This toum recipe turns freshly peeled garlic, sunflower oil, lemon juice, salt, and ice water into a thick Lebanese garlic sauce. The hand-blender method creates its fluffy, egg-free emulsion in just 5 minutes.
Why You'll Love This Toum
- Ready in 5 minutes: The complete sauce comes together quickly once the ingredients are measured.
- Made with a hand blender: A tall container keeps the small garlic base within reach of the blades.
- Naturally egg-free: Garlic stabilizes the oil and liquid without mayonnaise or egg yolks.
- Bold but balanced: Fresh lemon brightens the raw garlic while sunflower oil keeps the flavor clean.
What I enjoy most about toum is how a few basic ingredients become a thick, airy sauce. I keep it ready for meals where a small spoonful adds plenty of garlic flavor. It works naturally with my Greek chicken gyros, especially against the warm chicken and soft pita. The same cool contrast suits sheet pan ground chicken kebabs without covering their seasoning. I also serve it with Italian grilled chicken thighs when I want a sharper alternative to yogurt sauce.
I like the balance of sharp garlic and bright lemon, with sunflower oil keeping the flavor clean. The hand blender turns that mixture into a thick, fluffy emulsion without eggs. I add the oil slowly because the controlled stream helps the sauce thicken evenly. That bold finish complements crispy air fryer potato wedges without hiding their seasoned edges. It also cuts through the richness of baked garlic Parmesan chicken wings. The fluffy texture spreads easily inside cauliflower shawarma wraps.
Key Ingredients in Toum
These five ingredients create the garlic flavor and stable emulsion that define Lebanese toum.
- Fresh garlic and salt: I use freshly peeled garlic for its clean, strong flavor, while salt helps break the cloves down.
- Sunflower oil: I choose sunflower oil because its neutral flavor allows the garlic and lemon to remain prominent.
- Fresh lemon juice: For me, lemon provides the brightness needed to balance the intensity of raw garlic.
- Ice water: I add ice water to help the sauce stay light as the oil and garlic emulsify.
How to Make Toum
The complete measurements appear in the recipe card below.
1. Combine the base: Add the garlic, salt, lemon juice, ice water, and the first portion of oil to a tall container.
2. Blend until smooth: Keep the hand blender at the bottom until the garlic base is completely smooth and creamy.
3. Add the remaining oil: Pour it into the running blender in a thin, steady stream.
4. Finish the emulsion: Lift the blender gradually and continue until the toum is thick, white, and fluffy. Serve immediately or chill it for 30 minutes.
Tips for Toum
- Use freshly peeled garlic: Fresh cloves provide a cleaner garlic flavor than cloves that have softened or begun to sprout.
- Smooth the garlic completely: A uniform base helps prevent noticeable garlic pieces from remaining in the finished sauce.
- Follow the texture: The toum is ready when it looks thick and fluffy and holds its shape after blending.
How to Store Toum
I transfer the toum to a clean, airtight container and refrigerate it promptly at 40°F (4°C) or colder. I use it within four days and never keep it at room temperature.
What to Serve with Toum
I serve toum with viral doner kebab when its sharp garlic flavor can balance the seasoned lamb. It also works as a dip for Greek lemon roasted baby potatoes or beside easy hummus without tahini on a mezze-style plate.
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Recipe
Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce)
Ingredients
- 65 g freshly peeled garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 40 ml fresh lemon juice
- 360 ml sunflower oil - or other neutral oil
- 30 ml ice water
Instructions
- Add 65 g freshly peeled garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon salt, 40 ml fresh lemon juice, 30 ml ice water, and 75 ml sunflower oil to a tall, narrow container.
- Place the hand blender at the bottom of the container. Blend without lifting it until the garlic is completely smooth and the mixture begins to look creamy.
- Keep the blender running and slowly pour in the remaining 285 ml sunflower oil in a thin, steady stream.
- As the Lebanese garlic sauce thickens, lift the blender gradually to incorporate the oil evenly. Continue blending until the toum is thick, white, and fluffy.
- Transfer the toum to a clean container and serve immediately. For a thicker texture and milder garlic flavor, refrigerate it for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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