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Toum is a Lebanese garlic sauce that’s actually more like a spread because of its thickness. It’s super popular to spread it over Shish Tawook, grilled chicken, shawarma, rotisserie chicken and many other Middle Eastern dishes. It’s basically a slow and steady emulsion process of garlic and oil and it’s utterly heavenly!
I used to think the proper way to make toum involved mayonnaise or egg whites. To me, it sounded like such a high-calorie sauce to be making at home and I saved it for dining out only. But then I discovered Maureen Abood‘s recipe for Lebanese garlic sauce, and it uses 4 ingredients: garlic, oil, lemon juice and salt. I was sold! It’s flavor-packed, vegan and easy-to-make!
What is garlic sauce made of?
- Garlic: The most important part of the recipe is the garlic. Find the freshest garlic bulbs you can find. Test them for firmness to make sure that they have the best consistency and flavor. You will need 1 cup of peeled garlic. You can freeze the remaining garlic.
- Oil: You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil or any other neutral oil you prefer. While avocado oil is neutral and won’t change the taste of the sauce, it will give it a yellow/green color. I do not recommend using olive oil because it will change the color of the garlic sauce and lend a stronger flavor than than the neutral oil. You want the garlic flavor to stand out more than the oil flavor. You’ll need 3-4 cups of oil.
- Lemon juice: The lemon plays a supporting role in the Lebanese garlic sauce, and helps to combine and emulsify so the oil doesn’t overpower the garlic. I use ½ a cup but you can decrease according to your taste preference. The lemon juice acts as a binder, so don’t leave it out.
- Salt: The salt helps to finely grate the garlic by adding traction to garlic’s natural wetness in the beginning of the processing. Plus, it helps to flavor the sauce.
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to make garlic sauce
Peel one cup of garlic cloves, which should be about 4 garlic bulbs. You can also buy pre-peeled garlic, but make sure it’s very fresh. I sometimes ask my local supermarket to peel it for me with their industrial machine, so I know it’s freshly peeled.
While our ancestors made garlic sauce by using a mortar and pestle and whisking patiently, that is a laborious process. I highly recommend using a food processor for the quickest way to make a light and airy texture. Place the peeled garlic and the kosher salt in the food processor and blend until it’s well minced, scraping down the sides as necessary.
In order to emulsify, just like making pesto, it’s important to run the oil very slowly in a thin stream and small batches at a time. When you first introduce the oil, start with only one tablespoon of oil. This gives the oil ample time to blend well into the salted garlic. You can’t really rush the process.
Make sure to scrape down the sides so that all the minced salted garlic gets well incorporated into the oil. After scraping down the sides, you can slowly add another tablespoon of oil. This initial introduction of the oil to the garlic is the most important step of making homemade toum.
You want it to look creamy and emulsified, like the image on the left, before you can speed up the process. Once it becomes airy and fluffy, it’s your cue to continue making the garlic sauce by alternating between pouring in the oil and pouring in the lemon juice. After about 15 minutes, it will look like the image on the right.
To let the garlic set, I cover it with a paper towel and store in the fridge, and let the flavors set in overnight before enjoying it. The paper towel allows some of the moisture to wick away while setting in the flavors. You can remove the paper towel after 24 hours and just cover it with a tight-fitting lid.
The end result is a light, airy, totally garlickly and beautifully creamy Lebanese garlic sauce. Its smooth texture and aromatic taste makes it so addictive to enjoy in so many ways!
Tips for making homemade garlic sauce
- Remove the green sprout from inside the garlic. This step is not necessary, but by doing so, it ensures that you remove the oldest part of the garlic to be left with the freshest whitest part of the garlic. The result in a less bitter sauce, so it’s worth the step if you have time.
- Soak the garlic in ice water for a few minutes for a less potent taste. Some readers have mentioned that the taste of the garlic was really strong. One way to reduce that potency is by soaking the garlic with ice water. Make sure to dry them thoroughly though afterwards if you do this.
- Make sure to alternate the lemon juice with the oil. I’ve had the garlic sauce fail on me a couple times when I tried leaving the lemon juice until the end, but the oil becomes too heavy to support the garlic that way. The lemon juice helps keep the consistency light, so I suggest alternating it as soon as the mixture is initially emulsified.
- Don’t use a blender. It’s really difficult to get the mixture to emulsify in a standard blender or immersion blender. A blender also doesn’t allow the ease of slowly drizzling in the oil while the motor is running over a large surface area. I do not recommend a blender.
What to eat with garlic sauce
The possibilities of how to serve toum are endless. I mostly enjoy it with grilled meat and chicken. But it works really well with grilled fish, in sandwiches, in pasta. It also works as a dip with pita bread and crackers. Or you can use it as a base for a garlickly salad dressing. Here are some great recipes that work with the garlic sauce.
- Shish Tawook (Chicken Skewers)
- Broccoli and Shrimp Pasta Alfredo
- Chicken Shawarma Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower Pitas
- Shawarma Pita Pizza
Frequently asked questions
If you keep it in an airtight container, this garlic sauce will last 3-4 months in the fridge! After that time, the strength of the garlic will start to fade.
You want to use a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, grapeseed or safflower oil. Olive oil will make it more dense and the color won’t be as bright and white.
It has happened to me a couple of times when I left the lemon juice at the end or when I added the oil too quickly. So it’s important to alternate the oil and lemon juice and don’t rush the process. If the mixture didn’t get fluffy and looks more liquid, it’s possible that it didn’t emulsify.
I would recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor and allowing the potato to help emulsify it. In that case though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
Before making the garlic sauce, you can soak the garlic for 30 minutes in ice water. After making the garlic sauce, you can whisk in some lemon juice to mellow down the flavor. I find it mellows down with time though.
More Lebanese Recipes
- Tahini Sauce
- Homemade Labneh
- Ful Medames
- Peas and Carrots Stew
- Lebanese Falafel
- Mujadara
- Kousa
- Lebanese Freekeh with Chicken
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Lebanese Garlic Sauce recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
This Garlic Sauce Recipe was originally published on July 11, 2018. I’m updating the post to include step-by-step photos and a video tutorial. Here’s the original photo!
Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup garlic cloves peeled
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 3 cups neutral oil such as vegetable or canola
- ½ cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Slice the garlic cloves in half lengthwise and remove any green sprouts.
- Transfer the sliced garlic cloves into a food processor and add the kosher salt to the garlic cloves. Process for a minute until the garlic becomes finely minced. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the food processor afterwards.
- While the food processor is running, slowly pour one to two tablespoons of oil, then stop and scrape down the bowl. Continue adding another tablespoon or two until the garlic starts looking creamy.
- Once the garlic looks emulsified by the few tablespoons of oil, increase the speed of pouring the oil and alternate with the ½ cup of lemon juice until all the oil and lemon juice is incorporated. This will take about 15 minutes to complete.
- Transfer the sauce into a glass container and cover with a paper towel in the fridge overnight. Makes about 4 cups.
- The next day, replace the paper towel with an airtight lid and keep in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
1st time, I tried to half the recipe and it failed. I think it was because of my large capacity food processor. 2nd time, did full recipe AND chilled all the ingredients… worked like a charm! Super excited to use it for thanksgiving turkey this year. Going to rub it under the skin before I roast it!
Yum, that sounds so good!! I had never thought of using toum on a roasted turkey, thanks for the inspiration! So glad you were able to get the recipe to work for you!!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! It is super easy to make and paired deliciously with chicken shish tawook. Followed the directions and amounts exactly and it came out perfectly. Highly recommend this recipe to anyone reading this!
Aww, thank you so much! So glad you liked it, Molly!!
Can I used minced garlic from a jar if drained? Also can I use olive oil or avocado oil?
Between olive oil and avocado oil, I recommend avocado—although, it will give your toum a yellowish-green color. The olive oil flavor is too overpowering. I do not recommend minced garlic from a jar as all of the sauce’s flavor comes from the freshly minced garlic. Hope that helps!
Do you think this could be made with avocado oil or a super light olive oil?
I don’t recommend using olive oil because it will lend a stronger flavor that overpowers the garlic. Avocado oil is a better choice of the two because it’s neutral and won’t change the taste of the sauce, but it will give it a yellow/green color that can be unappealing.
Hi there, tried it a few nights ago and loved it! Thank you for the recipe. I just had one question. Should I still be scraping the sides in between adding the oil and lemon juice steps? I did it each time out of caution.
