This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Lebanese garlic sauce (Toum) is the top condiment for grilled chicken in Lebanese cuisine. Made with a slow and steady emulsion of garlic and oil, my NO-FAIL recipe guarantees a perfect dip every time.
This creamy and smooth garlic sauce, known as toum—which means garlic in Arabic—is an essential condiment when serving shish tawook, chicken shawarma, and other grilled chicken dishes in Lebanese cuisine. Its bold taste enhances any chicken dish, from grilled to fried. For an exceptional treat, serve lots of it with crispy fried chicken breast. This mouthwatering combo is truly unbeatable—don’t miss out!
Toum has been one of my favorite sauces since I was a kid, and I make it at home all the time. If you’re into garlic as much as I am, you might also want to check out how to roast garlic, make fermented garlic honey, or even try making black garlic. I always keep garlic confit and garlic oil around—they’re great to have on hand.
Now, let’s get into this toum recipe! With a few simple tricks, you can make the best creamy, smooth homemade garlic sauce, and yes, it’s better than what you’ll find at restaurants!
Want to save this recipe?
Watch recipe video tutorial
Ingredients
- Garlic: You can use either fresh or frozen garlic cloves. Freezing garlic reduces its sharpness and keeps the mixture cool during processing, preventing the emulsion from breaking (especially important if working with a slower machine). Choose firm, fresh bulbs without green sprouts, and avoid old, sprouting garlic, which tends to be bitter.
- Vegetable oil: I prefer sunflower oil or another neutral-tasting vegetable oil like canola oil or grapeseed oil.
- Lemon juice or citric acid: Most of the time, I use lemon juice. You can also use citric acid for a longer shelf life (due to its stable pH).
- Salt.
- Ice cubes: Ice cubes help maintain a low temperature during blending, which prevents the emulsion from breaking and ensures a fluffy, creamy texture.
How to make garlic sauce
If you are working with a slower machine, you might want to use frozen garlic and chilled oil—they will keep the mixture cold, and the machine won’t overheat. So, peel the garlic the night before you make this recipe and freeze the cloves.
To peel them easily, gently press a wide knife over a few garlic cloves on a cutting board to loosen the skin. Lift the knife, and the skin should come off easily. Check out my other ways on how to peel garlic and how to freeze garlic.
Also, you can place the oil in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for a few hours before making the recipe.
Blend the garlic into a paste: First, add the peeled garlic into a food processor bowl. Blend until it’s well minced, stopping to scrape down the sides of the jug with a spatula if necessary.
Add salt and 1 tablespoon of oil: Next, add the salt and only one tablespoon of the oil. If you are using citric acid, add it now as well. Blend to incorporate them. Then, keep the food processor running as you add the rest.
Incorporate ice cubes: Add the ice cubes one by one and keep blending until they melt into the garlic mixture. The ice cubes will allow the sauce to remain cold and emulsify properly.
Drizzle in oil: For this step, I highly recommend using a squeeze bottle to add just a little oil at a time. Alternatively, use a measuring spoon to add about 1 Tbsp at a time.
Pour in the oil very slowly and steadily while the processor is running. This is extremely important for the proper emulsification process to take place. Leave plenty of time between each drizzle so the oil is fully incorporated.
Once the garlic starts to look creamy, alternate between adding small amounts of oil and lemon juice (around one tablespoon at a time) while the machine runs until the sauce emulsifies and thickens into a creamy garlic sauce.
The final result: It will take about 10 minutes to incorporate all the oil and achieve a creamy texture. Using cold ingredients and ice cubes helps the garlic sauce not overheat.
Once the Lebanese garlic sauce is properly emulsified, it’s ready to serve. Alternatively, for a firmer texture, you can transfer it to an airtight glass container and refrigerate it for at least 15-20 minutes before use.
Secrets to perfect Lebanese garlic sauce
- Freeze the Garlic Cloves: Freezing the garlic cloves in advance helps break down their cell structure, making them easier to blend into a smooth consistency. This ensures a more even and creamy texture in the final sauce.
- Ensure Slow and Steady Emulsification: Pouring the oil very slowly and steadily while the processor is running ensures that tiny droplets of oil gradually disperse throughout the mixture. This gradual incorporation is essential for forming a stable emulsion where the oil and water-based ingredients combine seamlessly. I love to use a squeeze bottle.
