Naturally vegan and gluten-free, this Lebanese Garlic Sauce is light, fluffy and packed with flavor. Serve with grilled meat, shish kebobs or warm pita.
I am so lucky. As much as I would love to say that I am a self-taught, self-made home chef, I really can’t take credit. It’s in my blood. It’s in my DNA. It’s in my genes. My family is full of incredible cooks on both sides but today’s post is about one woman, in particular, my Aunt Paula.
She won’t let anyone photograph her, ever. As you know, I’m a bit camera happy and always have it out at family gatherings and parties. Whenever she sees me come near she looks the other way.
My Aunt Paula is known for gifting friends and family with food all year round. If you’re sick, she will defrost homemade chicken soup and deliver it with a bag of Fritos – the best chicken soup topping in the world. Just have a baby? She’ll stop by at dinner with a platter of Hushwee rice.
At Christmas, she is notorious for The Gift of Butter (Clarified Butter). If we happen to stop by for a walk during the weekend, it’s almost a guarantee she is baking up a loaf of barley bread for my Uncle Randy to pack in his lunch box during the week. Inevitably, she’ll have a loaf to send you home with. Aunt Paula is the best and I owe all of my Lebanese food skills to her.
As you probably guessed, this Lebanese Garlic Sauce was the most recent food gift I received from my Aunt Paula. The recipe is just four simple ingredients but with a little love it turns into a magical, intoxicating and addictive sauce you’ll be spreading on pita sandwiches, serving with Beef Shawarma or dipping with Chicken Tawook.
What is Lebanese garlic sauce made of?
It’s a fairly basic recipe containing garlic cloves, salt, and canola oil.
Is there mayo in garlic sauce?
One of the best qualities of garlic sauce is that there is no mayo
What type of oil can be used in garlic sauce?
Only use canola or vegetable oil. Do not use olive oil.
How long does garlic sauce last in the refrigerator?
Up to 1 month in an airtight container.
What causes my garlic sauce to fall apart when I’m making it?
This process requires you to drizzle in the oil — not dump in the oil right away. When you see it begin to thicken up THEN you start with the lemon juice.
Can I use diced garlic from a store in lieu of fresh garlic?
I would not recommend. Garlic in a jar is quite bitter.
If you’re a visual person and need to see the process I encourage you to take a look at this video for help. Your fork is waiting.
Take a look at my Lebanese Pinterest board to see more recipe ideas!
Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup garlic cloves peeled (roughly 3 heads of garlic)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups canola oil you may not need all of this
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (about one lemon)
Instructions:
- Place the garlic cloves and salt in a large food processor and puree until smooth. It's a good idea to scrape down the sides two or three times to ensure that all of the garlic is finely processed.
- Turn the machine back on and slowly drizzle in the oil through the lid starting with 1/2 cup. After the first 1/2 cup has been added, pour in a teaspoon of the lemon juice.
- Continue alternating between 1/2 cup of the canola oil and a teaspoon of the lemon juice until you've added all of the oil and lemon juice. Alternating between the two is the key to proper emulsification which creates the light and fluffy garlic sauce.
- You know it's done when the sauce is white and thick with a similar consistency of mayonnaise. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes.
Notes:
What is Lebanese garlic sauce made of?
It's a fairly basic recipe containing garlic cloves, salt, and canola oil.Is there mayo in garlic sauce?
One of the best qualities of garlic sauce is that there is no mayoWhat type of oil can be used in garlic sauce?
Only use canola or vegetable oil. Do not use olive oil.How long does garlic sauce last in the refrigerator?
Up to 1 month in an air tight container.What causes my garlic sauce to fall apart when I'm making?
This process requires you to drizzle in the oil -- not dump in the oil right away. When you see it begin to thicken up THEN you start with the lemon juice.Can I use diced garlic from a store in lieu of fresh garlic?
I would not recommend. Garlic in a jar is quite bitter. For a helpful video to watch the process, check out this Toum Recipe Video.Nutrition Facts:
Need more delicious, homemade Lebanese food in your life? Check out my Pinterest board!
Vangos
This is basically similar to the Greek Skordalia – Potato/Garlic Dip Sauce. The major difference of course is the only use of oil in the Lebanese Sauce compared to the use of mainly potato puree in the Greek Sauce, and about 1 cup of olive oil per 1kg potatoes and about half a head of garlic. The rest of ingredients and procedure are similar, with the Greek Sauce using lemon juice or red wine vinegar or both, with vinegar alone being the majority preference of acid component. However I do find that the Lebanese sauce uses way too much garlic in average wherever I have had it, which makes it so high concentrated that you can only tolerate small amounts. But when eating Shawarmas and garlic potatoes you will definitely crave at least a quartr or third of a cup sauce per person and that will burn your insides until next day. So a good suggestion would be max use of 1 garlic head per 3 cups of oil, because not everyone can tolerate so much garlic and that’s already pushing it. Too much is as bad as too little. I gave it 5 stars because I happen know what the outcome can be before I make it. Thank you, cheers! OPA!
Liz DellaCroce
Oh that sounds incredible also!
