If you planted late winter broccoli and cauliflower, you are no doubt loving all the beautiful heads you are harvesting now! I can’t think of anything better to serve with fresh, fried or roasted cruciferous vegetables than this easy chipotle aioli.
This twist on the classic garlic aioli adds just a little heat which we love around here! It is not only great with vegetables, but is also great on burgers or sandwiches, roasted potatoes, fries, seafood, chicken cutlets – you name it. We’ve even tried whipping it into mashed potatoes for a tangy and tasty variation on the classic.
I preserve almost all my own peppers. Those which we don’t use fresh or make oils from get dried for chili flakes or powders. And because I usually air dry the peppers, last season’s pepper crop is ready for crushing and grinding right about the same time as the winter cauliflowers are coming in.
So timing-wise, this recipe is just perfect! But the beauty of grinding your jalapeno peppers into chipotle powder is that they last throughout the year. So anytime is a good time for this chipotle aioli!
Ingredient notes
The mayonnaise: If you are looking to cut out some fat, try using greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
The garlic: Crushed or smashed garlic works best, as the oil which gets released bonds with the wet ingredients better. However if you need to substitute garlic powder, that works fine, too.
The chipotle: As I mentioned, I make chipotle powder from my home-grown jalapenos. But if you use the chipotle peppers in a jar, those make an excellent substitution for the powder. You can use the adobo sauce the peppers come in, or just whirl the peppers themselves in the food processor for a few seconds.
The lemon juice: This adds such a great tang to the recipe! You can see that I use a 1:2 ratio, which is definitely high – and we LOVE it! The proportions are great for a dipping sauce for two people. However do note that when I double up this recipe for four or more, I double all of the ingredients except the lemon juice, which I’ll multiply by 1.5 (rather than 2). This just gives a creamier consistency.
Chipotle Aioli
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (depending upon the heat)
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
Smash the garlic on a cutting board with a knife, pestle, or even a fork. Add the crushed garlic to a small bowl along with the mayonnaise. Once the two are combined, add in the lemon juice and stir until smooth. The lemon will make the mayonnaise lumpy at first, but this will become creamy with stirring. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. When doubling the recipe, you can double all of the ingredients except the lemon, which you can multiply by 1.5 instead of by 2.
