The Store-Bought Garlic Aioli That Just Won't Impress You

While there's plenty to know about aioli — like that it can be made by adding garlic to mayo or by whipping smashed garlic into olive oil — the most important takeaway is that aioli has been making everything taste better for centuries. It's rich, creamy, spicy, herby, and tangy, a perfect blend of fat and acid, and it's a must-have for your fridge so you can punch up whatever you're eating, from crudité to seafood. While aioli has been around for hundreds of years, it's only in the last 20 or so that it's become a staple at restaurants and on store shelves, to the point where it can now be tough to choose from the options in grocery stores. To help you find that ideal aioli, we ranked 10 store-bought aioli. In hopes of saving you time and money, allow us to assure you one you can skip: Primal Kitchen Garlic Aioli came in last on our list.

Primal Kitchen prioritizes natural, organic ingredients, so we expect high-quality products. Unfortunately, the garlic aioli under-delivers on flavor. It's a mayonnaise incorporating garlic oil, avocado oil, vinegar, eggs, rosemary extract, sea salt, and lemon extract, which you'd think would yield a complex finish. Instead, the vinegar is too dominant, making the aioli too acidic. The lemon is also too strong, and you lose any garlic character, which should be prominent. There's even a bit of a metallic off-flavor.

On Primal Kitchen's own website, some unhappy customers reported this aioli to taste "horrible" and to have "a strange aftertaste" — some even felt it tasted spoiled though they'd opened it well before its expiration date. That same impression was felt by Amazon shoppers who purchased this aioli — one customer even contacted the brand to confirm it wasn't rancid. On Walmart, reviewers report the lack of garlic flavor and a strong egg quality, while others note the overpowering lemon; a couple of reviews call the overall taste "disgusting." It's important to point out, however, that the aioli does have its fans, and even some negative reviews mention this condiment has a thick, creamy texture — if you do have a jar of this at home, fear not, as you may be able to work that texture into recipes with other flavors factoring in.

While it's good to note Primal Kitchen's Garlic Aioli has a nice texture, the inconsistency of feedback regarding flavor makes other more reliable choices much more appealing. The price point also plays a role, as Primal Kitchen is on the pricier end — the aioli is $7.15 for 12 ounces on Amazon, and $15.81 on Walmart. While our number-one, best-tasting aioli pick isn't the cheapest — Stonewall Kitchen's Roasted Garlic Aioli is $10.95 for 10.25 ounces — our second-place winner is Kraft Garlic Aioli, which is just $4.68 for 12 ounces on Amazon.