Greek yogurt aioli is a light and simple 3-ingredient dipping sauce you can make in just 5 minutes. It’s tangy, garlic-y, and perfect for serving with vegetables, fries, and chicken strips.
I shared my quick mayonnaise-based garlic aioli here a couple of years ago, and today, I have another aioli recipe for you that I use just as often, yogurt aioli.
Yogurt aioli is a fantastic lighter alternative to classic aioli that packs a huge flavor punch with very little work.
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh garlic: Make sure not to use sprouted garlic in your aioli. While you can usually get away with using sprouted garlic to some degree in cooking, when using it raw, it can give your aioli a slightly “off” flavor even if you cut away the sprouted portion.
- Full-fat Greek yogurt: Full-fat Greek yogurt is my go-to for aioli (I typically use Fage 5% these days), but any plain unsweetened yogurt can be used.
- Lemon juice: I like to use fresh lemon juice if I have lemons on hand, but bottled works just fine.
How to Make Yogurt Aioli
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed.
- Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed.
- That’s it! Aioli’s made. Time to eat!
Variations
Chipotle aioli : Make chipotle yogurt aioli by stirring 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder OR 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers for a smokey, spicy flavor. Salad dressing: This aioli makes a fantastic creamy but still light dressing. Add milk by the 1/2 teaspoon until the aioli reaches your desired consistency. Richer aioli: If you find the aioli isn’t giving you the dipping experience you’re looking for, stir in a spoonful of mayonnaise. The mayonnaise adds a bit of extra fat that is extremely delicious.
Serve Aioli With
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Smashed Red Potatoes
- Roasted Red Potatoes
- Roasted Broccoli
I don’t have a garlic press. What can I use instead?
Consider buying one! They’re one of the few single-use kitchen tools that I actually recommend. But if you want to make this aioli today, you can crush garlic without a garlic press.
If you own a microplane , use it to grate the garlic into a paste.
If you don’t own a microplane, finely dice the clove of garlic. Sprinkle with a little salt (the salt is abrasive and will help break down the pieces). Use the flat of your knife blade to smash/scrape the garlic into a paste.
Scrape that paste into the bowl with the rest of your aioli ingredients, and make the rest of the recipe as written, using slightly less salt since you’ve already salted the garlic. If you want to see this process, here’s a good video of this being done .
Do I have to use full-fat/Greek yogurt?
Nope. You can use any plain yogurt you like. I recommend full-fat Greek yogurt because it produces a richer, thicker aioli than non-fat regular yogurt, but use whatever unsweetened yogurt you have on hand/prefer.
Can I use this on sandwiches?
It’s up to you! I love yogurt aioli, but I don’t love it on sandwiches. My little sister on the other hand uses it on her sandwiches all the time. Try it out, and see what you think.
Can I double this recipe?
Yes. This recipe scales up with zero recipe changes needed. To double the recipe ingredients, in the recipe card below, hover over the serving size or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider. No other cooking changes are needed.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make this aioli up to 48 hours in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, because of the raw garlic, aioli not used within 2 days of being made should be discarded.
You Might Also Enjoy
- Chicken Shawarma with Yogurt Sauce
- Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Yogurt Sauce
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad With Yogurt
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ Garlic press
Small-batch Aioli
- ▢ ¼ cup ( 57g ) unsweetened whole milk Greek yogurt *
- ▢ 1 garlic clove crushed
- ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ▢ ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well-combined.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Salted caramel hot chocolate is a delicious twist on classic hot chocolate. Make it with just a handful of ingredients on the stovetop or in the microwave.
I have a ton of hot chocolate recipes on the site, classic hot chocolate , rich and thick hot chocolate , white hot chocolate , but this is the hot chocolate I’ve been making the most this year.
Salted caramel and chocolate are just such a perfect pair, and when you mix them together in the form of a piping hot cup of salted caramel hot cocoa, it’s irresistibly good.
Ingredients
- Cocoa powder, sugar, and water: The hot chocolate base is a homemade syrup of cocoa powder, a little sugar, and water. Feel free to use natural or Dutched cocoa powder depending on your personal preference.