Thanks, Moody! I typically only need to scrape the sides during the garlic mincing step. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for this, I’ve been trying to make this for years and recipe is awesome. I had used only 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable oil. It was perfect!!!! I have a ninja food processor and think that helped out a lot!
Amazing! Aww, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you!!
Hi!
So unfortunately this did not work out for me. I give it 5 stars for the flavor, but it was thin (not broken) so I added a potato like you said and then THAT broke it LOL. I should have just enjoyed it thin instead of ruining the entire thing. I removed a lot of the oil after it broke and might still consider using the base because the flavor was PHENONMENAL.
I would literally put that on popcorn LOL. It had so much flavor. Who knew garlic could make such a complex sauce with a little oil, salt, and lemon.
As a professional Chef, I have made tons of hollandaise, mayo, Béarnaise, Beurre blanc, etc so I thought this would be pretty easy. I guess not. Thankfully my mom was at the store so I had her just pick some Toum up from a local farmer that distributes to our grocery stores.
Thanks for the recipe, I am sorry it didn’t turn out.
Kristi
Hi Kristi, so sorry the toum didn’t work out for you! Any chance you left the lemon juice until the end or added the oil too quickly? Slowly alternating the oil and lemon juice is a critical step and typically the reason why the sauce doesn’t thicken up and emulsify properly.
Just wanted to add I’ve made Toum only twice before, the first time it did not set up and was way too thin, second time I had refrigerated my oil because I figured everything had gotten too warm, that worked perfectly! (This is great, especially when I make shawarma….miss it from when we lived in the Middle East)
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and perspective, Car! This is really helpful.
Hi Yumna! I saw this recipe a few weeks ago and decided to make it tomorrow. It looks delicious! I was planning on doing a sort of toum BLT thing on naan with lettuce, tomato and bacon, but then I saw an image above of your Shish Tawook and MY GOD that looks so good! Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Your toum BLT idea sounds so good too!! I hope you enjoy both recipes! Thanks, Kristi!!
I absolutely love this garlic sauce!! I never thought I could make this at home, until now!! Wow! It is easy and delicious. I made it today to use tomorrow on your Shish Tawook. Thank you so much for the great recipes!!
Yay, so glad you love it!! I hope you like it on your shish tawook, let me know what you think!!
Wow! I just found my new favorite condiment. I cut the recipe in half and it worked just fine. I didn’t have an open spout on my mini processor so I just added about a tablespoon or two at a time. I love garlic and this sauce is amazing. I plan to cut it with Greek yogurt for chicken gyros tomorrow instead of having tzatziki sauce. Can’t wait to see what else I can use it on!
Yay, that makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you, Lori! So glad you love the recipe!
G’day Ms. Yumna,
Thank you for sharing Ms. Yumna 🙂
I fell in love with garlic sauce the first time I tasted it when I came to Sydney 20yrs ago. Since then I planned to make it. I asked a couple of my Lebo friends but I never actually tried making. Not until I started planning my own business. So, I want to ask permission if I may base your garlic sauce recipe version to my version, please? I did a couple of catering test and they liked it. I hope you wont mind me sharing with your success. And I want to ask permission if I may also advertise your website at my food stall, please? 🙂
Thanking you in advance 🙂
God bless you more!
Aww thank you so much for the kind words and I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipe so much and want to use it in your catering business. That’s totally fine with me. Thank you!
I have been making this Toum recipe for years. I reduced the oil by half a cup as I prefer a firmer texture. Love it!!
Amazing! So happy you love it, Katia!
I made this for the first time tonight. My brand new food processor jammed and refused to turn back on after I removed the jam. So – I used my blender! It worked great! The toum tastes wonderful. I am so excited to use it tomorrow night with my salmon kabobs and herb rice.
Amazing! Sounds so good paired with salmon kabobs and herb rice. Thanks, Roxie!
OMG thank you for sharing this recipe! I had that giant bag of peeled garlic from Costco and was trying to figure out uses. I LOVE the ready-made Toom brand garlic dip but never knew I could make it myself! It’s cheaper and no preservatives! And it’s sooooo easy!!! I followed your instructions to the letter including using safflower oil.
Question: what’s behind covering with a paper towel overnite before sealing with a lid?
Yay! So happy you love it, Madhvi!! The paper towel helps some of the moisture wick away while the flavors set in.
Oh that makes sense. It turned out wonderfully!
Perfect, wow! Exactly the taste and texture of toum, just like at a Lebanese restaurant. I’m proud!
I think I understand why some people end up with a more liquid texture. In my case, my food processor is old and overheats when I run it for more than 10 minutes. I noticed that the emulsion was much less effective when the container got hot, so I transferred everything to my stand mixer (which doesn’t overheat) and continued adding the oil, and the texture is perfect.
I used fresh garlic from a local farm (im in Canada), canola oil and fresh Lemon juice. Miam!
Yay!! So glad your toum turned out amazing! That’s a good point, some older food processors might struggle to run as long as it takes for the sauce to emulsify. Thanks, Marie!!
Great recipe. Curious as to why the paper towel over the overnight? Does this absorb the garlic smell?
Good question! The paper towel allows some of the moisture to wick away while the flavors set.
This came out AWESOME. I followed your directions to a T and used avocado oil. I took the full 15 minutes and it came out so airy and light. It packs a really big punch of flavor on its own but mellows out when it’s dolloped on chicken, rice, veggies etc.
one thing I’ll note that I can’t guarantee is correct-but I tried to make toum one other time and it wouldn’t emulsify. I don’t remember if it was this recipe or not. But I had cut the recipe down to 1/3 and I suspect that might have been part of the problem.
So, recommending to folks that you make the full amount bc I really think that was part of my issue before. It needs to fill the processor to come together! I think.
Thanks for an amazing recipe!!!!
Amazing! So glad your toum turned out great, Sheldon!! Your note on using the full ingredient amounts is interesting, thank you so much for sharing that observation.
Hi, the day I made the sauce it came out perfect but after a day it taste too strong and sour/lemony. How can I fix it? Please help
Hmm, that’s odd! The stronger garlic flavor could be from sitting over time, certain varieties of garlic have a stronger flavor after a day or two. How fresh was your garlic? Your garlic could have been older (and therefore, more pungent). As for the sour flavor, could your lemon have been a bit underripe? I’m guessing you stored the toum properly in the fridge?
I’m from Detroit, where the most Lebanese live in entire USA, so I’m used to very authentic Lebanese food and it’s all about a good garlic sauce with Lebanese food. This is the most authentic garlic sauce recipe you’ll ever taste. I definitely recommend canola oil, as other oils don’t turn out nearly as good. This is sooooo yummy!
Aww thank you so much, Jeanie! That makes me so happy to hear!!
I tried this before using the 3 cups of oil as directed. And EVERY time, when I got to the last 1/2 cup or so, it would separate! So this time, I stopped when there was 2/3 of a cup left – and it’s perfect. Don’t know why 3 cups seems to work for everyone else!
Interesting, thanks for sharing! I’m curious, what type of oil do you use?
Flavor is right on. Consistency, hard to get – learned not to use a Vitamix because it heats the oil…And when it says 15 minutes to complete; it means, the oil should be added almost in droplets (found this out later too 🙂 )
I didn’t know a Vitamix would heat the oil, thank you for sharing! Yes, the oil needs to be added very, very slowly. So happy you were able to adjust your timing and nail the emulsification. Great job, Jane!!
I’m just getting ready to make this for the 5th time. I’m soooo in love with this sauce. I just realized I never told you! Thank you for sharing. It will sit overniight and tomorrow will be the sauce for my homemade chicken shawarma pizza. I can hardly wait.
Chicken shawarma pizza?? Ooh that sounds so good!! I’m so happy you love my toum and are using it in such a delicious way. Thank you, Glenda!! I hope your pizza turns out amazing!
Can I swap out the lemon juice for orange juice? I plan to fresh squeeze from actual oranges.
Hi Colin, I’ve never tried making toum with orange juice before so I’m not sure how it would taste. Please report back to let me know how it turned out if you end up trying it!
I made this and finished it with an immersion blender to get it smooth and fluffy. However the taste was like chewing on raw garlic cloves. None of the cloves were green. How can I correct this? I added extra oil and lemon to dilute but it’s still very spicy and overwhelming.
Hi Stephanie, did you happen to use older garlic? If the garlic you use isn’t fresh enough it can create a stronger, spicier flavor. It can be challenging to determine how long garlic has been sitting when you buy it from the grocery store.
