Last Updated on June 13, 2022
The Recipe for the World’s Strongest Lebanese Garlic Sauce
Toum, a Lebanese garlic sauce that’s a staple of Lebanese cuisine, might just be the tastiest thing on Earth (or at least in the Middle East). For those who’ve tried it, toum will be forever on your mind due to its amazing balance of lemon and garlic which goes exceptionally well with savory BBQs…and if you haven’t had the chance to try it yet, don’t worry—you soon will!
Lebanese Garlic Sauce, Toum, Aioli: Background & Terminology
In Lebanon they call it “Toom” or “Toum” which literally means garlic.  Our Egyptian siblings call it “Tooma”… Our Greek cousins have a similar version which they call “skordalia” and in Spain it’s referred to as “Aioli”. In the US it is generally referred to as garlic sauce, however the fact of the matter is that it’s closer to being a thick and fluffy paste than a sauce. The intent at the end is the same, and whatever the name is, a successful garlic sauce has a white, creamy texture similar to that of mayo, sour cream or “Labneh” and with a pungent aroma of lemony garlic, and a mouth-watering tong-tingling blood-pressure-lowering flavor that is a perfect marriage between garlic and lemon juice.
This garlic paste goes very well with many BBQs, especially chicken Shawarma, grilled chicken, kebob BBQ and Chicken Shish Tawook (featured above). You can also spread it over baked or boiled potatoes along with a sprinkle of Cayenne pepper and dried mint, and it also tastes wonderful if you wrap it in a pita bread along with some salty cheese and grill it in a panini grill.  Finally, some may be surprised but we tried it spread over Kibbeh Nayyeh (raw kibbeh) and it was out of this world. Check out our Chicken Shawarma , Chicken Shish Tawook, or Lebanese Grilled Chicken recipes.
How to Make Toum: Garlic Sauce Secrets
One day while discussing the process of making this garlic sauce with a dear family friend, Dr. Hisham Abdallah who is a Biotech scientist, and while complaining about how delicate making this sauce is, he pointed out that the reason the sauce breaks is likely due to certain violations that are happening to the process of “emulsification.”  It turns out that a chemical reaction called “emulsification” is at the very heart of the making of the garlic sauce.
Simply put, emulsification is a process which allows liquids (water) and oils to “mix,” and turn into a “cream” in the presence of an emulsifier or emulsifying agent, and with the help of an external mechanical force such as grinding, shaking, stirring, spinning, or even using ultrasonic waves. The sequence in which oils and water are added, and the ratios also matter a lot and an imbalance can easily break the emulsification process and turn the ingredients back into a liquid state. That is exactly what happens when our garlic paste breaks in frustration as it gets overwhelmed with oil.
The process of emulsification is used in the beauty and medical industry to make creams and beauty products, and it’s the same process used in making Mayonnaise and vinaigrette, and of course, this Lebanese Garlic Paste.
Lecithin is a common emulsifier that is used in the food industry in making creamy food products. It is found naturally in eggs and in soy beans. That is why some folks use an egg white in making this garlic dip in order to help speeding the process of emulsification and to increase the chances of success. However we personally don’t like using raw eggs in our garlic dip mainly because we feel that it leaves an undesirable subtle aftertaste, even though many folks don’t even notice it due to the potent flavor of garlic. Instead, we depend purely on the emulsifiers that naturally occur in the garlic. This along with some patience, and a careful following of the procedure, should yield an egg-free successful fluffy garlic paste. If one wants to go the extra step, Soy Lecithin which can be found in specialty baking stores, or on Amazon, can also be used as an added emulsifier in making this garlic dip. Mira, a molecular gastronomy blogger noted that Lecithin shouldn’t alter the taste if used in small quantities.
In-Depth Understanding of the Emulsification Process
If you’d like to nerd it out like I did, check out this video from Stella Culinary on the process of emulsion or emulsification.
The Harvard video features a chef from Spain who showcased how emulsification works in the making of Garlic Aioli. He made the Aioli using at least 10 different methods.  Also check this in-depth Emulsion Guide for Cooks from Stella Culinary.
