The Ultimate Toum Garlic Sauce Recipe for Bold Flavor Fans

Creamy toum garlic sauce carries an incredible punch of Mediterranean flavor that electrifies any dish.

Lebanese kitchens have perfected this magical condiment for generations.

Intense garlic notes blend with smooth olive oil to create a silky, spreadable wonder.

Whisking transforms simple ingredients into a cloud-like emulsion that tingles taste buds.

Chefs treasure this versatile sauce for its bold character and remarkable texture.

Home cooks can easily master this technique with patience and the right technique.

Drizzle it over grilled meats, spread on sandwiches, or use as a daring dip to elevate your culinary adventure.

Why Toum Garlic Sauce Boosts Every Meal

• Blast Garlic Flavor: Transforms ordinary dishes into extraordinary culinary experiences with its intense, bold garlic profile that elevates everything from grilled meats to roasted vegetables.
• Master Kitchen Skills: Requires precise technique of emulsification, making it an excellent recipe for home cooks wanting to improve their culinary techniques and understand sauce-making principles.
• Versatile Condiment Companion: Incredibly adaptable sauce that pairs perfectly with Middle Eastern cuisine, can be used as a dip, spread, marinade, or flavor enhancer for multiple dishes across different cooking styles.
• Simple Ingredient Magic: Crafted with just a few basic pantry staples like garlic, oil, lemon juice, and salt, proving you can create restaurant-quality sauce with minimal ingredients and maximum impact.

Everything for Creamy Toum Garlic Sauce

• Garlic: A potent, aromatic bulb that forms the heart of this intense sauce.
• Salt: An essential seasoning that enhances the garlic's flavor and helps break down the cloves.
• Vegetable Oil: A neutral oil that helps create the creamy, emulsified texture of the sauce.
• Lemon Juice: A bright, acidic ingredient that balances the strong garlic flavor and adds freshness.

• Ice Water: A helpful liquid that can adjust the sauce's consistency if it becomes too thick.

• Food Processor, Scraper: Critical tools for creating a smooth and creamy garlic sauce by breaking down and blending the ingredients perfectly.

How to Make Toum Garlic Sauce Easily

Step 1: Prep Powerful Garlic

Remove the bitter green center from each garlic clove. Place peeled garlic and salt into a food processor.

Pulse until the garlic transforms into a fine, fragrant mixture, carefully scraping down the processor sides to ensure even consistency.

Step 2: Create Magical Emulsion

Begin drizzling oil into the running food processor in a thin, steady stream.

This technique helps build a smooth, stable sauce. Pause briefly to scrape processor sides.

Add lemon juice in small amounts, continuing to alternate between oil and lemon juice. Continue blending until the mixture becomes incredibly thick and cloud-like, with a brilliant white color and airy texture.

Step 3: Perfect the Texture

If the sauce seems too dense, introduce tiny amounts of ice water. Add water one teaspoon at a time, blending thoroughly between each addition.

The goal is a light, spreadable consistency that holds its shape beautifully.

Step 4: Store and Preserve

Transfer the luscious garlic sauce to an airtight container.

Refrigerate for up to one month. Before serving, let the toum rest at room temperature and give it a gentle stir to restore its fluffy character.

Notes for Bold and Creamy Garlic Sauce Lovers

• Remove the green germ from garlic cloves to eliminate unwanted bitter flavors and ensure a smooth, pleasant taste.
• Drizzle oil and lemon juice slowly while the food processor runs to create a stable, creamy sauce that won't separate.
• If the sauce becomes too thick, add a teaspoon of ice water at a time to achieve the perfect fluffy consistency.
• Store toum in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month, bringing it to room temperature and stirring before serving.
• Use toum as a versatile condiment to elevate grilled meats, roasted vegetables, and sandwiches with its intense garlic punch.

Ways to Switch Up Your Toum Garlic Sauce

• Low-Sodium Garlic Sauce: Replace salt with a pinch of herbs like oregano or thyme for flavor without sodium.
• Roasted Garlic Variation: Roast garlic cloves before processing to create a mellower, sweeter sauce with deeper complexity.
• Vegan Aioli Alternative: Substitute oil with aquafaba (chickpea liquid) and use plant-based oil for a dairy-free, egg-free version.
• Herb-Infused Toum: Add fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, or mint during processing to create a vibrant green sauce with additional aromatic layers.

