Skip to main content
Lemon Aioli Cookbook cover image courtesy of Random House

Traditionally, an aioli should be made with lots of garlic and extra virgin olive oil. If you find the flavor too strong, you can use half olive oil and half vegetable oil (and a little less garlic if you must).

Ingredients

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 extra large egg yolk
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
  1. Using a mortar and pestle, pulverize the garlic and salt to a smooth paste. (If you don't have a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic with the flat side of a chef's knife or a garlic press.) If your mortar is too small to whisk the entire amount of oil in (or you don't have one), transfer the mashed garlic and salt to the bowl of an electric mixer or a medium stainless-steel bowl, and whisk in the egg yolk by hand. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, drop by drop, whisking constantly. As the mixture begins to thicken, add a teaspoon of vinegar, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of warm water. Once you've added almost half of the oil, place the bowl in the mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on medium speed. Or continue to whisk in the oil by hand. Pour the oil in a slow, steady trickle, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. As the mixture thickens, add a little more of the lemon juice and water, and continue whisking until the remaining olive oil is completely incorporated and the sauce is thickened. Season with lemon juice and zest, and salt to taste.

Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Bookby Nancy Silverton, with Teri Gelber. Copyright © 2002 by Nancy Silverton, with Teri Gelber. Published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Suzanne Goin graduated from Brown University. She was named Best Creative Chef byBostonmagazine in 1994, one of the Best New Chefs byFood & Winein 1999, and was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2003, 2004, and 2005. She and her business partner, Caroline Styne, also run the restaurant A.O.C. in Los Angeles, where Goin lives with her husband, David Lentz. Teri Gelber is a food writer and public-radio producer living in Los Angeles.
Sign InorSubscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Lemon Aioli?

Leave a Review

  • Changed it to lime, and it was easy to make, and had a great taste. Would definately do over.

    • roblehnert

    • Long Island, NY

    • 1/31/2017

  • I didn't like this aioli at all. Maybe I just don't like aioli in general, but I thought this was too oily and didn't taste very good. :(

    • vivacupcake

    • Los Angeles, CA

    • 7/27/2011

Read More
Falafel-Spiced Turkey Burgers
Molly Yeh’s turkey burgers are genuinely juicy, supremely crispy, flavored like falafel, and browned in a skillet for ultimate ease.
Olive Oil Thumbprints With Lemon Curd
Adding a healthy glug of olive oil to shortbread dough causes what are already tender cookies to dissolve into crumbs in your mouth.
Brown Butter–Chocolate Soufflé Fit for a Crowd
This larger-than-life gluten-free chocolate soufflé gets a flavor boost from nutty brown butter.
Chili Crisp Panzanella
采取panzanella混合辣椒脆我上一层楼nto golden-brown bread cubes to add the right amount of heat and savory notes to this refreshing salad.
Tomato and Egg “Shakshuka”
Tomato and egg, a classic Chinese dish packed with sweet and umami flavors, is combined with shakshuka for easy brunch or dinnertime showstopper.
Coconutty Beans and Greens Stew
Canned beans get a full-on makeover in this creamy, coconutty, spiced stew fortified with Swiss chard and sweet potato—perfect for cold winter days.
Ginger-Stout Layer Cake With Ermine Frosting
This ginger-stout cake from famed pastry chef Claudia Fleming gets generous layers of buttermilk frosting, with the sides of the cake left au naturel.
Chicken, Fennel, and Apple Guo-Tie
In these chicken dumplings, sweet apple and savory chicken come together, and pickled fennel is the lightly acidic bridge.