How to make Garlic Paste?

Easy homemade fresh garlic paste that will make your cooking easier on busy days and will save you time in the kitchen. This garlic paste is easy to store in the refrigerator or freezer.

I love to use garlic in my cooking. But I don't always love to peel and chop/mince it each time. Hence over time I have been using some hacks to simplify my everyday cooking, and making garlic paste is one of them.

Weekday cooking gets much easier when you have this garlic paste ready. Usually, I meal prep most of the ingredients during the weekends so that I can quickly prepare healthy recipes.

My weekend meal prep includes making the fresh ginger paste and garlic paste as many recipes call for either ginger and/or garlic.

The main work to make this garlic paste is actually peeling the garlic. This paste itself can be made quickly using a blender and can save an extra step in pretty much every Indian recipe. Another meal prep I do is making onion tomato bhuna masala.

What is Garlic Paste?

As it is exactly described, garlic paste is nothing but blended garlic with some oil or water. You can either store in the refrigerator or freezer and take it out when your recipe calls for it.

Advantages of Homemade Garlic Paste

Anything homemade comes with great benefits. You get that fresh taste and flavor often missing in the store-bought paste. Also, it comes with a host of benefits like:

• It is cheaper than store-bought garlic paste
• It yields more quantity
• Lasts longer than readily available paste
• Has absolutely no preservatives
• It is packed with flavor and aroma

Preparing this homemade garlic paste is super easy and you can whip up a fresh batch anytime you have fresh garlic at home.

How to make Garlic Paste?

I buy both peeled garlic and garlic bulbs as I use them a lot in my cooking. I use freshly peeled garlic for making this garlic paste. Also, you can store garlic bulbs at room temperature for several weeks. Just make sure they are someplace dry and away from sunlight.

The first step to make garlic paste is separating the garlic cloves and peeling them. There are some tricks I have shared in my how to peel and mince garlic post to make it much easier to peel garlic cloves.

After separating the cloves, take a single clove and cut a small portion of the root end with a knife.

Then place the clove on the cutting board and position the flat side of a chef's knife over it and gently press. You will hear a crushing sound accompanied by a slight crack of the skin.

Now it should be really easy to peel off the skin. Use your fingers to gently separate the skin from the clove and discard it.

Then add the peeled garlic cloves to the blender. I also add a bit of canola or avocado oil to the blender for a smooth blend. These two oils don't add any extra flavor.

Blend to a smooth paste. Scrape down as needed in between.

While making this garlic paste, you might need to add a larger batch of peeled garlic because smaller quantities might not blend easily.

How to Store Garlic Paste?

Transfer the garlic paste to an airtight container to store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can also top the container with a bit of oil to preserve that freshness.

To store the garlic paste for longer, you can freeze it and store this garlic paste for 3-4 months. Use ice-cube trays with lid or resealable plastic bags to store the paste.

Freezing the paste preserves the vibrant flavor of the garlic and is closest to using freshly minced garlic in a recipe.

If you want to save space, then use resealable bags. You can fill the bags and flatten it using a roller or your fingers. To use, you can break off the needed amount while cooking.

If you are using ice-cube trays to freeze the garlic paste, you can pop them from the trays and store them in plastic bags to save space.

You can portion about a teaspoon of garlic per cube if the ice-cube tray. That way it is easier to use them in a recipe.

Tips to keep Garlic Paste Fresh for Longer

Follow these tips to keep your homemade garlic paste fresh for a long time:

• Use fresh garlic bulbs to make this paste
• Make sure the glass jar is completely dry before storing the paste in it because even if it is a little damp, the paste will go bad
• Keep ready the required amount before you start cooking
• Return the resealable bag or ice-cube tray to the freezer or refrigerator and don't leave it on the counter for a long time.
• Repeated thawing and freezing will make the paste stale

How to use Garlic Paste in a Recipe?

You can use the garlic paste directly to the dishes you are cooking. When using freezed garlic paste, there is no need to thaw when cooking. It can directly be added to a curry along with or after sautéing onions.

Below is the conversion I use:

1 garlic clove = ½ teaspoon of garlic paste

Make Chili Garlic or Ginger Garlic Paste

You can also add equal amounts of washed, peeled, and sliced ginger to this mix and make fresh ginger-garlic paste.

If you want something spicy for your burgers or sandwich, add some chili along with this garlic and make chili garlic chutney.

If you are left with a lot of garlic bulbs, check this post out to make a dry garlic chutney recipe that you can use for making Indian chat varieties.

You might also like:

• How to Peel and Cut Ginger
• How to store Curry Leaves
• How to make Homemade Garam Masala
• How to use and store green chili peppers