Easiest Garlic Powder and Granulated Garlic
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
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.
Hi
What temperature should I put my garlic cloves in the food dehydrator?
Hi there. For raw you want an air temp of 115 at the most. So depends on what you are aiming for. Different dehydrator temperature gauges work differently. Hope that helps!
The reason the garlic sprouted is because it was refrigerated. It’s how garlic grows naturally. It sprouts in winter too be ready to grow by spring.
great info!
Pickled garlic is also easy way to keep fresh garlic on hand. I also like to roast garlic and freeze it for later use.
Great idea! I have a preserved garlic recipe that I have been meaning to publish – gotta work on it! Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you! This is so helpful!
I need dehydrated granulated garlic for some recipes (when I don’t want to add moisture), and because of a medical condition, my kid can’t have any commercial granulated garlic or garlic powder due to the anti-caking agents that are often added without being listed on the ingredients list. I don’t have a dehydrator, so your instructions just made me feel like, “I can do this!” Thank you so much!
As far as keeping the health benefits of garlic when freezing, Meadowviewfarmandgarden has an article (with lots of great info in general) that says this: “ Whether frozen garlic has any appreciable health benefits or not is a function of whether it is frozen whole or chopped or crushed first. Garlic that is frozen whole has few, if any, health benefits as the alliinase is neutralized by the cold and while flavorful, the polysulfides do not form. On the other hand, if you crush or finely chop garlic and wait 15 minutes before putting into freezer bags or ice trays, it will have formed the allicin already and the sulfides will form upon thawing and result in the health benefits that studies have shown for garlic. One lady told me she freezes crushed garlic in small cocktail-size ice cube trays and pops out a few of the 1/2 square cubes whenever she wants garlic to cook with.”
Next time I buy a big bag, I will try freezing some of it using this method, and dehydrate some of it using your method.
Thanks again!
Sorry it’s taken so long to approve this message — wow really? That’s crazy information! I wonder if they’ve tested that?? You are so welcome……did you end up trying it?
I tried to give this 5 stars but it wouldn’t click. I use some form of garlic everyday in my meals. Fresh, powder, cultured, or granules. This is a great way to keep from spoilage. Thanks for the instruction on DIY.
Thank you! You helped us find a bug on the blog! Thank you for letting me know! Actually there was ONE issue w/ coding that was affecting 3 things! Thanks to you they are fixed now. You can go back and check and leave all the 5 Stars you want :). Thanks much–it really is a blessing to us bloggers when you leave great star ratings for us. Really helps us when these days it’s harder for our things to be seen by Google. Hope to see you around again!
Happy to help!
:)!!
Hey you should look into the Problem of allicines. This ist why industry Schock frosts garlic because with too Long kontact to Air the garlic produces allicines wich are supposed to be harmful. Greetings
Thanks so much for this recipe! I bought a huge bag of peeled garlic cloves at Costco and its going bad already! I hate throughing out food/money. I will definitely make use of this recipe with my garlic and tomatoes too.
I’m eating garlic from Costco too :). Glad it’s a help!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I just discovered that my garlic powder has sugar – boo.
I can only trust myself in the kitchen. 🙂
Wow. Sugar everywhere!
You are welcome, by the way!
I bought a bag of garlic last summer for the canning and pickling season. I needed this reminder to dry the rest of them.This time of year (dry winter in Minnesota), garlic will dry on a plate in the kitchen. I don’t grind the slices into powder unless I specifically need powdered garlic.
Once you make your granulated garlic, how long does it last? And how much of a spoonful equals a garlic clove?
I have read that commercially prepared spices don’t spoil but lose their potency so this will depend on how you prepare it. I personally think they could go rancid with enough time. Typically 1/8 tsp = 1 clove.