Toum
Toum is a thick and creamy Lebanese garlic sauce made with fresh garlic, lemon juice, salt, and oil. It has an intense garlic flavor and a light, fluffy texture that makes it perfect with chicken shawarma, grilled meats, sandwiches, pita bread, and even French fries.
Making toum is all about creating a stable emulsion, and that’s usually the part people find tricky. In this recipe, I make toum in a small chopper and add the oil gradually to keep the sauce from separating. I also chill the garlic before blending, which helps control the heat produced by the chopper.
The result is a smooth, fluffy Lebanese garlic sauce made without eggs or mayonnaise—and I’ll show you exactly what to look for at each stage so you can get it right at home.
📺 Watch Me Make This Recipe
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Made with only four ingredients: All you need is fresh garlic, lemon juice, salt, and a neutral cooking oil. No eggs, mayonnaise, or cornstarch.
- Made in a chopper: I use a small chopper because it’s quick, convenient, and I find the toum is less likely to break when I make it this way.
- Tips to prevent separation: Chilling the garlic and adding the oil gradually help keep the mixture cool while the emulsion forms.
- Thick and fluffy: When properly emulsified, the toum becomes smooth, creamy, and slightly firm rather than thin or oily.
- So many ways to use it: Serve it with chicken shawarma, grilled chicken or meat, spread it in sandwiches, or use it as a dip for pita and fries.
What Is Toum?
Toum is a traditional Lebanese garlic sauce made by emulsifying fresh garlic with oil, lemon juice, and salt. The word “toum” means garlic in Arabic, which is fitting because garlic is very much the star of this sauce!
Unlike mayonnaise, traditional toum contains no eggs. When the garlic and oil emulsify properly, they transform into a thick, creamy, almost fluffy sauce with a strong garlic flavor and a little tang from the lemon.
Toum is especially popular with chicken shawarma, but it’s also served with grilled chicken and meats, spread inside sandwiches, or simply enjoyed as a dip.
INGREDIENTS
You only need four simple ingredients to make traditional toum. The exact measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves. I cut each clove in half and remove the germ from the center, which helps prevent the toum from tasting bitter.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice balances the strong garlic flavor and adds the characteristic tanginess to the sauce.
- Salt: Enhances the garlic and lemon flavors.
- Neutral cooking oil: Use a neutral-tasting oil such as canola or vegetable oil so the garlic remains the dominant flavor. I don’t recommend olive oil because its stronger flavor can overpower the toum.
HOW TO MAKE TOUM
The key to making creamy toum is to keep the mixture cool and add the oil gradually so the emulsion has time to form.
Step 1: Chill the garlic
Place the garlic cloves in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour before you begin. A chopper generates heat as it runs, so starting with cold garlic helps keep the mixture from getting too warm while you make the sauce.
Step 2: Blend the garlic
Add the chilled garlic, salt, and 1 tablespoon of oil to a small chopper. Blend for a few seconds until the garlic is very finely chopped.
Step 3: Build the emulsion slowly
Add another tablespoon of oil and blend at full speed for at least 20 seconds. Continue adding the oil 1 tablespoon at a time, blending well after every addition. Scrape down the sides of the chopper as needed so everything blends evenly.
As you continue, you’ll notice the mixture becoming paler, smoother, and thicker. This is the emulsion forming.
Step 4: Add the lemon juice
When you have about 4 tablespoons of oil remaining, begin alternating between the lemon juice and oil. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and blend, followed by 1 tablespoon of oil and blend again. Continue as directed in the recipe card, finishing with the remaining oil.
Step 5: Check the consistency
Your finished toum should be smooth, creamy, and slightly firm, with no pool of separated oil. Transfer it to a container without continuing to stir or blend unnecessarily, then refrigerate it immediately.
TIPS FOR PERFECT TOUM
Toum is simple, but because it’s an emulsion, a few small details make a big difference.
- Remove the garlic germ: Cut the cloves in half and remove the germ from the center. This helps prevent a bitter flavor, especially when the garlic has begun to sprout.
- Start with cold garlic: Chill the garlic for 30 minutes to 1 hour before blending. Since the chopper heats up as it runs, starting cold helps keep the mixture cooler while the emulsion develops.
- Don’t rush the oil: Add it just 1 tablespoon at a time and blend thoroughly before adding more. Pouring in too much oil at once can prevent the mixture from emulsifying properly.
- Watch the texture: As the emulsion forms, the mixture should gradually become paler, thicker, and creamier. If you can see this happening, you’re on the right track.
- Scrape down the sides: Garlic and oil can collect around the bowl, so scrape the sides occasionally to keep everything evenly incorporated.
- Avoid unnecessary mixing at the end: Once your toum is thick and smooth, transfer it to its container rather than continuing to blend or stir it. Extra mixing creates more heat, which can encourage separation.
