Homemade/DIY garlic powder is an excellent way of preserving your extra garlic before it goes bad. Freshly dried and ground garlic will be exponentially more flavorful than the stuff you typically buy at the supermarket. You’ll be pleased to find that homemade seasonings and spices are way easier to make than you may suspect. For DIY garlic powder, you only need minimal tools and a bit of patience.
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Are you a fan of homemade spice blends and sauces? Check these recipes out:
- DIY Pumpkin Spice Seasoning Blend
- How to Make Lemon Pepper Seasoning at Home
- Copycat Popeye’s Blackened Chicken Tenders (featuring my personal blackened seasoning blend)
- Ghost Pepper Ranch
- Blackened Ranch Dressing
Peace, family. I feel the need to get this out of the way quickly. If you make homemade garlic powder, your home will smell like garlic for a little while. Not “might“… it WILL. If you can get past that, then let’s keep going. Making homemade garlic powder is very simple, it just requires a bit of patience. Depending on how much you want to make and what tools you have available it will take a while to peel and slice all of the garlic. I did this entire process by hand although there certainly are tools, such as garlic slicers, that get the job done more quickly. I’m a glutton for punishment I suppose.
It also takes a while to dehydrate the garlic, which prepares it for grinding into a fine powder. After that, it’s just a matter of grinding and you’re done.
Listen. I know that garlic powder is easy and inexpensive to purchase practically anywhere. But, if you love a kitchen project and fresh flavors, then this guide is for you. Additionally, the garlic powder you make at home will be so much more fresh and flavorful. This also gives you a way of using up excess garlic, whether you grow it in your garden or simply bought more than you could use in time.
What Tools Do I Need?
- Spice Grinder – A coffee/spice grinder is essential to grinding spices and is relatively inexpensive.
- Sharp Knife or Garlic Slicer – for slicing the garlic
- Cutting Board
- Spice Shaker/Container
Do I Need a Dehydrator
You need minimal tools to make freshly ground garlic powder at home. I own a food dehydrator, but for the purpose of making this tutorial as easy and accessible as possible, I used my oven and it worked just as well. Simply set your oven to the lowest possible setting – for me that’s 175° F.
What Ingredients Do I Need?
- Fresh Garlic – that’s all, that’s it! You don’t need any other ingredients or add-ins, unless you choose to. If you want you can add a bit of salt to the final product to make garlic salt. This is a nice way of keeping spice blends on hand while keeping control of the sodium content in your food. I would start with a quarter teaspoon and taste the blend as you go.
How to Make Homemade/DIY Garlic Powder
- Preheat your oven to its lowest setting.
- Start by peeling all of the garlic, ensuring that absolutely no skin remains.
- Next, slice the garlic as thin and evenly as possible.
- Place the sliced garlic on a baking sheet in a single layer, ensuring that the pieces do not overlap.
- Place into the oven until fully dehydrated. For me, this took 2.5 hours at 175° F.
- Once fully dehydrated, add the garlic to the spice grinder and process until a fine powder forms.
- Store the garlic powder in a spice container or airtight jar.
How Do I Know When My Garlic is Fully Dehydrated?
When your garlic is fully dehydrated it will be slightly discolored(not burnt or fully browned) and will snap like a twig. It will be crunchy, hard, dry, and somewhat brittle. If you notice that there is still some “bend” or gumminess to the garlic, then it is still retaining some of its moisture and needs to dehydrate longer.
If moisture remains in the garlic, then it will not grind properly.
The first time I made garlic powder, I made the mistake of placing my garlic into the grinder before it was fully dehydrated. Talk about an oh-em-gee embarrassing moment! I was all proud and ready to show my husband my latest kitchen conquest. As the grinder started I could just tell by the sound that something was…wrong. I opened it up and pulled out a huge sticky, clumpy, garlic ball. Please don’t let this be you. We’re family and I only want what’s best for you.
How to Keep Homemade Garlic Powder from Clumping
Clumping is often the result of exposure to air, heat, moisture, etc. This brings me to my next point below.
How to Store Homemade Garlic Powder
Your garlic powder needs to be store in an airtight container. You can buy spice jars, but if you want to go the more sustainable route you could even reuse a container from your store-bought spice blends – just be sure to clean it first. Of course, you’ll want to store in a cool, dark, dry place such as your cabinet or pantry.
How Long Does it Last?
Homemade garlic powder will have a shelf-life comparable to its store-bought counterpart. This means, if properly stored it can last up to three-years. I’m not sure about you, but mine wouldn’t last that long anyway. We use garlic daily at most meals.
Recipes that Call for the use of Garlic Powder:
Some recipes on my site that call for the use of garlic powder include:
- Denver (Western) Omelet
- Blackened Shrimp Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Meatballs
- Spicy Southern Style Cabbage
Try it out and let me know what you think! When you make it, be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram.
Peace,
Adri
Cant make this right now? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board for later!Connect with me via Pinterest while you’re there!
How to Make Homemade Garlic Powder
Homemade/DIY garlic powder is an excellent way of preserving your extra garlic before it goes bad. Freshly dried and ground garlic will be exponentially more flavorful than the stuff you typically buy at the supermarket. You'll be pleased to find that homemade seasonings and spices are way easier to make than you may suspect. For DIY garlic powder, you only need minimal tools and a bit of patience.
Ingredients
- Fresh Garlic
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to its lowest setting.
- Peel all of the garlic, ensuring that no skin remains.
- Slice the garlic as thin and evenly as possible.
- Place the sliced garlic on a baking sheet in a single layer, ensuring that the pieces do not overlap.
- Place into the oven until fully dehydrated. For me, this took 2.5 hours at 175° F.
- Once fully dehydrated, add the garlic to the spice grinder and process until a fine powder forms.
- Store the garlic powder in a spice container or airtight jar.
Notes
When your garlic is fully dehydrated it will be slightly discolored(not burnt or fully browned) and will snap like a twig. It will be crunchy, hard, dry, and somewhat brittle. If you notice that there is still some "bend" or gumminess to the garlic, then it is still retaining some of its moisture and needs to dehydrate longer.
Recommended Products
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AOZITA 14 Pcs Glass Spice Jars with Spice Labels - 4oz Empty Square Spice Bottles - Shaker Lids and Airtight Metal Caps - Chalk Marker and Silicone Collapsible Funnel Included
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OSTBA Food Dehydrator, Dehydrator for Food and Jerky, Fruits, Herbs, Veggies, Temperature Control Electric Food Dryer Machine, 5 BPA-Free Trays Dishwasher Safe, 240W, Recipe Book Included
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Hamilton Beach Fresh Grind 4.5oz Electric Coffee Grinder for Beans, Spices and More, Stainless Steel Blades, Black
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Silpat Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, Half Sheet Size, 11-5/8 x 16-1/2
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