Love garlic but hate mincing it for every recipe? Here’s a guide on how to freeze garlic so you’ll have freshly minced garlic on hand every time!
Can I Freeze Garlic?!
You can definitely freeze garlic! I’ve been doing it for ages and shared it in one of my Instagram Reels not too long ago and after some DMs, I wanted to make a detailed guide on it! My favourite method of prepping garlic is method 1 down below.
Why You Should Mince Your Own Garlic (And Then Freeze It)
- It makes life easy. I love being able to open my freezer and grab a cube of minced garlic ready to go. It saves me from having to mince garlic 2 to 3 times a day when cooking.
- I like making my own minced garlic because I find that the store-bought ones have a slightly bitter taste to them.
- You can decide how minced you want them. I like mine a little chunky but you can keep pulsing until your garlic is closer to a paste if you like.
- After a bit of work (I cut and peel the garlic in front of the TV!), you can make a large enough batch to last 3 to 6 months.
What You’ll Need
- Garlic — I usually prepare around 5 bulbs of garlic at a time.
- Food processor — if you don’t have one, you can minced with a knife but it’ll take a while.
How to Freeze Garlic
- Peel the garlic.
- Transfer garlic cloves to a food processor. Pulse until minced to your liking.
- Method 1 — tablespoon: Transfer the minced garlic spread on a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2-3 hours or until frozen. Cut until approximately 1 inch by 1 inch squares. Transfer into an airtight container or freezer bags and store in the freezer. Use from frozen.
- This is my go to method! I recommend this method out of the three.
- Method 2 — in containers or bags: Transfer the minced garlic into small freezer safe containers or small freezer bags. I like to make indents with a knife in the garlic after packing them into the containers so it’s easier to scoop out as needed. If you forget, you might have to chip at it a bit. Or let it sit for a few minutes at room temperature and it’ll soften enough to scoop some out.
- Method 3 — in ice cube trays: Transfer the minced garlic into ice cube trays and freeze for 2-3 hours or until frozen. Transfer the frozen garlic into an airtight container or freezer bag and use from frozen.
FAQs
Frozen garlic lasts 3 to 6 months when stored correctly.
1″ squares comes out to approximately a bit more than 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.
You can use frozen garlic like you do with freshly minced garlic. I usually add it to a pot or pan straight from frozen. If you want, you can thaw it beforehand, it doesn’t take long to thaw a cube of garlic.
Nope, no oil or salt needed to go inside of this minced garlic.
How to Freeze Minced Garlic
Ingredients
- 5 bulbs garlic
Instructions
- Peel the garlic.
- Transfer garlic cloves to a food processor. Pulse until minced to your liking.
- Method 1 — tablespoon: Transfer the minced garlic spread on a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2-3 hours or until frozen. Cut until approximately 1 inch by 1 inch squares. Transfer into an airtight container or freezer bags and store in the freezer. Use from frozen.
- Method 2 — in containers or bags: Transfer the minced garlic into small freezer safe containers or small freezer bags. Make indents with a knife in the garlic after packing them in the containers so it’s easier to scoop out as needed in the freezer.
- Method 3 — in ice cube trays: Transfer the minced garlic into ice cube trays and freeze for 2-3 hours or until frozen. Transfer the frozen garlic into an airtight container or freezer bag and use from frozen.
More How-To Posts
- How to Roast Frozen Vegetables
- How to Make Lentils in the Instant Pot
- How To Press Tofu Without a Tofu Press
- How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs 4 Ways
- How to Make Instant Pot Acorn Squash
- How to Freeze Green Onions
Other places to connect with me
@carmyshungry on Instagram
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AtoZ
this was very interesting, to say the least. Didn’t think to store garlic away like that…but it has me intrigued.
Amanda
I never thought to freeze minced garlic or to put them in a food processor. I hate mincing garlic so this is AMAZING. Thank you!!!!!
Connie
This is an amazing time saving life hack. I dreaded mincing garlic by hand every time I needed to use it but I also resisted buying the pre-minced jars at the store as I didn’t want the ones packed in oil. I never thought to mince and freeze, as is. I followed the instructions as written and it is perfect.
Carmy
SO happy this was helpful :)