Well I may have saved the best aioli recipe for last, because WHEW is this Pesto Aioli delicious.

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Pesto is an Italian sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Here, I am using store bought pesto for ease, but you could certainly make pesto at home (more about this below), especially if you’ve got an abundance of basil in your summer garden!

Pesto and mayo are stirred together along with lemon juice, salt and finely grated garlic, resulting in a Pesto Aioli that’s bold with flavors of basil and garlic. It’s so tasty and versatile, you simple must give this a try. Continue reading for the recipe.

How to Make Pesto

There are many ways to make pesto, but here’s how I like to make mine. To a food processor, add 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, 2 garlic cloves, 3 ounces (about 3/4 cup) grated Parmesan cheese and a 1/2 teaspoon salt, pulsing to chop and combine. Add 6 cups basil leaves, put the top on, and with the motor running, stream in 3/4 cup olive oil. You want to blend just until the sauce comes together. Season to taste with additional salt.

WHAT IS Pesto AIOLI?

Pesto Aioli is a sauce made with mayonnaise, pesto, garlic, lemon juice and salt. You can use either store bought pesto or homemade here. I typically use store bought pesto, but I will use homemade pesto if I’ve got some in the fridge (usually during the summer months). Pesto does have garlic already in it, but I’ve added some additional grated fresh garlic to really amp up that flavor.

HOW TO MAKE Pesto AIOLI?

Instead of making aioli from scratch, I’m using store bought mayonnaise as the base of this recipe. To the mayo, you simply stir in 3 tablespoons prepared pesto, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and a finely grated clove of garlic. At this point you can season the aioli to taste with salt and more pesto if needed.

Using store bought mayonnaise makes this recipe quick and easy, but if you’d prefer to use homemade mayo instead, try this recipe for Homemade Olive Oil Mayonnaise.

Here are just a few ways I love to use this Pesto Aioli:

Spread it on any sandwich (ham, turkey, BLT, caprese).
Serve with with roast chicken or a seared steak.
Slather it on a burger (beef, chicken or turkey).
Dip fritto misto in it.
Pair it with garlicky shrimp scampi or grilled shrimp skewers.