Red Pepper Aioli

A creamy homemade aioli made from scratch with eggs no mayo. Use freshly roasted peppers to create an enticing red pepper aioli that is delicious on sandwiches, eggs, or used as a dip.

Okay so it’s a Monday night, and my scheduled grocery shopping trip isn’t until Saturday, I go to the fridge to make sure dinner is good to go and…I’m out of mayo. Now I’m faced with a decision, come up with some other condiment to go with our turkey burgers, or make some mayo to get me through a few days. Or…do both!

This red pepper aioli was born of just that. It turned out so good I had to share it. And it was a great opportunity to discuss what the heck an aioli is and why it’s good to know how to make it!

Aioli vs. Mayonnaise

What is Mayonnaise? Simply put it’s the emulsion of oil droplets into egg yolks. Usually it also contains acid, salt, and mustard.

Egg yolks are a powerful emulsifier, the proteins in raw yolk separate and suspend the oil creating a creamy, thickened sauce.

What is Aioli? It’s a type of mayonnaise! Typically one made with garlic. The word aioli is from the provencal words ‘ai’ for garlic and ‘oli’ for oil.

There are actually several ways to make mayonnaise without egg yolks. It’s possible to create a similar sauce by using a veloute or béchamel sauce, where the gelatin or milk proteins in the sauces create a thickened effect. Others call for hard cooked yolks, bread, potato starch, or even fresh cheeses.

Making Your Red Pepper Aioli from Scratch

A lot of aioli recipes that you’ll find online call for the addition of flavoring components and garlic to already prepared mayonnaise. That’s fine for a quick sauce, but I’m going to take you through the process from yolk to finished sauce. From there, you can not only make this sauce, but any flavored mayo, or even a classic if you wish.

The Ingredients

• Roasted Red Peppers – These are the primary flavor of this aioli, and it’s super easy to make them yourself if it’s pepper season. Read my guide How to Roast Peppers to make them yourself, or buy a good quality jar of them for best flavor.
• Egg yolks – This particular recipe calls for 3 egg yolks. It’s essential that these are room temperature! Cold eggs do not emulsify properly and your aioli can come out too runny.
• Oil – You literally can’t make aioli without oil! It makes up 80% of the final sauce! The typical oil of choice is extra virgin olive oil. This particular recipe however, I actually opted for a more neutral oil that didn’t overwhelm the pepper flavor like olive oil did. Canola, grapeseed, sunflower, or olive oil will all work.
• Salt – Beyond flavor, salt is absolutely necessary for aioli. The salt breaks down the yolk granules, making it easier for the yolk to suspend the oil.
• Acid – The standard for mayonnaise is lemon juice, and I do recommend it if making a standard mayo. I didn’t have any, which is why I used golden balsamic vinegar. It’s necessary to brighten the flavor of the fat, but it’s a small amount. Feel free to use white wine vinegar or lemon juice if you don’t have golden balsamic.
• Garlic – It wouldn’t be aioli without it!
• Dijon Mustard – Mustard is important for keeping the emulsion stable and providing flavor.
• Parsley – Just for a little fresh, herbaceous flavor and some lovely color, a touch of parsley is perfect.
• Pepper – The final flavor addition!

The Process

One thing to love about this delicious red pepper aioli is the utter simplicity of making it. If you’ve ever made a vinaigrette, you can make mayonnaise, and can make aioli. I promise.

First a few tips:

• It’s possible to make aioli by hand by simply vigorously whisking the oil into the yolks, acid, salt, and mustard in a very slow stream. This particular aioli however does require a blender or food processor, the peppers need to be blended to emulsify properly. If you have a powerful blender, be sure to blend on low to prevent breaking your aioli.
• Everything should be room temperature. Cold egg yolks will not emulsify properly, this does take some forethought but it’s really important. In a pinch, place the whole egg (in its shell) in a bowl of warm water for a for a few minutes, then separate them.
• Garlic is one of those ingredients that I hate judging by number of cloves. Some are larger than others! I call for 4 cloves, but it’s a heaping tablespoon you’re aiming for.
• If using jarred peppers they have more water than a freshly roasted red pepper, gently pat them to remove excess water before adding to the food processor.

Mix it up!

Once you’re ingredients are all ready to go, place your egg yolks, salt, minced garlic, red peppers, parsley, vinegar, mustard, and pepper into the bowl of your food processor.

Turn it on and blend until everything is well blended. This took about 30 seconds for me.

Next is the hardest and most crucial part, adding the oil. Adding too fast will cause it to break. Start pouring in the oil very slowly, like a very thin stream. Air on the side of caution, adding drops at a time if necessary. Once the aioli begins to come together you can add it slightly faster but be careful. It’s fine to go slow.

If by chance your aioli gets too thick, you can thin it out with a teeny bit of water. Congrats! You’ve just made mayonnaise – a delicious red pepper aioli version of it. It’s versatile and easy to make, and will stay good in your fridge for 1 week.

Using this Red Pepper Aioli

This is something I’ll throw together for those wonderful dishes I know will benefit from the flavor. A roasted fish or chicken, a thickener for a light pasta sauce. I’ll make it for that family bbq as a special addition to burgers.

Plus, it’s good to know how to make in a pinch. So when you find yourself, like me, staring at the fridge in sweatpants, a sleeping baby upstairs and running to the store not an option, whipping up a quick aioli is no problem at all.

I hope this inspires you to experiment. My husband and I have been enjoying this red pepper aioli on all sorts of sandwiches and dishes all week. It’s full of that slightly sweet, roasted red pepper flavor, with a bite from that garlic. It’s a good one, so I hope you try it! If you do don’t forget to tag me on instagram with a pic @theflourhandprint and #theflourhandprint! In the meantime, Happy Eating!

Other Sauce Recipes you Might Enjoy

• Asiago Cream Sauce
• Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Easy Blueberry Compote