Aioli vs Mayo: What's the Difference? – Lid & Ladle (2024)

FAQs

Aioli vs Mayo: What's the Difference? – Lid & Ladle? ›

Unlike mayonnaise, which is made by emulsifying oil into egg yolks, aioli is made by pounding garlic into a paste and then gradually adding olive oil to the mixture, creating a thick and creamy sauce. The garlic gives aioli its characteristic pungent flavor, while the olive oil adds richness and depth.

True aioli is an emulsion of just mashed garlic, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Making it is laborious, because you have to add the oil a drop at a time, pounding it together with a mortar and pestle. Aioli is extremely thick and used as an ingredient in traditional Mediterranean dishes.

There is an ongoing debate as to whether an aioli is healthier than its cousin mayonnaise. Mayo is essentially any neutral flavored oil, with egg yolk, vinegar and lemon juice, whereas an aioli begins with pounding garlic, which has many health benefits, with a mortar and pestle and using olive oil instead of canola.

Aioli is a French sauce made with garlic, egg, and olive oil. If you describe aioli as "fancy mayonnaise," you're not wrong!

Kidding aside, American eating has essentially defined aioli as fancy flavored mayo, usually flavored with garlic but also blended with everything from black truffles to chipotle chiles. In France and Spain, though, aioli is a different sauce entirely.

Although aioli and mayonnaise are both creamy emulsions, aioli is made from garlic and olive oil while mayo is made from egg yolks and canola oil. The final result may look similar but the two sauces have distinctly different flavors.

I love aioli, of all types. Though making your own aioli (like mayonnaise) calls for raw egg yolks. Food safety in mind, I prefer to temper my eggs in a double boiler, much like one does when making hollandaise sauce. Alternatively, these days, you can purchase pasteurized eggs in most grocery stores.

Making aioli is easy, and is arguably the greatest cold sauce of all time. It's nothing more than olive oil emulsified into freshly crushed garlic, seasoned simply with salt and lemon. This is pure, fiery, intense garlic flavor like you may have never tasted.

If you ask me, aioli is quite similar to mayonnaise. They're both made of raw eggs emulsified with oil (mayonnaise is made with neutral oil, while aioli is made with olive oil) and a little bit of acid (mayonnaise uses vinegar, while aioli uses lemon juice). Sometimes the French add a little bit of mustard.

The healthy oils (olive oil) used in the preparation of aioli make it a good source of healthy fats, including monounsaturated(MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA).

Is aioli bad for cholesterol? ›

With its roots from the South of France, Aioli is a sauce composed of mayonnaise, olive oil, garlic, and eggs. It's technically a form of traditional homemade garlic mayonnaise. It contains a healthy mixture of protein vitamin E and has compounds that can lower cholesterol.

Not really, that's aioli. Ranch is more like buttermilk, green onion, garlic, black pepper mayonnaise. There's a lot more going on in ranch than just garlic and mayo.

Aioli (eye-o-li) could be described as the fancy name for mayo. When made from scratch, the flavor is so much more alive and interesting than the store-bought mayo. Your sandwiches and everything else will end up tasting better.

Chipotle aioli is essentially the same thing as Chipotle mayo. Aioli is a term used to describe a mayo-based sauce that is typically flavored with garlic. Chipotle aioli refers to a version of aioli that includes chipotle peppers for added spice and smokiness.

What's the difference between each sauce? Mayonnaise combines egg, acid (vinegar or citrus juice, sometimes both) and oil, while aioli combines egg, garlic and oil. Aioli's texture is a little thicker than glossy mayonnaise. Meanwhile, hollandaise is a warm sauce that uses butter in place of oil.

Traditionally a pungent two-ingredient sauce made with garlic and olive oil, aioli also has a two-part name: ail is French for garlic and oli is Provençal for oil. Aioli is used around the northern Mediterranean, particularly in Eastern Spain and in Southern France (mainly Provence).

Chipotle aioli is essentially the same thing as Chipotle mayo. Aioli is a term used to describe a mayo-based sauce that is typically flavored with garlic. Chipotle aioli refers to a version of aioli that includes chipotle peppers for added spice and smokiness.