Vegan Aioli Recipe
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The creamiest garlic Vegan Aioli made with luscious avocados, a touch of dijon mustard and perfectly thickened with cashews. Doubles down as a dip, sandwich/ burger spread, drizzled over your favorite tacos or to dress a simple beluga lentil salad and roasted veggies.
Vegan Aioli
You really can’t get this aioli out of a jar friends. This is one of those recipes that must be homemade, and the good news Is that the only piece of equipment you need is a blender. Throw everything inside that baby and whip it good until fluffy and divine. Easy peasy!
What is Aioli Exactly?
A rich, Italian garlicky sauce, an emulsion traditionally made with olive oil and lemon, it’s technically mayo heavily flavored with garlic. But there’s really zero need for added oils or fattening traditional mayo anymore. Instead I adapted the recipe to a Whole Foods plant-based version featuring the amazing avocado! It’s dairy-free, not only amazingly delicious but also good for you!
5 Simple Ingredients
- Avocado
- Cashews
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Dijon Mustard (+ water)
FAQ
- Can you freeze garlic aioli? – This is not exactly the recipe you want to be freezing for best texture, however it can be stored in the fridge up to 5 days.
- Is it healthy? – Although high in calorie, this fully raw aioli mayo is whole food plant based compliant, gluten free, oil free, so really as healthy as can be.
- How do I thicken it? – There’s no need for thickener at all, the combination of cashews and avocado yields a perfectly thick and creamy sauce ready to be enjoyed as is. If a thinner consistency is desired just add a little more water or lemon juice to taste.
- Can I use Aquafaba instead of water? – Absolutely, it actually makes for a great swap and whips really nice.
Recipe Variations
- Fresh Herbs: dill, thyme, chives or basil
- Saffron or Truffles
- Sriracha, harissa or chili crips
- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Chili, wasabi, horseradish
- Basil or chive pesto.
Chef’s Tip: Make ahead a few variations of aioli sauces to have in the fridge for the week. Store tightly covered in glass jars/ containers up to a week.
How to Make Vegan Garlic Aioli
- Rinse and soak the cashews in hot water for 25 minutes then drain. (You can skip the soaking if you have a powerful blender like a Vitamix).
- Add the soaked cashews to the blender together with the flesh from one avocado, garlic, lemon, dijon and water or aquafaba.
- Process on the smoothie setting until silky smooth and creamy and season to taste with sea salt. use it to dress this amazing vegan potato salad.
Vegan Aioli
The creamiest garlic vegan aioli made with luscious avocados, a touch of dijon mustard and perfectly thickened with cashews. Doubles down as a dip, sandwich/ burger spread, drizzled over your favorite tacos or to dress this simple beluga lentil salad.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 5 cloves garlic (large)
- 1 lemon -juiced
- 1.5 tsp dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup filtered water (or aquafaba)
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
Make the Aioli
- Rinse then soak the cashews in a bowl of hot water for 25 minutes. (You can omit soaking if using a powerful blender like a Vitamix)1 cup raw cashews
- Drain and rinse the cashew again then transfer them to a powerful blender together with the garlic, the flesh of the avocado, lemon juice, dijon and the water (or aquafaba). Process until smooth and creamy. If the texture is grainy you’ll need to blend again but Do Not add more water. Season to taste with a pinch of sea salt and refrigerate until needed.1 avocado, 1 cup raw cashews, 5 cloves garlic (large), 1 lemon, 1.5 tsp dijon mustard, 3/4 cup filtered water, sea salt to taste
- Serve: spoon some of the aioli and spread it on the bottom of a salad plate. Top with cooked lentils, roasted vegetables, baby greens. Drizzle more aioli over the top and enjoy!
WFPB + Plantricious
Notes
- Can you freeze garlic aioli? - This is not exactly the recipe you want to be freezing for best texture, however it can be stored in the fridge up to 5 days.
- Is it healthy? - Although high in calorie, this fully raw aioli mayo is whole food plant based compliant, gluten free, oil free, so really as healthy as can be.
- How do I thicken it? - There's no need for thickener at all, the combination of cashews and avocado yields a perfectly thick and creamy sauce ready to be enjoyed as is. If a thinner consistency is desired just add a little more water or lemon juice to taste.
- Can I use Aquafaba instead of water? - Absolutely, it actually makes for a great swap and whips really nice.
Nutrition
Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 341mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 54IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 182kcal
I’ve been experimenting with vegan Aioli for some time now with disappointing results and finally I hit the jackpot with this recipe. Absolutely sublime, the only thing I changed was adding 2 extra cloves of garlic but I’m sure that might be overpowering for some people so stick to the original recipe and add more garlic after you taste it. This is amazing, thank you for sharing and inspiring me to eat healthier at the same time.
Totally delicious! It’s a staple for me now. Thanks.
So happy to hear this Lisa 🙂