Red Pepper Aioli
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Creamy homemade roasted red pepper aioli is easy to make with a food processor or blender in just 5 minutes. With a combination of fresh ingredients and pantry staples you can enjoy a no mayo aioli on your burgers, fish, deli sandwiches, and more.
When bell peppers appear at the farmer’s market I am first in line to fill up by basket. I love the sweet, crisp snap of a fresh red bell pepper. I also love what happens when you roast red peppers and extract all that sweet, savory flavor of summer.
That flavor is great in tons of things, like corn and avocado salads or on top of homemade fluffy pizza dough, but it’s also one of my favorite flavors to add to a homemade aioli. This recipe is a simple, fresh aioli made without mayo, meaning it’s whipped up from scratch with eggs, oil, and the whole business. But don’t worry, before you click away, it’s just a quick 5 minute process that can have you feeling cheffy while throwing some chef-level flavor at your sandwiches, burgers, roasted fish, and much more.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 5 Minute Gourmet Sauce – Making a homemade mayonnaise, even one with roasted red peppers that tastes like it came straight out of your fave fine-dining place, is shockingly fast.
- Versatile Flavor – You can pair roasted red pepper aioli with roasted fish, crudites, paninis, deli sandwiches, burgers, chicken, and more.
Aioli Vs. Mayonnaise, What’s the Deal?
Simply put, mayonnaise is a sauce created by using the awesome emulsifying power of egg yolks to suspend tiny oil droplets, creating a thick, creamy, customizable base. Aioli is a garlic-flavored mayonnaise. Honestly, word aioli is from the Provencal words ‘ai’ for garlic and ‘oli’ for oil.
This recipes uses the combination of a classic garlic aioli with roasted red bell peppers to create a ‘fancy’ but ridiculously easy sauce.
Ingredients & Substitutions
You might be surprised at how easy it is to whip up homemade red pepper aioli with no mayo. Just these simple ingredients will transform in your blender to a gorgeous, red, creamy sauce.
- Roasted Red Peppers – 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.
- Oil – I opted for canola oil, which didn’t overwhelm the pepper flavor. Vegetable, grapeseed, sunflower, or a lightly flavored olive oil will all work.
- Salt – It breaks down the yolk granules, making it easier to suspend the oil and creating flavor.
- Lemon Juice – Feel free to use white wine vinegar or golden balsamic vinegar if needed.
- Dijon Mustard – Mustard is important for keeping the emulsion stable and providing flavor.
- Fresh Garlic
- Parsley, optional
- Pepper
Pro Tip: It’s essential that these are room temperature! Cold eggs do not emulsify properly and your aioli can come out too runny. 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.
Step by Step Instructions
A lot of aioli recipes just add 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. If you’ve ever made a vinaigrette, you can make mayonnaise, I promise.
Step 1 – Combine Ingredients in Food Processor or Blender
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.
Pro Tip: Jarred red peppers can contain more water than freshly roasted ones. Gently blot them dry with a clean cloth or paper towel before adding to the blender.
Step 2 – Drizzle in the Oil
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, in 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 just made homemade mayo, one that’s full of that slightly sweet, roasted red pepper flavor, with a bite from that garlic.
FAQs
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.
I recommend storing homemade aioli in an airtight container in the fridge. Use it within 1 week of making.
We love this sauce on turkey burgers, roasted fish, in egg salad, tossed in a light pasta salad, or with deli meat on a cold cut sandwich. You can use it anywhere that roasted red peppers would be a welcome flavor!
Other Sauce Recipes you Might Enjoy
- Asiago Cream Sauce
- Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Easy Blueberry Compote
- Creamy Dijon Sauce
- Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5 star rating in the recipe card below, or a comment to share your experience with fellow home cooks. I hope you enjoy and as always, Happy Eating!
Red Pepper Aioli
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- 3/4 cup grapeseed oil or canola or olive
- 2/3 cup roasted red peppers
- 1 tbs minced garlic about 4 cloves
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or white wine or golden balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbs parsley, minced
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the oil into the bowl of a food processor or blender.3 large egg yolks, 2/3 cup roasted red peppers, 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbs parsley, minced, 1 tbs minced garlic
- Blend until peppers are broken down and ingredients are combined well, about 30 seconds.
- With the food processor running, begin drizzling in the oil VERY slowly. It will take several minutes to incorporate all the oil.3/4 cup grapeseed oil
- Once all the oil is added, pour aioli into an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition information and cooking times are provided as a best estimate. Values may vary based upon ingredients and equipment.
Thank you so much. Every other recipe had mayo added. Turned out great!
Thanks Susan, I am glad you found my recipe and it turned out so well for you. Here is another sauce you may enjoy: Dijon Cream Sauce
wow, never thought of using red pepper in an aioli, but it looks truly delicious!!
Thanks Chris! I hope you give it a try 🙂
This aioli is calling my name! Love how easy it is to make (and probably even easier to devour haha)
It’s very versatile! I hope you enjoy!
Love this perfect spread with roasted bell peppers. So many options and ideas to using this delicious spread. I am making it for sure.
I hope you enjoy Veena, thanks for stopping by!
Oooh yum! this would make a great dip or salad dressing.
Those are both great ideas!
This looks amazing! I’ve never seen red pepper aioli before but sounds so delicious! Need to try!
Glad I could introduce you! I hope you enjoy it!