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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, 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. 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 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.
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!
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Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup garlic cloves peeled
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 3 cups neutral oil such as safflower
- 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.
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.
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.
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. 🙁
I’m second generation Lebanese and have been making this for a long time. My grandparents recipe takes too long to make so I was happy to see this one. Now I make it all the time for my family and friends and they just flip over it so thank you From one Lebanese to another!
Aw, thank you, Barb! So glad you like it!
Blah!! How exactly can you tell how fresh your garlic is when you purchase it? I just bought it this morning and it was firm, not wrinkly or shriveled. This was too bitter to eat! One star is likely my fault (or the garlic’s fault!)
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that it didn’t turn out well for you. Did you cut open the garlic cloves and remove any green sprouts from the inside? That is what tends to make it spicy and bitter.
I made your recipe today and it tastes exactly like the garlic paste at my favorite Lebonese restaurant. Thank you so much for this yummy recipe!
You’re so welcome!! Thank you for making it!
Yumna! Thank you for this recipe. I’ve made this 3 times in the last 2 years. It’s perfect every single time. I came on here to see if I absolutely have to store it over night before enjoying. I’m glad I read that I don’t! Yay! We love this with Costcos chicken coconut curry. So good!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for making it! Chicken coconut curry sounds amazing with the toum!
Sauce separated my fault, any way I can save it?
Oh no! Sorry to hear that. Yes, you can salvage it by adding a boiled potato to the mixture in the food processor or trying to re-emulsify it by adding a little bit of the mixture at a time to the food processor until it looks thick enough and then drizzling the remaining oil that separated. And if it is still giving you trouble, you can actually still use it for cooking for months. Don’t toss it out.
I’ve actually used the separated sauce by whisking and then for coating chicken in and then in bread crumbs and have either baked the chicken or fried them in a pan with a little oil. Very good. You may chop the chicken up and throw onto a salad, or use for a Rice Bowl.
Love this idea! Sounds so good!
This recipe is really great! I’m having an issue with the sauce being too spicy because of the garlic. Is there something I’m doing wrong? Also, do you prefer using vegetable oil or canola oil?
Did you remove the sprout from the garlic? That will make it more spicy and bitter usually. Otherwise, you can soak the garlic in ice water for an hour, drain it and then use it in the recipe. That usually mellows it out some. I use both, it just depends on what I’ve got more of at the time. Either work well!
Delicious outcome, my family went nuts over this, the perfect Toum white garlic sauce for anything you want to put a garlic sauce on. The directions were so clear and easy to follow. Thank you Yumna for this outstanding recipe, my search is over,
Aw, thank you, Flavia! So happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
The recipe tasted great! The only issue I ran into was the sauce was kind of gritty. I used the food processor attachment on my Ninja Blender, and I have had a similar issue in the past.
Are there any other food processors you can recommend other than the one you have linked? The one you posted is a little out of my student budget! With any luck, it will be a lot smoother consistency next time! Thank you!
Aw, man – yeah, if you’re getting grit, it is most likely just not processing well enough in the ninja. My choice for a more budget-friendly option is this KitchenAid food processor. When you’re shopping around, make sure it’s one that can be used to make smooth pastes. For example, when I was looking for you, I found this Cuisinart, but then it says in the about this item section that it’s “not recommend to grind beans with this as it chops.” so you wouldn’t want to use it for hummus or this toum recipe. Once you get one, don’t forget to come back and let me know how the toum turns out!
So amazing! Takes me back to my childhood. Can this be frozen or will the emulsification break upon thawing?
Thank you, David! You can freeze it. I haven’t had an issue with it separating, but it could happen. If you freeze it and find that it breaks, a quick spin in the food processor will fix that.
This toum is so good! Make sure to take your time when adding the oil and lemon juice. It took me around 12 minutes to fully incorporate the oil and lemon and it turned out so fluffy and creamy!
Thank you so much! I agree. Slow and steady wins here!
Hi Yumna,
Is it ok to use olive oil?
I do not recommend using olive oil because it will change the color of the garlic sauce and lend a stronger flavor than that of the neutral-flavored oil. You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or any other neutral oil you prefer.
I made this today…why did I wait so long?!?! It is DELICIOUS!!!! It can go on so many things. Thank you for this simple recipe.
Yay, I am so glad you liked it, Sarah! It is one of my fav sauces – so good!
Thanks for very clear diections
You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy!
Do I have to use Kosher salt?
Hi Alexis, great question! No, you do not have to use kosher salt. You can use whatever you have on hand that is a finer-sized granule. You’ll have to come back and let me know what you think of the garlic sauce after you make it!
Great recipe! My first successful go at this tasty sauce! I halved the recipe and it was perfect!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
THIS is the best!! Finally got a food processor and followed everything to the tee aside from halfing the recipe as I only have a mini processor. It tastes great right off the bat. My question is, do I really have to wait for it to be stored in the fridge covered by paper towel overnight before I can eat it? Thank you!
Absolutely not! It’s ready to be enjoyed as soon as you’re done making it, but if you’re not going to eat it, storing it in the fridge with a paper towel helps to remove any excess moisture.
Thank you for responding! It’s great but yes the texture is somewhat better after leaving it overnight in the fridge. Such a great sauce/recipe!
You’re welcome! I am glad you enjoyed it!
We tried to make this and couldn’t get it to emulsify…. We also were trying 2 different batches w 2 different oils to test them and neither worked. Lol! Just my luck! I love this sauce and itd be great if I could make it at home!
We r questioning the equipment and maybe they r not as powerful as needed?
Would love some feed back!
What kind of oil did you use? I recommend 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.
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. 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 emulsify it. In that case though, be sure to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
Regarding the equipment, 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.
Living in metro Detroit we are so lucky to have this all around – but, I can’t wait to try and make it myself as well. Also, I love the option to make it less potent for more versatile uses! Have you ever tried to make a large batch and freeze it? I’m wondering if it would mess with the emulsification 🤔
Having a homemade option is always a good idea! Instead of freezing, I would recommend storing the Lebanese Garlic Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months. Over time, the flavor of the garlic will become more subtle but it will stay fresh and tasty!
I love this and use it on just about everything. Chicken, veggies, pork, beef, seafood, brunette, the list is endless.
That is amazing! It is seriously so versatile!
Hello, just tried this recipe and the garli. Sauce taste really potent and bitter and overpowering. Is there anything I can do with this batch or is it a waste?
Also mine came out very liquid. I read your comments on adding 1-2 potatoes. Can I do it the next day? Also confirming you mean blend the boiled potatoes in the food processor?
Next time, try removing 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!
It should still work if you add potatoes the next day. Yes, that is what I meant by the boiled potatoes. Hope that helps!
Your comment makes me wonder if it is better to make this with freshly picked garlic vs. garlic that is from the previous year. Where I live we get all our garlic once a year and we are 10 months in so the garlic we have is older. I’d like to make it but I can wait until we get new garlic if it will make a difference in how it breaks down or tastes.
Hmm, that might be the case! Excited for you to try this recipe with fresh garlic!
Hi, my sauce is too runny. How can I thicken the sauce.
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.
This garlic sauce was delicious! I used avocado oil. At the end Emmy toum broke so I put it in the fridge overnight, slowly added it back into the food processor with a few cubes of frozen Aquafaba and it brought it all back together and turned out delicious!!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you made it work that way – I need to try that if that every happens to me again.
Help!!! I can’t get mine to emulsify!!! Also can you fix it after it breaks?!?
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.
This has been my go to recipe for toum for almost 2 years now. Apart from one ‘miss’ due to being too much in a hurry, it has always been a success and my family loves this to eat with pita chips and everything else! I make this at least twice a month. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
That’s amazing! I am so happy to hear how much you’re enjoying this recipe. Thank you so much!
I made this recipe yesterday following your instructions step-by-step exactly and the results were amazing. I love Toum and have been looking and experimenting with many many recipes over the years, and this was the best. Guess Michigander’s know to make the best Toum!!
Thank You
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you!!
Came out perfect!! Amazing recipe and great step by step instructions.
Yay! That’s perfect!
Thanks a lot I have been looking for this recipe for years now. I have tried so many recipes and none of them worked. It taste amazing and I am in love with it thanks a million.
Thank you so much! I am so happy to hear that!
Epic fail for me 🙁. I halved the recipe and made with ninja food processing on high. I alternated oil and lemon and did slowly. It did not thicken. I will try and add cooked potato.
I am not sure what happened there! Did you use a smaller food processor when you halved the ingredients? Let me know how the potato addition works!
Just thought I’d let you know you can make with half the amount and use an immersion blender. I decided to put everything in at once. I did not make a garlic paste nor did I drizzle in the oil slowly.
Result? It actually shocked me as it emulsified in seconds. Thick and perfect.
That’s great to note! Yay!!
Well not what it looks like, i hope this thickens overnight otherwise i will be drinking it!!!
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.
I watch your video a few times before, and I did put timer on for 15 minutes make sure i was going slow, i was alternating 2 TBS oil for 1 tsp lemon juice, but i will definitely try it again soon, thanks
That’s so strange. I am not sure what ended up happening in that case! Let me know how it goes.
Are you able to use lime juice instead of lemon juice?
Unfortunately it won’t have the same flavor.
Love this sauce, thank you for the recipe! You mention in the notes that it makes a great salad dressing base – what’s your recipe for that?
Thank you!! I just like to thin in out with water to use it as a dressing.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made it tonight and it turned out perfectly. I have been craving toum and now that I know how to make it, I never have to go without. Tomorrow night I attempt falafels.
Of course! That’s great to hear. Yay!!
I got good creamy souce but colour is off white or little yellow like pasteuized butter. What could have gone wrong , as i had seen elsewhere very white garlic souce .
What kind of oil did you use for this recipe?
Thanks for quick response.I have use rice bran oil die to light colour . Pl recommend what other oils can be tried .
You’re so welcome! I recommend canola oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil.
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! It’s is sheer perfection!! Loved your video!
You’re so welcome! Aww, thank you!
Can this recipe be cut in half?
It should still work if the food processor is the right size!
This was by far the easiest and most flavorful sauce I have made. So pleased to have found this recipe.
Wow, thank you so much! I love that!
Was super flavorful and delicious, but I also found the garlic flavor to be a bit spicy, kind of like wasabi/horseradish level of a kick. In the meantime, I mixed a little bit of the toum with plain greek yogurt, and although not exactly authentic, it was good enough in the meantime! I think next time i’ll either add a little less garlic, add more oil, or try the cold water method as suggested.
Thank you so much! Try to 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!
I’m making Pork Carnitas with Lard, Dark Beer, and Orange Juice. Once the meat is tender I’ll shred it and then crisp it up in the lard strained from the juices, after which I’ll mix the meat with enough strained juices to keep it moist. Warmed soft flour tortillas will be smeared with Toum, then filled judiciously with the crispy moist carnitas. On top I’ll sprinkle chopped white or pickled red onion, then sour cream mixed with chopped cilantro, parsley, mint, and lime juice. Fusion cuisine = Mexican + Lebanese + Vietnamese!
That sounds delicious! I’ve never had such a combo before, but I’d definitely be open to trying it!
Can I use vegetable oil instead of canola oil?
Regards,
Linda
Yes, you can! You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil or any other neutral oil you prefer.
Mine came out more like mayo consistency. Does that mean I blended too long?
It’s possible 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.
Finally, an authentic recipe for the famous Toum! There is a local chain of rotisserie chicken restaurants here in the LA area (Zankou) that serves this with their delicious chicken. The family that started the chain is from Lebanon; we always get the big container of their Toum when we order…delicious stuff!
Thank you so much! Now you can make it from the comfort of your own home, too!
I am so glad I found your recipe! Thank you so very much for posting it. I love toum and would go out to my way to get it To Go from my local Mediterranean restaurant. I did not realize how easy it is to make until I found your recipe! My batch came out smoother and richer than what I have had in the past. Thank you!
You’re so welcome!! Now you can make it from the comfort of your own home! You’re so welcome.
I haven’t made your recipe yet. I would like to make a big batch for 400 people for an up coming luncheon Kebob. Can I use pre pilled garlic? Also, what is the serving size of your recipe.
What a fun gathering! I recommend using fresh garlic. The serving size is 32 servings, and each serving is about 2 tablespoons.
Wow! This came out perfectly fluffy with my Vitamix food processor attachment. Just followed the recommendation to go slow and alternate the lemon juice and oil.
Wished there was a way to post a photo here. We like the spicy “bite” of the fresh garlic. Thank you for your recipe.
That’s perfect! I’m so glad to hear it. Feel free to join my Facebook group (Feel Good Foodies: A Community!) and share photos there, so I and the rest of the community can see it!
Hi there
I didn’t have kosher salt so used table salt, same amount. Wondering if that’s affected it? Should I add more lemon juice to settle the salt flavour?
It should’ve still worked with that salt. How did your batch turn out?
Wonderful recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. I tried it multiple times and it came out great. However, the last couple of times the texture wasn’t as creamy! I suspect the garlic 🧄 I used were not as fresh.. does that make sense? Any tips to make it more creamy?
Thank you so much! That could definitely be the case with the garlic. It’s also possible 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.
Moved away from home where there aren’t a lot of Arab establishments and tried the local toum and it was not good at all. Tried my hand at making my own and this recipe is perfect!
This recipe is a big yield, though, if you aren’t cooking for a family. Try starting with half the recipe if you don’t eat toum with everything/live alone.
So glad that this was the perfect recipe! Good point. Also, you can store the Lebanese Garlic Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months.
HI,
Can I use lime juice instead of lemon juice?
You could try that, but it’ll change the flavor.
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I made it and my whole family is flipping out. It’s that great!
You’re so welcome! That’s amazing!!
Do you heat this to serve with chicken?
Thanks
No need to heat it!
Too much garlic. Overpowering the taste. I recommend using half the amount.
This is known to be a strong garlic sauce, so I wouldn’t make this if you don’t enjoy a strong garlic taste!
Can you use vegetable oil
Yes!
