Do you love garlic? Like really love garlic? If yes, then this traditional Lebanese garlic sauce is for you.
Toum (Toom) aka Lebanese Garlic sauce is loved by so many. If you've ever eaten a Lebanese kebab or charcoal chicken or even a falafel wrap and loved the white garlic sauce, you'll now be a superstar at making it.
With a little bit of patience, you'll be making this easy traditional recipe a staple in your kitchen.
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Lebanese Lentil Soup is a staple soup in my family - it features several times in my menu over the cooler months.
It's comforting and nutritious, just like Molokhia - another ultimate comforting Lebanese dish.
This soup is called 'shorbet adas' (or shorbat adas) in Arabic, and it's one of my top two favourite soups - I always want to lick the bowl dry afterwards.
Shorbet Adas which literally translates to 'Soup Lentil' has so many things going for it.
I have been making this Lebanese soup since my 20's, originally it wasn’t a vegan soup, however now that I have switched it over, the difference is negligible.
Before we get into it, I want to mention another Arabic lentil soup recipe called Lebanese lemon lentil soup. It's completely different, it has chunky bits of vegetables and uses brown lentils instead of orange lentils. It’s worth checking out and adding this soup to your list.
How to make Toum Recipe
- 1 cup fresh garlic (fresh garlic will provide better flavour)
- 2.5-3 cups sunflower or vegetable oil
- 1 fresh lemon, juiced (this whitens the sauce)
- ½ tablespoon salt
An immersion blender or food processor or blender will work for this toum recipe. If you are using an immersion blender, like in this recipe, add 1 tablespoon of oil every 30-60sec and blend really well before adding the next spoon of oil.
Add the lemon juice every 4th spoon (or there about) of oil and blend really well before adding the next. If you are using a food processor or blender, add the oil continuously through a fine pour line - DO NOT add a lot at a time.
Add in lemon once in a while until all used.
If the garlic sauce starts to separate from the lemon juice, keep blending and add more oil.
Toum recipe (Lebanese Garlic Sauce) tips:
Inspect the garlic and cut off any green shoots that might be growing
Once you're happy with the consistency of your garlic sauce (toum), allow it to cool down before sealing it in a container as condensation drops will cause your garlic dipping sauce to separate.
Toum will keep in the fridge for a couple of months, store it in an air tight container
For visual instruction on how to make toum, click on this video; Toum Recipe aka LEBANESE GARLIC SAUCE/DIP (Traditional and eggless) // Plant Based Folk
What is toum used for and what to eat toum with?
Toum (garlic sauce) is the shawarma sauce and is also perfect for using with Plant Based Folk's Easy Falafel Recipe (another delicious Lebanese recipe) or with pasta or with salads as a dressing.
It's also great for dipping polenta frita or air fried french fries into. Here are some other suggestions for what toum is used for;
- As a garlic spread in a sandwich
- On the side with grilled vegetables
- Dipping you french fries or hot chips into the toum garlic sauce
- Make fresh crusty garlic bread, smear it on your bread rolls and bake in the oven
- Add it to pasta sauces
How many carbs in mediterranean garlic sauce?
For a serving of 30g there is 45g of carbs in Lebanese toum.
If you're looking for another vegan sauce, whip up my thick and creamy eggless mayonnaise in under five minutes.
Lebanese Garlic Sauce - Toum Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Fresh garlic, peeled
- 2.5-3 Cups Sunflower or vegetable oil
- 1 whole Fresh lemon, juiced
- ½ tablespoon Salt
Instructions
- Peel garlic (toum) and set aside
- Add garlic and salt in an immersion/hand held blender or blender.
- Roughly mince
Hand held / immersion blender
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil every thirty seconds and blender well before adding the next lot.
- Add tablespoon of lemon juice after every third or fourth oil tablespoon of oil, blend well
Blender / Food processor
- Continually drip oil into blender / food processor via the flow of a fine string (DO NOT pour in)
- Every so often, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. (DO NOT over add - this will cause the sauce to break up)
- Continue to add oil and lemon juice until all blended
Hiba
Thank you. My Lebanese garlic sauce wasnt nearly as fluffy. I blended a little linger like you suggested and now it’s spot on. I make batches for the family now.
Farrah
I have attempted to make garlic dip several times and failed. it always split. but I followed your instructions, using a blender and it worked. the video was good too. now I can keep some for storage. good job.
Miriam
thanks for the expanation. can i use a food processor?
plantbasedfolk
yes you can use a food processor, it's easier than an hand held immersion blender
Alex
Came for the Flafel recipe and stumbled upon this gem! now I can make Toum. Thanks.
plantbasedfolk
You're welcome - enjoy your toum 😀
Nicole Floss
Okay this sauce sounds right up my alley. Anything with lots of garlic in it! Definitely saving for next time I make falafel.
plantbasedfolk
It's so yum with falafel, it'll be your go-to garlic dip
Tami Zimmerman
Can across this recipe the other day and saved it.. so glad I did! Great instructions and it came out perfectly! Super tasty! Thank you so much sharing!
plantbasedfolk
How satisfying is it when you make your own toum and it's so fluffy. 😀
Candice
I love toum so much! And this recipe is such a great homemade version. Will be making it over and over again!
plantbasedfolk
It's a must have staple in the fridge. Enjoy Candice 😀
Sandra Shaffer
So many ways to use this garlic sauce, but I think my favorite is on roasted vegetables. Quick way to add delicious flavor without a lot of effort and goes well with any main meal. Thank you!
plantbasedfolk
That's a wonderful way to use this Lebanese garlic sauce. 😀
Amanda
As a huge garlic fanatic, this dip recipe was perfect for me! I can never get enough garlic, so this was everything I love in a dip. I'm already excited for the next time I make it!
plantbasedfolk
It's a great sauce to have as it stores for a while in the fridge and is versatile to add to most meals.
😀
Beth
This looks like a simple, yet highly flavorful sauce. I appreciated the tips on blending and storing it.
plantbasedfolk
Thank you Beth, you hit the nail on its head
Marisa F. Stewart
Hello, I'm Italian - of course I LOVE garlic. I saw this recipe and I knew I had to make it ASAP! I gave Hubby a taste and he loved it. We are slathering it on everything. So good. I really like how fluffy it turned out.
plantbasedfolk
A good garlic slather on anything makes food all that more enjoyable 🙂
Lori
Oh this sounds absolutely magical! I'm a HUGE garlic lover and this is right up my alley! Definitely making this and will use on my wood-fired pizza dough as a sauce! I can't wait to try it!!!
plantbasedfolk
It's amazing as a pizza sauce. This is something we do all the time 😀
Chef Dennis
this was such an easy recipe to follow and the garlic sauce was OMG delicious!
plantbasedfolk
Thank you Chef! 😀
Paula Montenegro
I love garlic, a lot, and to know that this sauce is used in falafel wraps just made my day! I can't wait to give it a try. It's one of the things I love most about eating those wraps. Thanks for sharing.
plantbasedfolk
Hey Paula,
So glad you love this sauce as much as I do.
Enjoy making it.
J 🙂