About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Keep everything cold and feed the oil in a thin stream for a stable, mayonnaise-free garlic cloud. 🔥

Ingredients

• 🧄 Garlic cloves, peeled and trimmed: 120 g (about 25–30 cloves / 4.2 oz)
• 🧂 Fine salt: 6 g (1 tsp / 0.21 oz)
• 🍋 Fresh lemon juice, divided: 60 ml (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🧊 Ice water, divided: 60–90 ml (¼–⅓ cup / 2–3 fl oz)
• 🫒 Neutral oil (sunflower, grapeseed, light olive): 360 ml (1½ cups / 12 fl oz)

Preparation

• 1 Chill everything — Put garlic, lemon juice, water, and oil in the fridge 20–30 min. Cold ingredients help the emulsion form and resist splitting.
• 2 Start the paste — In a tall blender jar or food processor, add garlic and salt. Pulse 20–30 sec until very finely minced, scraping sides as needed. Add 30 ml lemon juice and 30 ml ice water; blend to a smooth, slightly foamy slurry.
• 3 Build the emulsion — With the motor running on low, start adding oil in a very thin, steady stream, no faster than 1–2 tbsp at a time. After the first 60–90 ml oil goes in and thickens, drizzle in 10–15 ml cold water. Repeat: oil–oil–little water, until all oil is used. Take your time; total blending 6–8 min.
• 4 Adjust texture & taste — When thick, white, and glossy like whipped cream, blend in remaining lemon juice and enough extra ice water to reach a soft, spoonable consistency. Taste and adjust salt and acidity.
• 5 Rest & store — Transfer to a clean jar. Let rest at least 30 min in the fridge for flavors to mellow. Keeps up to 3 weeks refrigerated.

Timing details

Nutrition

Estimated values per serving.

Tips & variations

More from this category

Share & Print