It’s no secret that I love garlic; on crackers, bread, or even when I sneak a bite from my jar of ever ready minced garlic #sorry #notsorry. And that’s exactly why I am obsessed with this easy 4 ingredient Lebanese Garlic Sauce!
4 every day ingredients, including garlic, lemon juice, oil, and salt.
Also known as Toum or Toom (which happens to be the Lebanese word for garlic), this sauce traditionally accompanies sandwiches (like Shawarmas). Personally, I love getting a heaping bowl full and eating it with pita, crackers, or even veggies like a dip.
Best part of all this recipe only requires four every day ingredients, a food processor, and patience!
Plus it’s vegan, gluten free, paleo and keto friendly.
A food processor works best for making this sauce.
The sauce gets its fluffiness from employing ‘the mayonnaise method.’ Essentially the lemon juice molecules will be trapped by the oil (giving it body), while the garlic will act as the emulsifier (like egg yolks would in mayonnaise). It’s science!
I also prefer a food processor for this recipe. The wide bowl allows the emulsion to occur evenly, but also allows enough air to incorporate into the sauce making it light, airy, and fluffy.
Slowly pour in your liquid ingredients in a thin stream, alternating between oil and lemon juice; don’t stop until you’ve finished all of your ingredients and the sauce can stay on the spoon as shown.
And the final piece is patience. We are creating an emulsion by suspending the water from the garlic and lemon juice in the oil – which means we have to take it slow and drizzle in our liquid ingredients, alternating 4 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice repeatedly until all ingredients are finished.
You also want to stop to take frequent breaks. I own a top-of the line Cuisinart food processor, and even with a new machine the motor heats the sauce and creates condensation inside the bowl. As soon as you see water droplets collecting at the top, you should stop and remove the cover and let the motor cool for a few minutes before going back in – we don’t want to break the emulsion with pools of rogue water droplets. Control your garlic sauce – don’t let it control you.
I love using this sauce as a dip! Here I am using some Indian flat bread with the freshly made garlic sauce.
But that patience does pay off! In the end you are rewarded with the a rich yet delicate sauce that you will want to eat on everything – seriously EVERYTHING.
This Lebanese Garlic Sauce is a hit everywhere I take it, and anyone who tries it is simply amazed that it’s only 4 ingredients and vegan. Give it a try for your next potluck, party, or night in, and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
- 2 cups Avocado Oil (or any other neutral oil)*
- ½ cup Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ cup Garlic, fresh**
- 1 tsp. Salt
- Place garlic and salt into the bowl of the food processor and blend until it becomes a fine paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed
- Once the garlic has become a paste, slowly pour in your oil by the spoonful while the machine is running; you want to pour it in a 'thin stream'
- Alternate pouring in the oil and lemon juice in the same manor (4 tablespoons of oil, followed by 1 tablespoon of lemon juice) until all ingredients have been finished (it's okay if the lemon juice finishes first, just continue on with the oil)
- Once the sauce has reached a thicker state, and you've finished incorporating all of the liquid ingredients, it should be able to cling to a spoon or spatula at which point you'll know it's done
- Transfer to a clean/dry glass bowl, and let it rest before covering it with a lid or plastic wrap
**When using garlic, use freshly peeled or fresh packaged pre-peeled garlic only (not frozen or pre-minced garlic). Depending on your garlic, this dip can have a kick to it - I've noticed that the older the garlic is, the milder it gets. Taste your garlic and adjust accordingly.
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