Toum Garlic Sauce

Toum is a traditional Lebanese garlic sauce known for its rich, creamy texture and bold, tangy flavor. Made with just a few simple ingredients—garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt—this sauce is a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, often served as a dip, condiment, or accompaniment to grilled meats, shawarma, or falafel. Its unique texture comes from emulsifying garlic and oil, creating a fluffy, smooth spread that packs a punch with its strong, zesty garlic flavor balanced by the brightness of lemon. The result is a deliciously addictive sauce that can elevate any meal with its intense, yet refreshing taste.

Components

• Fresh garlic
• Salt
• Lemon juice
• Sunflower oil

Tips for the best fluffy garlic sauce

Choose quality, fresh and fragrant garlic: if you slice your garlic in half the middle stem should not be green. The entire clove should be firm, a consistent white colour and the garlic smell should be pungent yet pleasant- this garlic is going to make the most delicious toum.

Use a good quality food processor– something that is efficient and powerful is important to get this done in an appropriate amount of time. if the machine is working harder than it can handle, the processor will heat up and this can cause the sauce to split and become an oily mess.

Use room temperature ingredients- If your garlic or oil is too cold, it can prevent the emulsion from forming properly. Make sure both the oil and garlic are at room temperature before starting.

Use a neutral clear oil- sunflower oil is ideal but the key is not using an oil with pungent flavour or a darker colour as this will impact the colour and flavour of the toum sauce.

Patience is key- to emulsify the sauce correctly, the oil must be added in very slowly. ideally you want to use a food processor that has a built in drip that streams the oil in perfectly without you having to focus too much- this is my favourite food processor to use.

Mistakes to avoid

Toum sauce is bitter- you’re not using fresh quality garlic. if the stem in the middle of your garlic is green, I advise against using it for toum as this is a sauce that contains raw garlic so its best to use the most pleasant tasting raw garlic which is garlic without the green stem which causes the bitterness.

Toum sauce separates- the main reason this happens is because the oil was added too quickly or the processor is overheating and melting the ingredients. How to Fix Separation: If your Toum separates, you can often fix it by adding a bit of water or a small amount of lemon juice while blending again, which can help bring the emulsion back together.

Ways to use toum

• Use it as a saucy spread in chicken shawarmas wraps
• use as a dipping sauce for any roast chicken like my roasted red pepper chicken recipe
• Use it as a dipping sauce for any grilled meats, fries or even bread.
• use it to marinate chicken and add an even stronger garlic flavour!

Storage

To store Toum garlic sauce, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it immediately after making. It will stay fresh for up to 1–2 weeks in the fridge. For longer shelf life, you can freeze Toum in ice cube trays and store the frozen cubes in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Always use a clean spoon when serving to avoid contamination and ensure it stays fresh longer.

Watch how its made

5 from 2 votes

Toum Garlic Sauce

Authentic Toum garlic sauce is a creamy, flavorful Middle Eastern condiment made with just garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. It’s perfect for dipping, drizzling over grilled meats, or adding a bold kick to sandwiches and salads. Easy to make and incredibly versatile, this sauce will elevate any meal with its rich, garlicky goodness.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins Total Time 20 mins

Garlic Toum Sauce

• 2 bulbs Garlic (about 25 cloves or 3/4 cup)
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 cups Sunflower oil
• ¹⁄₄ cup Lemon juice (1.5 small juicy lemons)

Instructions

1. Peel garlic cloves by separating from the bulb and place all the cloves in a bowl. Pour hot water on top and leave for 5 minutes. Drain the water and use a small knife to remove the top stem of each clove which will easily remove the entire peel as well.
2. Place peeled garlic cloves in a food processor with salt and process on max speed for 1-2 minutes. Stop the processor every 20-30 seconds to scrape the garlic off the sides and continue processing.
3. Continue processing on high speed and slowly drizzle in 1 tbsp of lemon juice then follow withe sunflower oil making sure to drizzle this in slowly as well. Alternate with the lemon juice approximately every 1/2 cup of oil that is poured in.
4. Once all the oil has been added continue blending on high speed for a couple minutes. The total processing time should be around 12-15 minutes.
5. Once a thick fluffy sauce is formed, transfer the sauce to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.