Homemade Toum Recipe (Whipped Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
Add delicious flavor to any dish with this 4-ingredient Toum Recipe. Made with fresh garlic, lemon juice, avocado oil, and sea salt, this creamy garlic sauce tastes straight out of a Lebanese restaurant and is sure to elevate your favorite dishes with its bold, garlicky bite.
Much like an aioli but with a whipped, fluffy texture, this clean vegan sauce is perfect as a dip, a spread for sandwiches or wraps, or as a light topping for proteins and vegetables.
Best of all, my simple method is a completely foolproof way to make this otherwise tricky dip!
Traditional Lebanese Garlic Sauce
Traditionally, toum is made with a steady emulsion process of garlic, oil, lemon juice,. It’s a staple in Lebanese cuisine and Middle Eastern dishes. The end result is a thick and fluffy white sauce with a strong garlic flavor that’s perfect for adding an extra kick to any meal.
It has a reputation for being tricky to make, but I’m here to disprove that with this simple recipe.
If it’s your first time making a homemade garlic sauce like this one, don’t worry — with the right method and kitchen tools, you’ll have fluffy, homemade toum ready in just a few minutes!
Plus, my toum sauce recipe calls for avocado oil instead of vegetable oil or canola oil. It makes this a healthier toum since we’re choosing a neutral oil that is non-inflammatory.
I’m 100% serious when I say that this garlic spread is so good, you’ll have to stop yourself from eating the whole thing in one sitting.
Serve this Lebanese garlic dip with any of your favorite Middle Eastern meals, from Shish Taouk Recipe (also known as shish tawook or Lebanese Chicken Skewers) to chicken shawarma meatballs or as a dipping sauce for fresh veggies and low-carb crackers.
If you love garlic, I hope you also try my Roasted Garlic Dip with Feta or Spicy Garlic Shimp!
Why You’ll Love It
- Strong garlic flavor, and you can add as much or as little as you’d like!
- Perfect for dipping, spreading on sandwiches or wraps, and even as a marinade.
- It’s more delicious than store-bought toum and requires only 4 ingredients needed.
- You’ll be shocked at how simple this is, using just an immersion blender and a mason jar!
Made with 4 Simple Ingredients
- Garlic: This is used to make the garlic paste, which is the base of the dip. I like to use the freshest garlic I have on hand. It really does make a difference!
- Sea salt: Sea salt or kosher salt adds a seasoning to the sauce. If you’re using kosher salt you will want to add a little more.
- Avocado oil: I like to use avocado oil as it is a healthier, non-inflammatory option. You can also use olive oil but it’s not as neutral tasting and will impart a light olive oil flavor.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is what makes this a super good Lebanese garlic sauce recipe. It adds brightness and balances out the strong garlic flavor.
Recipe Variations
You can add in other herbs and spices to customize the flavor of the garlic sauce. Some popular options are parsley, dill, cumin, or paprika. I recommend mixing in any additions after the toum is made since extra ingredients can affect the tricky emulsion process.
For a spicier version, you can even mix in some red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce. Think of it like any restaurant aioli; there are so many different flavors you can add to make it unique!
How to Make a Delicious Homemade Toum
The steps are simple, and I’m outlining them below, but be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to view the full, printable recipe card.
First, prepare your equipment: Grab a medium-sized mason jar, one that is wide enough to fit an immersion blender.
STEP 1 – make garlic paste
Place the peeled garlic cloves into the jar along with the lemon juice and salt. Use the immersion blender to blend the ingredients into a smooth garlic paste. Make sure there are no chunks in the mixture and that the consistency is extra smooth.
STEP 2 – add oil and emulsify
Pour the avocado oil into the jar with the garlic paste.
Insert the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the jar. Without moving the blender up and down, blend slowly, starting from the base of the jar and gradually bringing the stick blender up the jar a little bit every minute until you reach the top. This whole process will take up to 5 minutes so be patient!
If you try to rush this step, you run the risk of not creating the emulsion you need to get fluffy toum.
STEP 3 – serve and store
Spoon the toum spread onto a plate or into a serving bowl and enjoy immediately.
Alternatively, place a lid on the jar and store the toum in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Tips for Success
- Toum is so tricky to make because it’s easy to overload the garlic paste with too much oil at once, which makes the consistency heavy and won’t create the proper emulsion. This is what makes the immersion blender trick is so great: by slowly raising the blender up the jar, you’re gradually adding more oil.
- If your toum isn’t getting fluffy or the emulsion breaks, you can fix it! Simply process a cold egg white with about 1/4 cup of the mixture until fluffy, then process that with the remaining toum.
- For the best flavor, you can remove the garlic germ in the center of each clove. It can add a bitterness to the toum.
