What is toum?
Toum is a Levantine garlic sauce made by whipping raw garlic with oil, lemon juice and salt until it turns thick, white and fluffy. Its name is the Arabic word for garlic. It's the sauce that comes with shawarma and grilled chicken, and it has no eggs or dairy.
- Say it
- "toom"
- Means
- Garlic, in Arabic
- Made from
- Garlic, oil, lemon, salt
- Eggs or dairy
- None. It's vegan.
Four ingredients, whipped into a cloud.
Toum is an emulsion, like mayonnaise, except garlic does the job that egg yolk does in mayo. Garlic and salt are blended into a paste, then oil goes in a thin stream, with splashes of lemon juice along the way. Go slowly and the sauce thickens, turns bright white and gets light and fluffy. Rush it and it splits into a runny, oily mess.
4 · Whip.Countless tiny drops of oil, packed tight. That's what makes toum thick and bright white.
Garlic and salt
Peeled garlic is crushed or blended with salt until it's a smooth paste.
Oil, slowly
Oil goes in a thin stream while the garlic keeps moving. This is where the emulsion forms.
Lemon juice
Added a little at a time between pours of oil, for brightness and to keep the sauce stable.
Whip
It keeps going until it's thick and glossy and holds its shape on a spoon.
Vegan, olive oil, and still fluffy.
Completely vegan. Plenty of store-bought garlic sauces lean on egg whites or dairy to hold together. Ours has neither.
Made with olive oil. Olive oil is hard to whip into toum, so almost everyone uses canola or another seed oil instead. Toum made with olive oil is basically unheard of. We make every jar with it, and no seed oils.
Still perfectly emulsified. No eggs, no seed oils, and it stays thick, fluffy and bright white in the jar. Just olive oil, organic garlic, organic lemon juice, water and salt, whipped fresh in our San Francisco kitchen.
Garlic toum ingredients: Olive oil, water, garlic*, lemon juice*, salt (* organic)
Open a jar.
Real toum is thick, glossy and holds its shape. This is what's in every jar we make.
Not aioli. Not garlic mayo.
They look alike in a bowl, but they're built differently.
| Compare | Toum | Aioli | Garlic mayo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Held together by | Garlic | Garlic in traditional versions; egg yolk in most today | Egg yolk |
| Eggs | None | Usually | Yes |
| Garlic | Lots, raw. It's the main ingredient | Plenty | A little, for flavor |
| Texture | Light, fluffy, bright white | Thick and glossy | Creamy |
| Vegan | Yes | Usually not | No |
Where toum goes.
Anywhere you want garlic, fast. A little goes a long way.
Shawarma and chicken
The classic. Toum is what makes a chicken shawarma wrap taste like one.
Sandwiches and wraps
Use it anywhere you'd use mayo or aioli.
Fries and potatoes
Dip fries in it, or toss hot roasted potatoes with a spoonful.
Roasted vegetables
A little on roasted cauliflower, carrots or broccoli.
As a marinade
Rub it on chicken, tofu or vegetables before roasting or grilling.
As a dressing
Thin it with lemon juice and a splash of water for a garlicky dressing.
Burgers and bowls
A spoonful on top of a burger or a grain bowl does a lot.
With pita chips
Straight from the jar. Our pita chips are made for it.
Made Fresh in San Francisco.
Every jar is whipped in our own kitchen with olive oil, organic garlic and organic lemon. 6 oz glass jar, $12 suggested retail price.
Garlic
The Levantine original: raw garlic whipped with olive oil, lemon and salt. Made for shawarma, grilled meats and sandwiches.
HeatMild
Garlic toum →
Gochujang
Toum meets Korean fermented chile: savory, sweet and spicy.
HeatMedium
Gochujang toum →
Awaze NEW
Garlic toum with Ethiopian senafich and Mareko chiles. Smoky, bold and our spiciest sauce.
HeatHot
Awaze toum →
Toum questions.
How do you pronounce toum?
Like "toom," rhyming with room. It's the Arabic word for garlic, and you'll sometimes see it spelled thoum.
Is toum vegan?
Traditional toum is, since it's just garlic, oil, lemon and salt. Some store-bought garlic sauces add egg whites or dairy to hold them together, so check the label. All three Obour toums are completely vegan and gluten-free.
Is toum spicy?
Plain garlic toum has no chile, but raw garlic has a real bite. Our Gochujang toum is medium and our Awaze toum is our hottest sauce.
What's the difference between toum and aioli?
Toum is held together by garlic alone and has no eggs. Most aioli today is made with egg yolk, which makes it closer to garlic mayonnaise.
How long does toum last?
Keep toum in the fridge. Ours keeps for 8 weeks from when it's made; check the best-by date on the jar.
Can you cook with toum?
Yes. Use it as a marinade, brush it on vegetables before roasting, or stir it into hot potatoes or rice. Heat mellows the raw garlic.
Does toum contain allergens?
Our Garlic and Awaze toums contain none of the top 9 major allergens. Gochujang toum contains soy.
Where can I buy toum in San Francisco and the Bay Area?
At our shop in the Ferry Building, at 23 weekly farmers markets, at grocers around the Bay Area, and for delivery on Good Eggs and DoorDash. Find Obour near you.