- Salted caramel sauce: Either store-bought or homemade sauce will work great here. If using regular caramel sauce, add a generous pinch of salt to the mix for that salted caramel flavor. Milk: Use whatever milk you have on hand, including non-dairy milks. The higher fat the milk, the richer and creamier your drink will be. For an extra rich drink, replace some of the milk with half and half or heavy cream .
How to Make a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
- Chocolate sauce: Stir together cocoa powder, sugar, and water over medium heat in a small pot until smooth.
- Caramel sauce: Stir in caramel sauce until completely incorporated into the chocolate sauce.
- Heat milk: Add milk and heat until piping hot. Don’t let the mixture come to a boil as this can cause the milk to curdle.
- Enjoy: Pour into a mug, top with toppings, and enjoy!
Does this taste like Starbucks’ Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate?
While not an exact replica of the Starbucks drink, if you’re craving their salted caramel hot chocolate, this will definitely satisfy those cravings.
I don’t have caramel sauce. What can I use instead?
The bad news is that you need caramel sauce or syrup to make this drink. The good news is that you can buy premade caramel sauce at almost every grocery store OR you can make it yourself with just a few ingredients. Use my shortcut caramel sauce if you’re in a hurry or give the real thing a try .
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! Double or triple this recipe with no preparation changes needed. To double the recipe ingredients, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I make this with coffee?
Sure. Make a salted caramel mocha by replacing 1/2 cup of the milk with hot coffee. (It’s so good!!)
Can I make this hot chocolate in the microwave?
Yes. To make your hot chocolate in the microwave, combine cocoa powder, sugar, and water in a mug and stir until smooth. Microwave for 15 seconds and stir, making sure the everything is completely mixed.
Stir in caramel sauce until smooth. Stir in milk and microwave until steaming hot, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir once more to make sure everything is well mixed. Top with toppings and enjoy!
More Hot Chocolate Recipes
- Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate
- Chai Hot Chocolate
- Baileys Hot Chocolate
- Snickerdoodle Hot Chocolate
More Starbucks Copycat Recipes
- Homemade Mocha
- White Chocolate Mocha
- Caramel Latte
- Iced Caramel Macchiato
- Chai Latte
- Caramel Macchiato
A Note on Serving Size
This recipe makes one cup of hot chocolate, enough to fill an 8-ounce mug. If you’d like to fill an oversized mug, 1 1/2 or double the recipe.
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 teaspoons ( 8g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon ( 3g ) cocoa powder
- ▢ 1 tablespoon water
- ▢ 1 heaping tablespoon salted caramel sauce * plus optional more for topping
- ▢ 1 cup milk any percentage
- ▢ Marshmallows optional for topping
- ▢ Whipped cream optional for topping
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, stir together sugar and cocoa powder. Add water and heat over medium heat, stirring continuously until well-combined and smooth.
- Stir in caramel sauce followed by milk. Heat, stirring often, until milk is steaming hot. Do not let your hot chocolate come to a boil.
- Pour into an 8-ounce mug, top with whipped cream or marshmallows and optional extra caramel sauce, and enjoy!
Notes
This hearty and simple beef stew is made completely from scratch and is absolutely delicious, just like Mom used to make it.
Today’s recipe is one of my absolute favorite comfort foods, my mom’s simple and easy, completely from scratch homemade beef stew.
And when I say completely from scratch, I mean from scratch. There’s no beef broth, no packets of flavoring mix, no consommé in here. It’s chunks of beef chuck, vegetables, and spices, and a couple hours of long, low simmering time.
You can add all the artificial flavor in the world, but nothing is going to beat the rich flavor of a stew that is given time to cook the way stew was meant to be cooked.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Dusting the beef with flour before browning helps to thicken the stew as it simmers.
- Beef chuck roast: I always recommend using a beef chuck roast for stew, but the price can vary quite wildly especially around the holidays. Keep an eye on the price and stock your freezer when you see it at a good one.
- Vegetables: Onions, carrots, and celery are my classic go-to stew veggies, but feel free to add whatever veggies sound good to you!
- Red potatoes: I prefer the flavor and texture of red potatoes for stew, but you can also use Russet potatoes if that’s what you have on hand.
What is a good meat for beef stew?
For the best (and usually cheapest) stew meat, skip the package of cut up “stew meat” in the meat department (you never know what odds and ends you are getting in those) and buy a cheap 2-pound chuck roast.
