Naturally vegan and gluten-free, this Lebanese Garlic Sauce is thick, creamy 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 DNA. 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 also 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.
While it does require a little knowledge and know-how, my Lebanese garlic sauce recipe uses just four simple ingredients. Garlic cloves, salt, canola oil, and lemon juice are all you need to prepare this thick and creamy spread. Grab your food processor, and you’re only 15 minutes away from enjoying this addictive sauce.
Video:
If you’re a visual person like me, I encourage you to watch this step-by-step video. It explains the entire process from start to finish.
Frequently asked questions:
Toum is a creamy and fluffly garlic spread that carries a fragrant garlic punch to it.
No! One of the best qualities of garlic sauce is that there is no mayo – making it a much healthier alternative.
Since the recipe does call for a larger amount of garlic, it can tend to be a little bit on the spicy side. If you’re looking to tone down the spice level, you can certainly use less garlic. Additionally, the type of garlic you use does make a difference. If you’re using elephant garlic, it’s going to make the sauce a little milder. If you’re looking for a spicier sauce, then use fresh garlic.
You can store the sauce for up to 1 month in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
It’s most commonly used with grilled meats or roasted vegetables. We also love to use it on warm pita bread. The options can be endless!
Your fork is waiting.
📖 Recipe
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
- ¼ 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 ½ cup. After the first ½ cup has been added, pour in a teaspoon of the lemon juice.
- Continue alternating between ½ 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. One tip is to let the machine run between oil additions to let the emulsion thicken. NOTE: 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.
- 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.
Chef’s Notes
Nutrition
Need more delicious, homemade Lebanese food in your life? Check out my Pinterest board!
Annie
Thank YOU, Aunt Paula! And thank you, Liz, for sharing her recipe!
I have tried making toum a number of times and always had to add an egg white at the end because it would not bind. With the help of the video, FAQs and at recipe, I NAILED IT! By far the best home recipe I have ever tasted. The paper towel was also a precious tip! And to all of you who are eager to skip and move quickly to the recipe, bad – very bad, especially if this is your first attempt at making toom/toum… Do not rush the process, you will be rewarded.
Un énorme merci, Liz, ma famille est infiniment reconnaissante!
Liz DellaCroce
Oh this makes me so happy! I’ so glad you enjoyed it!!!!!
Karen
This turned out great! I watched the video first, read the recipe, FAQs, and the comments (as well as reading a few other recipes), and I didn’t have any issues. I’ve never emulsified anything before and was a bit nervous, but I just took it step by step and it did what it was supposed to do. It is sitting in a bowl in the fridge now, covered with paper towel, waiting to be used as a topping on an Instant Pot ground beef shawarma and basmati rice dish. Looking forward to a great combo!
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!! Woohoo that all sounds delicious!!!!
Jen
I love this recipe! Lots of trial and error the first few times I made it (because why would I read a recipe thoroughly :/ lol). But now I have it perfected and it always tastes great.
Liz DellaCroce
hahah that’s funny!
SS
I think it would help to put a time on how long each step takes. I have come up with garlic soup a couple times (whenever I go back to make this again) because I always forget how long each step takes.
Liz DellaCroce
Great idea to think about for the future!
Katy
Would avocado oil work with this? And would a vitamix work if you are slowing adding the oil in from the opening in the top?
Liz DellaCroce
You can try but i recommend vegetable oil. I also would suggest a food processor.
Carol
Can I use Avocado oil instead of Canola oil?
Liz DellaCroce
Yes!
Lynsea
Could jarred minced garlic work?
Liz DellaCroce
No it won’t work I’m afraid.
Sindhu
Amazing 🙌🏼
Mollie
Is there any other oil that can be used besides canola? Can avocado oil be used?
Liz DellaCroce
It might alter the taste a bit but I bet it will still be delicious.
