Meet your new culinary obsession: toum, the creamy, cloud-like Lebanese garlic sauce that tastes like pure luxury. Toum is made by blending just four simple ingredients—garlic, oil, lemon juice, and salt —to create a thick, mayonnaise-like consistency, if done right.
I have made toum several times before with absolutely no problems, but this time I had a little trouble. I normally use a food processor to make toum, but I tried using an immersion blender. I think that the blender heated up my ingredients, and that is why I had trouble getting it to thicken up. Even though mine failed to thicken, this sauce is still divine. I’m not sad about it. I would take it either way, so don’t be afraid to give it a try, but maybe use a food processor.
Beyond its addictive, punchy flavor, this sauce packs a heavy dose of garlic’s natural antibacterial, and immune-supporting properties, keeping you healthy. If you are a garlic lover like me, this sauce is pure heaven. Its true superpower is its sheer versatility. Toum is the legendary soulmate to smoky chicken shawarma, but its equally spectacular slathered on sandwiches, stirred into roasted vegetables, used as a dip, as an addition to your homemade salad dressing, use it to make quick garlic bread, or dollop it on pizza…YUM.
Ingredients:
1.) 1 cup fresh peeled garlic – it’s important that it is fresh!
2.) 1/4 cup lemon juice
3.) 2 cups oil—use a neutral tasting oil if desired. I use 1 cup avocado oil, and 1 cup olive oil. It is said that using olive oil can give a biting or slightly bitter taste. By using half olive oil, I find the taste to be perfect for me. You do you.
4.) 1 teaspoon salt
5.) a small handful of parsley, or herb of your choice. Note: decreases shelf life – optional
Toum time:
Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Add the peeled garlic cloves, and salt to a food processor, and blend for about 30 seconds. Stop the food processor, and scrape down the sides. Turn it back on, and repeat running it, stopping it, and scraping down the sides, until it turns into a smooth paste. The smoother the better, patience is key with making this sauce.
Once it is as smooth as can be, turn the food processor on, and leave it on until the end. Start adding the oil slowly in a very thin stream. It’s best to add a little, and then back off, and give it about 30 seconds in-between pours. After adding the first 1/2 cup, you will start to see the garlic emulsify, and turn into a shiny paste.
Continue to run the food processor, don’t turn it off. Next, slowly pour 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice in a thin stream. Let it continue to blend until the lemon juice is well incorporated. Then go back to repeating the same process, slowly pouring 1/2 cup oil in a thin stream, waiting a bit, then adding 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, until you have used all of your ingredients up.
The food processor will have been running for about 10 minutes. If you wish to add a fresh herb, this is the time to do it. I added a small handful of fresh parsley, and I whoa baby, it’s so good!
Store it in an airtight container like a mason jar in the fridge for up to one month, however if you add fresh herbs it will decrease the shelf life to 1-2 weeks.
Now that you have whipped up a batch of your own fluffy, garlic perfection, get ready to slather it on absolutely everything—just maybe warn anyone you plan on kissing later. Homemade toum actually mellows out and gets even more delicious after a day or two of resting in the fridge. If you notice a little oil pooling on top over time, don’t panic, a quick stir will bring it back to that cloud-like fluff again. Grab a piece of warm pita, dive in and enjoy the bold, vibrant flavor of a true Mediterranean masterpiece! Wishing you good health and good luck on all of your cooking adventures.
