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Lebanese Garlic Sauce

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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. 

Lebanese Garlic Sauce - The Lemon BowlI 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.

Aunt PaulaShe 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 seems me come near she looks the other way.

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Lebanese Garlic Sauce from The Lemon BowlMy 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.

Clarified Butter (Ghee) - The Lemon BowlAt 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.

Lebanese Garlic Sauce by The Lemon BowlAs 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.

Your fork is waiting.

Take a look at my Lebanese Pinterest board to see more recipe ideas!

 

4.23 from 62 votes
Lebanese Garlic Sauce from The Lemon Bowl
Print
Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Naturally vegan, gluten free and paleo, this Lebanese Garlic Sauce is light, fluffy and packed with flavor. Serve with grilled meat, shish kebobs or warm pita.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Lebanese, middle eastern
Keyword: garlic sauce, toum
Servings: 64 servings
Calories: 124 kcal
Author: Liz DellaCroce
Ingredients
  • 1 cup garlic cloves peeled (roughly 3 heads of garlic)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups canola oil
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice (about one lemon)
US Measurements - Convert to Metric
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
Recipe Notes

Do not replace canola oil with olive oil, it will ruin the end result. You can use vegetable or corn oil.
If the mixture breaks while processing, stop adding additional oil and lemon juice and continue pulsing until it comes together again.
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Recipe from Mama's Lebanese Cuisine.
For a helpful video to watch the process, check out this Toum Recipe Video.

Nutrition Facts
Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Amount Per Serving (1 tablespoon)
Calories 124 Calories from Fat 122
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13.6g 21%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 12.6g
Sodium 36mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 0.7g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0%
Protein 0.2g 0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fabulous! Made a test batch and used rapeseed oil. Had to finish by hand My food processor doesn’t a allow it to be run for so long but is sooo good 😀

    Reply

  4. So my only experience with toum is that I ate it at a restaurant a couple times and couldn’t stop thinking about it. I found this recipe and followed it exactly as laid out. I even banned my husband and child from the kitchen because I didn’t want water entering the area. For some reason neither of them can seem to keep water in the sink. I might add that I have never made mayonnaise either so I was skeptical that this would actually turn out out for me. It actually turned out perfect and I followed it to a “T”. So just follow it exactly and you shouldn’t have any problems. I loved it! I even gave a jar of it to my friend that introduced me to this amazing sauce!

    Reply

  7. Mine came out super thick like Cold left over mash potatos. Any idea why this happened? I was about 1/2 cup short on oil but I don’t think that was why .

    Reply

  8. Just made this and it came out perfect! The sauce did break at one point, but I stopped adding oil or lemon and continued to process it until it came back together. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

  9. There’s no video here, first of all, so all these suggestions of “watch the video” are a little ridiculous. Fail of a recipe, and I’m an experienced cook (and maker of homemade mayo and similar emulsions). Should have read the comments.

    Reply

  10. Wondering why you don’t recommend using olive oil. I recently bought this at a Lebanese market and it was made with olive oil and it is delicious -and a wonderfully light whipped texture. Also, what constitutes one serving in your nutrition facts?

    Reply

  11. FYI if you put your oil in the fridge for hour or freezer til really cold but still liquid and then drizzle into blender it helps stop the sauce from breaking ???? Great sauce

    Reply

  12. Is there any way to fix this recipe once it breaks? It was fine until the very end! Argh!!! I have made it before and just loved it, but it just failed big time this time.

    Is it possible to cut the recipe in 1/2 and get the same results, or will this be a problem?

    Reply

  13. Hi there! I watched the video and followed the recipe exactly and ended up with almost garlic water : ( any advice?

    I love this garlic sauce, my roommate used to make it all the time, it is delicious, hoping I master it next attempt!

    Reply

    • Hi Kellie – I’m not sure as I’ve never had any issues with it but perhaps if you read through the comments you might get a little help. Did you make ANY changes at all?

      Reply

  15. I can’t wait to try this buuuuttt.. it is NOT a paleo recipe with the canola oil so it would be better to take that part out of the description.

    “Canola oil isn’t paleo because it does not have an ideal ratio of omega-3s to omegas-6s. This essentially means it isn’t as healthy as many other available oils. Therefore, other oils are encouraged on the paleo diet instead of canola oil.” Link >>> https://ultimatepaleoguide.com/canola-oil-paleo/

    Reply

  16. Why does the olive oil ruin the recipe? I go to a little WONDERFUL Lebanese restaurant and they tell me they make their garlic sauce with olive oil and it’s fabulous. They are the reason I am searching online for the recipe. Thanks in advance. Will be trying this recipe soon.

    Reply

      • Just to be clear, any oil can be used in this recipe as they have properties that will form an emulsification. However, this is all about preference of taste for the end result. There is light tasting olive oil which will not impact the flavor much as extra virgin will. I’ve made that mistake in experimenting and it tastes horrible.