Just made this and it is divine! I used a combo of avocado and olive oils I had on hand. Yes, there is a slight green color to the sauce but, wow, the taste is terrific! The consistency threw me as it is somewhat gelatinous rather than fluffy.
Thank you for introducing me to this yummy sauce! It’s going on fresh naan with chickpea chili tonight! Cheers!
That’s amazing! I’m glad it worked out that way. You’re so welcome! Hope you have a lovely meal!!
Awesome, thank you for sharing!
One big thing though…. in case your followers aren’t aware, Canola oil is basically poison in our bodies!! I wouldn’t recommend it ever, and encourage anyone who doesn’t believe it to dig a little deeper! Otherwise, what a wonderful, healthy recipe!
Of course! Definitely use an oil you are comfortable with consuming.
Definitely ‘yes’ regarding the Canola oil..never use it!! 👍
The best garlic sauce I ever made, I made it to go along with your chicken shawarma in loaf pan ( I will rate it 10 stars) I followed the recipe step by step and came up wonderful, thank you so much for posting the best recipes.
That makes me so happy to hear! It’s such a delicious pairing!
This is amazing! Although I messed up with emulsion, it’s delicious! At this rate it’ll only last a couple of days!
Thank you!! It definitely runs out quickly in my home too!
Hi! What is the reason for covering with a paper towel overnight? Is it fine if we just put an airtight lid immediately or is that a necessary step? Thank you!
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!
Yummy! Made this to go along with your shish tawook. Another yum! Also made your mujadara. What a meal! I did make this garlic sauce without a food processor and it came out great! As good as, if not better than, our local usual takeout restaurant.
I started with mincing the garlic in the blender and adding the first couple of tablespoons of oil in the blender. Then I transferred to a bowl and used a hand mixer on high speed.
My tips for anyone, especially without a food processor, would be firstly understanding what emulsification is, and secondly that it is a slow process adding the oil and lemon juice. Be patient! Patience is not my strong suit and I had to keep reminding myself, right down to the last few teaspoons of oil!
Thank you! That sounds perfect. I love that tip. What a great meal!
Absolutely perfect!! Thank you!!!
Yay!! Thank you so much!
This is the perfect Toum receipe. Fluffy and super yummy!!! It tastes just as good as, or better than, one of my favorite restaurants. Most restaurant’s Toum is not as good as this. I prefer this over any other. I’m hooked!!! Thanks for posting this simple, tasty and awesome recipe! I used my Ninja food processor. Love, love, love this!!!
Thank you so much! That’s perfect. So glad you enjoyed this one!
Didn’t emulsify just a watery mess really.
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.
I don’t have kosher salt. Can I use table salt and how much?
Yes, that should work. I’d do a 1:1 substitution, so I’d use 2 teaspoons table salt.
Amazing recipe always turns out perfect !! Yumna is the sweetest person always responding and helping with recipes . Thank you !!
Thank you so much! Always here to help and share my love for food!
Hi Yumna Jawad
✌️ I just want to offer encouragement for your site, your organization is impeccable…
I arrived at your site in search of a garlic dipping sauce. I like to dip my pizza in it. (* I like to grow my own garlic as a hobby because I enjoy it so much. ) Anyway, I think your page is so well done. Your content is streamlined and clean. I also noticed
That the loud obnoxious sound of the food processor was not present which was a pleasant surprise. Your ad choices are nice too. Your recipe is simple and your tips are , like the one about not rushing the process are indeed helpful . I wanted to see if making my own garlic sauce would be possible, well, Now I am feeling confident enough to try your recipe which you credit to the person it was adapted from. Anyway nice work!
Thank you so much! Can’t wait for you to try the recipe!
Cannot wait to try this, I love garlic!
Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely awesome!!! The flavor is awesome and not super overpowering. I used avocado oil so I think it changed the color a little and mine isn’t as “airy” as I would like. In the future should I start slower in the beginning of the recipe and let it blend more or go longer at that end?? Either way thank you!
Thank you so much! That’s perfect. I would try starting slower/ longer in the beginning for sure – let me know how it goes next time you try it that way!
This was delish and pretty easy to make after peeling all the garlic! Despite not having any green bits in my garlic my sauce is pretty spicy. Does the spiciness dissipate with time? Like 1 week later?
That’s great to hear! The spiciness should dissipate with time, but it may take a little longer than that. Next time, 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.
Shawarma is on the menu tonight and I was so excited to see this sauce I got to peeling my garlic and realized I *can’t* use a blender. Well I have the ninja and it turned out perfectly! Is it necessary to let it set overnight or can I use in a couple hours?
So glad it worked out! It’s best if it is set overnight, but you can still enjoy it after a couple hours.
Easy and so delicious! Thank you for sharing!!
Yay! So glad to hear it!
I made your recipe, but reduced to half and followed exactly. Unfortunately mine didn’t emulsify and is watery. Is there any way for me to fix it?
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.
Excellent!!!!!
Thank you!
Just made this (a half batch) and it was perfect! Wish I made the full batch 😂
I weighed the garlic using the metric recipe bc it seems like using cup measures could be pretty inconsistent based on the size of the cloves. Thanks for providing both!
That’s amazing! Glad you enjoyed!
A question about the garlic quantity, when you say one cup is that whole like right after I have cut them in half etc. or is the one cup once blended. And how many bulbs/ cloves would you say are in a cup?
It is one cup of garlic cloves, which should be about 4 garlic bulbs. It is not one cup once blended. Hope that helps!
I just made this, but halved the recipe. Unbelievable. It is the most delicious toum I’ve ever had and there’s a place I have lunch at that I used to think had the best tasting but not anymore. I didn’t quite get the thickness right, I think it was such a small batch it was tricky for the food processor, it was a little loose but still mind blowing. Thanks for the recipe, veeeerrrrryyyyy much appreciated.
That’s amazing! Yes, for sure. You’re so welcome!
I Love I love these recipes I had a friend from Lebanon his mother was teaching me how to make the pita bread I got this recipe from my niece who made it she loved it I’m gonna make it soon.
Thank you! Can’t wait for you to give this recipe a try!
I made this for the first time and it turned out perfect! However, I only used 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 cups of grapeseed oil. Now I can enjoy it anytime, at a fraction of the cost as what I purchased at a restaurant.Thank you do very much for posting this recipe.
That’s amazing! Glad it worked out that way. You’re so welcome!
I followed the recipe and mine came out watery , any ideas what I may have done 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.
One of the best garlic sauces out there! It really packs a punch, very strong and quite spicy! It’s really fluffy and creamy. The lemon cuts through the heat very well and really rounds out the flavour. Wonderful sauce, quite versatile as well.
That makes me so happy to hear! Such a beautiful way to describe the recipe.
So I have recently fell in love with a restaurant near by and they makea saj chicken shawarma wraps with a spicy garlic sauce! I want to replicate it to start making it home. Do you have any idea what they may add to make it spicy?
That sounds like a delicious way to enjoy the sauce! Hmm, you could try adding some pepper, paprika, and/or hot sauce – I have yet to try that though.
It’s so creamy and fluffy. Love it!!!
I love that! Thank you!
I tried this recipe because of the rating. While I followed all the steps I found it was too strong. I feel it may have been better with less garlic and I’m thinking that’s why some viewers including myself felt it was to bitter/strong. Other than that the texture was perfect. So a bit disappointed, as I’d rather have the texture off but the taste good.
So glad the texture was perfect! I recommend removing 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.
So my mom taught me how to make toum, and I always messed it up (it was never fluffy enough!). She’s no longer around to ask her what I did wrong, so I followed this recipe step by step and I FINALLY made the BEST toum ever from the first time after failing so many times before with another recipe!
Came out so good that when I bragged on my WhatsApp messages, my friends all came to this website to learn how to do it too since they had the same troubles :))
So glad you came across this recipe and that it worked out! That makes me so happy to hear!
You’ve ruined my relationship with my daughter LOL.
She refuses to visit me unless I make her a batch of the sauce. All of us love it but she is obsessed. I’ve made it many times now and I’ve never had a fail yet, it just patience!!
You scared me for a second! I’m so glad she enjoys it so much!
LOVE the garlic, LOVE the flavor. It’s very acidic to me though. How do you cut that?
I love that! You can try removing 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.
Turned out perfect! Although it had a bluish hue. Is there a way to keep it white? Thank you!
I love that! Sometimes it can turn green or blue when there is a chemical reaction between the garlic and lemon. I think it might help to make this in a cooler environment/ make sure the food processor doesn’t heat up too much because that can cause the chemical reaction to occur.
Just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe of yours. My daughter is fairly obsessed with toum at a local restaurant, and so she and I made this together yesterday, and she nearly swooned. Couldn’t believe how fluffy and perfect it was! Now I’m a toum fan too -thank you!
Of course! I love that!
Excellent! Like an earlier commenter, I lived in Detroit for many years and loved purchasing the garlic paste in the abundant middle-eastern markets. When I moved, I missed it and have been looking for a recipe ever since. This makes a lot! But…it saves VERY well in the fridge. Luckily for me…hubby loves it as well. No worries vampires will visit our place!!!
Thank you! I’m so glad you both enjoyed!!
Tried Toum at a Lebanese restaurant some time ago and I had no idea what it was. Been looking for this recipe for years! Finally found it. I’ve tried it and I love it! My husband, friends and family love it too!
Yay!! Happy to hear you all loved this recipe!
Hello
I have successfully made your toum twice and it is absolutely divine, so thank you 🙏 I started in a nutri bullet then I transfer to my mixer so I can slowly add and it has been working..I finally got a food processor and I haven’t been able to make it since.. I went back to the way that worked for me but my toum doesn’t go fluffy anymore and I am getting so frustrated with myself lol did u have a similar struggle in the beginning? I feel like there is a point where it gets over beaten in a way where it breaks it? Is that a possibility? I do it exactly the way u say and it looks white and creamy (it doesn’t look broken at all) but it it just liquid.. please help lol
I tried the 2 boiled potato’s last night but it done nothing… os I am just about to add them to a new batch I have made this morning because it isn’t fluffy again, should the potato’s be warm or cool when trying to fix a broken toum?
Kind regards Stacey
That makes me so happy to hear! I haven’t had that issue. Are you still alternating the lemon juice with the oil? Maybe try just using the mixer, as I don’t recommend a blender.
This came together perfectly! However it is deathly strong, is there anything I can add to cut down the heat of the garlic?
Thank you! 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.
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but it was more liquid than fluffy. I followed the directions to a t, and it was liquidy, so I put it in my nutribullet for about 5 mins. It looked more incorporated but still liquid . So hopefully it will set in the refrigerator? It still tasted good though.
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. Also, 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. At this point, 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.
Made this recipe for the first and it turned out GREAT!! Thank you. Everyone loved it, especially my wife since it did not contain egg whites like a lot of recipes. Only problem is that I do don’t think I will be getting too many kisses as along as there’s Toum left in the house! 😊
You’re so welcome! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Is this the same as Romanian garlic sauce, usturoi?
Hmm, it looks similar, but still a little different!
This garlic sauce is incredibly delicious 🤤, my husband and I eat it nonstop 😄.
Thank you Yumna for sharing it with us.
Thank you!! I love that!
Can you put Avocado oil instead of Canola oil?
Yes! You can use canola oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil or any other neutral oil you prefer.
Wow, I love this recipe. I didn’t have time to make it ahead for dinner tonight and didn’t take the time to soak the garlic either, but it came out great. I love garlic, very strong right now, but it tastes amazing, and I imagine it will mellow nicely after a little while. I ate it on pita bread with a salad. It came out nice and fluffy too.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!!
I’ve recently returned from a trip to Mallorca. While there I was served aioli and bread on several occasions at various restaurants. It was so good! From what I can find it was likely toum I was served. I did make this recipe and the garlic flavor was so absolutely over powering I could hardly handle a tiny taste of it. I did follow your steps (apart from letting it sit over night) and just want to know if I’m missing something. Perhaps the aioli I had was not the same thing, but even so the garlic flavor is so incredibly overwhelming…I say this as someone who utterly loves garlic. Any guidance?
Try soaking 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.
Hi Yumna,
First of all I say hello from Sydney, Australia. I’m a father of 4 and love’s to cook, I have been looking for a great recipe of garlic sauce coz my family loves it and it’s too expensive to buy for a small container. I followed your recipe step-by-step and the result was amazing and I couldn’t believe myself that I made it. My second eldest daughter was so excited to try it and luckly I bought a bag of Lebanese bread and I have leftover charcoal chicken in the fridge. Anyway love the recipe, I don’t have to buy them anymore I will make it instead. By any chance do you have the recipe of the bread. Cheers
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe! Yay!! I don’t have the exact recipe, but I have a similar recipe called Yogurt Flatbread: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/yogurt-flatbread/
Hi Yumna,
Thank you for replying back and also thank you for the flat bread recipe I will try it. I’ll let you know when I made it. Cheers.
Of course! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
There is a restaurant my daughter and I go to specially for their garlic sauce and we always ask for seconds. So when I saw this recipe I had to try it and I’m glad I did. Where do I begin…If you like garlic sauce this recipe is for you…so so so good. Worth the process. We’ve been eating everyday on everything. A must have for sure.
So glad you found this recipe and enjoyed! Love that!
do you use egg whites in your Lebanese garlic sauce
Nope!
I’ve made this recipe for so many years by taste only. I never had a recipe, so I tried this recipe and it’s even better than what I’ve made in the past. Yay! Thank you, it’s delish and now it will taste the same every time! Haha
So glad you enjoyed! Yay!!
Came out awesome. Thanks 👍🏼
Yay! You’re so welcome!
I absolutely love this recipe. I do have a question though… I’ve made it twice now and it turns out great n fluffy when I’m finished making it. However after resting overnight n covering it, I see some breakdown happening, the oil start to separate and looks to start breaking down a bit. The first time I made it, it completely broke down to a liquid dip after a few days. Why is that happening?
So glad you’ve enjoyed it! You can try covering the sauce with a paper towel before storing it in the fridge. 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.
Is it supposed to be liquidy?
Nope! If the mixture didn’t get fluffy and looks more liquid, it’s possibly that it didn’t emulsify.
