This creamy pesto aioli is a fantastic side dish or dip to serve with Mediterranean dishes. It comes together in less than 5 minutes, and only requires 5 ingredients.
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Aioli is a simple dip or side dish made with mayonnaise and garlic. To make pesto aioli, we have also added pesto, lemon and sea salt. These ingredients give the aioli a beautiful green color, as well as a fantastic flavor.
This sauce is incredibly easy to make, and looks more impressive than it is, particularly if you’re using store bought mayonnaise and pesto.
Ingredients
Lemon: Lemon juice brightens up the flavor of the dish. I like to use freshly squeezed lemons, but you can also use bottled lemon juice!
Garlic: As the garlic is added raw, it has to be grated with a microplane grater, or very finely diced. You can also save yourself some trouble by using garlic puree. I usually use this one from Amazon.
Mayonnaise: Use your favorite brand of mayonnaise. To make the dish a little lighter, you can also substitute part of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.
Pesto: Your favorite brand, or homemade pesto using your favorite recipe.
Sea salt: I like to use sea salt flakes, because they give the pesto a lovely little crunch. Use fine grain salt for a smooth aioli.
Instructions
This process is super fast, and really easy. First, you have to very finely grate your garlic with a microplane.
Add the garlic, along with pesto, mayonnaise, a pinch of salt and the juice from ½ lemon to a small bowl, and stir to combine.
Give the pesto aioli a taste, and add more garlic, lemon or salt to taste.
Serve the sauce immediately, or store it in a refrigerator.
Top tips
Here is my best advice to help you succeed with the recipe:
- As the pesto is responsible for the majority of the flavor, I recommend you use a brand you really like, or your favorite homemade recipe.
- The garlic can be quite intrusive if it’s added in large pieces, so make sure to grate it very finely, or use pureed garlic. You can also omit the garlic if you use garlic mayo!
Serving suggestions
Aioli is often served as a side, or as a dipping sauce. Here are some of my favorite dishes to pair it with:
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges – Crispy potato wedges made easy in your air fryer.
- Mediterranean Roast Vegetables – The aioli is a perfect dipping sauce for roasted veggies.
- Honey Roasted Potatoes – These crispy potatoes are SO good, and really easy to make.
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs – Simple chicken thighs need a great sauce, and this combination is fantastic.
- Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges – Classic potato wedges with a cheesy twist – perfect to dip in some pesto aioli.
Variations
Spicy: Add some red pepper flakes to add a little spice.
Vegan: You can use vegan, or egg free mayonnaise to make vegan pesto aioli.
Low calorie: Substitute up to half of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt to make a lighter dish.
Extra garlic: Feel free to add extra garlic if you want. The raw garlic can quickly become overpowering, so I recommend only adding a little at a time.
Leftovers
You can store any leftover pesto aioli in a sealed container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The sauce can sometimes split slightly while it’s stored. I like to give it a good stir before serving it to make sure that all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Frequently asked questions
Pesto aioli is a sauce made of mayonnaise, pesto, lemon juice, garlic and salt.
You might also like these recipes
- Bacon Aioli
- Sriracha Aioli
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Cottage Cheese Dip
- Jalapeno Artichoke Dip
- Healthy Homemade Ranch Dip
If you make this recipe, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy! Follow Hint of Healthy on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest for more healthy recipes.
Recipe
Pesto Aioli
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise (150 ml)
- 3 tablespoons pesto
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ lemon (juice only)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- This process is super fast, and really easy. First, you have to very finely grate your garlic with a microplane.
- Add the garlic, along with pesto, mayonnaise, a pinch of salt and the juice from ½ lemon to a small bowl, and stir to combine.
- Give the pesto aioli a taste, and add more garlic, lemon or salt to taste.
- Serve the sauce immediately, or store it in a refrigerator.
Notes
- As the pesto is responsible for the majority of the flavor, I recommend you use a brand you really like, or your favorite homemade recipe.
- The garlic can be quite intrusive if it’s added in large pieces, so make sure to grate it very finely, or use pureed garlic. You can also omit the garlic if you use garlic mayo!
- You can store any leftover pesto aioli in a sealed container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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