Garlic powder

Garlic powder is made by drying garlic cloves and grinding them into a fine powder. It is a common seasoning and is used in lots of different savoury recipes like sauces, marinades and as a seasoning for meat and veggies.

Garlic powder vs fresh garlic

Pros

• Less preparation time (no peeling or chopping)
• Easily measured
• Doesn’t burn as easily as fresh garlic

Cons

• Garlic powder still retains the flavour of fresh garlic but it is slightly less potent than fresh
• Garlic powder contains less nutritious than fresh cloves.
• Garlic powder contains more calories than fresh cloves

Garlic powder nutrition and benefits

Garlic powder contains about 331 calories per 100g. Garlic powder contains the same nutrients and minerals as fresh garlic but in lower quantities. These include vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), manganese, selenium and vitamin C. In addition, garlic also contains phosphorous, calcium, potassium, iron and copper. It contains very little sodium only about 60 mg per 100g.

Homemade garlic powder

Making garlic powder yourself is really easy and perfect if you have some old cloves that are starting to go soft! If you have a food dehydrator great but you can also make it quite easily in an oven!

Dehydrator recipe

1. Peel and roughly chop garlic into small pieces, you can also use a food processor.
2. Line the dehydrator tray with parchment paper and add the garlic making sure it is evenly distributed.
3. Set your dehydrator to 55˚C/130°F, stirring and turning garlic every few hours until it is fully dry.
4. Once garlic is completely dry add to a blender or food processor and process until it is a fine powder.

Oven recipe

1. Firstly preheat oven to 100˚C/212˚F/Gas 1.
2. Peel and roughly chop garlic into small pieces, you can also use a food processor.
3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and add the garlic making sure it is evenly distributed.
4. Bake in the middle of the oven, stirring and turning garlic every few hours until it is fully dry.
5. Once garlic is completely dry add to a blender or food processor and process until it is a fine powder.

Remember that this process will fill your house with a strong garlic smell so you may want to leave the windows open! Store in airtight jar in a cool place, or freeze for long-term storage.