Traditional Toum Preparation Method
The Lebanese garlic dip was traditionally made using a pestle and mortar. Our mothers, bless their hearts, would first add the freshly peeled garlic cloves and salt to the pestle and hammer it away until it’s completely crushed. Then, they would add a tiny bit of olive oil (1/2 teaspoon) and hammer away for a minute or so, and then repeat this step for perhaps 30-40 minutes until the oil has been used, while adding a few drops of lemon juice throughout. Another way to do it is to wait on adding the lemon juice until the end. Both ways work.
Modern Preparation Method
Over time, the garlic paste making process slowly moved to food processors and olive oil was substituted with vegetable oils which made the dip less biting and even whiter.
The exact same concept of emulsification applies when making the garlic sauce in a food processor. Oil must be added at an extremely slow rate while the food processor is constantly running, and the oil pouring must stop occasionally for a few minutes to allow the garlic paste in the processor to absorb the new oils.
Feature Video: Chef Kamal Making His Toum Recipe
Chef Kamal is a Lebanese American Chef and food blogger with some amazing recipes.  I recommend checking his book on Traditional Lebanese Cuisine. Below we feature his video of making this Lebanese garlic paste and I love how he simplified the process and broke it down in very simple and easy steps. Check out his video below:
Now a side note that I heard in Chef Kamal’s video, and which I’ve also heard from many other food bloggers and chefs, and I used to also believe it myself too… Â There is a belief that if the ingredients are contaminated with water, the sauce will break. Â However after I’ve researched the process of emulsification, and watched the above two videos from Harvard and Stella Culinary, I’m not sure that this is fully accurate anymore. Â The nature of the process of emulsification is that it needs water molecules to bind the oil molecules. Water is a must. Garlic naturally has water, just like all veggies, and lemon juice also has water. So when we add garlic and lemon juice during the process, we’re practically adding water. Â In fact, the Harvard video shows the Spanish Chef making Aioli (similar to our garlic sauce) with water droplets, instead of lemon juice. I’ve also tried that at home and got a successful fluffy garlic paste with using water (and adding the lemon juice at the end).
So what we need to be careful about then are the ratios of oil to water: if you have too much oil, it breaks, and if you have too much water (or lemon juice), it breaks just like Chef Kamal noted.  The ratio must be respected and for those who like to geek it out here is a nice guide below from Stella Culinary on the ratios (look for the 2nd row, Mayonnaise & Aioli):
Toum Recipe for the World's Strongest Lebanese Garlic Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Heads garlic pealed
- 4 cups vegetable oil Avocado/canola/sunflower/peanut etc…
- 1/2 cup lemon juice fresh
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature for a more reliable outcome. Also if you are using a large food processor make sure you use at least 3 heads of garlic otherwise smaller quantities of garlic won't be easily reached by large blades.
- Add the garlic and salt in the food processor and run for 10-20 seconds.
- Stop processor, scrap garlic down the sides, then run processor again for another 10-20 seconds. Repeat process 3-4 times until garlic starts to turn pasty.
- From this point onwards, turn the processor back on and keep it on until the end.
- Start adding the oil slowly in a very thin stream. After adding the first half cup you will start seeing the garlic emulsify and turn into a shiny paste already.
- While still running, add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice very slowly, in a thin stream.
- Wait on it a few seconds until the lemon juice is well absorbed then go back to repeating the same process of slowly adding ½ cup of oil in a thin stream, waiting a few seconds, then adding ½ teaspoon of lemon juice until you’ve used all ingredients. This process should take 8-10 minutes.
Notes
- To ease the process, you could add an egg white initially to help emulsify the pasteÂ
- Try to use gentle/neutral oils so the flavor isn't too pungent as with using olive oil
- If you can't get it successfully the first time around, don't throw the resulting sauce away. You can use it as a BBQ chicken marinade.
- The Lebanese Garlic Paste goes really well with Chicken Shish Tawook, Chicken Shawarma, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Kibbeh and pretty much any earthy BBQs.
Alright!! I got it after the 3rd try. The problem was the food processor! The blades on my hamilton beach wouldn’t get the garlic on the bottom. I found a smaller version of hamilton beach in my cupboard that i never used and the blades were lower.
I put in half the ingredients and was very happy to see it paste.
THANKS!!
Awesome congratulations Gary!! 🙂
I did just like your video, but that delicious recipe turn into a watery mess.
What do I do now??
