Name: Easy Vegan Garlic Aioli
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1 cup raw cashews OR roasted; 1/2 cup water; 2 tsp dijon mustard; 4 tsp lemon juice, about 1/2 a lemon; 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 1/4 tsp salt

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This Easy Vegan Garlic Aioli is cashew based and oil free! In as little as 10 minutes you can have this delicious and healthy aioli ready for any occasion. I use this recipe for dips, dressings or sandwich spreads. Aioli is easily customized to your taste buds, you can add some fresh herbs or give it a little smokey heat with some chipotle peppers!

A bowl of aioli with a pita chip dipped in

How to make Easy Vegan Garlic Aioli

This recipe is pretty basic so I’ll keep this short and sweet. I find that a lot of recipes that use cashews for the base of a sauce tell you to soak them overnight. I don’t find the need for this, I’m never thinking that far ahead! A quick 5 minute soak in very hot water while you’re preparing the other ingredients works just fine. I use my magic bullet for small batches like this and it turns out perfect every time. I will try to use raw unsalted cashews, however, we can’t always find them. Roasted and salted will work, just remember to adjust the salt in the recipe.

You wanna spice things up?! Add some hot sauce like sriracha or throw in some chipotle peppers when blending the aioli. Using fresh herbs is also a wonderful option, I add these in after mixing in the blender. Mix in some dill and you have a great replacement for tartar sauce. This also makes for a great salad dressing, I will thin out the aioli with about 1 extra tablespoon of water or rice vinegar. So basically, this is a great base recipe for any occasion!

Are cashews good for you?

Absolutely! Cashews are rich in fiber, protein and healthy fats. They have been linked to promote weight loss, lower blood sugar and they’re great for heart health. Antioxidants are plant compounds that keep you healthy and cashews contain two important ones, polyphenols and carotenoids which help to reduce inflammation and protect against disease.