Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
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Meet Toum, the irresistible Lebanese garlic sauce that’s as simple as it is delicious! With just four easy ingredients, this creamy delight comes together effortlessly in a food processor. Whether you’re using it as a dip, a spread, or a sauce for grilled meats and veggies, Toum adds a bold garlic punch to any dish. The best part? It keeps fresh in the fridge for months, so you can always have this tasty condiment on hand.
Today I’m excited to share one of my all-time favorite condiments: a homemade garlic sauce recipe that you’re going to love! This simple toum recipe requires just four pantry staples and the freshest garlic you can find. The texture and creaminess are reminiscent of mayonnaise or aioli, but here’s the best part: it’s completely vegan and gluten-free since there are no eggs or egg whites involved.
In our house, we are serious garlic lovers. Just give me a bowl of French fries paired with a generous serving of Lebanese garlic sauce, and I’m in heaven. It’s no wonder we always have a big batch of homemade toum in our fridge.
This sauce is incredibly versatile! It’s the perfect spread for sandwiches, a fantastic companion for rotisserie chicken, and a delightful addition to tuna salad in place of mayo.
So why not indulge? Who counts calories when enjoying this heavenly garlic dip? Make sure to give it a try and elevate your meals!
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Garlic: You need fresh garlic, preferably a whole head. If your garlic is sprouting, you’ll need to remove the “germ”, the green part in the center of the garlic. We often just buy the bags of peeled garlic instead of peeling all those cloves ourselves.
- Salt: The salt adds flavor and acts as a preservative.
- Lemon juice: This adds a subtle tang and increases the shelf life of the sauce.
- Canola oil: We often reach for canola oil, but any neutral flavorless oil will work.
- Ice water: We use ice water combined with lemon juice so the sauce isn’t overpowered with lemon flavor.
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- If your garlic is sprouting green, you need to remove that. Simply slice the cloves down the middle lengthwise and use the tip of the knife to pry the germ out of the center.
- Place the garlic and salt in a food processor. Pulse until finely minced.
- Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and pulse until a paste forms.
- With the food processor running, drizzle in ½ cup of oil followed by 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Repeat this process until all the lemon juice is added, then switch to the water, alternating with ½ cup of oil until all the oil is incorporated.
- It will have a very intense garlic flavor, so you want to let it sit for a day before serving.
Tips For Success
- Remove the germ from the garlic. Cut the garlic clove in half lengthwise; the center contains the “germ”. It’s important to remove this little sprout before making toum because it may cause the sauce to have a bitter taste.
- Let the toum sit in the refrigerator for at least 10 hours before using. The super-strong garlic flavor will mellow out.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Honey Garlic Sauce
- Lemon Pepper Garlic Cream Sauce
- Chinese Garlic Sauce
- Yogurt Garlic Sauce
- Garlic Cream Sauce
- Garlic Aioli
Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 cup garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, divided
- 3 cups canola oil, divided
- ¼ cup ice water, divided
Instructions
- Use a knife to split each garlic clove in half lengthwise and remove the germ from the center of each garlic half.
- Add the garlic and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the garlic in short bursts until finely minced. You may need to occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and continue to process until a paste forms. Add another tablespoon and process until completely smooth and slightly fluffy.
- With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in ½ cup oil in a very thin stream, followed by 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Repeat with another ½ cup oil and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- Continue the process, alternating ½ cup oil and 1 tablespoon water, until all the water and oil have been incorporated.
- Transfer toum to a container and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.