Can you eat toum while pregnant?
Check firstYes, if it is made without raw egg. Classic toum is only garlic, oil, lemon, and salt, but some kitchens cheat with egg white or sell a raw-egg aioli under the same name.
Why
Authentic toum emulsifies garlic with oil and lemon juice and contains no egg at all, which makes it a non-issue in pregnancy, and the raw garlic itself is safe. The thing to verify is the shortcut version: many restaurants and some homemade recipes stabilize the sauce with a raw egg white or simply serve a raw-egg aioli as garlic sauce, and the NHS advises against raw or lightly cooked egg unless it is pasteurized or British Lion stamped, because of Salmonella. CDC pregnancy food safety guidance makes the same point about sauces and dressings built on uncooked egg, so one question to the restaurant or one look at the ingredient list on a jar settles it.
Safer alternatives
- Jarred toum from a Lebanese brand with no egg in the ingredients
- Hummus with extra garlic
- Tzatziki made with pasteurized yogurt
- Shop-bought mayonnaise, which uses pasteurized egg
- Tahini sauce with lemon and garlic
Sources
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
- CDC https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/pregnant-women.html
Every verdict follows our sourcing methodology: official health guidelines only, most cautious position when they differ.
Last reviewed by the pregAI editorial team.
Frequently asked questions
Does toum contain raw egg?
Traditional toum does not: it is garlic, neutral oil, lemon juice, and salt whipped into an emulsion. Some cooks add an egg white to keep it from splitting, and some places label a raw-egg aioli as garlic sauce. Ask or read the jar, and if it is egg-free you can eat it freely.
Is the raw garlic in toum safe in pregnancy?
Yes, raw garlic in food amounts is safe and does not carry a pregnancy-specific risk. It may give you heartburn or reflux, which is already more likely later in pregnancy, and it can come back up if you are nauseous. Garlic supplements in high doses are a separate question from garlic on your shawarma.
Can I eat toum from a shawarma shop?
Usually yes, since shops making toum in volume rely on the classic oil emulsion rather than egg. Ask whether there is egg in it, and whether the tub is kept chilled rather than sitting out all shift. Jarred supermarket toum lists its ingredients, which makes it the easy option when you want certainty.
Related foods
All other foods verdicts for pregnancy Browse all foods: can I eat this while pregnant?Get instant verdicts on any food
pregAI scans any dish, product or menu and answers in seconds, grounded in the same official sources.
Get instant verdicts on any foodpregAI is informational only and is not medical advice. Always check with your doctor or midwife about anything specific to your pregnancy.