Easiest Garlic Powder and Granulated Garlic
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Making your own homemade garlic powder or granulated garlic is a great way to keep fresh garlic from spoiling, but that's only one of the benefits. And I've found the fastest, easiest way to make both.
Once you try this, you'll likely never be tempted to buy store-bought garlic powder or granules again.
We love garlic, but I also love saving money.
We buy garlic in bulk (we buy a lot of foods that way to save money). These days it's usually the larger bags from Costco, but years ago I bought a huge jar of peeled garlic because it was such a good deal. Unfortunately, it started sprouting and spoiling long before we could use it all.
Houston, we had a garlic problem.
Saving money when you buy something is great, but if it spoils, then all those savings go out the window.
I realized that I could make the garlic into homemade garlic powder and granulated garlic, but it needed to be easy or I just wouldn't do it.
Why Make Homemade Garlic Powder
Beyond stopping the spoilage of your garlic, there are lots of other benefits to making your own garlic powder and granulated garlic.
- Better Flavor: Freshly dehydrated garlic simply tastes so much better than anything you can buy in the store.
- No additives: Store-bought garlic powders often contain anti-caking chemicals or other additives.
- Save Money: If you can dehydrate a bulk purchase of garlic, you can save a lot of money.
- Reduce Food Waste: As mentioned, dehydrating your own garlic is a great way to prevent spoilage that can happen easily if you buy more than just a few cloves at a time.
The Fastest Way to Make Garlic Powder and Granulated Garlic
Many posts out there that show you how to make your own granulated garlic and garlic powder talk about slicing garlic in thin, uniform slices.
Have you ever tried doing that?
First of all, talk about tedious! And second, dangerous.
Those cloves are small and slippery, making them surprisingly easy to nick with a knife. And slicing dozens of cloves by hand takes a lot more time than I want to spend.
Here's how to avoid the tedium and the sliced fingers while getting the same great result. Simply chop the garlic in a food processor instead of slicing it by hand. It's much faster, especially if you're preserving a large batch.
Supplies You Will Need
- Food processor
- Dehydrator or oven
- Blender or food processor
- Spice grinder (optional)
Directions
- Peel garlic
- Chop peeled garlic in food processor
- Spread on dehydrator trays or baking sheets
- Bake or dehydrate until completely dry
- Grind to desired texture
- Store in an airtight container
Garlic Powder vs. Granulated Garlic (What’s the Difference?)
Garlic powder and granulated garlic are made the same way, but they’re processed to different textures.
- Garlic powder is very finely ground and blends smoothly into recipes like sauces, dressings, and spice mixes.
- Granulated garlic is coarser, with a slightly grainy texture that works well in rubs, marinades, and dishes where you want a bit more texture.
In this recipe, you’ll first make garlic granules.
To turn them into garlic powder, simply blend the granules further until very fine.
Quick tip:
If a recipe calls for garlic powder and you only have granules, you can still use them—but the texture will be slightly different and the flavor may release a bit more slowly. You can also easily grind granules to make powder if you'd like.
Recipe Notes
- Blend longer for fine garlic powder; stop earlier for granulated garlic
- Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place
- For the best flavor, use within 6–12 months
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does homemade garlic powder last? Homemade garlic powder will keep for many months when stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. For the freshest flavor, try to use it within 6–12 months. As long as it stays dry and free of mold, it often remains usable well beyond that, though the flavor gradually fades over time.
Why did my garlic powder clump? Homemade garlic powder can clump if it wasn't completely dry before grinding or if moisture gets into the container during storage. If it clumps, break it up and make sure it's stored in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place. If the powder still feels damp, spread it back onto dehydrator trays and dry it a little longer before storing.
Can I use pre-peeled garlic? Yes. In fact, this method is perfect for large bags of pre-peeled garlic that you want to preserve before they sprout or spoil.
Can I make garlic powder in the oven? Yes. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dry the garlic in your oven using the lowest temperature setting. Be sure to stir it occasionally and watch it closely so it dries rather than browns.
Other Easy Homemade Pantry Staples
- Easiest Coconut Milk – no nut milk bag needed!
- Easiest Almond Milk – no nut milk bag here, either.
- Aluminum and Corn-Free Baking Powder – works great.
- Sugar-free Vegan Condensed Milk
- Powdered Sugar Substitute – works for any granulated sweetener, including low-carb, keto.
- Liquid Stevia Drops – this saves TONS of money!
- Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce – my dad's favorite recipe made healthier.
Easy Homemade Garlic Powder | Granulated Garlic
Ingredients
- fresh peeled cloves of garlic
Instructions
- If using an oven, set your oven to as low of a temperature as possible. Alternatively, get dehydrator trays ready.
- Peel the garlic cloves.
- Pulse the garlic in a food processor until it's chopped into small, fairly even pieces. Avoid making a paste.
