Just a versatile, delicious sauce
One of the most sought after recipes in the plant-based cooking world is a good creamy dressing or sauce. Luckily, it’s not that difficult to achieve! With this perfect, garlicky vegan aioli in your arsenal, you’ll never be at a loss for a creamy, tasty condiment! Non-vegans, don’t be deterred by the “vegan” label here. This vegan garlic aioli is excellent on everything. Period. Drizzle it over salads, potatoes, rice bowls, burgers, sandwiches, steak, chicken, french fries…the list goes on. Even though this is a plant-based recipe, it really works well with anything that you’d want to add a rich garlicky kick to. Even my mother, a notorious tough customer, and the rest of the family, who haven’t jumped onto the vegan train, gave it the full stamp of approval! This recipe is also great if you’re not necessarily vegan, but you’re trying to avoid the eggs or dairy present in other creamy sauce and aioli recipes, or perhaps nervous about successfully emulsifying a traditional aioli! I love it on roasted sweet potatoes when I’m eating plant based… Or as a dip with chicken fingers, when I indulge on the weekends! Now that’s versatility.
The Secret Ingredient: Silken Tofu
This recipe doesn’t have any expensive, complicated, or obscure ingredients like raw cashews, nutritional yeast, or aquafaba. You don’t need to go out and buy a jar of vegan mayonnaise. The main ingredient you need, can be found in many grocery stores these days—and of course, any Asian grocery store. This recipe calls for silken tofu. The high moisture content and pillowy soft texture whisks and blends up well into smooth sauces and dressings (or pie fillings! See our Chocolate Silk Peanut Butter Tart.) That said, if you absolutely cannot find silken tofu, you can opt for soft tofu. Just be sure to blend it until it’s totally smooth. We don’t recommend using anything more firm than that. If you think you’ve exhausted your options at the store, in addition to searching the refrigerated section, try looking in the pantry section, where they may have shelf-stable boxes of silken tofu!
Vegan Aioli Recipe Instructions
Add the silken tofu, fresh garlic, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, and salt to a food processor. (I know the photo shows a blender, but a food processor is recommended!) Blend until mostly smooth, then pour in ¼ cup of oil in a slow stream until the sauce is airy and whipped. Now your vegan aioli is ready to be served as a dipping sauce or dressing for whatever you like! Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Always use a clean utensil when handling. This recipe makes about 1½ cups.