Trim the roast of silverskin (the thin silvery-blue membrane that sticks tightly to the meat) and any large pieces of fat, and then cut it into 1 to 2-inch cubes. It takes a bit of extra time, but you will end up with tender chunks of meat that practically melt in your mouth after cooking, so I think it’s so worth it.
If you’re in a hurry, you can also use boneless beef short ribs (NOT bone-in short ribs) in your stew. Boneless short ribs are just chuck that has already been trimmed and processed . They’re usually pricier than a chuck roast but much less work.
How to Make the Best Beef Stew
- Toss beef chunks with flour and brown them in olive oil in a large pot. Browning the meat helps deepen and enhance the beefy flavor of the stew.
- Add filtered water and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, adjusting the temperature as necessary, for 80 minutes.
- Add onions, carrots, celery, and salt and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add potatoes and remaining spices and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Taste and add more salt/pepper if necessary. Allow stew to cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
How do you make beef stew tender?
To make tender beef stew, use the correct cut of meat (beef chuck) and let it cook low and slow. Stew meat needs a couple of hours at a low simmer for the connective tissue in the muscle to break down, but once you hit that sweet spot, the meat becomes fall-apart, meltingly tender.
What to serve with homemade beef stew?
If you want to cook more veggies to go with the stew, you can’t go wrong with roasted broccoli or roasted green beans . But since you have vegetables in the stew already, I usually serve this as an all-in-one meal with just a couple slices of crusty bread or cheddar scones and good-quality butter.
Can I use water instead of beef broth for beef stew?
In this stew, yes. This recipe is designed to use water since the long slow cooking time with flavor-rich beef chuck makes it beefy and delicious without using beef broth or stock.
How do you spice up a bland stew?
Salt!!! Alongside the basil, oregano, and bay leaves this recipe calls for, using the right amount of salt makes a huge flavor difference for beef stew.
Once you add your vegetables, check your salt level at every step. You will be surprised at how much you need, especially once you add the potatoes.
More Soup & Stew Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Chicken Carcass Soup
- Chicken Parm Soup
- Broccoli Chowder
- Tomato Tortellini Soup
Simple Beef Stew Recipe Notes
LET YOUR STEW COOL BEFORE EATING! This sounds silly to write, but I have this fight with friends and family every time I make stew for them. I know it smells heavenly and you want to try it NOW, but when your stew is done cooking, turn it off, remove it from heat and walk away for at least 15 minutes.
You cannot appreciate the flavors of the stew when it is also scalding the taste buds off your tongue. 😉
Ingredients
Brown
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 40g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 2 teaspoons salt divided
- ▢ 1 teaspoon pepper divided
- ▢ 2 pound beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes
- ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
Simmer
- ▢ 10 cups filtered water divided
- ▢ 1/2 large onion diced
- ▢ 3-4 medium carrots peeled and sliced 1-inch thick*
- ▢ 3-4 celery stalks sliced 1/2-inch thick
- ▢ 2 pounds red potatoes cubed
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- ▢ 1 bay leaf
Instructions
Brown the Meat
- In a large bowl, mix flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper together. Dredge stew meat in the flour, coating completely. Set meat and flour aside.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the meat (reserve the remaining flour in the bowl) and cook until just browned. If necessary, you can add a little more oil to the pot or a bit of water to keep the meat from burning.
- While meat is browning, whisk 1 cup of filtered water into whatever flour was left in the bowl until no lumps remain. Once the meat is browned, pour in flour and water mixture and an additional 7 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil and reduce temperature so your meat is cooking at a simmer.
Cook for a Really Long Time
- Set your timer for 80 minutes and walk away. Check on the stew every 20 minutes or so, giving it a stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.
Veggie Time
- Add your onion, celery, and carrots. Stir, bring back to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Add potatoes, basil, oregano, whole bay leaf, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Check salt and water level. If stew seems too thick, add up to 2 cups of water until it reaches your prefered consistency.
- Simmer for about 15 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Taste and add more salt if necessary (you might need to add quite a lot). Remove bay leaf. Dish up and allow to cool in bowls for at least 5 minutes (or on the stove for at least 15) before serving.
- Enjoy!
Greek Yogurt Aioli
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- Garlic press
Small-batch Aioli
- ¼ cup ( 57g ) unsweetened whole milk Greek yogurt *
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well-combined.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
