Garlic Sauce Recipe — Creamy & Quick for BBQ

Making garlic sauce for a BBQ? Here are three variations: mayonnaise, yoghurt and a plant-based toum. Mayo and yoghurt sauces take a few minutes to mix, followed by optional chilling for flavour. Toum takes longer and needs a suitable food processor.

Variant 1 — Classic Garlic Sauce (Mayo-based)

A creamy option; your chosen mayonnaise affects the flavour and thickness.

Ingredients (for 4–6 people)

  • 150 g mayonnaise (full-fat or light, as preferred)
  • 2–3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • Optional: pinch of smoked paprika for extra depth

Preparation

  1. Finely press the fresh garlic. Garlic powder gives a different result and is not a one-for-one substitute for cloves.
  2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
  3. Taste and season — more lemon juice for freshness, more garlic for kick.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for around 15 minutes if you want the flavours to develop. This is a flavour preference, not a minimum safety period.

Variant 2 — Fresh Garlic Sauce (Yoghurt-based)

A tangy variation. Creaminess depends on the yoghurt you choose; this is not a calculated lower-fat or lower-calorie claim.

Ingredients

  • 200 g Greek yogurt (full-fat)
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Pinch of cumin (optional — pairs well with Shawarma)
  • Salt to taste

Preparation

  1. Mix all ingredients and stir well.
  2. Optionally let it stand covered in the fridge for around 30 minutes for flavour. You can also serve it immediately.

This is a garlic-yoghurt sauce. For a separate recipe with cucumber, see our tzatziki. → Check out our tzatziki recipe

Variant 3 — Vegan Garlic Sauce (Toum)

Toum is a Lebanese garlic emulsion without egg. This plant-based version uses garlic, neutral oil, lemon juice, water and salt. Choose a suitably small bowl so the blades can reach the garlic.

Ingredients

  • 1 head of garlic (approx. 10–12 cloves), peeled
  • 200 ml neutral oil (sunflower or grapeseed)
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp ice-cold water
  • Pinch of salt

Preparation

  1. Place garlic and salt in a food processor and blend until fine.
  2. First make the garlic into as smooth a paste as possible. With the machine running, start adding oil drop by drop, then in a very thin stream. Add more only when the previous oil is incorporated. Alternate with small amounts of lemon juice.
  3. Add the ice-cold water in small portions during mixing, not all at once. Switch the machine off before scraping down the bowl.
  4. Blend until evenly emulsified and creamy. Time and texture depend on equipment and quantity; five minutes is not a guarantee. Stop if the manual requires the machine to cool.

Which BBQ dishes pair well with garlic sauce?

  • BBQ Chicken Shawarma — garlic sauce is the classic accompaniment to shawarma
  • Shawarma Pulled Lamb — the rich lamb flavor is beautifully balanced by garlic sauce
  • Chicken on the BBQ — as a dipping sauce for wings, drumsticks, and chicken thighs
  • Lamb on the BBQ — garlic and lamb are a classic combination
  • Grilled vegetables — as a dipping sauce for bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant
  • In a wrap or pita — with BBQ meat and grilled vegetables

→ Which sauce pairs with which rub? — complete overview

Which rub combines best with garlic sauce?

  • Shawarma BBQ Rub — a flavour option with creamy garlic sauce; choose to taste.
  • Jamaican Jerk — a spicy pairing; adjust the amount of sauce and rub to taste.

→ Which BBQ rub pairs with which meat?

Tips

  • Fresh garlic in this recipe — powder tastes different and needs its own quantity
  • Make ahead — make only what you will use within the storage period and keep it chilled
  • Storage: use a conservative household limit of 2 days covered at 4°C for these homemade sauces, or less if an ingredient requires it
  • Too sharp? Add more mayo or yogurt to temper the garlic

More sauces & side dishes

Ready to get started?

More about toum

This is one small variation, not the same recipe as our separate toum page. Do not interchange the quantities. For further emulsifying technique, see the separate toum recipe.

Prepare, serve and store safely

Use clean hands, bowls and utensils. Use commercially prepared mayonnaise for this mayo variation. Check labels for ingredients such as egg and mustard in mayonnaise and mustard, and milk in yoghurt. The toum ingredients are plant-based; prevent cross-contact where relevant for your diners.

Cover and refrigerate immediately at 4°C. Serve small portions with a clean spoon and keep the main supply chilled. Do not leave the sauce unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, and keep that time as short as possible in hot weather. Do not save serving leftovers that contacted raw meat, dirty spoons or used eating utensils.

Fresh garlic in oil can pose a botulism risk when stored at room temperature. Lemon juice does not automatically make this unvalidated home preparation shelf-stable or suitable for canning. Normal smell or colour cannot prove safety. Follow the short refrigerated storage period; this recipe is not intended for unrefrigerated jars or vacuum storage.

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