- Refrigerate it right away: The toum will become even firmer once chilled, so don’t worry if the freshly made sauce is slightly softer than you expected.
🧄 TOUM TROUBLESHOOTING
Why is my toum bitter?
The germ in the center of the garlic can contribute bitterness, particularly in older or sprouting garlic. I remove it before making toum. Also, stick with a neutral-tasting oil rather than olive oil, which can add a stronger flavor.
Why is my toum runny or separating?
Toum depends on a stable emulsion. Adding the oil too quickly or allowing the mixture to become too warm while blending can cause problems. Start with chilled garlic, add the oil only 1 tablespoon at a time, and blend thoroughly between additions.
How do I know when the toum has emulsified?
Watch the mixture as you blend. It will gradually change from finely processed garlic and oil into a paler, thicker, creamy sauce. By the end, it should be smooth and slightly firm rather than oily or liquid.
Why does my toum get thicker in the refrigerator?
That’s normal. The freshly made sauce becomes firmer after chilling, so a thicker texture the next day doesn’t mean anything has gone wrong.
HOW TO SERVE TOUM
Toum is traditionally served with grilled meats and chicken, but once you have a jar in the fridge, you’ll find plenty of excuses to use it!
- Serve it with chicken shawarma or spread it inside a shawarma sandwich.
- Pair it with shish tawook or other grilled chicken and meat dishes.
- Spread it inside pita bread, wraps, and sandwiches.
- Serve it as a dip with French fries or roasted potatoes.
- Add it to a Middle Eastern mezze spread with warm pita bread.
- Try a small spoonful alongside roasted or grilled vegetables.
Because toum has such a bold garlic flavor, a little goes a long way.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is toum the same as garlic mayonnaise?
No. Although toum has a creamy texture similar to mayonnaise, traditional toum contains no eggs or mayonnaise. Its creamy texture comes from emulsifying garlic and oil together with lemon juice and salt.
Can I make toum with olive oil?
I don’t recommend it. Olive oil has a distinctive flavor that can overpower the garlic and change the traditional taste of the sauce. A neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil works best.
Is toum very garlicky?
Yes! Toum means garlic in Arabic, and this sauce is supposed to have a strong, fresh garlic flavor. If you love garlic, that’s exactly what makes it so good.
Is a little oil around the stored toum normal?
Yes. Since this recipe contains no eggs or cornstarch, you may notice a small amount of oil around the sides of the container after storing it. A little oil at the edges doesn’t necessarily mean the entire sauce has broken.
HOW TO STORE TOUM
Transfer the toum to a clean, airtight container and refrigerate it immediately after making it. It will become slightly firmer as it chills, which is completely normal.
Stored properly in the refrigerator, the toum will keep for up to one month. You may notice a small amount of oil around the sides of the container during storage; this can happen with homemade toum.
I don’t recommend freezing toum. Freezing and thawing can cause the emulsion to separate and change that smooth, creamy texture.
⭐ PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW
If you have tried this recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Toum Lebanese Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup garlic cut in half, remove the germ in the center
- 2 tablespoon lemon Juice Juice of half a lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup of neutral cooking oil don’t use olive oil
Instructions
- Note 1: I made the Sauce/Dip in a chopper since it is available in most houses, it’s faster, and the sauce doesn’t usually break or separate using this method.
- Note 2: Place the garlic in the fridge for 30 minutes before adding it to the chopper. More details are in the notes below.
- In a chopper, add the garlic, salt, and a tablespoon of oil. Blend for a few seconds until the garlic is finely chopped.
- Keep adding one tablespoon of oil at a time and blend at full speed for at least 20 seconds. Scrape the sides of the chopper and blend again.
- When there is four tablespoon of oil left, now add one tablespoon of lemon juice and blend, then add one tablespoon of oil and blend, then a tablespoon of lemon juice and blend. End the process with adding the remaining oil, one tablespoon at a time.
- Remember to scrape the chopper for a smooth sauce.
- You should now have a smooth but a little firm sauce that you can use in your sandwich or as a dip.
Notes
- Removing the germ at the center of the garlic prevents the sauce from getting bitter.
- Placing the garlic in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge will prevent the sauce from breaking and the oil from separating, since the chopper will get warm from chopping.
- Do not mix the toum after taking it out of the chopper, it will create warmth and the sauce may separate.
- Refrigerate the toum immediately to maintain it’s texture. This recipe is the authentic one, and has no cornstarch or eggs to keep it firm for long. Hence, you might see a little oil on the side of the container or jar it is stored in, which is normal and you can still use it.
- This sauce stores in the fridge for 1 month.
I love the simplicy of the process. This garlicky sauce sounds so delicious!
It’s amazing with grilled meat, chicken, fish, or red meat. It’s flavor is stronger the first day but it becomes milder the next. I’m sure you will love it 😊
Can we use Avocado oil?
Yes you can use Avocado oil, but depending on which brand you are using the color of the toum might be a little on the green side.