Garlic does really well in my garden, and I’m thankful since I use so much of it. I use it daily, and it’s an essential ingredient in my Roasted Tomato Sauce and Pine Needle Salad Dressing. And when I’ve grown plenty, like this year, some of it is made into garlic powder.
Making your own garlic powder is straight-forward and simple. It can be time consuming, but the right tools really help to make quick work of the task.
Tools of the Trade
Here are the tools I use so that making my own garlic powder is not such a huge task:
- You could use a garlic peeler although I prefer a sharp knife.
- A mandoline slicer or a sharp knife.
- A NutriBullet blender. A spice grinder, coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle work as well.
- An Excalibur dehydrator. Or use your oven set at its lowest temperature.
Making Garlic Powder
The first step in making garlic powder is to peel your garlic. This can be done with a sharp knife or a garlic peeler.
Next, slice the peeled garlic cloves thinly. A sharp knife will work, but you’ll do a better job of getting nice, even, thin slices with a mandoline slicer.
Once you’ve peeled and sliced your garlic, it’s time to dry it. I dry mine in my Excalibur dehydrator at 125°F. I love that I can set the temperature low enough to keep the garlic raw, but fully preserved.
An oven at a low temperature will dry the garlic slices as well. To keep the garlic raw, the temperature needs to remain below 150°F.
In the dehydrator, it takes approximately 12 hours to dry the garlic until it is crisp. In the oven, it will likely take only a few hours – just be sure to keep your eye on the garlic so that it does not burn.
Next, condition your dehydrated siles. This is a process that ensures that the moisture in your dehydrated food has even moisture levels so that mold will not form.
To condition your dehydrated garlic slices, place them in a ziplock bag or glass jar that has extra room in it. Shake the bag or jar daily and look for signs of moisture – this might be condensation, or perhaps the scapes are sticking together.
If you observe any signs of moisture, return the garlic to your dehydrator for more drying time. After several days of no moisture you may move on to making your powder.
The Purposeful Pantry has a great article How to Condition Dehydrated Food if you are looking for more information.
Once the garlic slices are conditioned, it is time to grind them into garlic powder. My NutriBullet blender grinds the garlic to a fine powder in about 30 seconds. A mortar and pestle works well, too.
More Great Ways to Preserve Garlic
Freezing Garlic
Freezing garlic is a simple process:
Peeled or unpeeled whole cloves of garlic may be frozen as is. Break heads of garlic into single cloves, peel if desired, and place in freezer containers. Remove cloves as needed, thaw and use.
Lacto-Fermented Garlic
I love this easy method of preserving garlic because it mellows the garlic so beautifully, and using it adds a probiotic boost to your diet. Be sure to read my previous post to learn how to ferment garlic and how to use it.
Lacto-fermented garlic may be used in any recipe that calls for garlic that will remain raw. You don’t want to use it in recipes that are cooked, since the heat will destroy the probiotics.
Dehydrating Garlic
The information above on making garlic powder is, of course, one way to dehydrate garlic.
In addition, you may dehydrate garlic by peeling the cloves, cutting each one in half, and dehydrating it in a dehydrator at 130°F for 6 – 8 hours until brittle. Cool, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
More Posts You’ll Love
Make Your Own Garlic Powder and Other Ways to Preserve Garlic
How to Grow, Harvest and Cure Garlic
Garlic Scape Infused Olive Oil
Making Fermented Garlic and Ways to Use It
Ingredients
- garlic cloves Each cup will yield about 1/3 cup powder
Instructions
- Peel your garlic cloves.
- Slice thinly and evenly using a mandolin slicer.
- Dehydrate 125°F until crisp (approximately 12 hours).
- Cool and then grind into a powder.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