It’s amazingly good. If you don’t want to make it, Trader Joes has its’ own version…but not call Toum. Its a garlic spread….at about $2.79. Very cheap to make at home.
The worst thing about it is that I can’t stop eating it on a spoon and a pint doesn’t last long In my house.
Yumm!
Thank you! It’s definitely hard to not want to eat it all in one sitting.
I’ve made this recipe before and it always comes out perfect. I halved it this time (only had two heads of garlic) and still wonderful! Can I ask about why you say to cover it with a paper towel overnight in the fridge?
I love that! The paper towel allows some of the moisture to wick away while setting in the flavors.
Hi, just a quick question, when you say remove the green sprouts; do you mean just off the top, or the whole sprout running all through the centre of the garlic?
That’s the only thing I’m curious about, other than that, the recipe has been really easy and light and airy.
Thanks in advance!
So glad you’re loving the recipe! I’d recommend removing the green sprouts that run all through the center of the garlic.
What is the reason for removing the green strip in the garlic? Does it affect the consistency? or the taste?
That 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.
Couple comments from my Lebanese friend about how they make it back home:
You could easily double or quadruple the garlic — they usually have equal parts garlic and oil by volume.
Olive oil is the way to go, no question about it. This dish is meant to feature both good garlic and good olive oil; if you’re worried about the oil overpowering the garlic, you don’t have enough garlic.
Add half the lemon juice to the garlic before you start cutting it up; the acid and liquid keeps oxygen in the air from turning the garlic acrid, making for a more mellow sauce.
You should only need to scrape down the food processor two or three times; drizzling in the oil v e r y s l o w l y and giving it a minute to recombine after adding a few tablespoons accomplishes much the same thing, and makes the whole process much less tedious.
If you’re having trouble with the emulsification, you’re going too fast. Garlic is a great emulsifier, you just gotta give it time to work and oil to grab onto. Adding too much oil at once will likely kill it, though.
Thanks for sharing these tips!
Lol. I tried (against your instructions) to do this without a food processor. It’s a runny mess! It tastes yummy. I will try your potato trick. Thanks for a great recipe tho!
Hope the potato trick does the hack!
Love this stuff. I’ve always just done an aioli, but now I can make toum and love everything a little bit more, Not my stinky breath though.
It is so easy to make and enjoy:)
Thank you! It really can be that easy!
Just made this it looks super yummy but so thin will this thicken up over night?
It doesn’t usually thicken overnight. It’s likely that the sauce 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.
Excellent recipe and easy to follow instructions. It came out delicious and fluffy white like snow. It’s hard to let it rest overnight lol. Next time I’m going to use a bit less salt, that’s the only thing hut that’s a personal preference. I’ve made this before but your recipe is the best. Thank you. 😊
Thank you! I love that! Happy to have shared!
Thank you for such a great and easy recipe.
6 stars
Thank you so much!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that you created this recipe!!!
We lived in the Detroit area for years and I miss this sauce and Lebanese food!
Can’t wait to try!
Thank you so much! Now you can make it from the comfort of your home!
I am trying really hard to keep my kitchen appliances to a minimum. How do you recommend making this recipe without a food processor?
They used to make this garlic sauce by using a mortar and pestle and whisking patiently, which is a laborious process. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend using 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.
Great recipe! I used peanut oil and it turned out fine. Only thing I’d change is just slightly less lemon juice, but maybe that’s just me. Easy enough to slowly add until you get the taste you want. Thanks for the recipe, 5 stars!
Thank you! You can definitely adjust the amount of lemon juice to fit your taste preferences, but I’m glad you enjoyed nonetheless!
So this is someone else’s recipe, pasted into your ad laden website? How original. Not exactly honest behaviour.
This was inspired by Maureen Abood‘s recipe for Lebanese garlic sauce!
Lol the reason why Karen is cheesed is because it’s Karen. Love the recipe. Thank you ☺️
Ohh wowwww. This is amazing. Packs a punch and is ohh so good on falafel. The trick is like making mayonnaise – slow and steady. Thank you for this recipe. I will definitely make this again.
Thank you so much! Slow and steady is definitely key. Glad you enjoyed!
Looooove this recipe. Is there anyway to sweeten it?
Thank you so much! Hmm, you could try adding sugar? Although toum is not intended to be sweet.
Hi! I was wondering if you’ve tried replacing the canola oil with extra virgin olive oil? Or avocado 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.
So good it makes me want to cry!! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it that much! You’re so welcome!
Hi,
I made 2 times this sauce, spoiled 6 cups of oil and it didnt whip at all. Did exactly as was described. What could be the reason?
I’m so sorry to hear that! What equipment did you use? If you used a blender, it’s really difficult to get the mixture to emulsify. A blender also doesn’t allow the ease of slowly drizzling in the oil while the motor is running over a large surface area.
This recipe worked exactly as described. I grow garlic and keep it peeled and frozen. I used it from frozen and had no problem at all. I also used lemon sections, not just the juice, and the processor ground it all up perfectly. As the recipe recommends, I chilled my oil, and added it very slowly. The toum is light and fluffy, almost like whipped cream. Yummy, yummy, yummy.
That’s great to hear! So glad it turned out well!
Hi, I also followed this recipe and it’s didn’t whip for me either!! I used a food processor and it just looks like liquid.. I added everything in gradually and it hasn’t whipped??
Hmm, that shouldn’t have been the case. Did you make sure to alternate the lemon juice with the oil?
This was an absolute mission to make, time consuming – peeling the garlic and then the slowwwww dripping of oil/lemon. End result (after about an hour of testing my patience and arm muscles) absolutely the best TUM EVER!!! And a nice big supply for us… defo if you want quicker halve ingredients because this amount makes loadsss… trust me worth the patience to do it real slow!
So glad that it was worth it! Yay!!
This was the best thing I’ve made in a long time, just the dip I’ve been craving from my favorite Mediterranean restaurant! Followed recipe exactly and it worked the first time! Thank you for sharing
That’s amazing! Thank you!!
Delicious for any meat!
Yes!!
This is the best!!! ♥️
Thank you so much!!
The garlic sauce is one of my favorite accompaniments when I have any Middle Eastern foods but they always give me so little, I have to use it sparingly ☹️.
Not anymore! I made this exactly as per the recipe and it came out wonderfully! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes. BTW, I also made your hummus recipe. Another winner.
That’s great to hear!! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
I used the blender puree low settings and it worked I slowly added oil and lemon and didn’t break.. whew… the garlic was strong but as soon as I let it chill in the fridge it became better. Thank you for sharing this recipe! My family loved it!!!
That’s so good to know that it worked out that way! Yay!!
Hi I don’t have a food processor what can I use to make this?
You could try a blender, but I really wouldn’t recommend it because 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’ve made it in my blender and it works fine.
And…..how many calories are in a tablespoon?
That’s so great to hear! It’s roughly 97 calories per tablespoon.
“the serving size is bout 2 tablespoons” does that mean its 343 calories for two tablespoons?
Thank you for pointing that out! The nutritional facts have been changed to reflect the 2 tablespoons serving size.
I just made this to go with our chicken shawarma I got from Costco for dinner tomorrow to surprise my step daughter and I can’t wait for her to try it! It’s so freaking easy, and smells so good! Thank you!
That’s so exciting! Yay! You’re so welcome.
First time making this and my mind is blown! I’ve never tasted anything like this in my life! So easy to make and the taste *Chef’s kiss* Thank you!
That’s amazing! Yay!!
This garlic sauce is so good. I’ve already make it twice. Everyone who tried it loved it! I always try the recipe before making a comment. So very good!!! 😋
Thank you! I love that!!
I can’t wait to make this toum and also the falafel. The sandwich is perfection. I grew up with Ashkenazi Jewish food, which is delicious also, but Lebanese food is so much brighter, with its herbs and vegetables! This recipe is my garlic fantasy lol. I’ve seen many different recipes for toum, but yours is the one I like best!
So excited for you to give it a go! Yay!!
You really have to be patient with this recipe and do exactly what it says! But omg, perfection!!
For sure! Yay!!
This recipe is all wrong. 3 cups of oil to 1 cup of garlic makes this soup and that’s way too much lemon juice.
That shouldn’t be the case. If the mixture didn’t get fluffy and looks more liquid, it’s possibly that it didn’t emulsify.
This turned out AMAZING! thank you! I’ve tried making room before without much success this recipe takes all the guess work out of the process.
Could I please ask the reason behind covering it with a paper towel and letting it sit in the fridge before storing it?
Yay!! You’re so welcome! The paper towel allows some of the moisture to wick away while setting in the flavors.
Came out great the first time. I always load up on this when I eat out. Now I’ll be making my own.
I used the dribble cup on my Cuisinart 9 cup processor.
Glad it worked out and you enjoyed!
I’m from Peru but I love Lebanese food
I love that! Lebanese food is SO good!
This is the second time I’ve made this.. absolutely perfect! Now, my first attempt turned up runny, not emulsified at all – I must have rushed it. But I let the processor run anyway and walked away for about 15 min to smoke outside, came back and it had come together after all! Second try (last nite) I didn’t rush it and came out perfect again! Using for chicken shawarma this evening.. thank you for this!
Thank you! That’s so great to hear! Hope you enjoy your meal tonight!
Awesome! I’ve been struggling with a more watery toum. But your recipe did it. It wasn’t perfect. I’ll get there soon. Thanks for your post. The salt added at the start makes a huge difference.
Thank you! Glad the recipe worked out. Yay!! You’re so welcome.
Mine was a bit grainy and very liquidy but the taste was good. (And I didn’t even use the full amount of oil. I didn’t want to risk making it even more liquid.) Any advice on how to make it creamier?
Thank you.
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. As for it being grainy, the salt should help to finely grate the garlic by adding traction to garlic’s natural wetness in the beginning of the processing.
I was thinking it might be a good idea to try out the recipe by first using a cheese grater box (the small holes) and turn the garlic into a paste before processing it… I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it might help with the grainy garlic texture… I also use fine iodized sea salt… which was great!
Let me know how that goes!
Did the recipe exactly except cut it in half. I let it sit with a paper towel for 24 hours and tried some today. Any way to get rid of some of that (spicy) garlic taste? More lemon juice?
I would remove the green sprout from inside the garlic! The result in a less bitter sauce, so it’s worth the step if you have time.
Your recipe instructions worked perfectly! Turned out beautiful and fluffy. The longest part of the process is removing the center stem from the garlic, but for those thinking about making the recipe, be patient, it’s worth the effort. Yuuummm!
That’s great to hear! Yay!!
This looks amazing! But before I start peeling all that garlic, I have a couple of questions. First, any chance you could make this in a Vitamix blender? Second, when you say to cover with a paper towel for 24 hours after preparing, do you leave it on the counter or in the fridge with the paper towel? Many thanks in advance!
Thank you! I do not recommend a blender because 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. When you cover it with a paper towel, leave that in the fridge. Hope this helps!
Thank you for the recipe. At least I don’t have to ask for more TOUM at the restaurants anymore.
You’re so welcome! Homemade for the win!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m obsessed with the garlic sauce from Cava, but wanted more to put on anything and everything. When I looked for copy cat recipes, yours was one of the first to come up. This is cava garlic sauce, but 100X better and more garlicky. I had to be patient and drizzled everything in ever so slowly, but it came out perfectly fluffy and delicious. Wow!
You’re so welcome! I’m so glad you’re able to make it at home now!! Patience is definitely key.
Hi, Yumna!
Thank you so much for teaching me how to make this! We had it in California at a Lebanese restaurant and I loved it, but can’t find the like in Delaware. I just made it and I love it. I should have followed your directions to soak the garlic, though, because it is super potent! The garlic I used was super fresh. I’ll try that the next time. Friends are coming over and I can’t wait to serve it!
BTW, your directions and tips were so helpful. It was really easy to follow the instructions and it came out just like you said.
Thank you so much!
Lou Anne
You’re so welcome! That makes me so happy to hear. Definitely try that next time you make it! Hope you and your friends continue to enjoy!
We made this for our shish tawouk, and the toum is better than what we have in restaurants back home 😍It’s absolutely devine with a great kick. I’ll be slathering this on everything for the next week. Vampires beware!
That’s amazing to hear! It really is so versatile in that it can be paired with so many dishes!
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I didn’t have any neutral oil, so i used avocado oil, so the sauce is not white but doesn’t affect the taste (in my opinion). Is still amazing, garlicky, and easy! The only bad thing with this recipe is that is so good, I’m practically licking every last drop off the spatula, mixing bowl, and lid 😅.
You’re so welcome! I’m glad it still turned out garlicky. It’s definitely an addicting sauce.
Excellent, detailed garlic purée recipe! My favorite Lebanese deli counter closed this year and I was in love with this stuff. I would buy it by the tub, because it was amazing and also to support a local small business. This recipe makes me so happy. Follow the process described — you won’t be disappointed. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much! It really is just that good. Glad you’re able to make it at home now!
Okay! Who knew that this was so easy to make! And the best I have ever tasted !
Right?! I’m glad to hear it!!
This sauce tastes amazing. Though the texture didn’t come out quite as expected. It’s sitting in a glass jar in the fridge with a kitchen towel over it, but the oil has separated. What could have gone wrong? I only have a blender and used that. Should I have blended it more? Can I do that now?
Thank you! I really do not recommend a blender because 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. It’s also important 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.
Just made this wonderful sauce! WOW!!!!
Your steps to emulsify are spot on. You just can’t rush the process of introducing the oil and lemon juice alternately for the right consistency.
Since I was using a small food processor, it filled to the top on me, so I did use a cup less oil than called for, but it didnt seem to affect the flavor or consistency.
It is a bit salty initially, so next time I’ll use 1/2 the amount indicated. Other than that, perfection!
This sauce proves you can never have too much garlic!
Bon Appétit!
I’m glad you found the steps helpful and enjoyed the end product! There really never is enough garlic!!
