How to Freeze Garlic and Why You’d Want to

What’s {one of} the best things to happen in a busy mama’s kitchen? You guessed it! Keeping minced garlic on hand at all times! Read on to learn how to freeze garlic. It’s a cinch and even easier to use it when you are cooking. 

Fresh garlic lovers in the house, raise your hands!

(GARLIC! GARLIC! GARLIC!)

Isn’t garlic just the best? If I had some pro gardening skills I would’ve planted several garlic plants this past year.

In the earliest stages of the pandemic last year, I realized just how much I relied on garlic when I couldn’t find it at the grocery store for over a month.

Out of all the produce in the store, why was garlic suddenly missing? I am still very puzzled by this.

Some people who don’t use fresh garlic would be fine substituting garlic powder or store-bought minced garlic, but neither of those tastes the same to me.

I’m a fresh garlic snob.

So, it was a long month without it, if you catch my drift.

To mince one at a time, or…

It amazes me how this powerhouse ingredient almost always finds its way into my recipes. I would always be chopping it…unless…

…Unless there was a better way. A more efficient way.

And, well, obviously, I finally “discovered” it.

I freeze it.

Yep! I mince it in large quantities at a time, put it in a freezer bag, and toss it in the freezer.

You have no idea how incredibly helpful it is to have completely fresh-tasting garlic ready to add to all my meals. Have I already mentioned I use garlic a lot? Like, at least once every day?

Would you like to learn how to freeze garlic??

My guess is that you must use garlic a lot, too. Since you’re reading this blog post and all.

If so, please read on and find out how easy it is to preserve garlic in your freezer.

Why Would Anyone Want to Freeze Garlic?

Some people may read this post and go, “What in the world? Isn’t garlic, like, one of the easiest things ever to mince? Why even go through all the trouble of freezing it????”

To that I say, “It’s one less task I have to do when I’m cooking dinner and my kids are at their neediest/wildest/annoyingest!”

And, for anyone wondering, I have tried using a garlic press. I find that a lot of the garlic is wasted when you use that kitchen tool.

There are 4 reasons I could come up with for why you might want to freeze minced garlic.

1. Spend Less Time Cooking

Before I started freezing minced garlic, I used to chop it every single time I needed it. Which was quite a lot. And chopping garlic takes time. While it may not take much time to chop one clove, it still takes time. To top it all off, I also had a knife and a cutting board that I had to wash. So, I realized that by chopping my garlic for 2-3 weeks at a time, I would be saving loads of time. And, side benefit, when you are already in a hurry to get dinner going, at least you have one pesky task crossed off from the get-go.

2. Preserve Lots of Garlic

My hunch is that people who grow garlic probably harvest a whole lot of garlic all at once. And, I assume, they use several methods to preserve it. Perhaps, just maybe, one way they preserve it is by freezing it.

For all you folks out there who grow and preserve your own garlic, my hat’s off to you! I hope to join your “club” in the next year or two and start growing my own garlic as well.

3. Save Some Cash

Growing garlic or buying it in bulk is a great way to save money on it, even if it’s just a $10-$20 dollars each year. I used to spend 50-60 cents per head of garlic before I started buying it in bulk. I haven’t counted how many heads of garlic come in a 2 pound bag, but I’m thinking at least 20 and maybe even 30. On the low end I am spending about 17 cents per head and on the high end about 25 cents. Not bad!

4. Avoid Stinky Fingers

This is one reason I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. The smell of garlic doesn’t get to me. I mean, I cook with it so often that I probably smell like it anyway.

For those who want to avoid having a garlic smell on their hands for the rest of the day/evening, this is a very compelling reason to keep garlic minced in the freezer.

The Best Way to Prep Garlic for the Freezer

I’ve already made it clear that I mince my garlic before putting it into the freezer. There are actually several other ways you could freeze it, including roasting it or leaving the cloves whole.

This guide to freezing garlic will focus solely on mincing the garlic first.

5 Steps to Freezing Garlic

Let’s go over the exact method for how to prepare garlic to be frozen. It’s quite simple!

For your first time, just try 3-5 cloves of garlic just to see if you even like cooking with garlic from the freezer.

