whacked in about double the garlic and extra vinegar as I had no lemon. Family couldn’t tell it wasn’t Heinz for garlic lovers!
Lockdown has made me do some crazy things – like cook. This is the easiest and tastiest thing I’ve made so far. From now on I’m only cooking things that will go with this aioli. Thanks Chelsea
This Aioli is fantastic! Can’t believe how in 1 minute you can create something so good!
This aoil is amazing! so delicious
and an absolute hit with our vegan kids!
Thanks so much Chelsea Ive made it twice already!
fantastic thank you – does it have to be dijon mustard? Not sure what i will be able to find at the supermarket
Used Pams Lite Soy which I was a bit worried about as not really that creamy but was so pleased with how it came out, so yum. This will be a regular feature in the fridge, thanks.
YUM! This is fantastic!! So easy to substitute some of the ingredients too. I only had light blue (lite) milk and it still worked ok :)
Just made this for dressing on a wrap, didn’t read recipe properly first , just put everything in together used a stick blender …..amazing love it so does hubby…
Ok, so I’m gonna just put this out there. I might love this aioli more than my lockdown husband right now. (He’s the same person as my regular husband but one I see a LOOOOOOTT more of…..) and he’s not a massive aioli fan so given the hit of fresh garlic this delivers, there prob won’t be any lockdown babies for us ;)
THANK YOU. I have been without aioli for a year now as it doesn’t seem to exist in the U.K, just mayo (which they serve with everything). This is so easy and delicious! Going to be a staple in my fridge from now on.
Hi. I made this today with a stick blender and couldn’t believe how quickly it came together. Having a vegan daughter makes me appreciate this recipe even more! Thanks Chelsea
Love it.. just made it.. yumm as!
As much as this may be fantastic, which I’m sure it is, this maynot be the best time to advice people to be buying soy milk when people such as myself need it as we cant all tolerate normal dairy. I love your recipes and have your books so please don’t get me wrong, I just worry that so many have said they will buy soy milk in the next shopping trip.
This looks and sounds amazing but my husband’s gut doesn’t tolerate garlic (or onion) very well sadly. Can you substitute something else ir just leave it out.
Thanks
Cathy