What to Pair With Toum Garlic Sauce Dishes

Brush toum over chicken, lamb, or beef before grilling to infuse intense garlic flavor and create a deliciously crispy exterior.

Serve alongside falafel, shawarma, or kebabs as a zesty, creamy dipping sauce that adds bright, tangy notes to traditional recipes.

Drizzle toum over roasted cauliflower, potatoes, or eggplant to transform simple side dishes into extraordinary culinary experiences.

Pair with crisp, citrusy white wines like Sauvignon Blanc or a light, refreshing Lebanese Arak to balance the sauce’s bold garlic intensity.

Storing Toum Garlic Sauce for Later

• Store toum in an airtight glass container, pushing out excess air to prevent oxidation. Seal tightly and keep in the coldest part of the refrigerator for maximum freshness, lasting up to one month.
• Portion toum into small freezer-safe containers or ice cube trays. Freeze for up to three months, ensuring each portion is sealed individually to prevent freezer burn and maintain quality.
• Remove frozen toum from the freezer and transfer to the refrigerator overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before stirring to restore its original creamy texture.

FAQs

• What is the key to preventing the toum sauce from breaking?

The key is to add oil and lemon juice very slowly in a thin, steady stream while the food processor is running. This gradual incorporation helps create a stable emulsion and prevents the sauce from separating.

• Can I make toum without a food processor?

No, a food processor is essential for creating the right texture and emulsion. Blenders or hand mixtures won’t achieve the same fluffy, creamy consistency that makes toum unique.

• Why remove the green germ from garlic cloves?

Removing the green germ reduces the bitter taste and ensures a smoother, more pleasant flavor in the final sauce. The green sprout can make the garlic taste more harsh and intense.

Toum Garlic Sauce Recipe

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4.6 from 30 reviews

• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Silky Lebanese toum garlic sauce brings Mediterranean zest to your culinary adventures with its creamy, intense flavor profile. Robust garlic blends seamlessly into a luxurious condiment that elevates grilled meats, sandwiches, and roasted vegetables with bold, irresistible character.

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Ingredients

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Main Ingredients:

• 1 cup garlic cloves, peeled (approximately 4 1/2 ounces or 130 grams)
• 1 1/2 cups neutral oil (such as sunflower, grapeseed, or canola oil)

Seasoning Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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Instructions

1. Peel garlic cloves and remove the central green germ to minimize bitter undertones, ensuring a smoother flavor profile.
2. Place prepared garlic and salt into a food processor, pulsing until finely minced and uniform in texture.
3. Activate the food processor and gradually introduce oil in a thin, continuous stream, creating a stable emulsion while stopping periodically to scrape processor sides.
4. Alternate adding oil and lemon juice slowly, maintaining a steady stream to develop a light, airy consistency.
5. Continue blending until the sauce transforms into a thick, voluminous white mixture with a glossy, whipped appearance.
6. Assess the sauce’s texture; if overly dense, incorporate small amounts of ice water, one teaspoon at a time, to achieve desired smoothness.
7. Transfer the finished toum into a sealed glass container, ensuring an airtight environment.
8. Refrigerate the sauce, which maintains optimal quality for approximately 4 weeks.
9. Before serving, allow toum to rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes and gently stir to reintegrate any separated components.

Notes

• Reduce Garlic’s Sharpness by removing the green germ, which can make the sauce too pungent and bitter.
• Create Smooth Emulsion by adding oil and lemon juice extremely slowly, allowing each addition to fully incorporate before adding more to prevent sauce from breaking.
• Troubleshoot Consistency by adding ice water sparingly if the sauce becomes too thick, which helps maintain the light, airy texture without compromising flavor.
• Extend Shelf Life by storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, which preserves the sauce’s creamy texture and intense garlic flavor for up to a month.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Category: Appetizer, Snacks
• Method: Blending
• Cuisine: Lebanese

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 8
• Calories: 240
• Sugar: 0.1 g
• Sodium: 230 mg
• Fat: 27 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 25 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 1 g
• Fiber: 0.2 g
• Protein: 1.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg