This toum garlic sauce recipe creates a creamy Lebanese garlic sauce using garlic, oil, lemon, and salt. Proper emulsification produces the bold flavor and smooth texture that make toum so iconic.

This creamy Lebanese garlic sauce pairs beautifully with grilled meats, roasted vegetables, wraps, and Mediterranean dishes.

How to Make Toum Garlic Sauce Recipe

To make toum garlic sauce, slowly emulsify garlic and oil while carefully controlling texture. Gradual incorporation prevents the sauce from separating.

Building a Stable Garlic Emulsion

Lemon juice brightens the garlic while balancing richness. As a result, proper seasoning becomes essential for achieving smooth, balanced flavor.

Serving and Storing Toum

Toum works exceptionally well alongside grilled chicken, shawarma, potatoes, and roasted vegetables. Its bold flavor adds depth to many Mediterranean dishes.

Toum Recipe

Philip Sauer

Toum is a bold and creamy Lebanese garlic sauce made by emulsifying fresh garlic, lemon juice, oil, and salt into a light, fluffy spread. Intensely garlicky yet silky smooth, toum adds bright Mediterranean flavor to grilled meats, warm naan, roasted vegetables, and mezze platters.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Side Dish, Snack, Supporting Cast

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 8 people

Calories 175 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup garlic cloves (4 1/2 ounces
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt for table salt, use 1 teaspoon
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice from about 2 lemons, divided
• ¼ cup ice water, divided
• 3 cups neutral oil, such as avocado or canola oil, divided

Instructions

 

• Using a paring knife, split each garlic clove in half lengthwise. With the tip of the knife, remove the germ from each garlic clove half.
• Food Processor Method: Place the de-germed garlic and kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse garlic in short bursts until finely minced, occasionally removing the lid to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a flexible rubber spatula. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and continue processing until a paste begins to form. Add another tablespoon lemon juice and process until completely smooth and slightly fluffy.
• With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup oil in a very thin stream, followed by 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Repeat with another 1/2 cup oil and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Continue the process, alternating 1/2 cup oil and 1 tablespoon water, until all the oil and water have been incorporated. Transfer toum to a container and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
• Mortar and Pestle Method: Depending on the size of your mortar, you may need to make the recipe in smaller batches, halving or quartering the ingredient amounts. In the mortar, combine garlic and salt and grind until it becomes a smooth paste. Work oil into paste 1 teaspoon at a time. After adding 1 tablespoon oil, work in a few drops of lemon juice. Repeat until all the oil, lemon juice, and water have been incorporated.

Notes

For the ideal light and fluffy texture, stick with either the food processor or mortar-and-pestle method described here. Trying to make the toum in a blender or with an immersion blender will result in a thin and dense texture closer to that of a mayonnaise or dressing than traditional toum.

 

If the emulsion breaks, it can easily be brought back together with the help of an egg white. Combine 1 egg white with 1/4 cup of the broken emulsion in the bowl of a food processor until fluffy. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the remaining broken emulsion.

Keyword authentic Lebanese garlic sauce, authentic mezze recipes, authentic toum recipe, best toum recipe, creamy garlic sauce, creamy Mediterranean sauce, easy toum recipe, fluffy garlic sauce recipe, garlic dip recipe, garlic emulsion sauce, garlic lemon sauce recipe, garlic sauce for grilled meats, garlic sauce for kebabs, garlic sauce for naan, garlic sauce for shawarma, garlic sauce recipe, healthy Mediterranean condiments, homemade garlic spread, homemade Mediterranean sauces, homemade toum, how to make toum, Lebanese garlic sauce, Lebanese mezze recipes, Lebanese toum recipe, Mediterranean appetizer ideas, Mediterranean dip recipe, Mediterranean entertaining recipes, Mediterranean garlic sauce, Mediterranean mezze recipes, Mediterranean party food, Mediterranean spread recipes, Middle Eastern garlic sauce, restaurant style toum, toum recipe, toum sauce for chicken, traditional Middle Eastern recipes, traditional toum recipe, vegan garlic sauce recipe

Proper emulsification is the key to achieving smooth, fluffy toum without separation. Slowly incorporating oil while blending creates the stable texture that defines authentic Lebanese garlic sauce. Fresh garlic provides intense flavor, while lemon juice balances richness with brightness. Because toum contains simple ingredients, technique becomes especially important for achieving restaurant-quality consistency. This sauce complements grilled meats, roasted potatoes, sandwiches, wraps, and vegetables exceptionally well.

Explore more Mediterranean recipes.

Discover additional sauces and condiments.

Learn more about traditional Lebanese garlic sauce technique.

Toum also works beautifully as a dip, spread, or sandwich condiment. Its bold garlic flavor and creamy texture make it especially versatile for both traditional Lebanese dishes and modern Mediterranean-inspired meals.

Fresh herbs, warm pita, grilled chicken, or roasted vegetables all pair exceptionally well with toum. Its strong garlic flavor adds depth and brightness to simple meals while creating a bold finishing touch.

Toum remains one of the most versatile condiments in Middle Eastern cooking. Its creamy texture and powerful garlic flavor create a memorable addition to countless meals.

Store toum chilled and serve it as a bold condiment for Mediterranean meals throughout the week.