We made this and it was awful! Thin and runny and tasted like pure garlic. Very disappointed ☹️
So sorry to hear that, Terri. How long did you blend your toum for? Did you make sure to alternate adding lemon juice and oil?
Love the recipe! Can I freeze it with potatoes added?
I haven’t tried freezing it with potatoes but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! I would love to hear how it goes if you try it out.
AMAZING!!! I freaked out at first because it was thin. You definitely have to trust the process of alternating oil and lemon juice slowly. I did blend for the full 15 minutes. It came out beautifully fluffy. Thank you!!!
Yay, I’m so glad you trusted the process and loved how it turned out! Thanks, Angela!
I tried making this recipe as I love this sauce, it did turn out watery so I tried reading the comments for help. I did see adding potato was a possible solution. One question I did have though is, after the first two times you add the oil then scrape the bowl, do you keep the food processor on for 15 minutes straight as you alternate between adding the oil and lemon? Or do you keep turning it off each time?
Good question, Lucy. You keep it on!
I made this in a small Ninja food processor with the motor on top, it didn’t come out as white and fluffy had I used a normal food processor (I don’t have one) but it was still delicious like other toum recipes I’ve tried. I like to add a little ice water like Maureen Abood’s recipe sometimes. Toum is so tasty and addicting, but does anyone else find that such a high garlic concentration slightly burns the mouth and tongue?
Thanks, Gol!! I’m so glad you were able to make your small Ninja food processor work!
Thank you Yumna for the recipe .it is the best toum sauce I ever tried since the Marrouch tounm of Beirut. Thank you again.
You’re too kind! Thank you for making it and taking the time to leave a comment!
Hello! I want to try making this and I have a mini food processor but the lid has no opening to drizzle oil or liquids into the bowl for emulsion…what else can be done for this step, if anything? I don’t want the toum to break…TIA.
Hi! I haven’t tried it without the slow drip while the food processor is on, but I think you can try to turn it off and drizzle a small amount and see how that works. The slow emulsion is really the best for the sauce.
Could you add basil to this recipe?
Sorry, I’ve never added basil before! I’m not sure if it would work.
Did this recipe and was a sure HIT!!! It goes well with grilled and even fried meat! Very versatile! The only drawback is the “garlic breath” you’ll have once you’ve overeaten this absolutely delicious sauce/dip!
Haha yes, the garlic breath is a trade-off but well worth it! Thank you, Mezzy! So happy you liked the recipe.
First time making a garlic sauce and it was a success. Very well explained. Can’t go wrong
Thank you so much, Isabelle!!
Can I cut this recipe in half to get the same results? I’ve made it several times but we never end up using it all so trying to avoid waste. So yummy! Thanks!
Yes, definitely!
Delicious and actually worked!
I saw a recipe for “garlic sauce” somewhere else and tried it twice without success, both time ending with a liquidy mess. I searched online hoping to find a recipe that would explain what I did wrong and came across this one. Turns out, the other recipe skipped the clearly crucial step of emulcifying the garlic with just the oil first! I gave this recipe a go and was delighted to succeed first try! Everyone loved it and I will definitely make this again.
Thank you so much! I’m happy you found the recipe helpful, toum can be tough but it sounds like it worked out beautifully for you!!
Just made this to go with tomorrow’s lunch of falafel, it’s amazing! I used my homegrown garlic, it couldn’t be fresher. The recipe is easy to follow and looks and tastes fantastic! Thank you x
Yum, homegrown garlic? I’m sure your toum turned out amazing!! Enjoy your falafel lunch!
This is an amazing recipe!!! I harvested my garlic 2 days ago and had no clue as what to do with the broken cloves. I had just the perfect amount for the recipe. Feels good to grow your own garlic and make something beautiful with it!!! Thank you!!!!!!
Aww, I love that you grew your own garlic for your toum! That makes it extra special!! So happy you enjoyed the recipe.
The common ingredients of toum (lemon, salt, oil, and the garlic) taste better if you add yogurt, just for a day or two. Sweetened yogurt for me is better.
Good tip, I’ll have to try that!
Hi Yumna! I’m a long time follower of yours. I love this recipe and have made it successfully a few times. However, the last few times I’ve tried making it, I can’t get the toum to thicken up at all. It just turns into a yellow-ish liquid. My mom (who is Armenian, born in Lebanon) gave me a few pointers on how to “fix” it with corn starch, raw eggs, ice, etc. But last few times I tried making it those didn’t work either. Sadly, im out of ideas. Do you have any suggestions as to what I might try to get the emulsification process right? I appreciate your help!
Hi Tina, my toum has gotten too liquidy a couple of times when I left the lemon juice at the end or when I added the oil too quickly. It’s important to alternate the oil and lemon juice and be sure not to rush the process. Certain oils can change the color, what type of oil did you use when it turned yellow? If your toum breaks, I recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor to help emulsify it. Be sure to can only store the garlic sauce for 7-10 days if end up adding potato, though. Good luck!
That’s the weird thing, I’ve actually made this recipe many times and it always came put perfect. It’s just the last few times when I can’t get it right, despite doing everything exactly the same. It’s not that it’s breaking – it’s not even emulsifying at all anymore. It just automatically turns into a liquid and nothing I have tried fixes it, not even the potatoes! Maybe the garlic I have isn’t fresh enough, I don’t know. I try to buy the freshest ones I can find, but maybe I just don’t know how to pick the good ones lol. I think I might just have to give up on this one. It’s getting expensive wasting all these ingredients on something that’s just not working 😕.
I found the same problem when I used garlic from China. Turns out MOST of the garlic sold in my locals stores is from China. And the ones in the know told me it is usually very old by the time we buy it. I got some, fresh, local garlic and some from Spain that the store noted was freshly grown in the current year. That did seem to make a difference.
Great recipes thanks Yumna, I love both recipes the Shish Tawook and the garlic sauce. I have tried several times to make the garlic sauce but failed. Will try again. The Shish Tawook sounds good with adding the tomato paste to the garlic, lemon and laban. Many thanks.
Aww so happy you like both recipes, Fadia!
It is fluffy, yummy and simply the best recipe. Easy to make! Love it and so does everyone else that had it!
Thanks so much, Sandy! So happy everyone loved it!!
This recipe was so easy to follow and the result is delicious perfection. I used canola oil because it’s what I had on hand and pre-peeled garlic from Sam’s Club. I love that it will last so long in the fridge. Thank you!
Aww, I’m so glad you liked how it turned out! You’re welcome!!
I discovered and became addicted to toum, when Costco had a giant tub of it. They discontinued it, so I went in search of a recipe. That’s how bad I needed my fix. Your recipe is even better!! Same ingredients, but apparently different ratios. This batch, I used avocado oil, because that’s what I had. Next time I’ll try a less expensive oil, like canola. Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe!
It makes me so happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe and were able to get your toum fix haha, it’s definitely addictive!!
Anything that gets me to eat more vegetables! Does it count if I have a bit of broccoli on the side, with a big bowl of toum?
Hahaha I think it counts, yes!
😂😊
Question: it’s now a week later. Opened the Snapware container yesterday and my lovely whippy dip was soupy and oily. What happened? Anything I can do to fix it? Should I use a bit of stabilizer next time, like tara gum or xanthum gum?
Yes, there is! You can add the toum back into the food processor with 1-2 boiled potatoes to help emulsify it. However, once you add the potatoes, you’ll only be able to store the garlic sauce for 7-10 days. Be sure to cover the sauce with a paper towel before storing it in the fridge as well, the paper towel allows some of the moisture to wick away while the flavors set in. After 24 hours, you can remove the paper towel and just cover it with your tight-fitting lid.
I just bought a 1-lb tub of toum at Costco today, 6/22/24, so maybe your store was out of it? Or maybe the local Costcos don’t all carry the same thing. Our local Wegman’s also sells it, but in smaller containers. I tried making it myself, but did not get anywhere near the smooth results that the Costco spread has.
Sauce is very thin and separated in fridge. I made half recipe and followed directions, but not same consistency as photo of yours. Great flavor though.
It’s possible that it didn’t emulsify properly. This can happen if you leave the lemon juice at the end or if you add the oil too quickly (you have to alternate the oil and lemon juice and add them really, really slowly). The good news is that you can try adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor to help emulsify it, if you’d like. Hope that helps!
Can I use it the same day and not have it sit overnight?
Yes, you can use it without having it sit overnight. Leaving it in the fridge overnight helps it set, but is not required.
