5 Minute Mojo de Ajo (Garlic Sauce)
Today we’re making Mojo de Ajo, a Puerto Rican garlic sauce perfect for serving with fried plantains, roasted meat or veggies. It’s made in just 5 minutes with 3 simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen!
Listen, if you like garlic, you’re going to love this sauce.
This finger-licking sauce is said to have originated in the Canary Islands and goes great with just about anything you would serve with garlic.
If you order a plate of fried green plantains (aka tostones) in Puerto Rico, you’re likely getting it with a side of this sauce or mayoketchup.
With bright acidity from lime juice and that spicy pungent garlic flavor, it’s a no brainer why this simple sauce is so popular across the Caribbean.
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Hint: because of the acidity from the lime juice, the garlic can occasionally turn a shade of light blue. This is harmless, so don’t worry if it happens to you!
What to Eat it With
I recommend trying this sauce with anything you would add garlic to.
Here are some of my favorite things to dip in mojo de ajo:
- on any kind of grilled shrimp or seafood, especially shrimp, white fish, and clams
- on chicken, specifically some pinchos de pollo and chicharrones de pollo
- with grilled veggies, especially those you enjoy with garlic!
- PLANTAINS: with plantain fries, chips, maduros, and spooned over mofongo
The world is your garlic infused oyster when it comes to this sauce.
Important!
Be careful to not overcook the garlic.
It’s very easy to burn garlic, especially when working with hot oil. This can cause the garlic to turn blue in color. While this is harmless and 100% still edible, it’s a bit of an uncanny look that I prefer to avoid.
It’s also important to keep the heat on the low side, to keep the integrity of that garlic flavor.
Buen provecho,
5 Minute Mojo de Ajo (Garlic Sauce)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Sauce, Dip
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin, Caribbean
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Today we’re making Mojo de Ajo, a Puerto Rican garlic sauce perfect for serving with fried plantains, roasted meat or veggies. It’s made in just 5 minutes with 3 simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- 20-24 cloves (or 2 heads) garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Add oil, garlic, and lime juice to a pot over medium low heat.
- Simmer gently for 5 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t turn brown or overcook. Season with salt and pepper to taste (optional).
- Serve with tostones or whatever you like. Buen provecho!
Notes
This garlic sauce should keep for up to 5 days in your fridge.
Make sure to store in an air tight jar.
Thanks for recipe s. This is a great site. Recipes are s o excellent.
Thank you for your review and kind words Flo! ❤️
Simple and sweet! Thank you.
Thanks for your review Joe!
This differs from my familys mojo , ours is half oil and vinegar ,garlic ,salt,pepper and a little oregano but our garlic is not cooked and we mash it in a pilon ( mortar and pestle) instead of minced
Can’t wait to try this authentic ol’ Rican style mojo!
can you use a food processor for the garlic? thank you
Yes you can!