Black Garlic Aioli

This Black Garlic Aioli has sweetness and complexity, a profile reminding of complex sauces and condiments you get with meat or bread in a really good restaurant. Yet it’s super quick to make once you have the black garlic. Even more so if you have a stick blender *.

 

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• Why You Will Love This
• The Ingredients
• How to Make This
• Meal Prep

Why You Will Love This 

Summary

• Next-Level Aioli – Creamy, rich, sweet, tangy and umami-packed thanks to the black garlic. Think balsamic meets liquorice meets caramelised depth.
• Ridiculously Quick – Just 5 minutes to blend if you have black garlic and a stick blender *. Easier than convincing someone to share it.
• Versatile Star – Perfect on burgers, steak, leftover chicken sandwiches, or with sweet potato fries. Basically, anything dippable.
• Restaurant-Quality Vibes – Tastes like it belongs on a fine dining plate—but you made it in your own kitchen.

You know and love aioli. This version makes you feel like a condiment wizard.

Aioli. Everyone needs (at least) one. Try it with Black Garlic.

I’m sure you all know Aioli and, since you clicked on this post, either heard of Black Garlic, have it at home or are simply intrigued.

I do love Aioli in all versions and will soon have a post with multiple of them arranged into a feast like dipping spread called Grand Aioli. It is and remains my favourite condiment. This Black Garlic Aioli takes it to a whole new level. It adds the sweetness and umami flavours of black garlic, reminding me of dried fruit, liquorice and balsamic vinegar with caramelised notes.

So Many Uses!

It goes fantastically with with pretty much anything you’d use Aioli for, but is a triumph on Burger with Black Garlic Aioli or steak. I do love dipping sweet potato fries into it as well, or use it on an amazing leftover chicken sandwich.

Takes just 5 Minutes to Make

And the best thing? Once you have black garlic, it takes just 5 minutes to make and is so much better than any shop bought Aioli. Not that you’d find Black garlic Aioli in shops. Yet.

How to make Black Garlic?

I made black garlic over the last 40 days, by simply keeping it, each bulb wrapped in first cling film then aluminium foil, in a rice cooker *, set to warm. Keep it in a well aired room (in my case the utility room with an open window), so the intense garlic smell over the first week or so can escape. Or just embrace it. We all love garlic after all, don’t we?

Black Garlic makes pretty much everything better with its intense umami-sweet-fruity, slightly liquorice flavour, so it lends itself fantastic for one of my favourite condiments, which is aioli.
I have since used it in my Black Garlic Cashew Ranch Dressing, the Black Garlic Mushroom Salad. Do try that one! The combination of Berries and Mushrooms may sound odd, but works wonderfully due to the sweet element of the Black Garlic pulling it together. Black Garlic Chicken anyone? Or Black Garlic Butter?

The Ingredients

• Black Garlic, of course. I’ve used anything between 6 and 10 cloves, depending on how strong you want the flavour to be. For, say a platter of crudites I’d use less, for Burger or Steak, where it has to stand up against strong smoke and meat flavours, use more.
• Fresh Garlic – I feel, while you could leave it out, it adds harmonious balance and the distinct Aioli flavour in the background, while it supports the Black garlic to really shine.
• Since the black garlic is very sweet, balsamic vinegar complements it perfectly with its fruity notes.
• I felt it needed a more acidic counterpoint, to lift it, hence the addition of lemon zest and juice.
• While the herbs are optional, I urge you to try fresh dill, as it’s very fresh version of anise flavour goes perfect with the liquorice notes of black garlic and takes this to a whole different level.
• The parsley adds minerality, to balance both sweetness and umami. You could use dried, but personal I always miss the freshness when I do.
• For oil you could use ¼ cup of a very mild olive oil instead of part of the neutral oil (I’m using Grapeseed oil), but don’t replace it all with olive oil, as it tends to get bitter when used for mayonnaise.
• And a fresh egg of course. This emulsifies the Aioli together with the mustard.
• Liquid Smoke – This one is optional. I used it mainly for my Black Garlic Aioli Burger, but it would be fantastic with anything grilled, as it emphasizes the BBQ notes.

Equipment Used

Measuring Cups

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stick blender

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*

How to Make this

I’m using a stick blender since about 30 years and literally the same one since all this time. I have a very old version of the ESGE Magic Wand (Not Hitachi mind you…just in case your mind wandered…), which still works fabulously.

I realise that one is not available in the US, so this stick blender from Vitamix* would be a great one.

But this method should work with any stick blender, as the secret is how the oil is incorporated.

A Slim Jar is Key

Using a slim jar or container that just fits the stick blenders head with very little room to spare on the sides, you add your egg, mustard and lemon juice at the bottom, then top it with all of the oil.

Gently lower your blender head, equipped with the whisking disc, all the way down, so it covers the egg. Switch it on at full speed and do not move it for a few seconds. You will see mayonnaise forming right away at the bottom.

Keep it still until the white mass doesn’t expand upwards further, then gently tip your blender into a diagonal, and very slowly move it upwards.

Why It Works

This method will do the same as you would do by hand: Incorporate the oil in a thin stream, by creating a vortex that pulls it slowly into the egg, emulsifying it in the process.

The trick lies in the waiting time before moving the blender, to give it enough time to pull in the oil until it reaches no more. Once you’ve pulled it all the way up, most of the oil will be incorporated and you will have a firm and very stable mayonnaise.

Blend in Garlic and Herbs

Mash your garlic and black garlic or chop it, chop your herbs roughly and add all of them with some salt and pepper to your mayonnaise. Blend again with the pureeing attachment, to create a smooth and delicious Black garlic Aioli.

How to use it?

Now this is not low calorie by any means, but due to its intense flavour, very little goes a long way.
You can of course vary the black garlic vs raw garlic content, to fit your taste.

The uses of this Black Garlic Aioli are endless. Starting from an addictive dip for a crudité platter like Grand Aioli over a condiment for grilled steak or roast chicken to elaborate sandwiches that embrace its depth by adding, say gruyere, maybe serrano ham, some crunchy lettuce, and tomatoes or, if you’d like a veggie option, use sliced grilled vegetables instead. It goes particularly well with fried mushrooms. Or of course my all-time favourite: fresh sourdough bread, just dipped into it.

For a very different interpretation of “Black Garlic” check out my Black Garlic Pork Ramen. It uses literally burnt garlic, I kid you not. And it’s fabulous.

Meal Prep

Black Garlic Aioli keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge due to the raw egg used.

For the same reason please avoid this if you are pregnant or immunocompromised.

Try the vegan version made from cashews in my Grand Aioli instead.

Other recipes you might enjoy

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Have you tried this? Did you enjoy it?
What other recipes would you like to see?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please share. It helps me a lot.

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