I love it
I’m so glad!! Thanks, Fadi!
Made this yesterday. I did not have lemon juice so I used lime juice instead. Came out perfect! It’s a little spicy but I may have used a little over 1 cup of garlic. So delicious!
Yay!! I’ve never tried making toum with lime juice, I’m so happy you liked how it turned out!
I made it last week it come out watery I tried to mend it with an egg white. I did it today it came out perfectly very excited thank you so much for this recipe
Aww, yay!! Toum can definitely be tricky, I’m so glad you were able to nail it this time!
Could this be frozen? Thank you!
Hi Shawna! Yes, you can freeze it. But honestly I wouldn’t bother because it lasts 3-4 months in the fridge. It’s so yummy that you should have no problem finishing it in that time frame, plus it will taste better if it’s kept in the fridge instead!
I bought some from The Beruiy Restaurant in St. Paul, Mn. after we had a fantastic lunch. I put it on our hard shell tacos tonight with onion and olives added to our regular tacos. It was absolutely fantastic. Can’t wait to try your recipe. It looks just like the garlic sauce I purchased. Thanks so much. Ev
Yay, how exciting that you’ve discovered toum! I hope you enjoy the recipe!! Let me know if you have any questions.
This turned out beautifully! I have a Cuisinart food processor too. I used grapeseed oil and prepared the garlic exactly as she said. I had bought the Toum sauce from Costco for like 6.49 and this made triple the amount for a fraction of the price! My food processor only had one speed but it worked great
Yay, love to hear it turned out so well for you!! Saving money is a huge benefit of making toum at home. Enjoy!!
Yunma,
I love this recipe! Thank you for sharing!!!
Mine emulsified beautifully! I was so excited!!! 🙂
It did come out more spicy than expected. I may have added a little less oil than indicated. (I couldn’t remember how many tbps of oil I added first, so erred on the conservative side)
How spicy is this Toum supposed to be traditionally?
Thanks again!!!
Will try more of your recipes soon!
Glad I found you!
Thanks, Maria!! Did you cut each bulb of garlic in half and remove the sprout in the middle? That can help take out the spice of the raw garlic.
How can something that is made with just garlic and oil be soooo creamy!! Made it for the first time, came out perfectly, not sure I can eat meats without this sauce now! Thank you so much!
Yay, I’m so glad you love it!! I love always having it on hand to add to meats too!
Yumna – my family and I have been loving this recipe. When I first made it with avocado oil, it came out beautifully and everyone raved about it. However, 1 week later, the second I take it out of the fridge and put it on my plate, it instantly starts melting. I thought it lasted up to 1 month in fridge? What do you think?
I did it just like it said and it’s watery. 😩. I just put it in the fridge but can’t imagine it will get creamy. Help please.
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that! It sounds like your toum didn’t emulsify properly. This has happened to me a couple of times when I added the lemon juice at the end or added the oil too quickly. Make sure to take your time and alternate the oil and lemon juice next time. In the meantime, you can add 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor to help emulsify it. If you do, be sure to store the garlic sauce for no more than 7-10 days. Hope this helps!
I made the garlic sauce because I am a garlic lover and it is so delicious! Definitely going to always be making it so it’s always on hand! It goes with everything and makes it so much more yummy. 10/10
Yay, I’m so glad you loved it!! I love making big batches to always have on hand too!
This was so good!! Don’t have to go out for Shawarma anymore
Ha! So glad to hear.
This is delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe. Why do you cover it with a paper towel instead of putting a lid on right away?
The paper towel allows some of the moisture to wick away while setting in the flavors. You can remove the paper towel after 24 hours and just cover it with a tight-fitting lid.
Mine is too runny and won’t whip up. Maybe I added the 3 cups of oil too fast? Will it whip up eventually? I’ve been blending in my ninja processor for over 15 minutes. What did I do wrong?!?! 🙁 it tastes exactly like the trader joes garlic sauce I just can’t get the texture right… I used canola oil
It has happened to me a couple of times when I left the lemon juice at the end or when I added the oil too quickly. So it’s important to alternate the oil and lemon juice and don’t rush the process. If the mixture didn’t get fluffy and looks more liquid, it’s possibly that it didn’t emulsify.
I would recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor and allowing the potato to help emulsify it. In that case though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
Thank you! Adding two small potatoes to the recipe, following your suggestion, finally made the sauce get white and fluffy in my case. I used half the amounts the author suggested, so if someone’s using the full amount and faces the same problem as us, they may need to add approximately four small boiled potatoes.
Thanks, Rashed! So happy you were able to save your toum!
Decided to make shawarma for dinner and someone suggested I make toum as well. Tried it and absolutely love it!!!
I so happy you found this recipe, you’ll want to have it on hand from here on out!
This sauce is the 💣.. second time I make it, first time it separated but you just shake it and it’s perfect. I used 1 1/2 cups of garlic, 17 Oz Avocado oil, salt and lemon juice as recipe. I had been buying Trader Joe’s Garlic Dip and ran out ( live 90 miles from TJ. I searched for a recipe and this came up …so glad. You get a lot more making it yourself. Thank you for a delicious recipe❤️
So happy you enjoyed it!
I used a Kitchen Aid food processor. It’s a high quality machine that can run for a long time. Also, I was happy with the consistency after adding 2 cups of oil so I stopped there.
Thanks for the feedback, I’m glad it worked out well.
I have made this recipe so many times and it is truly the BEST. Today I made it and it totally separated. I made it with a food processor like I always do and the same way I always do. I can’t seem to recover it any ideas?
I was recently introduced to toum when I saw it at my local Aldi. They no longer carry it but I’ve thought about it non stop! I researched recipes and was quite frankly was intimidated by all the comments about it turning out runny bc of the oil not emulsifying. I decided to take a chance with this recipe. I don’t know why I waited so long! It turned out so so good! My garlic was not as fresh as I’d like so it did turn out spicy but still so delicious! It made a lot more than I was expecting and I’m the only one in the house that will eat it so I’m really hoping it doesn’t go bad before. Thank you so much for the easy to follow, detailed recipe!
So glad to hear!
This is delicious! I am making my own Toum after our store stopped stocking it. Thank you for a great recipe!
Yay! So happy you gave it a try!
Second time making it. It’s always great but you have to have the patience of Job. 😂 Mine tends to be kinda spicy when it’s first made. But over the month it mellows out.
Yes, patience is key for sure!!
Amazing sauce! I was a little intimidated trying this recipe, but the instructions were easy to follow and it turned out perfect!
Yay! So glad to hear.
I have always loved this sauce at Lebanese restaurants and decided to make it to accompany some lamb chops I was making for Easter. Unfortunately, my definition of “impossibly slow” must not be slow enough, because it was more of a heavy cream consistency. Rather than throwing it out, I used it to marinate the lamb, and it was incredibly delicious! I would find it helpful to know exactly what quantity to put in at a time (even if you’re like “1/8 of a teaspoon every 2 minutes”) because I would love to have success with it, but am now a little intimidated. Thanks, it still turned out great even if it was not what I expected.
Such a smart way to use it up, even if the consistency wasn’t perfect. I would say you really want to add the oil in drop by drop, it will take a while, but you want to make sure the oil you add is emulsified into the mixture before you add more. Hope that helps!
Instead of food processor can I use a hand blender as I don’t have a good processor?
Hi there, I wish you could, but you need the powder of the food processor to make this emulsion.
Oh my. This was wonderful! Turned out perfectly and it was such a tasty addition to my meal for friends…who all LOVE garlic!
Yay! Glad it worked out so well for you!
Total fail. Maybe I didn’t do it slowly enough? It is just complete liquid. Never emulsified at all. Going to try to add the potatoes as you suggest but dont know what to do differently next time. How much oil do you put in during the first 2 or three rounds?
JE
Hi there, yes, you have to drip it in impossibly slow. Were you using a food processor?
I made a half recipe and it turned out amazing! We don’t have any Mediterranean restaurants here (small rural town) and my fatayer were begging for some toum, so I decided to try this recipe out. Absolutely worth the time!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Mine separated 🙁 what did I do wrong? Used canola oil, added a very small amount slowly, keep the processor running, fresh lemon juice. Set a timer for 15 min. Anything I can do now to emulsify?
I would recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor and allowing the potato to help emulsify it. In that case though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
This is the 2nd time I made toum. The first time it turned out OK flavor wise ,but the texture wasn’t right. Also ,I was using an immersion blender( the recipe said it was fine to do so).