Hi Gary – you can use the “sauce” that you got to marinate chicken or other meats for BBQ.. and if I were you I’d try this again. It took me a bit of work myself to get the perfect garlic paste so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it right the first time around. Try to follow the video or recipe as close as possible, and this time around when you add the lemon juice use just half a teaspoon or even less, just a tiny bit every time.
A watery mess for me too – then I put it into the frig – it separated and today I poured the oil off and tried again! Voila! Perfection! Fluffy as in the pic! Maybe because it was so cold after being refrigerated for a whole day. It is so delicious!
Glad the garlic dip turned out well.. very creative solution to refrigerate the watery sauce prior to trying again.. those are the wonders of the process of emulsion.
Wow this is an excellent recipe! Looks much simpler than I thought
Can i use lemon juice in can?? if so how much?
Hi Marc – Yes of course and use the same quantity as the freshly squeezed. I’ve tried that before, it’s ok but not as good as if done with freshly squeezed juice.
Can you use the blender instead of the food processor?
Hi Lori. I’ve tried the blender before and found it a bit tougher to manage than a food processor. The problem was that pieces of garlic were splattered all over the place inside the blender and would not concentrate easily on the bottom where you need them to be. I’ve heard of people using some raw egg white in order to make things stick together at the bottom so you could try that if you are ok with raw eggs.
My first try crashed because I was only using a half cup of garlic and my Cuisinart was far too big and as a result 1) the garlic cloves did not sufficiently paste and 2) the oil was not making sufficient contact with the garlic and I ended up with a cup and a half of failed broken sauce.
I poured the failure into a container for later use and started over, this time eschewing all machines for the basics. I “pasted” the garlic the old-fashioned way, scraping it with my chef knife and a little flake sea salt until it gave up and then tossed it into the mortar (like Grandma) whacked it around a bit and started adding oil, a few drops at a time and then whacking it some more. It took a minute or two but my “paste” was up and running. After that I could add the oil at almost any ate I wanted and the ensuing paste just got better and better. Fantastic, I finally had toom……but here’s the good part!
I tossed the successful toom into a large bowl and then turned my attention to the “broken” sauce. Using a small chinois, I strained a couple of teaspoons of the solids and tossed them into the mortar and started banging away. In less than 30 seconds, they “exploded” into a pure white and almost ethereal sauce that bested my first success by degrees. I added that whiter sauce to the “successful” sauce and repeated the process until all the solids had been reborn as this beautiful sauce. The best part of all this is that I had learned that yes indeed there is hope for the broken sauce. And although I’m not a betting man, I’m giving odds that your mothers, (let’s bless their hearts), never failed!
Richard this is awesome creativity at work!! 🙂 Congratulations on making successful Garlic paste in such a cool twist to it. Using the pestle and mortar is the old fashioned way of doing it and it may even yield a better tasting garlic if we have patience for it. Thank you for a great update!!
Ty ,,trying again 🙂
Yeah! Mission completed .. TY for all the advise too! Now I heard you could put a bit of oil and squeeze of lemon on top of the dish?
good job Marcia! as for adding lemon juice and olive oil on top this is only a preference of some folks.
Was called La Marsa, I asked our serve , she said garlic , soy, ice, salt … Am try my first try FAILED! So I thought I put in freezer , just for dinner , going too try again tomorrow ….
Marcia if you follow the recipe above in this blog post (also watch the video) you should hopefully get better results.
i asked at a restaurant what that was , Was so great! I was told it was made with garlic soy, and ice ? I am going too try this recipe…
I think I fell in love 🙂
Marcia what type of restaurant was that? I haven’t heard of this paste to be made with soy but it’s interesting..
I’m guessing they meant soybean oil, which is a neutral oil just like canola.
Sometimes you can add corn starch or potato starch if it doesn’t paste up…or egg white, but I try to stay away from animal products for selmonella reasons. I also find local garlic works best and not the imported garlic…less sting 🙂
Hi Sandi and thank you for your comment. I used to also try some starches in the garlic to make it firm, and I’ve also tried eggs successfully. However I found out that I never have to use them ever again. I’m now able to make an amazing paste consistently in less than 8 minutes. The key is to start off with a large quantity of garlic in the food processor (about 1 cup) and with just salt on them, grind them for a minute or 2 until they turn into a paste or super crushed. Only at that point, after they’re completely crushed do I start adding the oil perhaps one cup at a time, very slowly, then 1 or even 1/2 teaspoon of lemon and alternate until I’ve used about 3-4 cups of oil per cup of garlic. And if I want to make it less harsh, I use more oil.