Such a wonderful sauce,
In regards to the garlic , some recipes I’ve made before that were derived from Europe, they would boil the garlic one ,two , or even three times depending on how hot they wanted the garlic to be. Of course changing the water each time it came to a boil starting with cold. This garlic was simply pureed with maybe a little olive oil parsley and salt very similar to the recipe that the Lebanese have but offered stability when adding the oil to the garlic .
Thank you so much! There are definitely different ways to go about making this sauce.
I have never tasted anything so delicious! I made this late yesterday and cannot wait to try it after it’s mellowed for a day. I literally licked the spatula that I scraped the food processor with and wanted more LOL. And the consistency is amazing…it’s like a fluffy, garlicky mousse!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! Yay!!
These tips were exactly what I needed. It turned out PERFECT!
That’s amazing! Yay!!
I am so very happy to finally get this recipe!!! It is the BEST, PERFECT !! Thanks 😁
That makes me so happy! You’re so welcome!
Perfect 😍 Thank You 🙏 so much!
You’re so welcome!
Thank you!! We had a great Lebanese grocer/ take out shop (closed up!!) that served this sauce and we could not get enough. It came out amazing, so similar to what we got from the shop.
You’re so welcome! I’m glad you can make it at home now!!
Best Toum I ever made in my life. The taste is just AMAZING. The instructions were just spot on, faultless. I’m in awe. Thanks ever so much.
Wow, thank you so much! It makes me so happy to hear that!!
I made this last night. It tasted amazing! However, upon checking in the morning, it has hardened. I used vegetable oil. Is that the reason my toum solidified in the fridge?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The recipe should still work with vegetable oil. If you let it sit for a minute or so and then mix it, did it return to the original texture?
It did combine, yes. But it didn’t return to the thick and fluffy texture. It’s more of a runny sauce now. Maybe I’ll try again with a different oil. Still tasted great though!
You could try 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 made your toum recipe using the cuisinart food processor you tagged in your blog – and it worked the first time! The emulsion was fluffy, smooth, and creamy. It took about 20 minutes of constant processing and slow dribbling of oil and lemon juice. My toum is VERY strong tasting, a smidge bitter, but nicely garlicky. Removing the little green sprout might have made a difference. Now I am in search of ways to use toum!
That’s amazing! Here are some great recipes on my website that work with the garlic sauce:
Shish Tawook (Chicken Skewers)
Broccoli and Shrimp Pasta Alfredo
Chicken Shawarma Salad
Roasted Cauliflower Pitas
Shawarma Pita Pizza
made this last night and it was the best tasting garlic sauce I’ve tasted!! my husband is lebanese so we tried restos and homemade ones but i loved your recipe more than anyone else’s. I just did one mistake! I added oil too quickly so it became liquidy. Luckily you have a solution to it so I added 1 boiled potato and it was divine! Thank you sooo much for sharing your recipe! Just a question though, what should i do with the oil forming on top of the jar? should i tip it off or just stir it everytime? Thanks in advance.
Wow, thank you so much! I’m glad you could revive the sauce. I would stir it every time you use it. Also, keep in mind, to only store the garlic sauce no more than 7-10 days.
All I can say is YUM! So easy yet so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Thank you! I love that!! You’re so welcome!
I just finished making your recipe with garlic I harvested from our garden and to say it is good does not even begin to say how wonderful it is ! This recipe is definitely a keeper , I wish I could add pictures of the fluffy clouds of garlicky goodness. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Wow, thank you so much! You’re so welcome!!
This is amazing. We ordered shawarma last night fron a new place and it was horrible. My boyfriend suggested we try to do our own. I ended up and tried your recipe. IT is simply amazing. I took my time, followed your instructions and it turned out perfect. Thank you so much for posting.
I’m glad this recipe hit the spot! You’re so welcome!!
I cannot tell you how excited I was to find this recipe, I lived in Beirut for almost 2 years and we always had toum in the house, and now we can have Toum in the house no matter where we are in the world! Thank you so much for sharing!
The best part about it! You’re so welcome!!
Loved this recipe I followed the directions and even started dumping oil in at the end because I was being impatient lol worked beautifully for me. Exactly how I remember at the Mediterranean restaurants back in Michigan hot fresh pita and a side of this paste was literally my favorite snack. Idk why people are having issues but I did use a regular old food processor it got a little full at the end so I left out a little oil and it was strong but my husband and I loved it…. So damn good.
I’m glad it worked out! Yay!!
O-M-G this is good. If you’re a garlic lover this recipe is a keeper. I made this today, following the directions precisely. It will not break if you follow the directions. It makes quite a bit too. My advice is don’t halve the recipe. You’ll want every bit of this. It’s in the refrigerator now under a paper towel as recommended. I hope I can keep out of it until tomorrow morning! I want to try this in sandwiches, on pasta, on pitas or bagels, etc. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Thank you so much! I love that so much! Yay!!
I have tried to make this recipe 3 times now. I know it’s me that’s messing it up…. probably because I want it to work soo badly! :’(
I’m going to try again this weekend…. wish me luck!
I feel you!! It failed 3 times for me before I figured out all the things I was doing wrong! Please let me know if I can help troubleshoot and don’t toss that garlic that failed…you can still cook with it!!
The best toum ever just like my mom would make it. Can’t wait to try more of your Lebanese recipes.
Thank you so much! Let me know what your thoughts are!
Thank you SO much for this recipe!
I have tried again and again to make a good Toum sauce recipe, and while i did get the good consistency, the taste just wasn’t there.
This recipe is SO simple, and so well explained, i am absolutely addicted. I now have a jar in my fridge almost ALL the time and i ALWAYS give a jar to my lebanese neighbour when i make it, to spare her the task. She LOVES it! Couldn’t get higher praise in my book!
THANK YOU!
You’re so welcome! That makes me so happy to hear!
Tastes great but why is mine so runny? Used the exact amount of ingredients in the recipe.
I’m glad you enjoyed the taste! 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.
2 tablespoons is 343kcal? Just want to be sure (trying to eat it in moderation) delicious toum! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
That’s correct! Roughly 2 heaping tablespoons. You’re so welcome!
For anyone who (like me) has trouble pouring a thin, steady stream of liquid when using a food processor, check to see if your machine has a pour spout. I have an old Cuisinart 11-cup food processor and only just learned of this feature! On my machine, it’s basically a tube-shaped compartment that has a 1/8” hole on the bottom. I can pour up to about 1/2 cup of liquid into the compartment and it steadily drizzles into the main chamber.
I have made this recipe several times and the consistency and flavor is perfect every time! Several family members said that they prefer this to Trader Joe’s Garlic Spread Dip because it has more brightness and tartness from the lemon juice.
We eat toum with so many things (rotisserie chicken, prime rib, in lieu of mayo in sandwiches, as a dip for carrot and celery sticks), yet this recipe makes enough to last us a few weeks (but it’s good to know that it can last in the fridge for a few months).
Thank you for this recipe – we can’t enough of it!
Thank you for sharing this tip for those who may have had difficulty making this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoy it that much! You’re welcome!!
Tip from an old chef.Clean a plastic water bottle/pop bottle and poke a small hole in it at the bottom. Cover with your finger and pour the oil into it and close the lid. Angle it over the drop spout for the mixer and unscrew the lid until you have a slow stream.
Thank you for that tip! I have yet to try that one!!
Can I use sunflower oil?
Yes, you can! Make sure it’s the refined (neutral-tasting) type.
Obsessed. That is all. Seriously follow steps and it comes out perfectly! Better that our favorite restaurant! That says a lot! We have some incredible Mediterranean restaurants in Michigan! Next to pizza, garlic sauce is our other addiction! Soooooo good.
YES! Thanks Deborah! I saw that dreamy cloud of toum on our Facebook group and you nailed it!! Looks so good and hope it lasts more than a week LOL
Deborah Cummings your comment is all I need to read. I am originally from Taylor, MI and when we go home that’s all I want is food from my favorite Dearborn restaurant. I always bring home a large container of the toum because I have just not been able to make it myself. I am so trying this when I get off work. We will put this on everything.
The best and super easy to make. I use on so many things, but I can also eat it right out of the bowl. 🙂
I love that! It really is so versatile in that way!
I’ve made this recipe 4 times now and my entire family absolutely loves it! We live in a rural city in Canada and I’ve really missed Middle Eastern food/restaurants. This recipe definitely hit the spot. It’s well worth my time since it has a long shelf-life and pairs well with so many foods (kofta, rotisserie chicken, fries, etc).
That’s amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed it that much!!
Can I use olive oil instead of canola oil? Thanks!
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.
I’ve been craving this sauce since I left Saudi Arabia. It is perfect! Will definitely be buying breath mints for after though
So glad it hit the spot! Breath mints will definitely help!!
Delighted! Airy, fluffy, powerful! Everything you look for in a good whipped garlic. Thank you for the simple no egg recipe.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear it!!
Amazing, tastes like it is from a restaurant. Word to the wise, is you don’t like it too garlicky reduce the amount of garlic … but for me this is perfect.
That’s amazing! Thank you!! Great tip!
Amazing recipe! Clear, easy to read instructions, with helpful tips included. I’ve attempted this recipe multiple times and failed every time. I decided to give your recipe a try and it worked out wonderfully!
Thank you! I’m so glad you decided to give this one a chance and that it worked out! Yay!!
I followed the recipe exactly and was successful for my first try at making this delicious condiment. I’m sure that I will come back to this recipe for years and years to come.
Thank you!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that! You’re so welcome!
Great recipe! I so appreciate your tip about the few tablespoons of oil to emulsify first. It helped me make a successful batch after about five fails. I used to make it all the time, then lost the touch. Today it worked! Also chilled the oil and garlic overnight to keep it as cold as possible during the time in the food processor. I have an older Cuisinart with a hole in the plunger, and this helps enormously with adding the liquids slowly, unless I forget to strain the lemon juice. Then the hole gets plugged with lemon pulp, and this is a mess. But it made four cups and was delicious and pretty salty. Might use Meyer lemons next batch!
Thank you, Kathryn! I’m glad you found the tips useful!
Great suggestion on using Meyer lemons. I prefer a little less tanginess and will try Meyer lemons next time.
Made a batch last night and the consistency is great. The flavor is quite strong but should mellow over time. I will also use less salt next time.
So glad to have found how to make the garlic sauce (love, love, love) found at Zankou Chicken Middle Eastern fast food chain out in SoCal. I miss it so much. Wish they would expand to NY.
I’m glad you enjoyed the consistency! Hopefully homemade will do until then!
Thank you for the delicious recipe! My husband and I live or!
I made a quarter of the amount as I was afraid it was too much for the two of us and didn’t want it to soul in the fridge, but I was wrong.
I’ll have to make the full amount next time!
First time was a epic fail but persevered and worked fab second time around. Used 1 bulb of smoked garlic and 1/2 the ingredients, a bit salty but fabulous for my son who needs egg free garlic sauce for homemade kebab and chips!
I’m glad you persevered and that it turned out well! Thank you!
Is good but it was really salty? any suggestions
You can reduce the amount of salt you add.
Great recipe! I used avocado oil and had no issues with it emulsifying.
Thank you! I’m glad to hear it!
Excellent recipe that turned out perfect. Your detailed instructions and helpful hints made it foolproof in my opinion. I made an arugula and fennel salad and used the toum as an ingredient for the salad dressing it needed. It was absolutely amazing! I plan to use it in several recipes and keep it as a staple in the fridge.
Thank you so much! That sounds lovely!!
i made the garlic paste a second time but had to do i in a blender and the blender was heating up a bit, i also used canola oil to make it but it seems to have turned a pastel green-tinted? colour, is it still okay to eat? did the heat cause this or was it something else?
Hmmm, is the green from the green sprout from inside the garlic?
Garlic can turn green from a reaction between it and the salt. This is common when fermenting garlic by blending the cloves and salt together. It’s perfectly safe to eat and the green goes away after a few days.
You probably had a similar reaction.
This is perfect in every way! It lasts beautifully in the fridge, so it will always be there to enhance my life.
That’s so kind of you to say! Thank you so much!
Amazing recipe!
Thank you, Roula!
I was amazed when I got this to work. The texture is incredible. So happy with this recipe!
Yay! Thank you, Christina!
This is amazing thank you for a clear and detailed recipe! We enjoyed it very much
Thank you! You’re so welcome!
Good morning have you ever put basil and how much would you put in ???
Than you for a beautiful recipe
I haven’t added basil to this before! Thank you!
Mine “broke”, is there any recovery?
It was looking great until I stared adding the second addition of lemon juice then grainy separation.
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 made this and it is absolutely delicious! I noticed there are still tiny bits of garlic in mine. Not chunks, but tiny like little fish eggs and I can feel them between my teeth sometimes. Is this normal, or did I not blend enough? I stopped blending because it looked fluffy already and I was afraid that over-blending would cause the ingredients to suddenly separate.
Thank you! I would recommend blending the peeled garlic for longer before adding in the rest of the ingredients!
Made this and husband loved it. Will be making some more today!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it!!
Checked the sauce this morning and it looks like the oil separated and is floating to the top. Is this normal?
Yes! Make sure to let the garlic set by covering it with a paper towel and storing in the fridge. 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.
Thanks for the quick reply! I already did the paper towel sitting in the fridge, and it’s after that I noticed the oil is separated. I shook it well to reincorporate everything to a creamy consistency but when I let it sit it separates again. That’s OK, I will just shake well before using.
So simple and yummy!!
I LOVE this spread! Thanks for the recipe. It is great! I usually make it with a little less oil and though it’s stronger, I like it and it seems a little healthier that way. After about three days in the frig it is more mild. Garlic is so good for you, and is a natural antibiotic, so this is a good way to eat a lot of it for healthy living!
Garlic really has some incredible benefits! Thank you!
What would you think of using avocado oil, Choice brand. Very neutral flavor but it is a healthier oil, i think. I’m asking because although the flavor was good, my toum did not emulsify very well. I don’t want to waste all that oil. I’m in Costa Rica where this oil is expensive. I know what i did wrong though, so i am hopeful.
Yes, avocado oil will work well!
Would I be able to use olive oil if that is all I have?
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.
I’m so glad! Thank you!!
