I love sharing my Mediterranean Aioli, which is a lighter, refreshing take on traditional garlic aioli. It is an ideal summer sauce made with plain yogurt, mayonnaise, extra virgin olive oil, and vibrant ingredients, making it a perfect dipping sauce for potato wedges or a flavorful addition to gyros.
Tom the Chef Founder
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
I am so excited to introduce you to one of my absolute favorite cold sauces to prepare. Garlic aioli is undeniably a very popular and delicious sauce that many of us love, but sometimes it can feel a bit heavy. That is exactly why I created my Mediterranean Aioli, which offers a much lighter version that is perfect for summer. By combining mayonnaise with plain yogurt and extra virgin olive oil, I achieve a beautifully creamy texture without all the weight. This bright and herbaceous summer sauce is incredibly versatile. You can easily use this as a flavorful sauce for gyros, or serve it as a great dipping sauce for oven-roasted potato wedges and fries. It only takes about ten minutes to whip up, making it a stress-free addition to any warm-weather meal.
When I start making my Mediterranean Aioli, I always gather my liquid base ingredients first to ensure a smooth blending process. I use three-quarters of a cup of mayonnaise and combine it with three-quarters of a cup of plain yogurt. I highly recommend using regular whole yogurt for the best creamy consistency. To this base, I add one-quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil, which brings a rich, fruity note that is essential for authentic cold sauces from this region. Finally, I squeeze in the juice from one whole lemon. This combination creates a lighter version of traditional garlic aioli, providing the perfect tanginess and a silky texture that makes it an ideal summer sauce.
The vibrant green color and refreshing taste of my Mediterranean Aioli come entirely from the fresh herbs I incorporate. For this recipe, I use one-half cup of chives, which I roughly chop. A quick modification that is not part of the base recipe, but one I note as an option, is to substitute the chives with roughly chopped green onion if you prefer. I also roughly chop one-quarter cup of fresh basil and one-quarter cup of mint leaves. If you find yourself without fresh herbs, you can substitute the basil and mint with one tablespoon of dried basil and one tablespoon of dried mint. These herbs elevate this dipping sauce far beyond standard mayonnaise mixtures.
No garlic aioli is complete without the punch of raw garlic. For my Mediterranean Aioli, I peel two cloves of garlic and add them directly into the mix. Because we are going to blend everything together, there is no need for tedious mincing. To properly season the sauce, I measure out one-quarter teaspoon of salt and one-half teaspoon of pepper. I always prefer to use freshly ground pepper because it imparts a much stronger and more aromatic flavor to cold sauces. These seasonings balance the acidity of the lemon juice and the creaminess of the plain yogurt.
The preparation of my Mediterranean Aioli is incredibly straightforward because everything happens in one container. I place all of my prepared ingredients—the mayonnaise, plain yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, peeled garlic cloves, roughly chopped chives, basil, mint, salt, and freshly ground pepper—directly into a measuring pitcher. Then, I take my immersion blender and process the mixture on high speed. It usually takes about two to three minutes of continuous blending to completely break down the garlic and fresh herbs. The immersion blender whips everything into a perfectly smooth, pale green dipping sauce. If you do not have an immersion blender, a food processor works wonderfully as well.
The final and most important step before serving my Mediterranean Aioli is the taste test. Once the immersion blender has completely smoothed out the mixture, I take a small spoonful to check the balance of flavors. Because the acidity of lemons and the pungency of garlic can vary, this step is crucial for all cold sauces. I taste the lighter version of this garlic aioli and decide if it needs any adjustments. If the flavors need a little more enhancement, I add an extra pinch of salt and or pepper if needed, and gently stir it in with a silicone spatula until the summer sauce reaches absolute perfection.
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