You are my hero for posting this recipe! I spent many years in Jordan, Syria, and Palestine but never learned how to do this properly. Mine just never tasted right. I just made some and I think the garlic was a little bitter, but the consistency was perfect. Alf Shukran!
Hi Gina – I’m glad your garlic paste turned out with a good consistency. Did you use olive oil to make it or was it vegetable oil (canola/etc…)? Olive oil sure makes it bitter. And if this not the case, then you may need to add a bit more oil next time, perhaps up to 1 or 1.5 cups extra as well as a bit more salt at the beginning. It took me more than 1 year and several pounds of garlic to get it right, but it’s very satisfying to be finally able to make a good garlic paste! 🙂
Can a person use grapeseed oil to make this? Or a mix of olive oil/grapeseed oil?
Thank you!
Gisele you sure can use grapeseed oil. I would not recommend using olive oil as it gives a bitter taste to the garlic paste. You could use grapeseed oil/canola/peanut oil/safflower..etc
Thanks so much for such a fast reply!! This is now on my list to be made for Christmas this year. Love all your recipes, thanks you for sharing the food, time and talent that makes it all possible!
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to find this recipe. I fell in love with this sauce at our favorite Lebanese restaurant in Los Angeles and I’ve been trying to figure out how to make the sauce they served with their grilled mahi mahi ever since. Can you tell me how long the sauce will keep in the fridge? There is just my husband and I so a recipe for 20 is more than I would use in one sitting. Thank you again soooooo much!!
Hi Renee – glad you stopped by. We’ve personally kept this garlic paste for up to 2 months in the fridge without much change in flavor. If you get the emulsion right, meaning get a thick creamy paste instead of watery, it should last a while. If you want to experiment with other uses of the garlic paste, try spreading it on bread, add feta or goat cheese and toast on a foreman grill or in the oven. It’s absolutely delicious. You can also use it with BBQs, fried chicken, rice…etc Believe me those 20 servings won’t last long 🙂
Super Good Thank you
Thank you for the great explanation of this! My friends and I have been experimenting with this for some time after all falling in love with the ‘garlic butter’ at La Marsa’s(a michigan restaurant). One of the woman at the restaurant did tell us that they add jalapeno as well as the garlic, oil and lemon juice.
Thanks for your comment Angelika. I hope you get a chance to try our recipe successfully. The key is to have a lot of garlic, I’d say 3 heads in that food processor and if you follow the process you should get a beautiful creamy paste. Thanks for sharing the idea about Jalapeno in the paste, I’ve actually thought about trying it once but then I thought I didn’t want to waste the garlic if it turns out bad so I stopped. Glad to know others tried it successfully, now I’m more encouraged to try it.
why not use it for garlic knots or in another recipe if it breaks 🙂 or make tahini sauce.
Good suggestions Layla – absolutely!!
mediterranean…. Gezzzzz just can’t get this right …lol
I have been experimenting with donar kebobs since my days in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and in Japan. I know that I would be a lot of work, but can a mortar and pestle be used instead of a food processer?
Jene yes absolutely. In the old days folks used a mortar and pestle to grind the meat and mix it with onions and spices.
Have you ever heard of or tried adding some fresh jalapeno?
Marcia, this sounds like a great idea. Next time I make the garlic paste I’ll try adding some jalapenos. By the way have you tried it yourself?
Thank u for the recipe..was looking for a wonderful toum recipe for lng time..could u help me in the quantity of oil. How much ml would be 1 cup of oil in ur recipe.thx
Lived in S.A. for several years have beed looking for sauce recipe they use for shawarmas THANKS just made it did break I fixed it by adding egg yoke and beating by hand with lager wisk taste like I remebeed can not wait to have my shawarma this weekend THANKS again
Hi Mary thank you for stopping by and I’m glad the garlic recipe worked out for you 🙂 let me know how the shawarma goes
Awesome recipe.. I love Lebanese garlic!