This time I used your recipe ,with my processor, and it turned out great! Fluffy ,creamy, and totally yummy!
So glad to hear! Yes, the food processor is the way to go in my opinion!
I tried this with half a batch but used my immersion blender as my food processor was too large for that amount. . It did not emulsify. It looks curdled. What did I do wrong?
It’s really important to use the food processor here and also drip the oil in ever so slowly. Did you add the oil all at once?
No I did not add the oil all at once. I did drizzel some in until it became a smooth paste. And because I needed 2 hands to keep the emulsion blender going my husband alternated the oil and lemon in a stream. I did cut the recipe in half maybe that was a factor
I think it’s just that the blender is not strong enough for this recipe. So sorry it didn’t work out! I strongly suggest trying it in a food processor if you have one!
Can you suggest a healthier substitute for the oil? Plain yogurt? Sesame , olive, coconut, or avacado oil?
You want to use a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, grapeseed or safflower oil. Olive oil will make it more dense and the color won’t be as bright and white.
I was wondering the same thing. Would love to try with a healthier oil, especially when using so much.
This recipe shows 3 CUPS of oil… that can’t be right…
Hi there, I know it seems like a lot, but this recipe makes a huge batch and a little of the sauce goes along way.
Agreed, I would prob cut it to two. While mine turned out good texture wise, it has more oil than garlic taste
Hello,
Would you please tell me what speed I should be using on my food processor? I am not sure if I should be doing this on low, medium or high. I followed the directions (took exactly 15 minutes) and it didn’t produce that beautiful fluffy texture. It’s delicious but runny.
Thanks.
Hi there! My processor only has one speed, did you use a processor or a blender?
Great recipe. I started making toum a few years ago with a recipe that included a potato but found it quite cumbersome, time consuming, and sometimes it worked, a few times even with a potato it didn’t.
This one worked well and turned out amazing. I didn’t bother with slicing garlic, just cut off the dry ends
So happy you enjoyed it!
I have made this recipe at least 6 times in the last year and it’s so good! Tonight, I too had the issue with emulsification. Clueless as to why, other than the garlic at our local grocery stores this time of year isn’t super fresh. The heads aren’t tightly packed and super easy to peel. Way too easy, in fact. Only a few green sprouts to remove.
I was so confused with the end result. Even kept the food processor going an extra 5 minutes while hoping. It still tastes amazing and I shoved it in the fridge hoping it would set up a bit. We are going to roll with soupy sauce tonight and try the boiled potato trick tomorrow.
If you make this, and follow the instructions and dont end up with an amazing cloud like Toum, please try again. It’s been perfection the previous 5 times
Sorry it didn’t turn out well this evening, but I know the potato trick will work perfectly tomorrow!
In case of losing the emulsification…
I’ve made this recipe several times, though with two times the amount of ingredients (though only four cups of oil instead of 6).
On the first occassion, tried an immersion blender and lost the emulsification.
Second time, bought a food processor. Worked perfectly, though I spent too long of a time drizzling in the oil and leon juice so very slowly.
Third time, sped up the addition of the liquids, and again lost the emulsification.
On both of those occassions where it went liquid, I was able to recover it by adding a few egg whites. turned out fluffy again. Just know that you’ll need to eat it fast if you do add the egg whites (I think within a week).
I am Ukrainian. We LOVE garlic. I stumbled upon this condiment (?) and I don’t know how I went 50 years without this in my life. This is garlic at its finest. Removing the germ is crucial. I used sunflower oil and had no problems having the texture come out correctly. Between juicing the lemons, peeling the garlic, de-germing, and processing, I spent about 1 hour. Totally worth every second.
I so happy you enjoyed this recipe, it’s a favorite in my house as well!
I’m surprised anyone had trouble with this. It did the recipe in the middle of cooking dinner because I just wanted some toum with my kebabs. I’m not a pro cook by any means, but this is a very, very simple recipe lol.
Anyway, rant aside.
It worked great. I just had to apologize to my wife because of my extreme garlic breath lol.
Ha! Glad you enjoyed and had an easy time throwing it together!
I love this stuff. But it sounds a bit troublesome to make correctly. Luckily I live in an area where there are a lot of good mid-Eastern restaurants, so I’d rather just buy it. One, in particular, serves it with those fast pillowy pitas straight out of the oven. Great with crudities, too.
That is very lucky! It’s a bit labor intensive, but the homemade version is well worth it!
I made this today and I am in love!!! I can use this on so many things! I used it as my salad dressing today! Probably never buying store bought dressing again! I will out this on steak, shrimp and chicken. Thanks for sharing!
This makes me so happy, thanks for sharing!
Hi, I made this today and it never became solid and fluffy. It was like a thick soup. What happened? Not enough garlic? Too much oil? I followed to a T. Picking out those green stems out of all that garlic too close to an hour! Wow! Any easier day to get those little boogers out of there? A little discouraged, but still hopeful. Any pointers are appreciated 😁
Hi there, so sorry you had trouble with this! Only advice on the green garlic stems is trying to find super fresh garlic. The longer it sits, to more shoots form. As for the texture, it’s important to alternate the oil and lemon juice and don’t rush the process. If the mixture didn’t get fluffy and looks more liquid, it’s possibly that it didn’t emulsify. I would recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor and allowing the potato to help emulsify it. In that case though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
This happened to me too. Seems like this is a common problem with toum! I read somewhere else to add one boiled potato to the food processor if the garlic oil mixture doesn’t every become fluffy. That did the trick! Something about the starch from the potato made the yummiest, thick, fluffy garlic sauce ever. Highly recommend.
Yes! The potato trick works everytime!
Quick, easy and delicious. I added it to spaghetti sauce, but I had to guess how much. Have you worked out how many tablespoons per clove?
I haven’t but I would try starting with 1/2 tablespoon and add from there to taste.
I made this using a mini food processor and it worked perfectly. I used olive oil directly from Palestine which gave it a green tint but the taste is divine. Super fluffy and very garlicky.
Amazing, thanks for sharing!
Hello
I was trying to make this but i think i made something wrong .. it didn’t become creamy at all.. can U pls advice why?
Thanks. Waiting for your answer.
Oc
It has happened to me a couple of times when I left the lemon juice at the end or when I added the oil too quickly. So it’s important to alternate the oil and lemon juice and don’t rush the process. If the mixture didn’t get fluffy and looks more liquid, it’s possibly that it didn’t emulsify.
I would recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor and allowing the potato to help emulsify it. In that case though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
I’m totally looking for this recipe as I was tasting a very good Shawarma I had yesterday! It was sooo good like I’m really in the middle east! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Will try it soon & keepa stock in my fridge hehehe. Question though, have you tried using lime instead of lemon? Does it work?
Really happy you liked it! Lime juice should work just fine.
Thank you for such a detailed recipe. I made just half the recipe because I only wanted to use my small food processor and I thought a little would go a long way. I followed your instructions to the best of my ability and patience and it turned out perfectly!
So glad to hear!
I’ve made this successfully in a Vitamix. Take your time at the beginning for the first two cups, by the third cup of oil I just dumped it in along with the rest of the lemon juice and it turned out beautifully.
Thanks for the feedback!
Would it work to cut the recipe in half?
It should be ok if you have a smaller food processor. If you only have a large one it might not be enough ingredients to keep the mixture moving.
I was truly obsessed with the garlic sauce I had in the Middle East. I made it a few times and it was very sharp. Seeing your video I made it with less garlic and was slow in doing the steps. It turned out wonderfully white and fluffy and yummy. It was a little sharp though unlike the ones I have had before. But I will try again this weekend. It’s addictive. I eat with everything – including with my burger or even tandoori chicken from an Indian restaurant.
So glad the texture came out perfectly for you!
Oh, so incredibly delicious!! It came out really thick, and I read elsewhere to add A little.cold water until it was the consistency I wanted. My husband and kids heartily approved of it along with the Chicken Schwarma and Flaybread!
Yay! So happy to hear.
Thank you🙂💖
I tried the reciepe for the first time and the emulasion broke 🙁 I used a cup of garlic, which was about 2.5 bulbs, should I have used more garlic? Could that be the reason?
It’s usually about adding the oil painfully slow. I would recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor and allowing the potato to help emulsify it. In that case though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
Obsessed!!! I just made this for the 3rd time – we fly through it & use it on EVERYTHING. I’m not sure why I haven’t discovered it before now. I have shared with so many people (both the recipe & the finished product). Thank you so much for the recipe!
