Use this easy BBQ aioli recipe to transform everything from burgers and wraps to your favorite BBQ recipes. The smoky sauce doubles as a dipping sauce, perfect for dunking fries and crispy chicken strips. For more like this, try ancho aioli or chimichurri aioli.
What is BBQ Aioli?
The word aioli comes from the Provençal words ail (garlic) and oli (oil), which are the two main ingredients. It is a garlic-infused sauce or mayonnaise popular in southern France and throughout the Mediterranean.
Prepare the BBQ-flavored aioli by mixing homemade or store-bought BBQ sauce with simple spices and homemade aioli for a sweet and spicy sauce. Compared to traditional aioli, this BBQ aioli recipe has a deep, smoky flavor rather than being garlic-forward.
Key Ingredients
- Egg Yolks: Combine creamy egg yolks with fresh garlic cloves and oil to create a smooth base for the aioli.
- Garlic: Include four garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar: A splash of apple cider vinegar adds a tangy flavor, but you can use Dijon mustard, yellow mustard, white vinegar, or fresh lemon juice.
- BBQ Sauce: Use your favorite BBQ sauce for the recipe.
- Spices: Finish the zesty BBQ aioli with Slap Ya Mama’s Seasoning recipe, kosher salt, chipotle powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika for a distinctive smoky taste.
- Olive Oil: High-quality extra virgin olive oil is the main ingredient that gives aioli its creamy texture and rich flavor. You can also use avocado or canola oil if that’s what you have.
Additions and Substitutions
- Use mayonnaise. Replace the egg yolks and olive oil with high-quality mayonnaise, like Duke’s or Hellman’s, if you don’t feel like making the aioli from scratch.
- Add smokiness. Add a tap or two of liquid smoke for a bold, smoky flavor.
- Spice things up. Try your favorite barbecue seasoning instead of Cajun seasoning. Use a canned chipotle pepper rather than the chipotle powder.
- Sweeten the sauce. Include pure cane sugar, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup to sweeten the sauce if your BBQ isn’t too sweet.
Tools You’ll Need
All you need to make the easy BBQ aioli recipe is a food processor or an immersion blender and a mixing bowl.
How to Make BBQ Aioli
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the egg yolks, garlic, apple cider vinegar, BBQ sauce, salt, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a food processor for about 30 seconds.
Step 2: With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil. It will take 1-2 minutes to achieve the perfect consistency, so take time and add the olive oil little by little.
Expert Tips
- Ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature before starting. Using cold ingredients can make it more challenging to achieve a proper emulsion.
- When combining the oil with the other ingredients, add it gradually in a slow, steady stream while the food processor is running. The gradual addition helps to achieve a stable emulsion (the two liquids combine and don’t separate).
How to Save a Failed Aioli Sauce
Occasionally, aioli will break and end up thin and runny. If that happens, don’t panic! You can rescue it. Start by whisking an egg yolk on its own, then slowly pour it into the aioli while continuing to whisk to help thicken the mixture. If it’s still too thin, add a small amount of oil while slowly blending with a food processor or immersion blender.
Adding a teaspoon (or two) of BBQ sauce or mayonnaise can help stabilize a separated aioli and achieve the proper texture.
Whip up the delicious aioli and pair it with one of these dinner recipes!
How Can I Use BBQ Mayo?
BBQ aioli is a perfect spread for brisket, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, tacos, sliders, and chicken wraps. Or you can use it as a dipping sauce for your favorite chicken tenders, sweet potato fries, tater tots, onion rings, and french fries. Pair the creamy aioli with seafood, grilled chicken, and steak.
Storage
Refrigerate: Store the leftover BBQ aioli in an airtight container for one week.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is aioli different from mayonnaise?
Homemade mayonnaise is made from oil, egg yolks, and fresh lemon juice, while aioli combines similar ingredients: fresh garlic, egg yolks, olive oil, and sometimes lemon juice.
More Aioli Recipes:
BBQ Aioli
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama's Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Combine the egg yolks, garlic, apple cider vinegar, BBQ sauce, salt, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, and garlic powder in a food processor for about 30 seconds.
- With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil. It will take 1-2 minutes to achieve the perfect consistency, so take time and add the olive oil little by little.
- Ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature before starting. Using cold ingredients can make it more challenging to achieve a proper emulsion.
- When combining the oil with the other ingredients, add it gradually in a slow, steady stream while the food processor is running. The gradual addition helps to achieve a stable emulsion (the two liquids combine and don’t separate).