Traditional Toum (Whipped Lebanese Garlic Sauce)

Toum is a creamy, bold, and totally addictive Lebanese garlic sauce with just 4 ingredients: garlic, oil, lemon juice, and salt. Once you make this simple recipe, you’ll be hooked!

I first learned about this Lebanese garlic sauce from my mother-in-law, Dina, who owned a Mediterranean restaurant in grand Rapids, Michigan. Toum was one of the most requested items at the restaurant, where they served it with all their grilled meat and veggies. Every morning, Dina would whip up a large batch of her special toum recipe, and it was inevitably sold out by the end of the night! That’s how good it is!

Growing up in Egypt made me a firm believer that it’s the dips and sauces that take a meal to next-level delicious. You may already be familiar with tahini, tzatziki, and hummus. But toum may be the most under-rated! Once you master this easy 4-ingredient garlic sauce recipe, you’ll be using it in all sorts of ways. Some of my go-tos:

• To dip pita chips and fresh vegetables.
• With grilled meat and fish.
• As a sauce for sandwiches, wraps like gyros, and burgers.

If you love big flavor and you’re not afraid of a little garlic–or a lot of garlic, rather–this recipe is for you!

What is in Toum?

Some toum recipes call for mayonnaise, but this traditional recipe is completely vegan. To me, it tastes far better while remaining nice and creamy. You only need 4 ingredients:

• A whole head of garlic: Toum means “garlic” Arabic, after all!
• Kosher salt
• Neutral oil: As much as I love my extra virgin olive oils, grapeseed or sunflower oil is best for toum. The lighter flavor lets the garlic do all the talking.
• Lemon juice: Or substitute lime.

How to Make Toum

Making toum (or touma) is all about the very slow and steady emulsification process that whips the garlic and oil together. Traditionally, a mortar and pestle are used to make this garlic sauce recipe, but I have found a small food processor to work just as well.

• Process 1 whole head of garlic. Smash the garlic with the side of your knife, then remove the peels. Optionally, remove the green germ from the center as you go (it can be bitter). Place the peeled garlic and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in the small bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until the garlic looks minced, stopping to scrape down the sides. Add the juice of 1 lemon and pulse a few times to combine, again scraping down the sides.
• Slowly incorporate 1 3/4 cups neutral oil. With the food processor on low speed, drizzle in the oil in ever so slowly through the opening at the top. After you’ve used about 1/4 cup or so, add in about 1 tablespoon of the ice water. Stop to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl.
• Finish, adjust the seasoning, and serve. Keep the processor running and continue to slowly drizzle in the oil, adding a tablespoon of ice water after every 1/4 cup of oil. Continue on with this process until you have used up the oil entirely. The garlic sauce has thickened and increased in volume (it should look smooth and fluffy). This should take somewhere around 10 minutes or so. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and or lemon juice if necessary. Enjoy!

Toum Tips

I have a few tips for this toum recipe before you get started, which will ensure a light and airy sauce that’s beautifully emulsified:

• Use the best fresh garlic. This toum recipe is all about garlic! Avoid using peeled garlic from a package, which won’t pack quite the same punch.
• Slice the garlic in half and remove any green sprouts. This is optional, but it prevents the bitter flavor it can impart.
• Don’t skip the lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice adds brightness, and it should be added at the beginning to help the emulsification. (Some recipes add the lemon juice toward the end, which causes the sauce to break.)
• Do not rush the emulsification process. Adding the oil ever so slowly is what makes this sauce! Alternating the oil with a small amount of water prevents the emulsion from breaking.
• Use a small food processor. For the amount of garlic used in this recipe, a smaller processor works well because the blade can easily mince the garlic without it flying all over the bowl. (I use the small bowl attachment on this one). If you double or triple the recipe, you can easily use a large food processor.

Too(m) Strong? Three Ways to Mellow

For some who need their toum to be less powerful, three things you can do:

1. Leave it in the fridge a few days. Time in the fridge will take a bit of the edge off.
2. Place the peeled garlic in ice water for 30 minutes or so before making the garlic sauce. But be sure to dry the garlic very well before you start.
3. Add boiled potato (mashed) or a couple tablespoons of Greek yogurt. Either of these items will thicken the toum sauce and take a bit of the garlic edge off. You would add a little bit at a time during the process.

What to Serve with Toum

This Lebanese garlic sauce is a versatile condiment you will use over and over. Pretty much anything you think might need a kick of garlic, you can use toum! It’s a great swap for mayo and aioli. Some ideas:

• Meat: Chicken kabobs, shawarma, grilled lamb, Shish Tawook.
• Vegetarian: Falafel and the traditional Greek roasted vegetables, Briam, are both delicious.
• Fish: The garlicky punch is absolutely delicious with fresh and smoky grilled seafood.

Love Garlic? Try These Recipes Next!

I always say I would wear garlic as a perfume, so you’re in good company! I know you’ll love these recipes as much as I do:

• Garlic Confit
• Garlic Soup with Aleppo Pepper Oil and Fried Garlic
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.