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garlic dipping sauce in a brown bowl with a spoon
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4.96 from 84 votes

Garlic Dipping Sauce (Lebanese Toum)

My Lebanese family's easy-to-follow, never-fail, traditional fluffy toum recipe. This creamy garlic dipping sauce can be used in shawarma, pastas, fries and more. It is super garlicky! Suitable for a vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free diet.
Prep Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Condiment, Side Dish
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Servings: 400 grams
Calories: 7kcal
Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Garlic cloves peeled
  • cups Vegetable oil or any neutral oil
  • ½ medium - large Lemon (juice) freshly squeezed
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

  • Place garlic and salt into a food processor or an immersion blender and pulse until garlic is finely minced (this is no more than a minute, you'll need to scrape down the sides and blend to ensure garlic is evenly minced)
    ½ cup Garlic cloves, ¼ teaspoon Salt

Hand held / immersion blender

  • Add 1 tablespoon of oil every thirty seconds and blend well before adding the next lot. Repeat this 3 times then add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Repeat until all is blended.
    1½ cups Vegetable oil, ½ medium - large Lemon (juice)

Blender / Food processor

  • Continually drizzle oil (hairlike pour) into blender / food processor. Every so often, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. (DO NOT over add - this will cause the sauce to break up) Continue to add oil and lemon juice until all blended.
    1½ cups Vegetable oil, ½ medium - large Lemon (juice)
  • Seal in an airtight jar and store in the refrigerator for a couple of months.

Video

Notes

Following the process of blending the ingredients together is vital to the success of this toum. Don’t take shortcuts.
Avoid water at all costs. Ensure the area, utensils, and equipment you are/using to make your toum is free from water. Water will separate the oil.
During step one, ensure that all the garlic is chopped finely. You will need to scrape down the sides.
About halfway into blending you will notice the blender starts to sound a little different, this is normal, as it is at this point the paste starts to lighten up.
Immersion blender - During the last blending phase, the toum becomes thick and fluffy, able to hold peaks. Because of this, when pouring the oil in, it will pool at the top, you will need to help it by mixing it through with a spatula and then blending.
Once you're happy with the consistency of your garlic sauce (toum), allow it to cool down (sometimes the blender heats up) 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 in an airtight container
 
Traditionally, toum is eaten with Lebanese kebab, shish tawook, shawarma (check out my mouthwatering vegan shawarma), charcoal chicken, or even a falafel wrap (check out my Lebanese falafel recipe). It's also great for dipping polenta frita 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 7kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg