This Trader Joe's Dip Is So Good, Fans “Live in Fear of It Being Discontinued”

As a food writer, my job is essentially one long hunt for the best foods out there, but especially the best buys from the grocery store. In my ideal world, each trip to the grocery store is an efficient journey wherein I buy the best and only the best products (and ideally avoid too many impulse buys). That gets especially hard at stores like Trader Joe's, where new products get rotated onto shelves each week.

Luckily there's a choir of people on social media guiding you towards the products that deserve your attention and money. The latest of those is a Trader Joe's dip that's so delicious, so captivating, that some customers "genuinely live in fear" of it being discontinued. Here's why you should be adding the Garlic Spread-Dip to cart on your next Trader Joe's run.

What Is Toum?

Trader Joe's Garlic Spread-Dip is just the Middle Eastern dip, toum (pronounced like 'tomb'), under another, Americanized name. Toum is a typical dip or spread in Lebanese cuisine, as well as those of other Middle Eastern countries, where it's commonly served on mezze platters. Similar to the traditional Provençal-style aioli, it's a creamy emulsified mixture of garlic, oil, salt, and lemon juice. Many modern recipes for aioli contain egg yolks or mayonnaise, but toum does not.

The main ingredient is garlic, and that certainly comes through in the final product. It should be reiterated, as Allrecipes community member and creator of our most popular toum recipe, Sahaj108, puts it, this dip is "not for the faint of heart!" But it's that pungency that makes it so deliciously irresistible, especially for garlic lovers like myself.

Trader Joe's Garlic Dip-Spread Reviews

I've had mixed experiences with some of Trader Joe's dips before, but this one does not disappoint. The Trader Joe's Garlic Dip-Spread transported me right back to my first time trying toum from local Lebanese takeout spot in college. It is absolutely delicious, although I would not recommend it for a first (or second, or really any number) date. This stuff is seriously garlicky—think vampire-repelling levels of garlic.

A little goes a long way, but that hasn't stopped me—and others on social media—from burning through containers of the stuff in record time. After one TikTok user posted a video of themselves in tears, jokingly issuing a public service announcement warning against the dip's distinctive tastiness, dozens chimed in in the comments to validate that sentiment.

"I used to buy this all the time...I had to stop. I put it on everything," commented one person. "I flyyyyy through it," wrote another. One joked, "I am also a victim of the garlic spread."

"I genuinely live in fear of it being discontinued. We don't have a Middle Eastern grocery here so I wouldn't know where else to get it," one commenter admitted.

In perhaps the most compelling comment of all, one user wrote, "My Arab mom stopped making toum and just started buying this instead so that's how you know it's good." We couldn't agree more.

How to Use Trader Joe's Garlic Dip-Spread

As I mentioned, toum is traditionally served alongside other dips and Lebanese bread or fresh pita. It's also typically used as a marinade or dip for grilled meats like shawarma or kebabs, but social media users have found so many more creative uses for the dip-spread. The aforementioned video's comment section is a veritable treasure trove of good ideas.

"The best grilled cheese is that [dip], their sourdough, and Gouda. Heavenly."

"My favorite meal on Earth is this dip, rice, chicken, and Greek seasoning."

Others recommend using it on roasted sweet potatoes, as a dip for veggies or crackers, in place of or with tomato sauce on pizzas or flatbreads, or as a spread to instantly elevate sandwiches and wraps. Slathered on a baguette and baked it also makes for a fun, easy twist on garlic bread. Personally, I think it's incredible alongside my favorite pre-marinated meat from Trader Joe's and some rice or orzo—talk about the simplest dinner ever.

No matter how you use it, this $4 dip is guaranteed to make your next meal taste better, so you may want to stock up on a few next time you pop by your local Trader Joe's. You may also want to add some mouthwash or mints to your cart too—don't say I didn't warn you.