Easy Toum Recipe (Whipped Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
Toum is a punchy, garlicky sauce and spread that adds big flavor to Middle Eastern cuisine! It's known to be tricky to make but my simple method using an immersion blender and a mason jar is a foolproof way to prepare this delicious, fluffy emulsion in just a few minutes and with only four ingredients!
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh garlic cloves, peeled
- Juice of 1 lemon (approximately 2 tablespoons)
- 2 pinches of fine sea salt
- 1 cup avocado oil (or a neutral oil)
Instructions
- Prepare your equipment: Grab a medium mason jar, just wide enough to fit an immersion blender.
- Blend garlic and lemon: Place the peeled garlic cloves at the bottom of the mason jar. Add the lemon juice and salt. Use the immersion blender to blend the mixture into a smooth garlic paste. Ensure there are no chunks, and the consistency is smooth.
- Add oil and emulsify: Pour the avocado oil into the jar with the garlic paste. Insert the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the mason jar. Keeping the blender at the base of the jar, blend without moving it up and down. With the immersion blender running, keep the blender at the base of the jar and blend for 1 minute. Continue blending, slowly bringing the blender up just a little every minute until you reach the top of the jar. This process should take about 5 minutes. Be patient; it’s worth it!
- Serve or store: Spoon the toum spread onto a plate to serve. Alternatively, put a lid on the jar and store it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Notes
Toum is so tricky to make because it's easy to overload the garlic paste with too much oil at once, which makes the consistency heavy and won't create the proper emulsion. This is what makes the immersion blender trick is so great: by slowly raising the blender up the jar, you're gradually adding more oil.
If your toum isn't getting fluffy or the emulsion breaks, you can fix it! Simply process a cold egg white with about 1/4 cup of the mixture until fluffy, then process that with the remaining toum.
For the best flavor, you can remove the garlic germ in the center of each clove. It can add a bitterness to the toum.
FAQ
If your toum isn’t fluffing up as expected, it’s because something went wrong in the emulsification process. It could be due to a number of factors, but the most common issue is that the oil wasn’t added slowly enough. Make sure to move the stick blender up the jar very slowly.
While both toum and aioli are creamy garlic sauces, they differ in their base ingredients. Aioli is made with garlic and mayonnaise and often contains raw eggs, while toum is an emulsion of garlic, oil, and water.
Toum also uses a higher amount of garlic compared to aioli, giving it a punchier garlic flavor.
It is custom to enjoy toum with Shish Taouk, Chicken Shawarma, and all kinds of cooked proteins. My Shish Taouk Recipe (Lebanese Chicken Skewers) and Chicken Shawarma Meatballs with Tahini Sauce are excellent places to start!
It would also taste fantastic with these Crispy Butterflied Chicken Legs, drizzled on this Halal Cart Chicken and Rice Bowls, or as a topping for these Joojeh Kababs!
Honestly though, this toum recipe will taste delicious with just about anything, be it pita bread, vegetables, or even as a dip for your favorite crackers.
Storage
Toum can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The strong garlic flavor will mellow slightly over time.
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Easy Toum Recipe (Whipped Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
Toum is a punchy, garlicky sauce and spread that adds big flavor to Middle Eastern cuisine! It's known to be tricky to make but my simple method using an immersion blender and a mason jar is a foolproof way to prepare this delicious, fluffy emulsion in just a few minutes and with only four ingredients!
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh garlic cloves, peeled
- Juice of 1 lemon (approximately 2 tablespoons)
- 2 pinches of fine sea salt
- 1 cup avocado oil (or a neutral oil)
Instructions
- Prepare your equipment: Grab a medium mason jar, just wide enough to fit an immersion blender.
- Blend garlic and lemon: Place the peeled garlic cloves at the bottom of the mason jar. Add the lemon juice and salt. Use the immersion blender to blend the mixture into a smooth garlic paste. Ensure there are no chunks, and the consistency is smooth.
- Add oil and emulsify: Pour the avocado oil into the jar with the garlic paste. Insert the immersion blender all the way to the bottom of the mason jar. Keeping the blender at the base of the jar, blend without moving it up and down. With the immersion blender running, keep the blender at the base of the jar and blend for 1 minute. Continue blending, slowly bringing the blender up just a little every minute until you reach the top of the jar. This process should take about 5 minutes. Be patient; it’s worth it!
- Serve or store: Spoon the toum spread onto a plate to serve. Alternatively, put a lid on the jar and store it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
Notes
Toum is so tricky to make because it's easy to overload the garlic paste with too much oil at once, which makes the consistency heavy and won't create the proper emulsion. This is what makes the immersion blender trick is so great: by slowly raising the blender up the jar, you're gradually adding more oil.
If your toum isn't getting fluffy or the emulsion breaks, you can fix it! Simply process a cold egg white with about 1/4 cup of the mixture until fluffy, then process that with the remaining toum.
For the best flavor, you can remove the garlic germ in the center of each clove. It can add a bitterness to the toum.
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