Aioli is a sauce that’s usually made with garlic, lemon juice, oil and egg yolks, much like a homemade mayonnaise. Some people even put dry mustard in it.

The usual way to make aioli is to crush the garlic, add the lemon juice, mix in the egg yolks and then while whisking, add the olive oil until you get a rich paste. Lots of work, so today I’m giving a cheat method for a delicious garlic basil aioli.

We were making simple burgers the other day and I wanted to dress them up and played around with this recipe. The results were delicious. You can also use this aioli on grilled chicken sandwiches for a bit of flavor and richness.

Garlic Basil Aioli

In a small mortar, add about 1/8 teaspoon salt. It’s not really for flavoring, but to assist with crushing the garlic.

Two cloves of garlic, chopped. Add to mortar and crush with the salt until you have almost a paste.

Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Crush together with garlic to make a paste.

Mince two or three leaves of basil. You can also add a few sprigs of parsley leaves if you want.

Add minced basil leaves to the garlic/salt/oil mixture. Crush some more.

Add 3 tablespoons mayonnaise. You can use light mayo here to cut down on calories.

Mix some more and voila!

You’ve got a tasty spread for your burgers, chicken or any other kind of sandwich you’d like to make. Even use it over some broiled fish or with potatoes.