- Prevent Overheating: The frozen and chilled ingredients help to keep the temperature of the mixture low during processing. Overheating can cause the emulsion to break, leading to separation and a less creamy texture.
By following these top tips, you’ll make a perfectly creamy and stable Lebanese garlic sauce every time!
What to eat with garlic sauce
There are so many delicious ways to enjoy Lebanese garlic sauce (toum)! It’s a perfect match for chicken dishes—whether grilled, baked, or sautéed. In Lebanon, toum is a staple condiment served with rotisserie chicken.
I also love using it as a dip with crispy fried chicken breasts, shish tawook (Lebanese grilled chicken skewers), or as a spread in pita bread wraps with chicken shawarma—a popular street food traditionally made from thinly shaved, spiced chicken cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Toum is incredibly versatile and also pairs beautifully with potato fries, wedges, and even batata harra for an extra burst of flavor.
FAQs
Toum can stay fresh for 5-7 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Alternatively, if citric acid is used, freshness and flavor are maintained for up to a month. Personally, I avoid freezing garlic toum because freezing can cause the sauce to lose its creamy, smooth texture, and the vibrant garlic flavor can become dull, making it less enjoyable when thawed.
The emulsion can break if the oil is added too quickly or the mixture overheats. That’s why using frozen garlic, ice cubes, and chilled oil can help. Make sure to drizzle the oil slowly into the garlic sauce.
If your garlic sauce breaks and becomes liquid-y, it can be challenging to fix, but understanding the cause can help. Overheating can cause the emulsion to break, so try adding an ice cube to cool it down and help re-emulsify the mixture. If the breakage is due to adding oil too quickly, it’s more challenging to repair. In both cases, starting over might be the best option. Start again with a bit of frozen garlic, and add the oil slowly. When the mixture starts to become creamy, alternate adding oil and the broken sauce little by little. This process requires patience. Alternatively, you can repurpose the broken mix in other recipes and store it in the fridge or freezer in portions for future use.
More Lebanese recipes
If you try this Lebanese garlic sauce recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Lebanese Garlic Sauce (Toum)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup garlic cloves peeled (about 3-4 heads of garlic)
- 2 cups vegetable oil any neutral oil, not olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice or 1 tsp citric acid
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 5-6 ice cubes
This yields about 3 cups.
Instructions
- OPTIONAL STEP: Peel the garlic the night before you make this recipe, and freeze the cloves. Place the oil in the fridge overnight or in the freezer for a few hours before making the recipe.
- Add the peeled garlic into a food processor bowl. Blend until well minced, scraping the sides of the jug with a spatula if needed.
- Blend in the salt and only one tablespoon of oil. If you are using citric acid (instead of lemon juice), add it now as well.Keep the food processor running as you add the rest.
- Add the ice cubes one by one and keep blending until they melt into the garlic mixture.
- Pour in the oil slowly and steadily while the processor is running. Use a squeeze bottle or a measuring spoon to add about 1 Tbsp at a time.Leave plenty of time between each drizzle so the oil is fully incorporated.
- When the garlic starts to look creamy, alternate between adding small amounts of oil and lemon juice (around 1 Tbsp at a time) while the machine runs.It will take about 10 minutes to incorporate all the oil and achieve a creamy, fluffy texture.
- When the Lebanese garlic sauce emulsifies well, it's ready to serve.For a firmer texture, transfer the mixture to an airtight glass container and refrigerate it for at least 15-20 minutes before use.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love all your recipes and I cannot wait to try this out. 😀
Thank you so much. I hope you gave this recipe a try! 🙂
Great recipe! Thanks
Thank you so much, Maria.
Cannot wait to try!
Thanks, Nikki. I hope you liked it.
Love watching your page. Giving me lots of ideas.
Awww thank you so much Pauline, your support means so much to me x
This was so so helpful! I was always confused but this whole post breaks it down perfectly
Thank you so much Summer, glad you find the post useful 🙂
Yummmmm. Wonderful and easy recipe.
Thanks a million, so glad you like it 🙂
Love this!
Thank you so much 🙂
So easy to make and so we’ll explained! Thank you!
you’re very welcome, so glad you liked it!
Another amazing recipe! Fabulous taste
Thank you so much Laura, so glad you like it! hope you have a wonderful day 🙂
Simple and easy process, thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, glad you like it!