        Also, some keys to this I will share are, you MUST use fresh lemon juice. Do not attempt to use lemon juice from a bottle, it will not come together this way. That’s not even lemon juice btw. Also, a trick I’ve learned over the years is using a good immersion blender instead of a blender or food processor. I use a Breville. This allows me to have better control of the air I am pumping in as the blades are often spinning at higher rpm than the latter. Finally, learn to make a decent tabouli and you’ll be set. Key there, the recipe is NOT half bulgur wheat, that’s not tabouli.

        Reply

    • When you whip up live oil into an aioli or mayonnaise consistency it goes terribly bitter. Use a neutral oil to make it, and finish with some olive oil if you want. I learned the hard way.

      Reply

  17. Love the sauce made a batch last night. Second attempt,turned out great. The slow pour seams to be the key to success. Sauce turned out nice and fluffy just like my favourite shawarma shop here in Ottawa. I used a boiled potato in with the processed garlic before adding oil. My only issue is the sauce in question is noticeable more stronger than what I’m used to getting on my shawarma. Is there such thing as a mild garlic? Anybody know ways to buff the garlic taste so it doesn’t burn the tongue. Maybe adding sour cream to the end product?

    Reply

  20. Hi. Your recipe ingredients say “1 cup juice of lemon about 1/4 cup,” does this mean the juice of 1 lemon, which is roughly 1/4 cup?

    Reply

  21. We love the recipe but ran into a number of problems with the consistency and mixture as others have posted most likely because of our food processor. We had to play around a little bit but finally came up with a good solution. If you are going along with the recipe and find it separating, as we did, then try transferring the mixture to a mixing bowl and using a hand mixer to complete the final portion of adding the remaining oil and lemon juice. We ended up straining the garlic out of the oil we had, putting the garlic into a mixing bowl and continued with adding the oil and lemon juice using the hand mixer and it worked out great!

    Reply

  22. I used to eat at this fantastic Lebanese restaurant when I lived in Florida. They had this wonderful white garlicy sauce, and I asked what it was one time. They told me it was “whipped garlic.” I am assuming this recipe is essentially what it was, so I’m excited to try it. My question is this: you noted not to use olive oil, because it will ruin the end result. How will it ruin the finished product? Is it a flavor issue, or consistency? I tend to use olive oil in all my cooking, though I have used other oils on occasion. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Marcie – I’m so glad you found this recipe! Olive oil is not advised because it will impact the flavor and won’t be what you’re used to in restaurants. You’re welcome to try it though and report back!

      Reply

  23. Absolutely delicious, it’s awesome that your Aunt makes Ghee for the family too! the only thing that I change is I use a MILD flavored Olive Oil ( not EVOO) because canola and vegetable oils are considered inflammatory foods in Whole30 world. Thanks for sharing :-)

    Reply

  24. I am thrilled to finally find a recipe for this amazing garlic sauce. I moved to the Detroit area, and my co-workers would order takeout from a local Middle Eastern restaurant a couple of times a week. My only experience with Middle Eastern food was really awful gyros, falafel, and the only pitas were mass produced like grocery store sandwich bread. I tried the chicken shawarma, rice pilaf, grilled vegetables, and hot pitas made by the restaurant right before packaging for delivery. What made the meat, vegetables, and pita over the top amazing was the garlic sauce! Not all restaurants serve it, and my husband and I missed the garlic sauce so much. I can’t wait to try it. I did buy some elephant garlic because it’s more mild, and the garlic in grocery stores can get old, which makes it taste hotter.

    I have made homemade mayo, which also uses the emulsion method. The key is SLOWLY mixing the oil in. Most vinaigrettes include mustard because it keeps the emulsion stable and stops the oil and vinegar from separating. If getting the garlic sauce to emulsify is still difficult, a bit of mayo or mustard would help.

    I can’t wait to bake fresh pitas, grill vegetables and chicken, and serve it all with you homemade Toum, Liz. I love your blog. Thanks.

    Reply

  25. Hello,
    I made toum yesterday similar ingredients but when i tasted it, it had a very strong oil taste. I was wondering if you knew why or how this happens. I used
    2 cups pre-minced garlic
    Juice from 1 Lemon
    1/4 tsp salt
    3 cups canola oil
    2 egg whites

    The blender started to get really warm and full so I stopped I had no problems with separation or anything like that.
    When I looked at your recipe you use more oil than I did but your reviews are still awesome. So i’m wondering where I’m going wrong. I’ve tried to use a food processor in the past and I’ve always had problems with separation. This is the first time using a blender and it worked wonderful besides it tasting like canola oil. Do I need more salt and lemon juice? Is it because I used pre-minced garlic? Will I be able to half the mixture and blend the ingredients again?