This was an easy and accurate recipe. I saved it to my favorites. Thanks Yumna for sharing it with all of us.
Yay! Always happy to share!
This is delicious! I have been searching for a recipe to recreate the garlic sauce at one of my favorite mideastern restaurant. I think they also add potato to their sauce. No surprise, the consistency is a little thicker. Have you ever made this with including potato? If so, any recommendations as to how much?
Thank you! Yes, I have made it with potatoes. 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 saw the 4 ingredients and in my haste didn’t read everything. Yes using olive oil will turn then color and overwhelm the garlic flavor. Spot on
I’ve watched chefs add egg whites which I think makes a difference. Do you ever use egg whites?
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.
Oh my, i made this and it taste so deelish. I had to substitute kosher salt for table salt (it’s all I had). I’m glad I listened to my instinct and used a bit less than 1 tsp of salt. I don’t have a food processor, but I was able to use my mini kitchenaid chopper that has a “pulse” option. I was afraid of ruining the batch due to my lack of proper equipment but it worked! I followed your instructions to the tee and it worked amazingly. If I feel like I should not kiss someone after having toum then I know I have succeeded in making this. :):):) thanks so much !
Kat from Mtl ❤️
I’m glad to hear it still worked that way! Thank you so much!!
Great recipe. Mine is very pungent. Is there anything to do after you’ve already made this to make it less pungent? It’s SPICY. Does it get milder with time.
Next time I’ll soak the garlic. My texture turned out great.
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.
Absolutely delicious. Never had this before but I googled “garlic dip” and toum appeared a lot. This is fabulous. It almost had a mouth-feel of butter, but with a ka-pow of garlic. Now, I don’t know if it’s suppose to feel butter-y in your mouth but even if I messed up, I love it. This would be delicious on steak, a sandwich spread, veggie dip, probably anything.
That’s the perfect way to explain it! I’m so glad you love it!
LOVED it! Licked the food processor clean. Simple recipe. Patience is required. Outcome is fabulous!
I did the same! Glad it was worth it!
I halved the recipe and just wasted 3 bulbs of garlic and the rest of the ingredients, I couldn’t get it to emulsify. I feel like you are leaving out a step. Whatever.
I’ll just get this at the Lebanese restaurant.
Sometimes that happens when the lemon juice is left at the end or when the oil is added too quickly. 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. Hope that helps!
2 tablespoons is 343kcal? Just want to be sure (trying to eat it in moderation)
While shops in Montreal have this “sauce a l’ail”, I have yet to see it in Toronto (without being mayonnaise-based, yuck!). I’d been missing this so much and was JUST wishing for a recipe so I could try to make it myself and a friend randomly shared this link today, so thank you!
I was wondering about your thoughts on using roasted garlic instead of raw. We actually roasted 4 bulbs in the oven last night without an actual plan, so I’d love to give this recipe a shot with them if you think it would still work. Thanks in advance!
I’m so glad you came across this homemade recipe! I’m sure you could use roasted garlic in this recipe too!
I added to much liquid. How can I save this?
You would have to add a small amount in the food processor that you strain to make it thick and try to emulsify that. Then slowly drizzle the rest of it in there a little at a time. Hope that helps!
How much pulsed garlic do the 4 bulbs make?
1/2 cup 3/4 cups…
Thanks for your help.
I didn’t measure the amount of garlic after the 1 cup of peeled garlic had been blended, but I would estimate it amounted to around 3/4 cup of pulsed garlic.
Thank you for sharing this authentic tasting Toum just like what they use to serve in Lebanese Flower Restaurant in Abu Dhabi !! A frequent food on the go for all of us while kids were growing up, Now in Toronto and my daughters really missed that Lebanese taste of Shawarma which we haven’t found around where we live so they enjoyed this very
much with homemade chicken shawarma during lockdown January 20201 🙂
I’m so glad this homemade version reminded them of their childhoods! Thank you so much!! Hope you and your family are staying safe.
This recipe was amazing! 🤤 Tasted just like I imagined, but better because it was homemade! So cool seeing it all come together!
Homemade for the win! Thank you so much!!
Perfect. I’ve tried several times before to make toum using other recipes. This recipe was finally a success. Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad it finally worked out! Most welcome!
I received food processor for Christmas and was excited to try the recipe. But it came out oily. Can I rescue with more lemon juice?
If it’s too liquidy, it’s important to alternate the oil and lemon juice (don’t rush the process!) because it’s possible that it didn’t emulsify. To rescue it, 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.
Seriously, absolutely delicious My husband says this needs to be a staple in the frig.
I love that!! Hope it does!
Thanks so much Yumna, you made my year actually lol. I’m currently in Italy and the Shawarma or khebab as the call in Italy it is not the same without tuom…I’ve tried to make this 2 on all occasions it didn’t emulsify… I’m very optimistic that your recipe n process would give me that. Already prepped my ingredients for tomorrow. 🤞
Btw I followed your falafel recipe and omg it was amazing 😂. Thank you so much.
I’m so glad to hear that! Let me know how it turns out. Thank you so much!!
I tried! I really did! But mine turned out yellow! Yummy…but yellow. I used avocado oil. Is there a certain oil that is clear?
It’s likely the avocado oil! I recommend using a neutral oil like canola or safflower.
Thanks for the recipe! Just made this for the first time and it tastes exactly like the real deal! I’m so proud of myself 😄. Also, anyone that thinks the flavour is “too strong” is a clown. It’s Toum! That’s how it should be.
I love that! Thank you so much!!
I just finished making this Toum recipe and on first taste its wonderful. Followed your recipe and hint of icing the garlic. I put them in a small strainer into larger bowl with ice. Easier to lift out altogether. Can’t wait till dinnertime to enjoy this buttery, unique spread with my other Greek dishes. Thank you for posting this. Its perfect!
Mae
Most welcome! Sounds like it’s going to be delicious with all those other Greek dishes!
Beautiful… it lasts up to 4 months after opening? and if it was sealed and never opened how long does it last ? thank you.
If you keep it in an airtight container, this garlic sauce will last 3-4 months in the fridge (whether it has never been opened or has been opened)!
100% success , I am so very pleased with this recipe, clear concise instruction , easy to follow, good hints thank you thank you I very much appreciate it 🙂
Thank you so much for your feedback!
I have tried this recipe multiple times and it never emulsifies and it remains liquidy. Hence the garlic flavor overpowers everything and I can’t eat it. I really want it to work but it has flopped so many times. What am I doing wrong? I follow the recipe as is, drizzling oil as I run my chopper. 🙁 how to problem solve if it isn’t emulsifying? Thanks in advance!
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 also 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!
Turned out beautifully! Can’t wait to eat it. I 💖 tum!!
Yay!! I can’t wait either!
This turned out perfect!! Just like our favorite shawarma restaurant serves. This was my first time making it and I made sure I didn’t rush it!!!!!
That’s amazing to hear! Thank you!!
This worked great! Cant believe all those liquid ingredients solidified and made a good sauce
Yay!! One of the reasons it’s so popular!
I am so happy I found this recipe!! This was the only reason I bought a food processor. I was a little scared that it wasn’t going to turn out because it was very thin after that first cup of oil and some lemon but it thicken up beautifully! Definitely something I will be making all the time. Thank you!
Oh that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for sharing and glad it worked out well for you!!
Great
Thank you!
Delish – Thank you!
Thank you so much!
The instructions indicate refrigerating over night. Can this be used after using for a meal? Or does it need the overnight refrigeration?
Sorry, can this be used after making*
You can totally have it right away, but it solidifies more after refrigerating.
Thank you!!
Can the sauce be frozen?
It can be frozen but I think there’s no point to freezing it because it will last 3-4 months in the fridge and taste better with a better consistency than after freezing.
I am also Middle Eastern, have been making toum all my life. A few of our tips if its OK, we prefer to use a high powered blender, seems to emulsify easier. “IF” it doesn’t emulsify (sometimes I find garlic just won’t cooperate) I like to add unflavored egg white powder, its always been an easy fix for me. A little goes a long way. Hope this helps.
Love your website
Love your tips! Thanks so much!!
Hi, thank you so much for this recipe…my toum was really tasty at first. but the oil separated from the garlic. can i still salvage this by removing the oil and doing it over again with the food processor?
Oh sorry to hear that, yes, you can salvage it by adding a boiled potato to the mixture in the food processor or trying to re-emulsify it by adding a little bit of the mixture at time to the food processor until it looks thick enough and then drizzling the remaining oil that separated.
I just made this, it is stellar! Thank you! Question – does the garlic mellow out? Right now it’s delicious but it has this sharp aftertaste. I’m guessing that’s what you have already referred to. Thank you so much!
So glad you enjoyed it! Yup, it will mellow out over time. And next time you can soak the garlic in ice water beforehand.
Is there a way to save the recipe if it didn’t quite emulsify? HELP!
Yes 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, I just discovered your wonderful site! I made the garlic sauce exactly as you’ve outlined above and it worked out perfectly. We were inspired to make a Lebanese themed dinner so I made you Beef Kafta recipe and your Kale Tabbouleh recipe and everything was perfect! Thank you for your well written, accurate and delicious recipes!
Aww I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for sharing!! Love to hear your success with this recipe and the others as well!!
I just made the garlic sauce and it is delicious! I haven’t refrigerated overnight yet and the garlic flavor is very strong but I know it will mellow down. I wanted to make sure it was light and creamy so I spent way more time processing it but otherwise followed almost exactly. Thanks!
I’m so glad it turned out well for you! And it was good that you took your time with it!
Hiya! I made your garlic sauce via your website after trying another aweful recipe but not giving up! It was AMAZING. my hubby said it was the best garlic sauce he has had 🙂 thank u ❤️❤️❤️
Aww, I’m glad you still gave my recipe a try after another failed! Thank you so much!!
This seems to turn out differently every time I make it. The first batch I used fresh garlic bulbs and it was WAY too strong. Had that very strong garlic taste that burns your mouth. The second time I made it, I used pre-peeled garlic from the store and it turned out perfect! Very mild, not too strong, restaurant style. Third time I did everything the same (or so I thought) and it is fairly strong again, not as much as the first time, but not as mild as I prefer.
So my question, what causes this issue? The age of the garlic? Something during the process of making it? Too much garlic or lemon juice, not enough of something? Amazing recipe though! So tasty I can eat it for days. Thanks!
I think that goes back to the freshness of the garlic. The store bought ones will be less fresh if they are pre-peeled. My recommendation is to buy the freshest garlic by making sure they feel firm and then just letting the garlic sit in an ice bath or just cold water for 10 minutes before using them. That will help them be more mild.
We failed the first attempt because we didn’t understand the importance of the emulsification process, but were successful on the second attempt. Patience is the key!!! We are so excited, at how well it turned out and tasted we are going to make some as Christmas gifts for our garlic loving friends and family.
Try it you won’t be disappointed.
YES! Love your comment and hope that the others who have failed read your comment and understand the importance of patience to get true emulsification from the beginning! I love the idea of making them into gifts!
I have made toum before (in my magimix) and its always been creamy but this time its so runny and I’m disappointed (mostly because I hate prepping all this garlic). I followed all measurements/recipe to the letter but its a total flop. Now I’m just hoping it’ll thicken more than a whipping cream consistency in my fridge!
You must have done something differently because this recipe works for me perfectly every time and hundreds of others agree as well. Did you not use a food processor? Did it not thicken before adding the rest of the oil. Did you skip the lemon juice?
This is so good. I tried it for the first time the other day at a new Tunisian restaurant in my neighbourhood, and just had to make some of my own. It turned out beautifully. I added some to bread dough and baked a very good Foccacia.
Perfect!! Glad to hear it 🙂
Hi I tried making it. Emulsion was successful but when I put it in the refrigerator, it hardens. Tried to put it in shawarma anyway but it melted right away like literally oil. And when I leave it on room temperature, it goes back to being oil and solid stuff floating/separating. I’ve made this before and succeeded (emulsion suxxeeded and it didn’t harden in the refrigerator and was able to use it for a month), I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve made it twice and it’s the same. Please, help me. What am I doing wrong? It’s actually for my lebanese shawarma business so it’s been a very, severely stressful couple of weeks for me. Failing multiple times and not knowing what I’m doing wrong. Please help me.
Hi there, that’s odd it worked twice for you but not the third time. Have you changed anything at all or tried to make a larger quantity perhaps? Are you using a food processor and dripping the oil slowly at first?
Hi Ms. Yumna! Thank you for responding! I’m sorry, I meant it failed in the fridge twice, emulsion was successful but when stored in the fridge it hardens. I use a food processor, I did try to make a big batch but I just doubled all the ingredients. Is that wrong? It’s just so weird because it looks and tastes successful then it hardens, our fridge’s temperature controller is on minimum too so imagine my stress when I keep failing without knowing why 😞
That’s so odd that it hardens that much in the fridge. It could be the type of oil you used is what I’m thinking.
Yes, exactly my thought. I used vegetable oil, but I don’t think it’s the oil because I’ve made some before with the same brand and succeeded. I don’t know, maybe someone cursed me or something 😜 jk. I will try again and I will let you know what happens. Thank you so much so far for responding, you’re very kind.
Incredibly delicious! Thanks for this recipe! I was nervous to try it with avocado oil but it worked brilliantly. It’s super light and fluffy and was delicious with our steak and oven fries dinner.
So happy to hear that!! Thanks so much for sharing! I really think it makes everything better 🙂
So easy and very good….a little harsh initially but worth a day or two wait. I have a very small food processor so I cut the recipe in half. Perfect!
Totally agree with you! Glad it worked out well with the half the recipe!
I did the same thing with my Ninja. Big mistake. I transferred it all to a glass bowl, put 2 paper towels right on top (touching the mixture all around). After about 45 minutes most of the oil separated. Then I took a spoon and skimmed the oil off of the top and put it in a separate bowl. Then I used my hand mixer on lowest speed to remix the remaining garlic mix in the original bowl, and very slowly added the oil back in, bit by bit. It took about 10 minutes of hand mixing, and a lot of patients, but eventually thickened right up! Was perfect!!
