Healthy HomeHomemade garlic powder beats the flavor of store-bought and contains no additives! Here’s a tutorial for DIY garlic powder. Add to salad dressings and dips!
by Jessica of Simply Healthy Home
When I started gardening I was rather clueless about a lot of things. Despite the odds, our first year yielded some great crops. So, when it came time to garden plan the following year, I expanded our garden.
What I was unprepared for was the vast amount of vegetables that would grow and I would need to somehow preserve. (I know, gardening 101, but seriously, I did not grow up in the country!)
One of our bumper crops that year was garlic. It was amazing to pull these beautiful bulbs out of the ground! I carefully hung them up in our barn to dry. Then, as fall rolled around my husband asked me, “What are you going to do with all that garlic in the barn? You cant’t leave it out there all winter.”
Right. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Sigh.
I knew the garlic wouldn’t last all winter because we didn’t have a proper way to store it. That is when I decided I would try my hand at dehydrating it and making my own garlic powder.
I was amazed at not only how easy it was but also the flavor! It was so fresh and strong, a far cry from the grocery store brand we were used to.
Homemade Garlic Powder
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 pound of garlic
Equipment
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- a dehydrator
- a blender or spice grinder
- jars for storing
Instructions
- Break up the garlic bulbs and remove all the garlic peels.*
- Remove the ends and any blemishes that are on the garlic.
- Slice the garlic. (This does not have to be thin, but you want the slices to be around the same size.)
- Place the sliced garlic on the racks of your dehydrator, making sure not to overlap them. (Perfect job for a toddler!)
- Turn dehydrator on 125 degrees and let dry for about 10-12 hours or until the garlic is completely dry.
- Take your garlic slices and blend or grind in a high power device into a fine powder.**
- Place in jars.
Notes
* This is by far the most time consuming part. However, if your kids are like mine, you can get this done with much speed and their help. Give each a child a bowl, put the pile of garlic between them and have them see who can fill their bowl the fastest. It works every time here.
** If you don't have a grinder or blender that works well enough, leave the garlic as slices! I love adding this to soup and gravies. I also chop the dried slices and throw them into stir fry dishes. They are nice to have on hand.
Since the garlic powder does not contain preservatives, I only keep a small amount in my spice cabinet and store the rest in the freezer. It will stick a bit more than store brands, so I like to store mine in a little jar big enough to fit a spoon in so I can break it up if need be.
While it can be a bit time consuming, it is totally worth it. Spice powders from the store can often contain preservatives, while your own will be free of unwanted chemicals. I have made many spice powders, including onion powder, and have never been disappointed.
The fresh spices will make your homemade salad dressings and dips taste fantastic.
Spice powders can also make fun gifts as well as a great project to do with your kids.
A great time to take on garlic is when you catch a good sale. Stock up and make big batches. I do this with celery when I can get it fresh from local farm stands.
I love making things that are normal grocery staples at home!
For many more homemade ingredients and seasonings, check out these posts!
What are your favorite grocery store items to make at home?
Jessica is a wife and homeschool mama of two little Jedis. Her love of herbal remedies, essential oils and whole foods was pushed into high gear after a diagnoses of Hashimoto’s. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.
Stephanie
Can I do this in the oven if I don’t own a dehydrator?
Jessica
Yes, you totally can. You need to do it on your lowest temperature and you may need to stir it around a bit in the beginning. Not sure on time, but I know others have done it with success.
Stephanie
Thanks so much. I have a ton of garlic I need to do something with and I was going to go searching for and idea like this. Perfect timing 🙂
Diana
I’m doing this asap! I was gifted a new dehydrator and haven’t been wanting to get started using it. This is the perfect starter for me since we love garlic and it has so many health benefits! Thanks for sharing this!
Jill York
What a frugal way to use extra garlic! Love it!
Janet
Thank you for this. We are in the house hunting process after 5 years of renting. I’m looking forward to having a little garden space, and garlic is on my “to grow” list. This will be a great way to make sure none of it goes to waste.
Sharron
To peel garlic super fast put the bulb(s) in a jar with a lid and shake it vigorously until it is peeled. The kids would love this, I’ll bet
Jessica
I am so trying this next time! I had no clue.
Emily
A long time ago I was watching Julia Child and she said after chopping garlic or onions to wash your hands with salt, and that she kept a jar next her sink just for that. I tried it one day and it really works! Just get them wet, scrub with table salt and rinse. ?
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
I’ve never dehydrated my own spices but I definitely know the difference quality spices can make! We stopped buying spices from the store a while ago because they can be so stale. A dehydrator is on my wish list (one day!), but for now we have a wonderful local spice shop that I love.
Also curious as to how long your hands smelled like garlic after this? 😉
Jessica
A long time….good thing we like garlic!! LOL!
Sarah Koontz {Grounded & Surrounded}
I am growing garlic in my garden this season, I am so excited I found this post. Pinning for later!
Milena
What do you use to grind up the garlic?
Suzanne (princapecos)
I never would have thought of doing this! A friend had a bumper crop of garlic one year and made some amazing (if a bit strong) pesto from the garlic scapes.
I hate peeling garlic, but (after 31 years of homemaking) then I discovered this trick: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/182044009913586559/. No more stinky hands!
Deidre
You can cram as many cloves as you can in olive oil and keep in fridge or freezer. Also cram a jar full of minced cloves and fill with honey and cinnamon. It will keep forever as honey is a preservative.
Erin
Wow! Interesting!
Daisy
Hi, Deidre, it is not safe to store garlic in oil because doing so can cause botulism.
Trudi Wright
Do you know how long it will stay fresh like this?
k
How much garlic powder does the 1 lb of garlic make?