So happy to hear that you like it, it is soo good and addictive!!
I have made this recipe a few time always a hit with family.
So glad to hear!
best ever ! and easy….we’ve been buying garlic sauce from various restaurants and stores in the Brighton , South Lyon area …this is better !
So glad you enjoyed this!
Made this today for some kabobs. It is absolutely incredible. I could eat this on everything.
Ahh thanks! So happy you loved this!
The first time I made this it turned out pure perfection. Everyone devoured it and dreamed about it later!
The second time, I rushed it and the emulsion broke. I saw the tip to add the boiled potato but I didn’t have any. But for some strange reason, i did have a box of instant garlic flavored potatoes. I decided to give it whirl. I considered just using the dry flakes for thickening but instead prepared the potatoes according to the package instructions then added what looked like one potato to the blender. I had to add another big scoop before it finally thickened. Then it turned into the smoothest and creamiest sauce ever. I think it still tastes great with veggies but also will make a magical base for a hearty fall soup!
Wow, how clever! Thanks for sharing!
So fabulous! The local Lebanese restaurant makes it the same way and I can’t live without it. It’s the most flavorful base on pita pizzas & sandwiches. And, yes, it does actually last for moths – just like a mayonaise. My family begs for some each time I make it. I start out adding the oil very slowly, as directed, but once it’s emulsified it goes a little faster. Pay close attention and you will see the magic happen! I dcon’t think it’s ever taken 20 min. but time passes quickly when you’re absorbed in creating art!I Thank you, Yumna!
Love this! Thanks for letting me know how much you enjoy this recipe!
EXCELLENT!
Amazing!! I halved the recipe and made it in my nutribullet because I don’t have large/strong food processor. It turned out so well! I’m glad it keeps for so long and I no longer have to buy garlic sauce! Thank you!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Here’s some tips – I used frozen garlic I had in freezer (been there a long while… definitely were not fresh)
Peeled them in water which slightly softened the cloves
This definitely contributed to emulsifying when I added salt and did exactly what’s on here.
Also I used those bottles you buy to add your own sauce into which has a tip which really made it easy to really allow oil to come down really slow at start like instructions say here.
Result – it was by far the absolute best garlic we have ever ever had! Totally out of this world! Stick to the instructions here but take these tips I used on board !
Love the tip about the squeeze bottle, thanks for sharing!
Hi, thank you so much for your recipes. I tried the garlic sauce today and it turned out so liquidy. I don’t know what I did wrong. I did exactly according to your recipe first the garlic and the salt mix together and then I added the oil little by little and then alternate between lemon juice and oil as it turned out very liquid. What went wrong
It sounds like it didn’t emulsify for long enough, how long did you blend it in the food processor? It takes about 20 minutes.
This happened to me too! And I blended for at least 20 min.
So sorry the texture didn’t work out for you. The key here in addition to blending for at least 20 minutes is to add the oil painfully slow. If you add in too much at one time, you will break the emulsion. Once that happens you can save it by adding in a boiled potato. Mix it together to emulsify, it should thicken it back up.
I make this and sell with my business. At first I had many issues I was using a 13 cup food processor In it I was making 1 batch with the above recipe. I switched to a double recipe and have never had a problem since. The issue is if you do one batch in a large processor, there isnt enough garlic on the blades to emulsify or fluff up. Try a double batch or use a smaller food processor
This is a great tip, thanks for sharing!
Wonderful recipe. Unfortunately, with my food processor, once I’ve added about 2.5 cups of oil, the mixture no longer “churns” so additional oil tends not be incorporated very well. Therefore, I just have a stronger flavoured toum, which I personally enjoy.
Tip: I find putting my oil in the freezer to chill it helps with emulsification, and avoids any breakdown that might occur if the mixture gets too warm.
Love the tip, Glenn! So helpful!
I do not have that oil it calls for… could I use any other oil?
You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil or any other neutral oil you prefer. I do not recommend using olive oil because it will change the color of the garlic sauce and lend a stronger flavor than than the neutral oil. You want the garlic flavor to stand out more than the oil flavor.
How do you keep toum from being too spicy? The last time I made it, it turned out great, but had spiciness from the raw garlic, similar to horseradish. One recipe I saw suggested soaking the garlic beforehand, but I’m not sure I soaked it long enough. I love toum and want to try making it again but am hesitant to have a whole batch nearly inedible again.
If you cut each bulb of garlic in half and remove the sprout in the middle it should take out the spice of the raw garlic. It’s a little intensive but so worth it!
I have been using your recipe for a while now, and it is always enjoyed! I have broke emulsion in the past, and it is so frustrating…so it is KEY that you add the oil VERY slowly! Today I came up with a hack that works perfectly to ensure you never break your toum again…I filled an oil spray bottle and did it one squirt at a time, letting it drip down the feed tube of the processor bowl. It was so much easier to control the amount of oil and my hand/arm didn’t tire!
Love this tip! Thank you so much for sharing, Julie!
I had super fresh garlic and organic lemons. I appreciated the video and followed the instructions exactly. It’s perfect!!
Thank you so much.
Yay! So happy to hear that it turned out well for you!
This recipe was a lot of fun to make, especially for me being an American, married to a Syrian. My in-laws could hardly believe how good both the shish taouk and the toum that I prepared were, and I surprised myself with how well it came out. I am not a natural cook, but carefully following the recipe, and taking the time with the toum to slowly put the grapeseed oil in, and using the freshest garlic really made it came out amazing – as good as any Lebanese/Syrian restaurant we’ve been to in the Middle East – thank you so much Yumna for this wonderful recipe – it made the party!
Thank you so much for making it! I am so happy to hear that it turned out and was a hit with everyone. Next you’ll have to try your hand at dessert too a simple Sfouf!
Delicious! Sprinkled a bit of ice water in now and then (less than 2T total) and it turned out great. My teenagers enjoyed it on leftover garlic bread so no vampires for us!
LOL Thank you so much!!
I just made this and I think I found the next COVID vaccine. ahaha!! Seriously, my garlic burns! I am sure bugs, flu, COVID won’t resist this toum.
Oh no! Did you remove the sprout in the center of your garlic cloves? It’s a pain but it will take away that spicy burn.
Yes I removed the green sprout when there was one. My garlic comes from a farmer and it’s just particularly intense! I can’t wait to try it with my steak bites and broccoli. It will be awesome.
Ah – well that makes sense. But like you said no COVID for you.. LOL
Everything was going along wonderfully but, the sauce was just a little thick so, I added a bit more oil and now it’s watery.
Is there anything I can do to save it, at this point?
You can add in a boiled potato and mix it together to emulsify, it should thicken it back up. The key here is adding the oil painfully slow.
I’ve made this recipe at least about 15 times now and it comes out very well every time, great add for shawarma, kebabs and grill items, healthy also. Thanks for sharing this recipe, takes me back!
You’re so welcome!! Thank you for making it!
Could I make this with avocado oil?
Yes, but it may give it a green hue and the flavor is a little different.
Loved the recipe! I did only half a recipe as I only had my mini old 3.5 cup Kitchenaid food processor. I just wanted to comment for those having issues with it not emulsifying. I had no issues BUT I paid attention to the temperature of my processor. When it started to get warm I grabbed my processor and oil and tossed it all in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Also as it got too full, I scooped some out and when it was all done, I gently stirred it together! Will make agin, it turned out delicious!
Love your tips, Jenny!! Thank you for sharing!
Excellent recipe. Fresh garlic and Canola oil made it amazing. The key is to go slow on adding the oil and weave in the lemon juice. Using a food processor with a drizzle cup makes it really easy. The only modification I’d make is a little less lemon juice. 10/10
So glad you liked it!
The only reason I gave this 2 stars is because it is easy to make. With that being said it is horrible. The flavor is too sharp. If you dare to make this, I would add about twice as much lemon juice, otherwise the flavor is too powerful. I will not be making this again.
Did you remove the sprout in the center of the garlic cloves? If you don’t then you will end up with something that is overly spicy and sharp, like you’re describing.
This looks amazing! What size processor would work best for this recipe? The affiliate link has both a 4 cup and 12 cup option so I just want to be sure
I would use a larger one, 4 cups is for sure the minimum size you want and will be very full.
Looks delicious! Can you add more oil to make it a bit more runny instead of thick and fluffy?
Hi Ansia, great question! You can, but it may not emulsify completely.