I’m so happy that the trouble shooting worked and thanks so much for sharing your experience for others to read about it! Enjoy that garlic sauce!!!
Hi there – I’ve had this going in the vitamix for 15 mins (I think!) and it’s very liquid and the oil is separated. Do I keep it going, or have I done something wrong already?
I’ve had trouble making it in the vitamix which is why I recommended in the post not using a blender. I prefer a food processor for drizzling the oil in very slowly. At this point, you can use this mixture to cook with and it will literally last months! Or if you have a food processor, you can slowly start to add a few tablespoons at a time to get that thickness. Hope that helps!
Can I eat this right away or does it have to be put in the fridge over night? Thanks so much I’m so excited to make this!
You can definitely eat it right away. Setting it in the fridge with the paper towel will remove some moisture and also let the garlic flavor mellow a little. But it’s not mandatory!
This is really good! I love this paste when I have Lebanese food and figured I would try your recipe. I like that it’s only a few ingredients and easy recipe to follow. I
didn’t have kosher salt so used regular salt. I think I’ll try less oil next time. It wasn’t fluffy but it was nicely emulsified and more of a creamy paste, kinda like at the restaurant. It’s super garlicky but that’s the whole point right?
So glad you enjoyed it! To make the garlic taste more mellow, try soaking the garlic in iced water! That helps take off the bite!
I absolutely love Toum, but I just made it for the first time tonight. This recipe is awesome, and very easy if you follow the directions exactly. So delicious. However, I will tell you, I didn’t soak the garlic first, but I wish I had. I love garlic, the stronger the better. But this will absolutely make your eyes water, at least in the beginning until it has a chance to mellow. Whoo…delicious, but incredibly strong. Fantastic recipe, though. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Hahaha yes, it can be quite strong the first couple days!! So glad it worked perfectly for you though the first time! Yay!
Hi Yumna,
I am a mom of three little children ages 5,3& 3months old. I often turn to your recipes bc it’s quick easy and delicious. I’ve tried most of your recipes and all turn out perfect.
Today I made the garlic sauce and it was perfect. I gave up on the older ladies bc they like to keep the recipe to themselves 🤣 so I told myself let me give yumna’s recipe a try and let me tell you it was easy to make and delicious with my chicken shawarma sandwich.
I love how you simplify everything THANK YOU for saving my time and energy.
Keep up the good work 😘
Aww that makes me so happy!! Thank you!!
Great recipe with clear instruction that make this easy to make. The second time I made this the sauce failed and became liquid. I cleaned my equipment, carefully whip a second batch, and once the sauce was emulsified I slowly add the first batch that failed. And it worked!
Now I have two batches of garlic sauce to finish 😅
Hahaha, that’s a good problem! You can save it for 3 months and it is amazing with everything! I’m so glad you didn’t give up after the first time!
Hello! I am so thankful I landed on your site. I love Lebanese food and have purchased a number of Lebanese cookbooks to try to replicate dishes I love. You have the absolute best recipe for Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum). I have tried unsuccessfully to prepare this sauce but the recipes were difficult to follow. I ended up tossing the sauce out with each try. Yours is simple, direct and perfect. I’ve never seen such fluffy garlic sauce with an incredible garlic taste. I actually accomplished the impossible (for me) using your clever and perfect recipe with excellent directions. Thanks also for the added information which explains everything clearly and provides wonderful photos. My son requests this dish at least every other week. Thank you!
That means the world to me! Thank you so much for sharing and I’m so happy that you made and loved the recipe!! Aww your son has great taste!! Make him the chicken tawook with it!
I am very excited to try this recipe. I do not own a food processor – can I successfully make this in my Vitamix/K-Tek blender?
Also, I am vegan, can you recommend some great veggie pairings for the sauce?
THANK YOU!!
Hi Sue! Yes, you can make this in a vitamix, but make sure it looks thick and emulsified after a few tablespoon of oil before streaming in the rest of the oil. And keep the top of the Vitamix open to stream the oil through. Try it with these veggies:
https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/grilled-eggplant/
https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/air-fryer-brussel-sprouts/
https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/crispy-baked-zucchini-fries/
This was easy to make, and is very good! The garlic is quite spicy though, which normally isn’t a problem for me but with this I think I like it to be less so. I’m hoping that after it sits in the fridge for several days it’ll help tone it down a bit.
I’m glad you liked it! The garlic flavor will mellow over time. And next time you can also soak the garlic in cold water for half hour to mellow out the flavor too.
So how do I emulsify ur more?
Slowly add it to food processor just a couple tablespoons at a time until it gets thick, and then you can pour in more of it. Hope that helps!
Looks very liquid to me
Will it thicken up in the fridge
Smells great, first timer on this
Oh yeah, it’s possible you didn’t emulsify it enough.
I used to love Toum when I visited a Lebanese restaurant in Kuwait when we lived there. Made this today and it looks just like the photos. It is much stronger than I expected but didn’t soak garlic first. I will wait a week or two and add some to Greek yoghurt or mayonnaise and soak the garlic next time .
Oh yeah, it’s pretty potent! I think that’s a good idea and try soaking next time!
Hi Yumna,
My food processor has two speeds, which is the best speed to use in your recipe throughout the process.
Thank you,
David
Great question! I would go with the high speed!
Absolutely beautiful 👌😋🙏
Thank you!!
I used olive oil, not extra virgin, so i still get the paste like and of course not as white due to olive oil color which is fine by me. It’s healthier this way for me as well.
Oh I’m glad it worked well for you! Thank you for sharing!
This is absolutely delicious but I think the fat per serving is closer to 30 grams, not 3 grams. A cup of oil has about 218 grams of fat. Multiplied by 3 equals 654, divided by 18 servings is 36 grams.
You’re right! I think the nutrition calculator was completely off but I just fixed it. Thank you!!
Love it
Thank you!!
Recipe is really good but I don’t like how the instructions are so “do it this way or it won’t work”. By which I mean I used a hand blender for about the first half, purreed the garlic with some oil and then once it was on its way i continued mixing by hand with a spatula. Then once everything was added I finished with a little more of the hand blender to thicken it. There is more options then what the instructions say especially since so little people have a food processor. I am a professional baker and I don’t even have one.
Just to reiterate, recipe is simple and easy to make, turned out just fine how I made it no need for fancy equipment. Would try a blender in the future as I see no reason for it not to work and more people have one of those in their home.
Hi Sam – I appreciate that and you are right because my family in Lebanese makes it with a pestle and mortar, so it can be done super simple. This method that I share is my fail proof method that works for me everytime. When I try the blender or hand blender even, it sometimes fails.
Hello, I was wondering if you can use extra virgin olive oil to make this?
I cannot consume anything with canola or vegetable oil due to health restrictions but I wonder if it would turn out the same with extra virgin olive oil?
I wouldn’t recommend it with olive oil since it tends to overtake the taste of the garlic sauce and can turn the mixture into a yellow color which is less appetizing. However, you can use any neutral oil like grapeseed oil, avocado oil, safflower oil or sunflower oil – anything that doesn’t have a strong taste.
We made the Toum tonight with the Chicken Shawarma – absolutely amazing. Got some really good pita bread to go with it; and made a greek salad… The video was extremely helpful! This is a real hit and we have the leftover toum in the fridge for next time. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Penny! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the toum with the chicken shawarma! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! I appreciate it 🙂
You never mentioned how much salt to use!
Yup, it says 2 teaspoons kosher salt in the ingredients 🙂
Yumna, thank you for adapting this delicious recipe. Measuring the garlic out in volumetric cup sizes was helpful because the heads of garlic I have (big bag from Costco) vary in size. I made this using my new bag of garlic and I was so excited that they were fresh and didn’t start getting that green sprout yet.
It’s been about four days, and my toum is still pretty spicy but I think it is mellowing out slowly. I halved the recipe and used the smallest of my Ninja food processor containers (size of mini food processor) and it worked out well. Also, thanks for the helpful video.
Random, in the “jump to recipe” it says it’s by Yumna. At the top it says, “By: Bethan” ??
So glad to see that the recipe worked out well and that the measurements were helpful! It can be spicy when you use fresh garlic. Next time, try to mellow it out with some ice water before you add to the food processor. Oh and the author section flipped for some reason. That’s my assistant who helps me on my website!
Thanks for tips. And thank you for clearing up the author section confusion. It mellowed out a bit, it was still pretty spicy over the next two weeks but very delicious!
Is that calorie count per tbsp? Ugh! I could eat a cup of this stuff per meal!!! I love it soooo much!!!
Actually about 2 tablespoons. I just added that clarification now that it makes about 4 cups and I divided it into 18 servings.
Best toum recipe out there!!!
Dear Yumna, your toum recipe is the best out there!!! We’ve been trying for months and your video was excellent 🎉alf shukran 💚🇱🇧
Yay, so glad to hear it! Shukran!!
My new food processor arrived the other day, my old bowl cracked after 12 years! I bought one with an emulsifier blade included just to make Toum! I cooked in restaurants for over 25 yrs., so the emusification was not a problem for me. I used a regular blade to mince the garlic then switched to the other once I had a little oil and lemon juice in. I never follow recipes exactly but yours I did, and it was spot on! Tastes better than what I was getting at my favorite Lebanese restaurant! I’m a diabetic so this will be a great addition for snacking with pita bread and vegetables! I used canola oil and pre-peeled garlic that Aldi’s sells for under $3 for 6 oz. ( I added 1 more full bulb). Great recipe and directions! My food processor isn’t a commercial one so I did stop it every minute and a half or so because I don’t want to burn out the motor, letting it rest just a few seconds in between. Worked great, didn’t break!
Yay, so glad to hear the recipe worked out great for you! And I like your recommendation of stopping the food processor so you don’t burn it out. I think that’s a great tip for follow for less powerful food processors.
So excited for this. I use a food ninja,
cant continously run. Mine isn’t super fluffy, tiny bit runny. Used avocado oil. Didn’t have a full cup of garlic, so lessened everything accordingly. Finished lemon juice and still have oil left. Wondering if runny, i should stop adding the rest of oil? Anything i can do to fix it? Still ok a bit runny?
Oh yeah, it seems like it didn’t emulsify properly because the oil wasn’t running continuously. You can save it by adding a boiled potato to it. And if it’s too runny, just cook with it. It will last for 3 months and flavors everything so well!
Thank you so much for your reply. I’ll have to try again. If it won’t spoil i might still use as a sauce, even tho runny – still yum and very flavorful. Cooking with it sounds delish too! I’ll give it a go.
OMG! So glad I found this spread! There is a restaurant that makes this and will not disclose how. My hubby is happy I found this recipe and that it makes SO MUCH!
Thank you so much for sharing this 😍
Yay! I bet it’s even healthier than the restaurant version too! So glad you made it and loved it!
I just made this using olive oil in a Vitamix. The flavor is really spicy (there were no green stems to remove). I know waiting a day or two to eat it should tone it down a bit, which is good, but do you think my using olive oil is also a problem?
Yes, I don’t recommend using olive oil in my recipe – you should use neutral oil like canola or safflower. Also, you can soak the garlic in ice bath for an hour beforehand to tame the spiciness.
I hope someone can answer this now. I did this recipe and put it in the fridge. It was thin to begin with, now today all the liquid is at top. WHAT CAN I DO< PLEASE HELP!
It looks like it didn’t emulsify properly. I would put it back in the food processor and add a large boiled potato to it. That should thicken it up. Next time, make sure the first few tablespoons of oil makes it thick before drizzling the rest of the oil and lemon juice.
Thank you for replying so fast. I will do that, fortunately I did buy some potatoes, which usually I don’t, so that works out thankfully. If if doesn’t make it thick with the first few tablespoons do I just keep processing it until it thickens? Can there ever be a time where it doesn’t ever thicken with the first few tablespoons of oil?
The potato worked excellent, still tasted 100% like garlic sauce and absolutely delicious even though I messed it up and needed a potato!!! Thank you!!
Yay! Happy to hear that!
I had masses of home-grown garlic, so this was a great find. Incredible buttery garlic taste! Thanks so much for all the pointers. My MIL is first-generation Lebanese, but she has never made this; something I can contribute to the next family meal! It makes lots; do you think it would freeze ok?
Yay so glad to hear it! Yes, you can freeze it, but honestly I wouldn’t bother because it lasts 3-4 months in the fridge and you will easily finish it in that timeframe and it will taste better than frozen.
This is fabulous! Why have I never heard of it!!!
Haha yes…it’s so amazing!
Made it with the tawook recipe! Perfect combination! Just like restaurants!
Yay! So glad to hear it! Thank you!
Excellent instructions. My husband is using the toum on everything savoury!
Yay, so glad to hear! Thank you!
My fiance and I tried to make this today and although it is good, it is still spicy from the garlic. We ate it a few hours ago we still feel the burn and taste garlic. I have had it from restaurants and it was more tame and didnt have the lingering garlic taste. What can we do to make it less spicy??
Did you remove the sprout from the garlic? That will make it more spicy and bitter usually. Otherwise, you can soak the garlic in water for an hour, drain in and then use in the recipe.
Let it rest uncovered in the refrigerator for a day and it will significantly be less spicy from the garlic. If still after a day, stir a few times and let mellow in the fridge again uncovered. The garlic will mellow but it does take a day, minimum to mellow out enough to eat I find depending on the garlic itself.
This was definitely a winner at the table! I loved how strong the garlic flavour is! Can you do a ranch or thousand island or any creamy dip but using labneh?? Would love to see your take on it!
Love that idea! Yes, I’m going to add it to my recipe testing list!
This was definitely a winner at our table and such a Lebanese staple!! Thank you for sharing the recipe!! I would love to see your take on dips using labneh! Maybe a ranch or a thousand island with a spin??
Hi Catherine – so glad you enjoyed! I have a labneh recipe on my blog but I love the idea of creating more dip ideas using labneh!