Faith Romero
Hi Liz, can you kindly explain help me understand why to only use canola or vegetable oil? Can I use avocado oil or olive oil instead? Thank you and have a wonderful day! ♡
Liz DellaCroce
Because the flavor will be too strong with any other type of oil. :) My aunt made this very clear!
Eliza Allan
Any suggestions how to make more runny if i keep adding oil will it split? As an emulsion can i whip some water into it?
Liz DellaCroce
I would suggest watching the recipe video!! Hugely helpful!
Eliza Allan
Yes i did watch the video- i did not see any suggestions how to make it more runny into a sauce- if i add more than recommended oil will that work?
Liz DellaCroce
Yes that might!
Susan
Can I make this recipe without salt (low sodium diet)
Liz DellaCroce
Yes for sure!
Natalie Brown
Why is my product coming out a little “spicy”. It tastes great, but just a little too spicy!
Liz DellaCroce
It’s likely because your garlic is fresh. :)
Grace
So excited I found recipe..followed exactly looked great texture smell every.but wow it was sooooo strong,it was nearly edible had friendsviver that love the stuff till took a taste.wayy way to strong what do I do next time..I even split in half and added more oil still way to strong…help……..
Liz DellaCroce
Hey Grace! Yes it’s very strong. Especially if you’re using fresh garlic. The key is just using a small amount when eating it. :)
billytimmy
FYI you can use a light olive oil like the filippo berio gold can and it comes out pure white and fluffy
my modification to your recipe is 6 large garlic cloves, 1 lemon, salt and maybe a cup of oil. comes out perfect and just like the middle east restaurant in cambridge ma serves it
Liz DellaCroce
Great tip!
Summer J Fields
Recipe was really off from the process! Doesn’t work. 1/2 oil at a time was way too much
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Summer- Did you happen to watch the video? That might help a bit!
Lk
I have been trying for years to perfect a garlic sauce. My husband is Lebanese and he thought it was the best! I invited a few people over for some chicken schwarmas and they were thoroughly impressed! Thank you sooooo much for sharing!❤️❤️❤️
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you found this!!!!
Judy
Can I use avocado oil? I am on a keto diet and I cannot consume vegetable oil or canola oil. I love garlic sauce and want to find another alternative to make it.
Liz DellaCroce
You sure can but it might not taste like you expect :)
Emily
Can you heat this? I am interested in using it as a pizza sauce.
Liz DellaCroce
YES!! I use it on baked chicken all the time! https://thelemonbowl.com/crispy-garlic-baked-chicken-breasts/
Kim Bachman
just a note: in the first directions you say that the sauce lasts up to 7 days and further down you say that it lasts for a month?? Thanks
Liz DellaCroce
Good catch! It’s one month just revised!
Courtney
I am so happy to find your recipe! I have only this year tried lebanese food and i am in love!! And this sauce is to die for! I also loved reading about your aunt. Got me all emotional haha. She seems like an amazing person.
Liz DellaCroce
Oh I’m so glad!!!! Isn’t it just the best?
Brittany Lyons
Love Love Love this. I wish it only had 12 calories per tablespoon. Could this be wrong? I assume the recipe yield is 4 cups (64 T). Does that sound right? And if a cup of canola oil has just under 2000 calories (1,927ish…) You’ve gotta have at least 90 Cal per Tablespoon. I’m secretly hoping I’m calculating something wrong…. because it’s so delicious on EVERYTHING. Let me know what you think!!!!
Liz DellaCroce
Good catch. :) Error with the calculator – all fixed!
Renee
Followed the directions and mine turned out perfectly! I have tried making it before your recipe and it never worked but I feel that alternating the drizzle and lemon really is key to the success! Thanks so much!
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you liked it!!! :)
Colleen
This recipe is so good! I followed the directions exactly as they were written and it turned out perfect. Mine had the consistency of thick mayo and the flavour was beautiful. I’m saving this recipe for future use.
Liz DellaCroce
So happy to hear it!!
Olivia
Tried to make this but a half recipe, and ended up with an oily mess. Nothing came together, and I only put in a cup of oil. It never came together, and it basically became flavoured oil. I kept thinking “maybe if I just put a bit more, itll finally work” but no. 15 minutes in the food processor and it looked the same as the first 2 minutes. I even tried putting it in my kitchenaid to whip it, thinking maybe if I just whip some air into it itll thicken up, and nope. Extremely disappointed! Thank goodness garlic is cheap or else I’d be really angry because I wasted 2 heads for nothing.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Olivia – I’m so sorry this recipe wasn’t a success for you. By chance did you watch the video tutorial? Perhaps that can help you pinpoint where you went wrong. This is one of my most popular recipes so I want to help you enjoy it like thousands of others have.
Ivette
I was hoping for a more refined sauce, almost like fluff, light and airy. This one is more of a mayo/butter consistency (I just noticed in your description “mayo like”. A restaurant in NYC serves the fluffy type, but of course – it’s a secret recipe! Also, theirs is purely White, my has the mayo color. Tastes great just visual disappointment.
Liz DellaCroce
Interesting! :)
Kristin Zouras
Do you know if this can be made in a Vitamix?
Liz DellaCroce
I’m not sure – I’ve only used a food processor!
Molly
I have made this in my vitamix, but its difficult until you get enough ingredients for the blades to do their job