Would this work with a handheld electric mixer?
Hi Mel, I don’t think so. You really need this to emulsify and I don’t think a mixer would do the job. You can use a high speed blender instead of a food processor.
Made it today absolutely easy and the taste is sensational will definitely make this again
Thank you so much!
Wasted all my garlic. Did 2 different recipes. Split both times. Didn’t emulsify. I know how to do these things. Maybe the sunflower oil. Rats.
So sorry it didn’t work for you. The type of food processor you use.
Question: Rather than refrigerate overnight, can I pop it in the freezer so that it’s ready to eat sooner?
You don’t have to refrigerate it before you eat it. It does help it set, but is not required. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it may get too hard.
I followed the recipe and it turned out amazing. I used fresh garlic from our garden and grape seed oil. It is so garlicky and delicious.
So glad you liked it!
Wow!!! Only had vegetable oil and it stil was…SENSATIONAL!!! Thank you!!!
You’re so welcome, Carol!
Hi!
I previously posted a review that I could not emulsify using my kitchenaid food processor. I bought a hamilton beach immersion blender, and lo and behold, success! It emulsified beautifully! I first minced the garlic using the processor that came with it, then used the immersion blender to emulsify it. I used only 1/2 of the recipe and added 2 tsp of sugar to temper the strong garlic taste. thanks again for this wonderful recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear that it worked out with the Kitchenaid food processor!
I’m curious if you did the mayo immersion blender method? It’s done by dumping all of the ingredients into a wide mouth mason jar, sticking the immersion blender in and setting all the way to the bottom of the jar, pulsing a few times and then blending away as you slowing bring the stick blender up to the top. With mayo it emulsifies as the stick blender gets pulled up. I’ve been curious if this method will work with this recipe.
That’s a great thought but I think in mayo the egg yolks really help to emulsify it. I’ve found the food processor and a very small drip of oil are the best method for this recipe.
I accidentally used olive oil instead of a neutral oil, how can I fix this.
You can still eat it, there isn’t a way to fix it once the olive oil is already in there.
Holy moly my life is forever changed and my husband will likely never kiss me again! This recipe produces exactly what I remember from eating Lebanese food at least once a week for years when I lived in CA. I moved to Texas 7 years ago to a small town with one stoplight, so needless to say I don’t have access to a variety of foods. Recently I went to Trader Joe’s (which is an hour and a half away) and they had some of this so I bought it. Tasted like I remembered and that started me on needing to have some in my fridge always. Enter your recipe. I just made it and it is SPOT ON identical what you get at every Lebanese restaurant. My middle name has now defaulted to Garlic and you are now my new best friend. Thank you for sharing!
LOL love it! So glad you liked the toum, it is so good and a must for sure!
The video helps! There is a trick to emulsifying the garlic and you learn that trick in this video! Also, removing the bitter green center was news to me, AND that this keeps for 3-4 months refrigerated!
I go to Mideastern festivals just for my garlic sauce and wonderful sandwiches – Gyros, Kibbee and more slathered in garlic sauce
So glad you found the video helpful!
Fantastic recipe for Toum! It turned out perfect thanks to your detailed instructions. I followed the directions to a tee and had no issues forming an emulsion. If comments are monitored: What is the purpose of covering with a paper towel overnight? Just wondering. Thank you!
It just helps keep it fresh! So glad you liked it!
can this be made in a Vitamix?
Yes! Just make sure to slowly, like painfully slow – add the oil!
I am so excited to try this recipe; this is one of my favorite things to eat. Have you tried making it with vegetable oil? I just realized that I forgot the oil, and all I have at home is vegetable oil, and olive oil (which would not be good)
Yes! Any neutral tasting oil works here. Sometimes avocado oil will turn it green though.
Delicious garlic dip! An excellent pair with pita chips, pita/naan bread, veggies, seafood, chicken, and nacho chips. I highly recommend! It’s definitely worth a try for sure!
Thanks so much!
I’d like to try this recipe however I have a small food processor, could I halve this recipe ?
Sure, you can halve it! The blending time won’t change though, so just make sure you emulsify for the 20 minutes.
Just so love your blog/pages… The recipies are not ponsy they are true and real… I find and have found Middle Eastern/Med food is for me that is the true diet of humans maybe that might sound extreme to some but if you look at there ingredients nothing has changed from when man put metal to fire!..
So many have lost there way of food and methods of food.
People dont read ingredients on the pack or look up a fruit or vegetable of origin for that , its what end you open the packet and how to re-seal…
Please dont stop love your site.. 🙏😘
Thankyou Yumna
Thank you so much for the kind words, Yarna!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Everything went perfectly on my first try. I used good quality extra virgin olive oil and used a vitamix without any problem. It’s delicious and my family can’t get enough of it.
Yay! So glad to hear that!
Amazing!!!
Thanks so much!
Followed recipe to the T
I don’t have a food processor, used my vita mix
I have steaming hot soup
Can this be salvaged or do I need to buy a food processor instead
I had some on the weekend it was thick creamy, wonderful!
It sounds like your Vitamix got too hot, a food processor may be better here. You can use it as seasoning in dishes, not sure how it will set up after refrigerating.
Another site recommended adding a little egg white. I tried it when I had a broken Toum and it literally fixed it (well, changed it but in a wonderful way) in seconds! Probably too late to help on this batch but noting anyway!
Tried making this for the first time for a big dinner we had. Everyone loved it! Turned out perfect. Made it again tonight for a dinner tomorrow and again amazing consistency. 👌🏼👌🏼. It’s in the fridge now and will seal it tomorrow:) Thank you!
You’re so welcome! So happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it!
This is by far the best garlic sauce ever! Fresh garlic is imperative! I usually make 2 cups at a time bc my 4 cup food processor isn’t big enough to make that much, I couldn’t fit all the oil but still turned out great! Technique is key!
Thank you so much, Crystal!
Got it on my second try! My food processor was too big to make the garlic into a paste, so I tried it again with an immersion blender instead and it worked great! Delicious!
Yay! So glad it worked out!
just did the recipe without looking the ingredients part closely. so as a conclusion i just had over salted lemon juice with garlic mush. its more like liquidish and lemonish sour. im gonna try to save with some yoghurt now.
so guys be careful before trying.
So sorry it didn’t work out for you. This is a recipe that needs to be followed and read closely for the best outcome.
I followed your instructions but it did not work out. Looks more like oil than anything. Not white. I will try it one more time. I blended in my food processor for 20 minutes. I end up throwing it out. Will try another day.
That’s a lot of oil?
Oh no! I am sorry to hear that. You have to add the oil painful slow, tablespoon by tablespoon almost. Did you use enough garlic?
I made it for the second time and it came out perfect. I did everything exactly the same as the first but I have no idea what happened the first time. I’m thinking I changed oils the second time. I used avocado oil for the first one and used canola for the second. It looks like white whipping cream it’s in the fridge covered with the paper towel I’ll seal it tomorrow Thank you again for your help.
Yay!!! So happy to hear that it worked out this round!!
Excellent. Turned out perfect. Thank you. Your instructions and video were very well detailed and explained. I think I forgot to rate my last comment. 5 stars all the way. Thanks.
You’re so welcome!!
I definitely used 1 cup of garlic and a bit more. I will add the oil in slow motion next time. I thought I did it slowly. I watched your video and read Maureen’s A. instructions. I like both of your recipes since they are more like my mother’s. I will try it once more tonight. Thank you for your suggestions.
I hope it turns out for you this time!
It took me 3 tries but I finally got it YAY! Ended up buying a food processor because my hand blender wasn’t working well enough to fluff it out, and the food processor ended up making a huge difference.
So glad it worked out for you! It is for sure a recipe that takes some trial and error to get right.
Thank you for sharing this great recipe! I just wanted to ask, after how much oil should I add lemon juice? Is it after 1 cup of oil I add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice? Or do I add all the lemon juice in the end? Also, do I need to add lemon juice in the beginning after the few drops of oil?
Would it matter if I use 2 cups of oil instead of 3? Sorry for asking too many questions! Just want to get this one right! 🙂
Thank you in advance Yumna!
Hi Charbel, right above the comment section is a recipe card that will walk you through how to make the toum step by step. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Yumna,
Great recipe, just couple of questions. My product is not coming too fluffy, it is more like mayo consistency. It has very strong garlic taste and I am not sure how to make it milder without compromising consistency. Do you have any suggestions what I might change?
Also, have you ever tried pasteurizing Toum?