    Reply

  26. Hi Liz, a lot of toum recipes use boiled potatoes in them to soften the strong taste of the garlic + lemons and I found it works quite well. I thought all Lebanese people make it this way. Is that not so then?

    I grew up in the Middle East and have loved this sauce in shawarmas since I was very little :-)

    Reply

  27. Sounds wonderful! Can the lemon juice be ‘cooked’ in some way for a family member who has an allergy? Would that change the chemistry, do you think? Otherwise it would fit in with other allergies that several people have…

    Reply

  28. When I pour the oil into the food processor, very slowly like in the video, the mixture simply never emulsifies, or becomes anything other than a liquid. Even the tiniest amout of oil, with the processor at full speed, stays completely liquified. What am I missing here??

    Reply

  29. Just had this the other week at an amazing Lebanese restaurant. It was so good I had to figure out how to make it myself. Thank you so much for posting this!!

    Reply

  30. I keep trying to make this and it ends up being soup every time. I follow the instructions to the T. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong.

    Reply

  31. Hi Liz – thanks for the great recipe! Ever since leaving Dearborn, where I lived over 10 years, I long for my favorite Lebanese dishes. I made this recipe today, to go with shish tawook, as well as your hushdee rice, all were a hit! I did have a setback though…perhaps I added the oil too quickly, or the food processor was heating up the mixture, but it just did not emulsify – very runny. I strained it with a fine mesh strainer, and chilled the two parts (the oil, and the part that had actually emulsified). I put the emulsified garlic portion back in food processor, added the oil s-l-o-w-l-y – and it worked like a charm! Completely salvaged. Many thanks.

    Reply

  32. Hi…
    Thanks for the recipe. I am eager to try it out, however, I don’t have a food processor. Is it possible to make this with a blender or a mixer?

    Many thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  33. Wow this is far easier than the method I’ve been using for the past several years. I’m straight up stealing this method.

    Note: I’ve actually both peanut oil and I have added onion and olive oil to the purée, and to be honest it wasn’t really disastrous at all.

    Reply

  34. Best garlic sause EVER! I love this garlic sause! Highly recommend this recipe!
    Grill chicken and Italian squash, put on top of pilaf, and top with this garlic sause.. Out of this world taste!

    Reply

  35. I just made this recipe and I’m in garlic heaven! It worked perfectly! To the author of this recipe, I want to say Thank you for all the trouble you went through to make this recipe just right! And I want to say, Congratulations to myself cause I did it, first try!
    This recipe is, of course, very garlicky! I tired a little recipe of my own, using 2 Tbs garlic sause, 2 Tbs mayonnaise, and a splash of soy sause, for a lighter sause. Great tasting! A Mediterranean restaurant told me that’s how they make their garlic sause.
    Thank you again! I highly recommend this recipe!

    Reply

  36. I love this sauce when I’m out to eat! Tried to make it today and it tastes heavenly but it has a very hot garlic bit. Any ideas? Not enough lemon juice/oil? Maybe I put in too much garlic. It has the perfect flavor, it’s just that bite.

    Reply

  37. I made this for my family last night and it was a hit! I didn’t watch the youtube video, but I put a funnel on top of my food processor to slow down the stream of oil. It came together perfectly! Thank for sharing!

    Reply

  39. I just tried it yesterday, I was kind of a hurry and wanted a recipe with no mayo.
    I worked JUST PERFECT!!!!!!
    Thanks millions of times!

    Reply

  40. I was dining today at one of the local middle eastern restaurants and they said they use a littl mash poatao in the garlic paste.

    Reply

  41. In spite of a fair amount of experience with Lebanese restaurants, I had never experienced this garlic sauce until a meal, while traveling out of town, at Shish Palace, Allen Park, MI, so of course I want to learn how to make it. Absolutely delicious it was. It was a dip for the small round-loaf pita-style bread.

    so Thanks! I asked the owner what it was, he said he started with garlic paste, a little olive oil, etc. So starting with raw garlic might be even better.

    Reply

  42. I just tried making this tonight. I don’t have a food processor so I used my blender. It started going great at about 1 1/2 cups of canola oil in. Then it just liquified. I did as one person suggested. I poured the mixture into a bowl and let it set for a bit. I was able to come back to it and use a spoon to remove the excess oil that formed on top. I whipped the remaining garlic mixture and it was saved! So I put it back in the blender and VERY slowly poured in the oil. Was turning out fine then a few minutes in, my blender got hot and the sauce took on a greenish tint. I don’t know what happened but I stopped and threw it away! Any possible ideas?

    Reply

  43. I’m wondering why the olive oil is a no no – I believe you, but I only have grapeseed and oil oil on hand. I enjoyed this sauce at a restaurant this weekend so am scoping it out to try to make it myself. I could have eaten the whole container! Yum! Thanks!

