I can’t live without Lebanese garlic toum. Having grown up on the stuff, it was a constant condiment in our fridge. A simple sauce that is considered more essential than mayonnaise in Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine, toum is a mise en place staple prepared in most restaurants and snack bars, ready for chefs to draw upon when assembling a sandwich or snack.
Toum is a classic for a reason! It’s both a condiment and the perfect accompaniment to so many Lebanese and Middle Eastern dishes. It famously coats chicken shawarma, shish tawook, grilled chicken, and even kibbeh naye (a raw meat dish), but it certainly doesn’t stop there. It’s delicious on so many things: smear it inside a wrap, douse your fries or grilled meats with it, or even spread it over toasted baguette. Apply it pretty much anywhere—I’m confident you’ll think of countless other ways to use it too. You name it!
Classic toum is an emulsion made with garlic, lemon or citric acid, salt, and oil—a recipe that you can find in my cookbook. But today, I’m going to show you a simpler, more foolproof version that uses cornstarch to help bind the sauce.
It gives you the same delicious, creamy result, but with a much more forgiving method that’s less fussy and easier to master, especially if you’re new to making toum.
Use fresh, firm garlic, and avoid garlic cloves with green center sprouts, as they can negatively affect the taste of the garlic sauce.
Count me among the garlic lovers! I always add more than the amount mentioned in the recipe because I love the sharp, punchy flavor that garlic delivers in every bite. If you’re nodding in agreement, feel free to add a few extra cloves to the amount called for in the recipe.
Ingredients Needed to Make Toum
Cornstarch: There’s no need to fear using cornstarch when making toum. It simply gives the sauce a glossy appearance and acts as a thickening agent, helping to bind the flavors together without affecting the final taste of the toum.
Lemon juice: Lemon juice brightens the flavor and adds a refreshing acidity. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and avoid bottled lemon juice. Also, please don’t be tempted to add more than the amount specified in the recipe, as too much lemon juice can overpower the other flavors.
Oil: Use a neutral oil, such as sunflower or canola oil, and avoid olive oil. Its strong flavor can overwhelm the garlic and affect the delicate taste of the toum. It can also alter the desired pale-white color of the sauce.
Garlic: Use the freshest garlic you can find. Choose firm cloves and avoid garlic with green center sprouts, as they can give the toum an unpleasant or bitter taste.
Salt: Use the amount specified in the recipe, but feel free to add more to suit your personal taste preference.
Water: Use fresh, cold water.
The Key to Perfecting Toum
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The water and cornstarch mixture should be completely cooled before incorporating it with the other ingredients.
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It is crucial to add the oil very slowly, in a thin, steady stream, while the food processor is running. This helps create the perfect creamy consistency.
Storage
Use the desired quantity, and you’ll have plenty left to pack away for later—which is a great thing to do for yourself! Refrigerate the leftover toum in an airtight container for up to one week.
Use Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce) on multiple dishes including these two recipes below!
Oven-Roasted Chicken and Potatoes (Lebanese Style)
Easy Oven Chicken Shawarma Recipe (Smoky Flavor)
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Lebanese Garlic Toum
Description
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups water for the cornstarch paste
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- 1 level teaspoon salt or to taste
- 12 large garlic cloves or more if you like your garlic
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 150 ml ½ cup neutral oil, such as sunflower oil
Instructions
- In a saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Place the saucepan over high heat and whisk continuously until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens completely. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Combine the garlic cloves, ½ cup of water, lemon juice, and salt.
- Puree until smooth. The garlic will become more pronounced after blending. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the cornstarch paste to the food processor, and pulse a few times to incorporate the garlic mixture into the cornstarch paste.
- Slowly drizzle in the oil in a steady, thin stream while the food processor is running. Continue adding the oil gradually in the same manner until all the oil has been incorporated. It is crucial to add the oil slowly while the food processor is running, as this helps emulsify the garlic sauce.
- The finished toum should be light, fluffy, and creamy, but not runny. If it is too thick, add 3 tablespoons of oil and pulse a few times until well incorporated. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Toum is delicious when served immediately, but its flavor becomes even better after a few hours. For the best results, prepare the toum a day in advance and refrigerate until ready to use.
Video
Notes
If you make the "Lebanese Garlic Toum", leave a comment below, or share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!! Hashtag, #Hadia’s lebanese Cuisine
6 Comments
My mother and father are Lebanese, and I am first generation American. Your recipes bring back so many wonderful memories of my childhood. The wonderful foods my mother would cook for the family. Most of which are in your cookbook. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes with the world.
I would like to purchase your cookbook, but it is unavailable on amazon right now.
Hi Hadia,
First let me say that I am not Lebanese, or of Lebanese descent. I was taught how to make toum by an old Lebanese friend about 30 years ago using a mortar and pestle. Add the garlic and salt and grind until you have a smooth paste, preferably with no strands in the garlic – yes, it is time consuming. Next add a little lemon juice and mix, then start adding the oil a little at a time while mixing, until the garlic mixture has at least quadrupled in size. Labour intensive and only four ingredients, but it is how I was shown.
Cheers.
Simply the best vegan like mayo, and boy oh boy its made for chicken
Absolutely, perfect for chicken recipes.