Lebanese Garlic Sauce

4.74 from 63 votes

A thick creamy garlic sauce that has an intense garlic flavor. Wonderfully delicious served with grilled lamb kabobs and quinoa or rice. Try it on pasta, pizza or stirred into steamed veggies.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dips

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: garlic sauce, Lebanese garlic sauce

Servings: pintes

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

30 cloves garlic about 1 cup
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 cups neutral-flavored oil avocado, grapeseed, or canola (do not use peanut, olive oil or sesame oil)

Instructions

Add the garlic and salt in a food processor and puree until smooth, stopping several times to scrape down the sides.
With the motor running, slowly drizzle ½ cup of the oil through the opening in the lid in a thin stream. Then, with the motor still running, pour in a teaspoon of the lemon juice. The mixture will begin to thicken a little.
Continue alternating between ½ cup of the oil and a teaspoon of the lemon juice, waiting a few seconds between additions to give the mixture time to absorb, until you've added all of the oil and lemon juice. Do not rush, this is a process that will take about 15 minutes. The sauce will become thick, creamy and look like mayonnaise.
Alternating between the oil and lemon juice is the secret to proper emulsification which creates the light and fluffy garlic sauce.
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Video

Notes

It is important to make sure that all your equipment is dry. If even a drop of water is on your measuring cups, spatula or food processor the water will prevent emulsification.
Adding the oil or lemon juice very slowly is also important to the success of this recipe. When you add the oil it should be in a very slow and thin stream, especially in the beginning. The entire process should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
If the mixture breaks while adding the oil, stop adding the oil and continue pulsing until it comes together again then continue adding oil in a very thin and slow stream.

Nutrition