Absolutely delicious!! I followed the recipe and it did not disappoint me. I used to live in Michigan and Labenese restaurants are plentiful. So when I moved to Georgia I was lucky to find one restaurant that reminded me of home and it’s a very long drive to get there. So now that I’ve found you, they are going to miss me because I just made my own favorite dish, Shish Tawook with my favorite garlic sauce! Thank you so much Yumna!
Yay, I’m so glad to hear it. Thank you!!
I used to love the garlic spread at one of our favorite Lebanese restaurants but it seemed they changed the recipe because the garlic taste has been less potent. We began trying garlic spreads from various restaurants and after about the 4th place, I decided I needed to figure out how to just make it myself. I made 1/2 this recipe and was pleasantly surprised with the plentiful amount it made! I was able to make 2 small mason jars and will be sending one with my sister so she can enjoy at her household. So far we’ve enjoyed this with pita chips, sun chips, our burgers for 4th of July on which we added as a spread and it took the taste to a whole new level of yummy! A little goes a long way but it is so good, we love it! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Yay I’m so glad to hear that. And I love all the ways that you’re using the garlic sauce!! It makes everything better haha
Maybe it was beginner’s luck, but I somehow managed to get a light, airy and flavorful Toum. I deviated from the recipe in a couple of ways. I used my Vitamix and cut the canola oil down to a little over 2 cups. I was initially skeptical as to how it would turn out in a Vitamix, but I figured I could salvage things and turn it into a yogurt dip or something if it wasn’t going in the right direction. I followed the pace that the recipe recommends and set the Vitamix to the lowest level and let the machine do the work. It didn’t look like much initially, but I kept at it with alternating between the lemon juice and oil patiently. It turned out really good! I’m making batches for my parents and sisters as well since they loved it! We’ve been slathering it on EVERYTHING! Kebobs, grilled veggies, biryani/pilaf, tacos…you name it! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!! This is going to be a staple in our fridge!
Oh wow, love that it worked in the the Vitamix and that it worked for you with less oil. Thanks so much for sharing your experience so others can learn from it as they try the recipe too. Thank you!!!
Awesome recipe. I used my immersion blender which took longer than 15mins Becuase I can’t use it more than 1 minute at a time. It get hot, so I need to stop to cool it down. On the plus side, I only had to do the slow pour in the beginning until it started to form. After that I’d pour 3-4 tbsp per batch of 1 min, I just moved the (stick) blender on the side to let the oil go under into the blade to blend. (Still alternating oil and lemon). Probably took me about 30-40 minutes because I had to rest my Blender 5mins between 3-4 1-min cycle. Anyway, I followed the recipe as is (even tho people said it was to strong). At first I regret not soaking the garlic in water because it was waaay too strong….BUT after 2 days of making it, I tried it again and it was perfect. Love love love it. I’ll be making my 2nd batch soon. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. 🤗
Oh wow I think it’s great that it worked with an immersion blender. So happy to hear that you loved it and thank you so much for your feedback!!
This garlic sauce is by far the best I have ever made. After trying so many different recipes this is a KEEPER! you can use it to marinate meats, add to sandwiches or use as a dipping sauce for so many things. Thank you Yumma for another delicious recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you SO MUCH!!
This garlic sauce was the bomb! Brought back memories of the shawarmas we relished in the Lebanese restaurants at home. Thank you!
Yay so glad to hear it!!
Love this sauce. I always order extra when I place my delivery orders so I looked it up because I believe I can make anything haa.. to my surprise with this easy recipe and my emulsion skills ha it was a success. It’s good on EVERYTHING! Thank you
Yay I’m so glad it worked for you and I agree this sauce is literally good on everything!!!
My son loves garlic sauce and we couldn’t order our favorite Lebanese food so found your blog and this detailed recipe. Its so good! Followed your recipe exactly for emulsification. Loved it. Made a jar full now. Can’t stop eating it.
I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for sharing!!
This was fantastic and your comments so valuable. It turned out perfectly, like a soufflé so pretty and I’ve been using it for 2 months now. I put it in a jam jar in the fridge. I used garlic I’d frozen fresh as I’d peeled the kernels for a dish and didn’t end up making it. It still turned out well and now I’m running out. I’ve used it to spread on Irish soda bread with smoked salmon, as a layer under a pesto spread, in so many dishes. I love that it’s raw so instead of adding garlic to something I cook I add in a spoonful at the end so I get that boost of raw nutrients, About to make my second batch and now convinced my sister to makee her first!
Oh wow, I love all the ways you’ve enjoyed this! I recently just spread it on the outside of a wrap and then heated the wrap on a pan – game changer!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience making it. So happy you loved it!
I was looking for an easy & clear recipe for Thoum for a long time until I saw your great video. I made it after following the steps & it was amazing in taste and texture. The only problem I had that after I followed the last step for covering it with paper towel for 24 hours then change it to the container’s lid, one week later, the texture collapsed down & it was not thick. Do you have any idea why ?
I’m so glad you found this recipe and tried it! Did you leave the toum outside with the paper towel. It should be refrigerated the whole time, and I think there must have been a temperature change for it to collapse after 7 days.
So I used my blender because my food processor doesn’t have an opening to drizzle stuff in. It ended up super liquidy and then separated once I stopped the blender.
Yeah, it doesn’t work in the blender unfortunately because of the positioning of the blades. I mentioned it in my Tips section that I highly don’t recommend it. It’s also really hard to slowly drizzle into a blender the type of stream you need for the sauce to emulsify.
I use it with practically everything! I season the meals with this rich sauce! I add a small spoonful at the end and it gives a great flavor!
I made this last week…. the most delicious thing! I loved it! Greetings from Mexico!
So glad to hear it. Thank you!!
Thank you for your Toum recipe. I have been making it weekly! Between my family, my parents and my sister, I can’t keep it in the fridge long enough 😀
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Amazing recipe. Mine came out perfect the first try. Enjoyed our home made shawarmas
Yay! So happy to hear that!
I do not have access to lemons. I read that white vinegar is a good substitute but to half ut.
So here that would be 1/4 cup white vinegar.
My question: can i use white vinegar in this recipie instead of lemon juice?
Yes, I think that should work because it’s also acidic, which is what the recipe needs. But I’ve never tried it honestly. Give it a try and if it fails you can use the garlic sauce it makes to cook with!
Great thanks.
What about limes?
You can definitely use limes!
Update. The I just finished making it. The white vinegar WORKED great. I used quarter cup white vinegar for this recipie.
Question…how do I make the spread thinner?
YAY! I’m so glad to hear that the white vinegar WORKED! To make it thinner, I would add some water 🙂
I have actually never tried it, but I think that it would work to balance the oil with the acidity. Please let me know if you try it and how it goes!
Mine didn’t flufff. 🤨
Aww, it’s possible that you didn’t stream it slow enough or the amount was too little for the food processor?
This recipe is absolutely phenomenal! What’s even better is the breakdown and steps of what it takes to succeed in making the perfect toum! Without Yumna’s tips, guidance, and easy to understand step by step instructions, I wouldn’t have succeeded on my first try!!!! I did fail my second time because I did get a bit impatient. I came back here, watched her video, and now I’ve been making the toum perfectly every single time! Yumna wasn’t kidding when she said it’s important to be patient! She’s even so sweet and always answered any questions I had. This recipe is a must try! My refrigerator is never without it now. I’ve always loved toum in restaurants, but now I can make it at home and have as much as I want! You also know it’s healthy because it’s just garlic, lemon, salt, and oil. Thank you Yumna!
Aww thank you so much Tanya!! What an amazing feeling it is to conquer this recipe and know you can make it at home so easily. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback!!
Hi!
My toum is very strong and spicy, but I ran out of canola oil. If I leave it in the fridge overnight and then reblend it with more oil/lemon juice tomorrow, do you think that would be a problem? Thank you for this delicious recipe! I’ve been craving this forever since I used to spend summers in Saudi eating Al Baik with toum. 😊
Hi, I’m so sorry for the late reply. Yes, you can re-blend it tomorrow and it should mellow out the flavor of the garlic. I hope you liked it!!
What not to use with garlic sauce? We literally have it with everything. Adds flavor to food. Love it.
I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you!!
Can you use bottle lemon juice or is fresh juice the way to go?
I think it would be fine, but for the flavor I highly recommend using fresh.
I followed the recipe but I have a lot of excess oil on the top of the sauce. It does not have much of a creamy texture. What did I do wrong?
It’s possible that you streamed oil too fast, didn’t alternate with the lemon juice or didn’t have the right initial emulsion before adding the oil. Did you get a chance to watch the video?
Hi Yumna, I made the Garlic sauce (Toum), Oh Dear LORD one of the best I ever tasted.
I usually don’t like it homemade or in the restaurants usually it’s too heavy and the breath stays with you BUT not this one,it is totally different. It’s zisty, lemony perfect taste. It’s easy to make. It taste very good. Im using it in all my cooking and marination. Im eating it with everything. YUMMY
It’s been only 10 days since I made the first batch and Im ready to make another one 🙂
Oh wow, I’m so happy to hear that! I agree with you that the flavor is better but then it’s not too heavy where it lingers in your mouth and stomach for days! LOL
Great recipe. Will never have chicken without Toum.
Thanks
Yay! Glad to hear it!
I halved the recipe and it won’t thicken up. So I took the garlic mixture added an egg white and blended it in a small jar blender. Came out awesome
I love all your recipes. Especially the process how you make them and how easy they are.
I’m glad it ended up working out in the end. Great tip about using the egg white!
Thank you. My wife and I made the garlic sauce yesterday and had to try it right way. It was a little strong! We will try it with dinner tonight.
Thanks again.
Yeah, a little goes a long way…it’s pretty strong! But I’m glad you tried it!
It was delicious and creamy! So yummy! My recipe is out the window!
Awesome!! Thank you!!
Amazing dish! Delicious but super rich, so glad it keeps for so long!
So glad you liked it! Yes, a little goes a long way!
Huge success.
I followed your instructions and measurements and came out prefect. I love your recipes and you are an inspiration.
Aww so glad to hear it. Thank you!!
I made toum with roast chicken (took me over 24 hours to brine and marinate) and my family said the toum was the best thing on the table by far! I had to agree with them – this is a great recipe! Although mine didn’t emulsify initially so I added a boiled potato. I’m going to keep making this and perfecting my approach to this recipe!
Thanks so much for your feedback!! And that roast chicken with it sounds perfect!!
Loved loved this recipe, I’ve made it twice in 2 weeks. I’m half Lebanese and growing up my family always would put an egg in it but now I’m vegan I’m so happy I can make toum again and taste so delicious.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!! And yes, I think it tastes better the vegan way actually!
Will absolutely try this recipe but can you cut the recipe in half and get same results taste wise?
You can but you want to make sure the food processor is not too big the half amount and you want to make sure you can still emulsify it. I use a 14-cup food processor and it was easier with a bigger amount in mine.
My garlic sauce came runny. What was the cause?
It’s possible it was emulsified before you started pouring in the oil or you were pouring in the oil too slowly.
Hi Yumna, I have a jar of Mitchell’s Garlic Paste (75% garlic), can I use this instead of garlic bulbs ??
No that won’t work unfortunately. You have to start with fresh garlic.
Thank you SO much for this amazing recipe! I’m Lebanese and live in Southern California with plenty of Lebanese restaurants nearby. I made this today and my kids said it was better than the restaurants! We all LOVED it! I’ve made several of your recipes and cannot thank you enough for your great tutorials and tremendous effort to help us moms! Wishing you so much success!
Awww I’m so happy to hear that you and your kids enjoyed it!! Means so much to me to read your feedback!
I made Lebanese garlic sauce with your recipe and it came out so good so delicious
I love it. Thanks for the recipe
So glad to hear it. Thank you so much!!
I made this yesterday and it’s sitting in my fridge along with some marinading shawarma. So excited for dinner today’s! Thanks so much, it was ridiculously easy!
So awesome!! Glad to hear it!!
Thank you, thank you!!! I made this today! I’ve always been so in love with the garlic sauce in middle eastern restaurants! I’m addicted and sometimes restaurants are very stingy with the amount they give you. I’m thrilled to be able to make this at home now and I can eat it whenever I want! I’m so pleased with the way it turned out! Your videos, instructions, and guidance were really instrumental in me being able to do it perfectly the first time!!
Aww thank you for the most amazing review!! So glad you loved the way it turned out!
My hubby licked spoon and said ‘holy (bleep)’. Curse word removed !! Followed all your tips ! Perfection! I’m a food snob and go to slot of Lebanese restaurants in Michigan. Gotta say – this turned out as good as my favorite restaurant! I almost cut recipe in half. So glad I didn’t!
Haha this cracked me up!! So happy to hear it!! Thank you 🙂
Hi Yumna, can I use olive oil instead of canola oil? Does it make a difference?
You can use olive oil, but the taste will be pretty strong and it will change the color
Hi Yumna, is the procedure of covering with the paper towel before covering the garlic paste with an airtight lid is necessary?
Yes it is. It’s just so the paper towel can absorb any extra moisture.
Hey, i made this yesterday and was so excited i love thoumiyah, my garlics did not have a green spout inside of them. But the taste of the sauce is very strong and abit spicy. Can i add something to it now to mellow it down ?
Next time, you can soak the garlic cloves in water to mellow down the taste. For now, since it’s already made, I would recommend adding some more lemon juice to it. It will also mellow out as it sits.
So glad to hear it!
Hello, this is an amazing recipe! I’ll definitely try it, but I was wondering, when we’re letting it sit for 24 hours before putting it in a jar, is it suppose to be left in the room temperature or in the fridge for 24 hours covered with the paper towel?
In the fridge works best. I hope you like it!!
I tried making the sauce but it didn’t turn out right, not sure what went wrong. I used a cup of garlic, 3 cups of canola oil, 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 2 teaspoon of sea salt as I there was no kosher salt available in any of the super markets around. It turned out liquidy. Any suggestions on what went wrong? ?
Did you use a food processor with a wide blade? Did you make sure the mixture was thick after a few tablespoons of oil before adding the rest of the oil and lemon juice? And finally, did you drizzle the oil at a slow and steady stream while the machine was running (it should take about 15 minutes)? Those are some of the common mistakes made with this recipe.