Kalinn
A lot of people skip to recipes without watching videos or reading the author’s back story on the recipe. The instructions are misleading because recipe makes it clear to alternate between oil and lemon juice, but did not mention to let the machine run between oil additions to let the emulsion thicken, a critical step that someone probably wouldn’t know to do if they’re not used to making oil emulsions. I just wasted the rest of my roasted garlic and canola oil for this, so disappointed.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Kali! I just updated the recipe to include that – thank you!
Stephanie
Do you need to remove germ from the bulbs of garlic?
Liz DellaCroce
I never do!
Natasha
I tried this exact same recipe as given to me by a Lebanese friend, and she warned me that ‘sometimes it breaks,’ which mine did. Then I found this page and watched the video. I think my problem is that my old food processor is just not as effective as this one? I may try it again, because I can eat this stuff by the bucket. My back up is to just mix a bunch of puréed garlic into some Greek yogurt. No, it’s not the same, but still tasty with my shawarma!
Liz DellaCroce
That’s a great backup!!! Read through the post one more time – I just added in as many more tips as I could think of!
Rachel Makhoul
Mine did not emulsify and stayed liquid. Any thoughts? I’ve made this twice before and it was perfect.
Liz DellaCroce
Gosh it’s hard to say not having watched you make it – did you try watching the video?
Waverly
My first batch turned out like yours (no, I didn’t watch the video, and I SHOULD have), but what I did was mix the failed toum with softened butter for a delicious garlic butter, that I could keep in the fridge and it came out spreadable. Good on veggies, breads, and the like.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you love it!
D
I agree here, please fix the directions to tell people to wait until it is thick. You mention that in the FAQs and not in the recipe itself and so several of us are sitting here with garlic soup. Just because other people have had success doesn’t mean you can’t fix it for the rest of us that are new to this!
Liz DellaCroce
Hi There! I am with you and agree 100%! Believe it or not, we update this recipe 50+ times to make it as easy as possible for the millions of people who have used it. I just revised it again – would you agree it’s better now? :) Thanks!! Liz
Sharee
Hi!
My mixture turned sooo thick, way before it was even edible. Any ideas why, and how I can remedy it?
Liz DellaCroce
Hmm.. I usually like it a bit thick? Is there any downside to it being thick?
Camille
Yep agreed, the instructions are not accurate, you have to watch the tutorial.. my suggestion would be to just update the instructions to ensure accuracy.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Camille – What part of the instructions do you feel aren’t accurate? Let me know and I’ll happily update. This is one of my most popular recipes of all time. Literally millions of people have had success with it. :) I’m happy to help you understand it better any way I can – just let me know!
Marianne
This is perfect, thanks for posting the video. I made this before and ruined it by using garlic that was green inside, and the wrong oil. Two observations for people though. Note the lid on the good processor – it puts the oil in the correct place. Also, the chef is a man, and he had height and arm strength on most of us. Put your oil in a smaller container that you can control. Love this site!!
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Fatima Habib
Hey Liz! Thank you for sharing your aunts recipe with us. I followed the video and recipe to the T but mine came out too thick. It was the consistency of a mayonnaise but not a very light and smooth one. Can you suggest where i may have gone wrong. Also is it important to let your food processor run for 15 minutes or can we stop in the middle and scrape down? TIA
Liz DellaCroce
Yes you can stop in the middle and scrape down. The consistency of mayonnaise sounds perfect though? I think you did it righT! Was the flavor good?
Amanda Watson
My sauce will not thicken. I have no idea why. Used a Vitamix because I don’t have a food processor but always use my Vitamix for food processor related recipes and works with no issues. I’m not sure what happened but it is soup liquid….
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Amanda, Hmmm I’ve only used a food processor so I’m afraid I can’t tell you how it would work in a blender. I personally don’t recommend it though, apologies.
Seth
I’m very excited this is one of my favorite dishes I just would like to know if lime is an okay substitute to the lemon juice
Liz DellaCroce
I wouldn’t recommend it – grab a lemon if you can!