    Reply

      • I’ve read on several sites that olive oil also does not give you a fluffy consistency, it’s not just the flavor. I do believe the type of oil is important. I just now tried the recipe with a blend of coconut oil and canola. It never came together and I think that may have been one of the reasons!!

        Reply

  45. This worked so great as a sauce. I was wondering if it could be upped to a dip of some kind. Or perhaps it has been done already? Thank you for this recipe.

    Reply

  47. Hi there! I am absolutley in love with this sauce…although when I tried to make it just now it did not thicken up? It is runny can I fix it? I really really want to be able to use this

    Reply

  48. Hi there. What a lovely story. I am against using electric appliances for any cooking, can this be made with mortar and pestle? Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  49. My batch separated and I thought it was ruined. After searching and searching, I found one person say to pour out your mixture into a separate bowl and wash and dry the processor. Then whip up an egg white (I actually did two) in the processor until it starts to firm up and then slowly re-drizzle your garlic in. It worked for me!! I’m sure this compromises the authenticity of the toum, but it’s better than losing the whole batch, right?! :)

    Reply

      • Should have read the comments before I started it! Emulsified for 15minutes and it was nothing but water :(

        I am now trying the whipped egg white and hoping for the best!

        Reply

          • So here’s what happened, I poured everything in too quick, Processed it and it didn’t work.

            Then I took it all out cleaned the food processor and read to first use a whipped egg white to bind things together. Did that, didn’t work.

            Then I took it all out, let it sit so the oil came to the top and the sort of emulsified chunks sunk to the bottom. Poured the oil out. Used a whisk on the chunks and it blew up!!! It was so cool, just transformed.

            Then I put that in the food processor and VERY SLOWLY poured the remaining oil in.

            It was so GOOD and so much fun to play with food science! I also made this along with you Chicken Tawook and It was lovely!

            Picture here :)
            http://i.imgur.com/TgBZn2H.jpg

  50. My mom makes this! And of course now I do. We call it solomacha (Ukrainian word) and I use this in every recipe that calls for garlic. Mine never turns to mayo, but instead stays separated. Although it’s GREAT because I can take some of the canola oil and sautee with it. Amazing flavour! Lasts a long time. So if it doesn’t emulsify do not worry! Still great. If it turns green or black it’s your garlic. Locally grown is best, when you can get it. YUM!

    Reply

  51. Gotta say, I couldn’t get that consistency ur pics show. Im a bit skeptical on the canola too. Why Wouldn’t the Lebanese use olive oil?

    Reply

  53. HOLY HOLY GRAIL!!! So my husband son and I absolutely love what we have always called garlic butter. I am so glad I can across this recipe from the chicken garlic recipe!! I am actually in the process of making Ghee right now!! Can’t wait to try this out tonight with the chicken!! THANKS SOOOO MUCH IN ADVANCE!

    Reply

  54. I did the alternating of oil and lemon juice. Sauce never got thick and came together. Feel like something is missing and too much oil. Processor was on emulsify for well over 20 mins. Bummed

    Reply

  55. This sounds amazing, and I tried to make it. But half way through the thick mixture suddenly turned watery. I stopped adding the oil and lemon juice and just blitzed for a while, but no luck. It did get quite warm in the process, so I put it in the fridge to cool down, but still no luck in bringing it back together. Any advice?? I really want to get this right!

    Reply

  56. I could eat this stuff by the spoonful! Just letting you know that I featured this recipe in my round-up of 25 Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes from September 2014. Hope a lot of my readers will click over here and try the recipe!

    Reply

  58. Your Aunt Paula sounds like a sweetheart! Gotta love a woman that always has some food that she’s ready and willing to gift to you. And who can also appreciate her garlic. This sounds so good.

    Reply

  59. I’m so excited to have seen this! My husband is a huge garlic fan and we first had this at a Tunisian restaurant with some delicious bread, like naan. I can’t wait to try it and to get to have that creamy, deliciousness again!

    Reply

  62. Lovely story, Liz. I have an Aunt Paula – except her name is Aunt Dot – and she taught me all my Armenian cooking skills! It’s feels wonderful to be able to recreate her dishes in my kitchen (she passed on several years ago but I always think of her when I’m cooking).

    Reply

  65. I would be tempted to use rice bran oil instead of the canola oil since there is a lot of controversy on how healthy the canola oil is. Rice bran oil is a stable oil that doesn’t oxidize as it has its own natural vitamin E and can withstand very high temperatures without producing any carcinogens. I might also add a tablespoon or two of whey from my milk kefir and let it stand at room temperature for a few hours. I do this with my homemade mayonnaise and it prolongs the life in the refrigerator for MONTHS!!

    Reply

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