Hello, perhaps if I try it again I’ll take that feedback in mind. I guess there can’t be anything done with the liquid sauce that’s been made? Also, thank you so much for getting back to me ??? I appreciate your concern and your feedback. It’s really helpful. ?? And really hope to get it right ?
Woo hoo! No vampires tonight! 4 bulbs made about 4 cups. This was my first time making garlic sauce after our favorite Mediterranean restaurant shorted us on our last take out order (but that’s ok given the circumstances).
I can’t believe how easy this was! I forgot to measure the oil so I winged it. It’s a bit strong but tomorrow it will be even better.
Hahaha, good for you!! And yeah it’s takes a little time but it’s surprisingly easy if you think about it. You can mellow out the flavor tomorrow with some more lemon juice if you’d like, but hopefully the flavor will be just right! Thanks for sharing!
Made this recipe today. It turned out so well! I have been wanting to make this forever. It’s my favorite sauce to put with middle eastern food. It’s a process, but so worth it!
So glad you made it and enjoyed it!! It’s definitely a long process but at least it lasts for months!
Mine became a bit to liquidy 🙁 tastes great but the texture is a bit waterish 🙁
Sometimes that happens if you didn’t get the emulsification right in the step or if you poured the oil too fast or skipped the lemon juice. Do you know what might have went wrong?
This happened to me, but I was able to recover it by adding 1Tsp of lemon juice in a fresh bowl and 1Tbsp of the sauce and whisking with a hand whisk until it emulsified and then slowly adding in the rest and continuing to whisk
good recipe, but gets too garlicky, need something to tone the garlic flavour down
You can use more lemon juice if needed!
Do you realize that the oils you suggest in this article are so horrible for you?
If you’re using expeller-pressed organic neutral oils, there is no research that shows they are horrible for you. You can use whatever oil you prefer. I just suggest using something neutral in taste 🙂
Yes!!! Expeller pressed canola oil is okay! Have you made it with avocado oil?
Exactly! I just don’t want to confuse people with the exact type of canola oil but that’s the only one I buy. And yes I’ve tried it with grapeseed oil, avocado oil, canola oil and safflower oil. They all taste pretty similarly.
This was amazing. I am Lebanese, but where I am there is no where to have farrouj Meshweh. I am making it today and tried your toum recipe, it is amazing. I freeze my garlic and use it the rest of the year. I started freezing lemon juice, in small containers. This recipe makes too much sauce. I am going to freeze, in small portions, and will use it as needed. thank you.
So glad to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing! And you can actually store it in the fridge even for 3-4 months. That’s what we do and use it on everything! haha
This is great! I have made this several times, but I find the garlic extremely potent…almost unbearable. Is there a trick to this? Fresher garlic? Blanch the garlic? I have had it in restaurants and it be much more mild.
I’m so glad you like the recipe, and I totally understand about the potency of the garlic. I would recommend removing the green sprout from the inside of the garlic, add more than 4 cups of oil so the taste of the garlic is more diluted, and also adding more lemon juice which helps to remove the strong garlic taste. I hope that helps!!
If you add boiled potato to it, does it alter how long it will keep for in the fridge and if so, how long will that be
That’s an excellent question and yes, unfortunately in that case I would only keep it for 7-10 days. I’m going to update the recipe to include this answer since I think it will be helpful to others. Thank you!
I just bought my first food processor and the blade is at least 1/8inch up off the floor of the bowl, so after the garlic is minced, the blades can’t reach it etc. So then I started to slowly dribble in th oil, but again, it all falls below the blade and hits the walls. I scoop it down, turn it on, instantly it is below the blades and on the walls. It did not emulsify. Over about 5 mins I had added 1 cup of oil. I DID NOT ADD SALT. On a super strict sodium diet. Would that have caused it or did I buy the wrong processor? I will try your idea of a boiled potato as I have a lot of garlic wrapped up in a bit of oil in the fridge, waiting to be rescued. When adding this boiled potato, does it matter how it gets added? I figure it is just working like a cornstarch or flour for the garlic and oil to sit in. And may actually enjoy it being milder. Wouldn’t be a big deal, but like so many, limiting how often to go out of the house in a month. (Rare terminal lung disease here)
Thank you so much for your recipe, instructions, and trouble shooting
Aww, I’m so sorry that it didn’t work. I think it’s not because of the salt, it’s more the food processor. So it’s important not to add too much oil until it emulsifies. Back in the old days, they used to do this by whisk, so it’s possible to do it without a food processor, but that makes it so much easier. To add the potato, just use a boiled potato and slowly add it in chunks. I hope you can salvage it. But if now, just cook with it!
i know from past experience if you process longer than necessary it will revert back to a garlicky/mess so over processing has to be avoided! I’ve done myself so have learned my lesson and wound up having to re work and had loads and loads of garlicky caesar dressing !
That’s true!
so if / when you use the potato, do you leave something out? add to? we had a good restaurant in town, but the owner died before i got her recipe, she used potato. also could you use “sam’s” minced garlic in a pinch? we always used LOTS of her garlic sauce! thank you for responding.
I don’t think you need to leave anything out. I usually just add a couple boiled potatoes and then it thickens it up if the mixture breaks and becomes water from improper emulsification. Omg garlic sauce is life so I hope this recipe works for you because it’s seriously so good and makes a huge batch!!
I tried to make this today and it didn’t emulsify at all. I still have it. Will a boiled potato make it useable ? I plan to try again tomorrow and try to add the oil really slow. How important is the salt? I may not have used enough.
Hi Margie – Yes, the boiled potato will help salvage it. And if it separated, you can actually still use it for cooking for months. Don’t toss it out. The salt is not too important. It’s more about the slow oil drizzle alternating with the lemon juice that makes it emulsify. I know it’s a delicate recipe, but when you get it right, it’s so amazing!!
Just made it but had to add mash potatoes for a perfect texture
Hi Deb! So glad you made the recipe, and I love the idea of adding the potato to it to enhance the texture. Thanks for sharing!
OMG. Just made it. I’m officially Lebanese, not really, Canadian. It took me 25 min to pour in the oil, worth every minute. Best garlic sauce I’ve had, and I’ve eaten Shawarma everywhere. Thank you so much.
Yours truly
Andrea
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!! The great thing is while it takes time, it makes a huge batch that lasts for so long! So glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I’ve made this several times already and the raw garlic always makes it a bit too spicy. Is there any way to lessen the spiciness?
I would try adding more lemon juice. The tartness of the lemon or lime juice can draw attention away from garlic’s intensity. I would also make sure to remove the green sprout from the inside of the garlic, which can also make it more spicy. I hope that helps! If you’re willing to add other ingredients besides the ones in the recipe card, adding a boiled potato to the mix will also lessen the spiciness. Hope those tips help!
Hi. This us the third time I tried it. First time wuth your recipe, first time it worked. It looks and tastes great. Thanks so much fir sharing.?
Hi Maria! So glad to hear that the recipe worked out for you! Thank you for sharing your feedback 🙂
I am going to make this tomorrow, my best friend as a girl was Lebanese, we lived 3 houses away from each other, her family was wonderful, this makes me think of her, and I will think of her more with this recipe. Her last name was Latuff.
Awww, that’s so awesome! I hope you enjoy the recipe and definitely think more of her!!
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve always to know how to make this. Tried today but it was runny and had a very sharp taste. What might I have done wrong?
I used a stick mixer at first but it was really messy so I used a blender. Could this be why it’s runny?
Yes, I think it’s possible it didn’t emulsify properly. It can be really tricky if you don’t get it correct with the first few tablespoons of oil. Also did you alternate the oil with the lemon juice? You can still save it with a boiled potato!
Thanks for replying. I think I messed it all up. I may have added the lemon too early.
How soon after making this sauce can one eat it? It seemed to have a very strong taste on the first few days.
Yup, it’s important that it looks emulsified before you add the lemon juice. I’m actually planning to create a video for this recipe in January since the technique is crucial to the results. The taste is very strong especially if the garlic is fresh and a little goes a long way. I can usually use one tablespoon only on an entire pita bread but it does mellow overtime. I hope that helps!
I actually follow this recipe exactly and he does a great job explaining it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufDD773NQMY
Can’t wait to try it!! Thank you for posting this recipe ☺️
yay! Hope you like it!
How long will it keep at room temperature
I haven’t kept it at room temperature for multiple days, but I’m thinking a few days only. I recommend that you refrigerate it.
Instead of a delicious dip, it appears I may have a delicious dressing. Way too runny! Still delicious, but runny. What did I do wrong?
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that. That happened to me before actually and it’s very frustrating. The reason for that is you probably put in the oil too fast. You should very slowly drip in the first 1/2 cup oil by dropping a teaspoon at a time and stopping to scrap the food processor every time. It’s a little tedious but once you get a good emulsion going, then you can speed up this process. I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for you and I hope you try it again!
I am on a low sodium diet. Can I used KCl, no salt salt, instead of Kosher Salt? Or a combination of both? More KCl than NaCl.
Yes, that’s fine!
I haven’t made this yet, I am so happy to find this been asking my sister in California to go to zankou and ask them how they make the garlic sauce, but she was embarrassed to. So I will be definitely doing this in the coming days. My mouth is watering now just thinking of what to buy to eat with this. Rotisserie chicken, pita bread, garlic.
Oh I’m so excited for you to try it out! Let me know how you like it. Thank you!!
Can you cut this recipe in half? Or is it better not to?
Yes you can cut it in half, but just make sure to use a small food processor in that case to ensure you get a good emulsification going. The large quantity helps with that!
Hey you say that you leave the toum with just a paper towel cover on it overnight. Then you seal with a lid and store in the fridge. So I leave it out on the counter one night ? Then put it in the fridge next day?
Sorry for the confusion, but actually it should be stored in the fridge the whole time. I’ll tweak the instructions. Thank you!
I’m excited to try this! You suggested this could be used as a base for salad dressing. Could you tell me how you would suggest thinning it to make salad dressing? Thank you!
Yay! I hope you like it! To make it into salad dressing, you can just whisk it into 2 parts oil and 1 part acid (like vinegar or lemon juice). You can also just whisk it into any dressing you already have. Hope that helps!
I followed the recipe exactly. As soon as I added the lemon juice the whole thing turned watery 🙁
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that!! Was the mixture fluffy before you added the lemon juice?
i just want to thank you for your awesome recipe I tried it today and every body loved it
So happy to hear that you and everyone loved the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Hello, i just want to thank you for your awesome recipes, i have tried for so many years to do the Toom and it never worked out. Today it just worked perfectly! Same color, same consistency and awesome taste.
Wow I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for sharing and glad you enjoyed it!
I love garlic (and it’s aroma) So … can I buy a jar of this in a Lebanese grocery store?
Yes, some places will have for sale, but it’s not easy to find!
Trader Joe’s actually makes a version now! I like mine with a bit less lemon then theirs has, but it’s great web you don’t want to make your own.
Oh that’s great to know they carry it! I had no idea
Thank you for sharing the recipe. How long can you keep it refrigerated? What’s the shelf-life?
If you keep it in an airtight container, it will last easily 2-3 months in the fridge!
Want to try. When you let set overnight, do you leave out or refrigerate?
When you let it set overnight, you should refrigerate it. Hope you like it!
Wondering if I could use avocado oil?
Yes you can! That will work.
I tried and made it… But i can’t eat the sauce because of garlic smell.
Oh yeah, the garlic smell is pretty strong!
Can this garlic sauce be frozen? I am the only person here that will be eating it. Thank You
Yes you can freeze it for up to 30 months. I recommend a freezer safe glass container.
Hi I made it and tasted it right after and it’s so strong and almost peppery, not mild and creamy like I’ve had it. Is it supposed to taste like that or did I do something wrong?
That’s weird that it was strong and almost peppery. What type of garlic did you use? And was it fresh garlic without any green sprouts in the middle?
i really want to make this:) can you clarify please how much “a cup” is?
A cup is 240 ML. Does that help?
yes thanks. i just want to make sure i get all the correct ratios for ingredients
Very easy recipe. Thanks a bunch, worked out first attempt. Now I just need to enjoy it!
Awesome! So happy to hear that!
So glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing!!
My husband is Lebanese and used to make it just like this. Now I use a Cuisinart immersion blender and can literally make this in 5 minutes. Just add all of the garlic, lemon juice, and salt to the cup that came with the immersion blender and blend until smooth. Add in a couple of tablespoons of oil to the immersion cup and blend again until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the oil to the immersion cup and blend again until smooth. Finally, add the remainder of the oil to the immersion cup and blend until smooth and fluffy. No need to drizzle the oil. So delicious, quick and easy to make!
Oh that’s great! I need to try it your husband’s method next time because it sounds quick and easy! Thank you for sharing 🙂
i followed the recipe exactly but mine has turned into liquid. any idea what i may have done wrong? or if i can do anything to thicken it up…such a shame to haveto throw it away:(
Hi Hayley – I’m so sorry to hear that. Is it possible that the food processor wasn’t strong enough or perhaps you added everything together all at once? It’s important to slowly add the olive oil so that it emulsifies the garlic sauce. I think you can still preserve it by adding cornstarch to it if you’d like. I definitely wouldn’t toss it. You could also add mayonnaise if you’d like.
OMG thanks for this pro-tip!! It worked great and tastes delicious! So easy and a great time saver! ?
You’re welcome! so glad you tried it and liked it!!
Seriously easy to make and the flavor….. so intense. I put mine in 4 small airtight containers to keep it fresh
Hi Melody! So happy to hear that you liked it! We’re obsessed with it too!
The calories is in the oil btw not the Teo eggwhites…
Yup that’s true!
can you post the dairy version one. I have been looking for this forever. Even this looks great too
I will try it but original also I dont want to skimp out on anything .
I’ve never made the dairy version but I can attempt it!
Thanks, FYI. I tried my Vitamix with no luck…
Oh really? It was probably too fast. I’ll have to try it in it next time!
Love it : Garlic sauce with no egg whites or mayonnaise, and dairy free.
Thanks for the easy & fast recipe.