- Spread the garlic in a thin, even layer on dehydrator trays or baking sheets.
- Dehydrate at 125°F until the garlic is completely dry and hard (typically about 6–12 hours, depending on the size of the pieces and your dehydrator). Alternatively, dry the garlic in the oven, checking on it from time to time to stir it and make sure it doesn't burn.
- Remove from oven.
- Blend, process, or grind briefly if needed for granulated garlic or longer for garlic powder.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Notes
- After drying, blend longer for fine garlic powder; stopping earlier will yield granulated garlic.
- Food processors vary. Pulse just until the garlic is chopped. If some of the garlic becomes paste-like, stop processing and spread it on the trays as evenly as possible.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
- Use within a few months.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
I'd love to hear what you think after you try making your own
garlic powder or granulated garlic.
Sorry, but it hardens very fast and if you can get it
out of the vessel you put it in, you need a hammer
to break it up and you would need to grind it.
WAY too much hassle.
I do onion like this all the time and just break it up as needed. You could put a desiccant in there if you like and that would work great.
This is interesting. What kind of garlic container, and at what temperature? Also, where do you get your garlic? Do you grow your own, and if so, is it well seasoned for storage?
A stoneware container meant to hold garlic. I got it on clearance from Sur La Table. Room temp – so that varies. 79 in the summer and cold in the winter. I think we bought it at Costco?
Great post. Just a note about why your garlic sprouted so quickly… Don’t store it in the fridge! Garlic is from Siberia. When it gets cold, that is it’s cue to start growing. I keep mine on the counter at room temp, and the hard necks are good for at least 6 months. Artichoke softnecks keep for almost a year this way.
How interesting – thanks!! Mine is now in a garlic container but I can’t see it lasting for 6 months. Maybe 3-4 weeks? Any idea why?
Most garlic in the U.S. comes from California,
NOT SIBERIA !!!!
Garlic may have originated in Siberia, but most of the garlic in the U.S. comes from China, this is why I grow my own or buy, if needed, “grown in California”
The origin of garlic comes from a cold climate ! It was not native to California ! It was brought here !
I don’t have a dehydrator, how can I do it the natural way?
If you mean with an oven, just use it on the lowest temp. Hope that helps.
Thank you for sharing this….I’m going to make my own dehydrated garlic today….my goal is to replicate garlic salt with dehydrated parsley. ….I use it in a lot of my cooking. But the store stuff we all know has bad ingredients like anti faking stuff and probably flavor enhancers too. You’ve inspired me. Thank you
So are you making parsley salt then- interesting?
Hi
I also make my own dried garlic. I have a few tips that I have learned over the years. Never store garlic in the fridge. The moisture in the refrigerator tells the garlic to sprout. I’ve kept cured garlic bulbs and gloves in a shoe box in my pantry for well over a year. Dry & Dark. Also, Pampered Chef (no I do not sell it) has a great tool for slicing garlic that makes the job so much easier that the purchase of a gadget is worth the cost. (I try to stay away from one job gadgets, but this one is also good for chocolate and hard cheese.)
For chopped garlic, just crumble the dried pieces in your hand or smash in a plastic bag.
I’m looking into that tool – thanks!
Love this idea for its simplicity! For sure going to try it next time I see a sale on garlic – maybe even next weekend at the farmers’ market. Visiting from Real Food Forager’s Sunday Snippets : )
Thanks! I’ve been meaning to get to the farmer’s market too!!!
I usually freeze ours on a cookie sheet and then put them in a freezer bag and store in the freezer. When I need some I take a couple out and let them thaw for a minute and then slice them and put them in whatever I am cooking. (They do get mushy if you let them thaw out completely). I also throw whole ones in while the potatoes boil and they mash up with the potatoes.
Nice tip. I do think I heard that freezing garlic destroys the important component but I wonder if drying does that as well. Thanks!
Another way is to slice the garlic and roast it for roasted garlic powder.
YUM!!!!
Another way to roast garlic for roasted garlic powder, is easier and faster, the restaurant way, (very quick, minimum effort and mess)
Get the hole garlic head and cut off at the stem end about a 1/4 inch deep, depending on the size..
Sprinkle a little olive oil over the freshly cut area, cloves showing. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
Put i the oven on medium high for 30- 35 minutes.
Let it cool off, take it out of the aluminum wrap, squeeze the cloves out. They come out so easily and the smell of roasted garlic is amazing. The drying and the rest,? You already know what you have to do.
Good luck
Sounds lovely – thanks!! We love roasted garlic. Thanks!
This is an excellent idea, I also dehydrate mine in chunks then grind when I want it in power form. If you have granules or powder it will get hard quickly. The reason the store bought stuff doesn’t get hard is b/c of the anti caking agent in it, which is exactly what we DO NOT WANT!
I wold recommend storing it in glass, plastic bags get all weird like.
Cathy
No to anti-caking agents here too :)!