The critical reception of Aphrodite was mostly positive, although several critics pointed out that Allende's writing style has become quite light and overwhelmingly autobiographical. Some have described the book as a literary incarnation of the author herself: in a review for The San Francisco Chronicle, Patricia Holt writes that, like Allende, the work "has an eloquence and underlying ribaldry that lends an air of sensuality to every event of the day." Barbara Fisher emphasizes the book's "self-indulgent memoir" quality in a review for the Boston Globe, commenting that Aphrodite is "too much written by, for, and about the lusty and lovely Isabel Allende." Michele Roberts of the Times comments that the book is not "meant to be swallowed too seriously; these are tidbits for grazers; amuse-gueules in the French tradition" and adds that "in one sense this is a manual for women in the old style: how to keep your husband interested."

On the other hand, in a review for the Boston Globe, Fred Kaplan sees Aphrodite as Allende's "escapist lark [which] restored her contact with the pulse of storytelling, whose links to food and sex are fundamental." Another review for People Weekly praises the delight with which the author approaches her topics: "Sex and food, once celebrated as two of life's great joys, suffer a lot of bad press these days. Genuine epidemics, coupled with monthly findings of new things that are bad for us, have pushed otherwise happy souls into programs of agonizing denial and, in severe instances, abstinence. Thankfully, in this sophisticated defense of pleasure, [Allende] puts the joy back into eating and loving with all the panache that marks the best of her fiction."

Several critics have observed Allende's broad inclusion of topics in her discussion of aphrodisiacs, summed up in her statement that "all of creation is one long uninterrupted cycle of digestion and fertility." The book's subjects vary greatly in significance and origin, just as the listed aphrodisiacs go from the familiar (peaches, eggplant, and ginseng) to the unusual (canary tongues, virgin's urine, and goat testicles). Elaine Kalman Naves of the Montreal Gazette calls the work "a piquant smorgasbord" that includes everything from "arcane information" about Napoleon's sexual fixation on the scent of Josephine's intimate parts, to "sensuous and sensory writing" about the taste of the author's first kiss, to "homespun philosophy" (Allende's conclusion that love is the ultimate aphrodisiac) and "engaging whimsy," such as detailed instructions on how to prepare an orgy. In the same vein, Leslie Chess Feller in the New York Times describes Aphrodite as a plethora of "forbidden fruits, orgies, whispers, pheromones, erotic poetry and Indian tantric rites"; while Deepti Hajela for Associated Press cites the practical uses of the lessons from Allende's book: "Looking to impress with your knowledge at your next cocktail party? Mention that saffron is considered a stimulant or that fenugreek is thought to provoke sensual dreams. Trying to catch the interest of someone you've got your eye on? Prepare some harem turkey or a few soused pears, and who knows where it could lead."

Yet, according to Naves, as in all of Allende's books, the power of family ties is at the crux of Aphrodite—especially "the profound professional as well as emotional attachment between mother and daughter." Naves claims that the "delightfully idiosyncratic non-fiction" is not as much about aphrodisiacs as it is about the "playful collaboration between Allende and her mother, Panchita Llona, who is responsible for the recipes."

Most of the reviews of Aphrodite note the suggestively erotic illustrations done or selected by the author's friend Robert Shekter; among...