With just 4 ingredients that are naturally vegan and gluten-free, this mayo-free Toum is thick, creamy, and packed with flavor. Serve with grilled meats or warm pita.
While it does require a little knowledge and know-how, my Lebanese garlic sauce recipe uses just four simple ingredients. Garlic cloves, kosher salt, canola oil, and lemon juice are all you need to prepare this thick and creamy spread that goes well with Shish Tawook Chicken, Chicken Shawarma, or Kafta Kebabs. Grab your food processor and you’re only 15 minutes away from enjoying this addictive sauce. 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.
What is Toum?
Toum means garlic in Arabic and is a well-known spread on sandwiches It was made by grinding the garlic into a paste (by using a mortar and pestle) and using olive oil and lemon to turn it into a fluffy garlic sauce. Due to the fact there are no milk or eggs that makeup Toum it’s considered to be 100% vegan.
What is Toum Made Up Of?
- Garlic: You need fresh garlic and cannot substitute out with jarred or pre-minced garlic. Fresh garlic is key.
- Lemon Juice: Again, fresh is best. You don’t need anything fancy, just cut a lemon in half and squeeze!
- Salt: Simple yet essential ingredient to this sauce.
- Oil: In my experience, Canola Oil has worked best.
How does Toum become creamy?
That cooking process is called emulsification (what is emulsification?) . This article on Masterclass has a pretty good writeup on it and can also help when things go south in the process.
What foods go well with garlic sauce?
Depends on who you ask. My husband would say grab a tablespoon full and spread it onto some bread but it’s good with anything. Use it on vegetables, pasta, pita sandwiches, Beef Shawarma, or simply dip your Chicken Tawook in it. Feel free to get creative! The recipe is just four simple ingredients, but with a little love, it turns into a magical, intoxicating, and addictive sauce.
Adjusting the spice levels for taste:
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 will make the sauce a little milder. If you’re looking for a spicier sauce, then use fresh garlic and maybe a little bit of jalapeno.
Path To Success:
As you can see there are over 300 comments on this recipe. While mostly positive there are negative ones as well. The negative ones usually happen based on one of these situations.
- Using something that isn’t a food processor. Blenders don’t have the power to properly blend this and may overheat from use. A food processor is the way to go. Don’t use a blender.
- Using old garlic, minced garlic, or jarred garlic: Avoid all of these. It will make the end result bitter. Do not use it!
- Drizzling the oil fast: This is not a race. You need to drizzle the oil in slowly until it emulsifies. If you dump it in too fast it will liquify and ruin the end result. You may need all the oil.
- Subbing out the oil: Canola and Vegetable oil work. People have said refined avocado oil works. Other oils will alter the taste and possibly ruin the end product.
Common questions:
This is not a potato or mayonnaise-based garlic sauce. 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.
You can store the sauce for up to 1 month in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Your fork is waiting.
Authentic Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Ingredients
Equipment
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. 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.
Nutrition
Video
Liz’s Notes
Have you tried this?
Let us know how it was!Need more delicious, homemade Lebanese food in your life? Check out my Pinterest board!
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