Hi Adam, you may not be emulsifying it long enough and make sure you are adding the oil in very, very slowly, it truly takes 20+ minutes sometimes to get the right texture. Did you halve your garlic and take out the sprout? The sprout is what usually causes the strong garlic flavor. No, I have not tried pasteurizing it. If you do let me know how it works!
I tried another recipe the 2nd time and it was not half as good as this one! I will only use this recipe going forward. If you follow the instructions and add the oil (I used Avocado Oil) VERY slowly at first, it will emulsify. It takes some time but is totally worth it! Thank you for the perfect recipe.
Thank you for the kind words! So glad you like my toum recipe!
Made this in a Cuisinart blender. I should have used the
Food processor because it took triple the amount of time to make a double batch. I think I used a tab bit too much salt. I could not wait till supper to have some so a made a quick lunch. YUMMY
Yeah, the blender does take some additional time in comparison to the food processor, but it sounds like it turned out well in the end!
I think the complaints about this recipe is that people aren’t cutting the garlic cloves in half before filling the cup. I used 3-4 bulbs depending on the size. I made this recipe twice. The first time I used 2 cups of oil and the next I used the recommended 3 cups. I prefer the 2 cups of oil. The sauce was a little less oily. The 3 cups of oil was more of a mayo texture. I used a little less than a 1/2 cup of lemon juice. I tasted the sauce after adding each portion of lemon juice. I used my Ninja blender on the purée setting and blended for 15 minutes. I followed the directions for making this and had no issues. This sauce is Amazing no matter if you use 2 or 3 cups of oil. My family loved it. Hope this info helps those who had issues with the recipe.
Hi Kathy, thank you for feedback – love that you are making the recipe your own!
Can you use olive oil?
I don’t recommended using olive oil, it turns it green and does alter the flavor.
Hello, I absolutely love this recipe. It’s really simple and I love love love garlic (no vampires around me :-)….I’ve used this garlic sauce on almost everything that I eat. I’ve made it 4 times this year already. My favorite way to use this is on toast with a Fried Egg on top…Yummy!! Thank You for sharing this recipe!!
Oo I love that idea! You’re so welcome, thank you for making it!
I love this sauce! Just like a restaurant in our area makes!
Thank you so much!
I first made this recipe about 2 months ago, following the recipe exactly (using grape seed oil). It was a real test of my patience adding the oil so slowly, and dealing with the sound of the food processor noise for so long. But I managed, and it paid off big time! It was certainly a very powerful garlic flavor, but in a really addictive way. My house full of garlic-lovers polished this off within a few weeks. In that time, the flavor did mellow a bit, making it less “spicy”. But it was still packed with flavor.
I’ve made it 2 more times since then. The last time I made it, I used a mixture of raw and roasted garlic. It took more time to emulsify with the roasted garlic. But the flavor was out of this world! It may be a good option for those that really don’t like the taste of raw garlic, or the spiciness that comes with it.
The key really is patience, patience, patience! I added the oil by tablespoon, and the lemon by teaspoon to keep me from adding them too fast. That trick may work for anybody else who, like me, has that desire for instant results.
This recipe is an A+ for sure. It’s a great dip, spread, marinade, sauce, etc.
Love all the great suggestions here! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I had the first taste of this amazing food when a friend brought it from lebanon. The first time i made it, i was successful, my nephews loved it. The 2nd and 3rd time, fails. So I’m now in a bind, what am I doing wrong now. The only difference tthis time was the food processor, i used the kitchen aid food processor. I dont remember the brand of the first processor, but it was a smaller one. Thanks
Food processors do vary by quality. If that’s the only thing that you’re doing differently, maybe look into getting another one. I use this Cuisinart food processor.
can i use frozen garlic and extra virgin olive oil??
I’ve never used frozen garlic for this recipe, but I do not think it would turn out the same. Olive oil tends to turn it green and change the taste. I don’t recommend it.
Love TOUM!
So happy you put this recipe out there, you’re the best! ❤️
Aw, thank you so much, Diane!
No where in the instructions do you use 3 CUPS of oil… very deceptive. 3 cups of oil and one cup of garlic clothes gone to waste.
It does state to continue pouring the oil into the food processor. “Once the garlic looks emulsified by the few tablespoons of oil, increase the speed of pouring the oil “
Hi! Just tried the recipe and while the texture is amazing, the garlic is really strong. Any tips?
Also, I’ve tried in a restaurant and it was more airy. Any idea what can I do to have the same texture?
Hi John, did you take the green sprout out of the middle of the garlic? That can cause the toum to be spicy and overpowering. Did you emulsify it for 20ish minutes?
I was very careful removing all green and white sprouts in the middle of the garlic. And emulsified it 20’ish minutes. Got any suggestions? A little more oil and lemon?
Than so much! Chef Tina
Hi Tina, what was wrong with it?
Hi,
Thanks for the great recipe. Made it twice and it turned out great both times but 2nd time around after 2 days the the sauce lost it’s emulsification and turned runny. Any reason why? And can I fix it?
Hi Erum, it sounds like it may not have emulsified for long enough the second time around. It’s essential to run the oil very slowly in a thin stream and in small batches at a time. When you first introduce the oil, start with only one tablespoon of oil. This gives the oil ample time to blend well into the salted garlic. You can’t really rush the process. It has happened to me a couple of times when I left the lemon juice at the end or when I added the oil too quickly. I would recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor and allowing the potato to help re-emulsify it. In that case, though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce for no more than 7-10 days.
This was so good!!! it only lasted for one week in my house. Kids ate the works.
It is so addictive! Thank you so much!
Made it for the first time, first time emulsifying anything actually, and it turned out perfectly.
So glad you enjoyed it, Shawn!
This is exactly the recipe I have been searching for! We lived in LA and were obsessed with the garlic sauce from a popular restaurant. Then we moved to Canada, and I have tried for years to replicate that “crack sauce”. Here it is! So amazing! Thank you for sharing the secret!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Absolutely delicious recipe! Thank you!
I would definitely steer clear of those oils that may cause inflammation in the body. The only one on the list that stands out as being “CLEAN“, is Avocado Oil which I used for this recipe. Yes more expensive, however, it has saved me from arthritic pain and gut health issues.
I had suffered from inflammation, which was in part due to canola oil and vegetable oil. Now use only avocado, coconut, and olive oil. What a difference that switch has made!
Again, thank you so much for this beautiful recipe, which I have always wondered about. Using some in my tunafish spread today! Yum!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing your story.
This is my 3rd time trying this recipe. It finally turned out with the right consistency. I’m just curious why covered it with a paper towel? Btw it’s too delicious
So glad it turned out well! Third time is the charm!! Storing it in the fridge with a paper towel helps to remove any excess moisture.
Hi! I just made this and it’s coming out really runny. What am I doing wrong?
If the mixture didn’t get fluffy and looks more liquid, it’s possibly that it didn’t emulsify. It has happened to me a couple of times when I left the lemon juice at the end or when I added the oil too quickly. So it’s important to alternate the oil and lemon juice and don’t rush the process.
I would recommend adding 1-2 boiled potatoes to the food processor and allowing the potato to help emulsify it. In that case though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
Hi Yumna, thank you for your message!
I decided to use an egg white and this was successful to get the runny separated liquid to emulsify! Phewf!
How long can I store the garlic sauce made with the egg white?
Hi I liked this sauce but we tasted the lemon alot more then the garlic. Can I put less lemon in it?
Sure, you can adjust the lemon to your taste!
Mine seems thick, thicker than mayo. Is it possible I overmixed it? The whole process took 20 minutes of mixing on high.
It will be thicker than mayo, actually, so that’s totally fine!
Currently making it but I’m about 7 mins in to the blending process and it’s looking very creamy and sounds watery as it blends… any suggestions?
That sounds normal. How did it turn out?
Love this garlic sauce. I’ve made it twice with grapeseed oil and it was perfection. Used avocado oil this time, and it wasn’t as good. The colour is off, which is not a big deal, but it altered the taste slightly. Still good but will go back to the grapeseed oil. Thanks for this recipe!
Hi Stacy! The toum will change in color and taste depending on the oil used. For example, olive oil turns it green and does alter the flavor. Grapeseed, canola, and safflower oil does work best in this recipe. So glad you like it!
Hi Yumna,
Thanks for your reply. You have avocado oil listed as on of the oils we could use, so I went with that. I saw your advice against the olive oil, I wish I had known about the avocado oil. 🙁