Garlic mayonnaise

Lightly whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice, crushed garlic and Dijon mustard in a mixing bowl.

Continue to whisk and add the rapeseed oil slowly from above. Wait for the oil to be fully incorporated into the mixture before continuing to add more. It’s important not to rush this part of the process, so take your time.

Once all the oil has been absorbed into the mixture, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add an extra dash of lemon juice, if you feel it needs it.

Tips & tricks

Be sure to add the oil carefully and continue to whisk slowly at this stage, otherwise, you’ll struggle to get the mixture to emulsify. Overall though, garlic mayonnaise is actually much easier to make than you might think. Owing to fairly inexpensive options on the market today, it feels quicker to pick up a bottle in the shop than to create it at home. But it really only requires 10 minutes of your day and a few store cupboard ingredients you’re likely to already have. Alternatively, you can take a shortcut and make garlic-flavoured mayonnaise by combining crushed garlic with shop-bought mayonnaise, if you don’t have the time to start from scratch.

Experiment with the texture by either mashing the garlic lightly or entirely. Some texture in the final mixture can be interesting or if you prefer your sauces smooth, puree away. On the flavour front, you can add chopped red chillies to the recipe, if you like your sauces with a bit of a kick. And if you have a little more time on your hands, try roasting the garlic and then adding it to the mixture when cooled to unleash its full flavour potential.

Uses of garlic mayo

Garlic mayonnaise is incredibly versatile and can be used to elevate a number of your favourite dishes. Add a dollop alongside a dish of fried calamari to savour the complementary flavours of the seafood with the garlic. Or you could mix it into mashed potato to add a creamy garlic flavour. It’s also the perfect alternative to ketchup for that plate of indulgent chips.

Try incorporating it into recipes. Garlic mayonnaise adds an extra layer of flavour to a potato salad, providing added depth. If you’re looking for more sauce inspiration, have a read of the secrets behind the sauces here and discover different ways in which you can add flavour to mayonnaise.

Variations of the recipe

Garlic mayonnaise is often used interchangeably these days with aioli, but there are a couple of subtle differences. Firstly, aioli is usually made with garlic and olive oil whereas garlic mayonnaise is made with egg yolks and rapeseed oil, as per the recipe above. The flavour profiles are similar, but the resulting texture differs. Aioli typically is more like a paste when made traditionally, making it more suitable for dipping bread into. You can find a recipe for aioli here if you want to create, compare and contrast the two. Either way, if you’re mad about garlic, they’re both brilliant condiments.

Storage

Garlic mayonnaise can be stored in the fridge for two to three days ahead of serving. When it’s made with fresh garlic, it can develop fairly pungent flavours, so we wouldn’t recommend storing it for longer than this. The recipe above will usually yield around 200g, so it’s a brilliant option if you’re having guests around.