Everyone loves this chipotle aioli recipe!
I love it. AJ loves it. You’ll love it.
Case and point: We made this to eat with some roasted potatoes, and AJ ate way more of this condiment with his potatoes than he did ketchup.
That’s a big deal guys. AJ – he’s a ketchup guy. All day, every day. Unless, apparently, there’s some of this aioli around.
This recipe is magic sauce.
I’ve recently been experimenting with aquafaba (the liquid from the top of a can of garbanzo beans), and it occurred to me a few weeks ago that maybe, just maybe, it would work in a vegan aioli.
The thing is, I didn’t like any of the other types of recipes out there. Tofu? Bleh. Cashew cream? Not smooth enough. Hummus? Just… no.
Come on, guys. No.
I wanted a vegan aioli recipe that was…
- Smooth as a baby’s bottom
- Thick and creamy
- Spreadable just like mayo
- Garlic-y
- Rich and flavorful
- And didn’t taste like hummus/tofu/whatever-else-people-use-to-make-fake-aioli
In other words, I just wanted something straightforward, classic. No caveats. And lucky for me (and you!), that’s just what I got when I used aquafaba as my main ingredient.
Give it a try – find the recipe below!
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Vegan Aquafaba Chipotle Aioli
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1/2 cup 1x
Description
You will never know the difference between this creamy vegan chipotle aioli and the regular stuff made with eggs.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba (the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans)*
- 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo**
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Add the aquafaba, garlic, and the chipotle pepper to a blender. Blend on medium until few chunks remain.
- Turn the blender to low and very slowly*** add the vegetable oil in a thin stream while the machine is running. It’ll start to splatter everywhere, so I do the best I can to hold a paper towel above the hole in the blender lid that I am pouring through.
- Next, add the olive oil in the same fashion – very slowly in a small stream while the machine is running. By the time the all the oil has been added you should have a thick spread similar to the consistency of mayonnaise.
- Finally, add the nutritional yeast and blend to incorporate. Taste, then add the salt, starting with 1/4 teaspoon, and going up from there if needed. Serve with your favorite dipping foods, such as roasted potatoes, fries, or crudite!
Notes
*Open a can of garbanzo beans and drain, saving the liquid in a bowl. Put the garbanzos in an airtight container and save for later. Use the liquid in this recipe, and put the remainder in the fridge for later. I would recommend using it within a week.
**If you are sensitive to spicy foods, start with 1/2 of a chipotle pepper in adobo. If you like it hot, use the whole thing.
***If you add the oil too fast, the aioli could break and won’t come together into a spread.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: vegan, aioli, chipotle, condiment, aquafaba, mayonnaise
The Magic Sauce
Give my creamy chipotle recipe a try, and you’ll be amazed with the flavor and consistency.
Then bring it to your next get-together and don’t mention it’s vegan. You’ll be getting compliments allllll night.
Then, come back here, rate the recipe, and tell me how much you loved it in the comment section below!
If your mayo does break, here’s what to do to save the day (be sure to use the water cure, to stay animal-free!).
Aquafaba will be your new favorite ingredient. You’ll want to try some of our recipes:
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on April 27th, 2016. Last updated: December 31, 2019 at 21:54 pm. With additional writing and editing by Nikki Cervone.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
I am saluting you in real life right now, you food blogger genius you! I can’t wait to try this and gain 10lbs because I will put it on everything…maybe even the vegan buscuits of yours that I am making this weekend 0_0 CANT. WAIT.
Oh man, it’s so good! Not healthy, but so worth it. Putting it on freshly baked biscuits is definitely a good idea. Especially if you make a biscuit sandwich out of it!
“I wanted a vegan aioli recipe that was…Smooth as a baby’s bottom”
bahahaha I think I just peed a little.
Also. this recipe looks a-freaking-mazing.
Haha, yep. Baby butt smooth is the only way to go! Thanks Sarah ?
Can I use 1/2 cup olive oil instead of 1/4 vegetable and 1/4 olive?
Yep! It’ll probably taste a bit more like olive oil, though, which I personally think would be okay 🙂
Wow! I will never again pour the bean juice, ahem…I mean the aquafaba…down the drain. I had a hunch this would be a success so I made a double batch on my first try. So easy and yummy! We had a huge pile of potato wedges and I knew we’d eat the whole bowl that contained a full cup of oil, so I swirled it with ketchup for a lighter dip. Hope it holds up in the fridge because we’ll be putting a plop of this on everything we eat the next few days.
So glad you liked this, Barbara! 🙂
Hi! This looks so amazing! I really want to try it tonight…. but i dont have nutritional yeast.. can i skip it? Also, can this be made with a hand beater? My blender doesnt have a lid with the opening in it 🙁
I made this recently without the nutritional yeast and had to add a bit of extra salt, about a tsp of red wine vinegar, and about a tsp of honey. I’m not sure about making this with a hand beater… I feel like it might go everywhere. Bon Appetit says you can make it with a whisk.. I haven’t tried it, but it might work. Blend the garlic, and chipotle with the aquafaba first, then transfer to a bowl and whisk vigorously while slowly pouring in the oil. Get ready for an arm workout!
I have to say this is by far the BEST sauce I have EVER made and am so excited to have found such. We made crispy baked tofu tacos over the weekend and this was the perfect compliment. Despite the high fat, I’ll likely be making this ALL of the time. Thank you for the post as I’ve been wanting something like this for awhile!!
★★★★★
I’m excited to try this! I am wondering if you could use an emulsion blender?
I prefer a high-speed blender like a Vitamix to get the smoothest sauce possible, and this allows for hands-free use when drizzling in the olive oil. But an immersion blender should work. Let us know how it turns out!
Saw this on Twitter and I got really interested 🙂 Thanks for this recipe. You guys might also like this creamy ranch dressing that is all vegan and healthy -> https://veganglobetrotter.com/creamy-vegan-ranch-dressing/