Step 1: Get out everything you need

You don’t need a whole lot to get started – a sharp knife, a cutting board, garlic, a freezer bag (I also use regular sandwich bags), and maybe a garbage sack for all the skin.

Those are the most basic supplies. However, you could use a food processor instead of mincing by hand. And you might also want to use something to help you peel the garlic faster and easier.

Step 2: Remove garlic skins (and ends, if desired)

For this step, you can either do the traditional method of removing garlic skin or you can try it another way. I have tried the method of throwing all the cloves into a plastic/glass container and shaking, but it just doesn’t work for me. Maybe I’m not shaking hard enough or long enough, or maybe I just prefer to do it the “normal” way. This step probably will take you the longest if you choose the traditional method.

If you are not familiar with the traditional method, let me enlighten you. All you have to do is put a garlic clove in front of you on the cutting board and place your knife on top. Then bang the knife with the palm of your hand to flatten the garlic clove a bit. The skin will come off relatively easy after this.

Once all the garlic skins have been removed from the garlic, I like to slice off the brown part at the end of each garlic. Who knows, maybe I’m a little too particular about this.

Step 3: Mince, mince, mince!

Now get chopping! I start by chopping each garlic clove into relatively large pieces, then I go back over all of them many, many times with the knife until they become teensy tiny pieces.

If you would rather use a food processor, I don’t blame you! I just don’t have one.

Step 4: Carefully add to a freezer bag

Now you can add your pile of minced garlic to a freezer bag. I normally use a sandwich bag, but you can use freezer-safe bags as well.

Once all the garlic is in the bag, get all the air out, close it tight, and flatten the garlic. When you go to get out some garlic to cook with, you’ll be so glad you froze it flat. You can easily break off what you need when the garlic is in a thin layer.

Step 5: Put the garlic in the freezer

You did it! Go ahead and put your bag of minced garlic in the freezer.

Using Frozen Garlic

Now for the fun/easy part. When you are cooking and need some garlic, all you have to do is break off the amount of garlic you need for your dish and add it as if you were adding it freshly minced.

FAQ About Freezing Garlic

You might have some questions about freezing garlic, so I will address some that I had when I first started freezing garlic myself.

Do I need to blanch garlic?

Um, not that I’m aware of. Now, if you plan to freeze whole cloves of garlic, I guess you could or should? That’s something I don’t know anything about. Sorry.

Can I freeze garlic with other vegetables?

You’ve got me there. I personally would not freeze garlic with any other vegetables, just because I use garlic in so many different ways. I would rather just freeze each vegetable separately and then put them in the same dish if called for.

How long does minced garlic last in the freezer?

I’m going to assume that you use garlic a whole lot like me. If that is the case, your minced garlic probably won’t last long at all. Since you’re using it all the time, of course.

If you’re wondering how long it can “keep” in the freezer, I would say at least 3 weeks to well over a month. I’ve never had any problems with my garlic getting funky smells or going moldy. I don’t even think mold can grow in the freezer. That being said, there is a point where the garlic may start to lose some of its strong flavor and even nutrition. So, mince as much as you will use over a 2-3 week period and you’ll be perfectly fine.

Can I use frozen garlic in fresh dishes like salsa or salad dressing?

Absolutely! I do it all the time, and it takes seconds for the frozen, minced garlic to thaw and become incorporated into the dish. Unlike onions, garlic doesn’t rely on its texture in fresh dishes so much as its powerful flavor.

What kinds of dishes can I use my frozen minced garlic in?

There are a plethora of recipes that call for garlic. If you are new to cooking, you’ll find this out soon enough. My regular uses for minced garlic are in soup, salad dressing (like this delish Tomato Cucumber salad), pasta, homemade lunch meat, refried beans, roasted veggies, Chimichurri Sauce, coconut rice, Ensalada Rusa, and so much more!

I’d love to know, have you been freezing garlic or will you now that you know more about freezing it?

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Charlee Flaminio

I'm a mom of 3 on a journey to feed my family nourishing foods. Personally, I believe you can cook healthy food and still have time for your loved ones.

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