Easy Guide to Dehydrating Garlic + Making Garlic Powder!

Would you like to learn all about dehydrating garlic?

If you’re a garlic lover, like me, you’ll be glad to know that dehydrating garlic for home use or meals for camping trips is SUPER simple to do.

I’ve dehydrated a LOT of garlic myself and I’m here to share my tips and tricks with you so that you can make delicious recipes from your own dried garlic! Plus homemade dried garlic powder cannot be beaten! You’ll learn how to make your own in a few easy steps.

When properly cured, bulbs of garlic can last a while when stored correctly but sometimes they can still dry out and go bad before you get to them. This is where dehydration comes into play. It is the easiest and BEST way to preserve garlic!

By dehydrating the raw garlic, you can significantly reduce its weight and volume while preserving its freshness and flavor. It’s a fantastic practice to get into, especially if you grow a lot of garlic bulbs.

So, without further ado, here’s a simple but thorough guide to dehydrating garlic!

🧄 Easy Guide to Dehydrating Garlic

Follow these simple instructions for dehydrating garlic and you will be rewarded with the best shelf-stable garlic you’ve ever tasted.

I also think you will feel a great sense of accomplishment when you have your jars full of dehydrated garlic chips, minced pieces, or powder. Plus, you will be SO amazed at the intense fresh flavor that is preserved in the dried garlic!

Dehydrating garlic is such a great way to save on food storage space when camping or putting away your garden harvest at home.

Supplies and Equipment Needed

• 1-2 pounds of garlic
• Sharp Knife
• Bowls
• Dehydrator or Oven
• Food Processor (optional but makes the job go way faster)
• Silica Gel Packets – helps rid of excess moisture
• Airtight Storage Containers such as small mason jars

Editor’s Choice: BEST DEHYDRATOR: Different dehydrators have unique features you may prefer, depending on your needs.
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I recommend the Sahara Folding Dehydrator by Brod & Taylor. You can also check out my 11 Best Food Dehydrators post for a comparison of all of the dehydrators I recommend.

Preparing the Garlic

• Peel the cloves of garlic, discarding the papery skin.
  • I enjoy using two metal bowls, one a bit smaller and nested upside down over the larger one to make a pocket, piling my garlic inside and shaking vigorously. This helps loosen, if not remove all of the garlic skins! It makes the peeling go much faster.

• For dehydrated garlic chips or dehydrated garlic slices:
  • Cut the fresh garlic cloves into thin slices, about 1/8 thin.
• For dehydrated minced garlic:
  • Use a food processor (or garlic chopper tool of choice), especially if you are mincing a large amount of garlic! It will take you about 20 seconds to mince your garlic in a food processor as opposed to hand mincing and you will get nice small pieces this way.

♨️ Dehydrating Garlic in Food Dehydrator

If you have a food dehydrator, dehydrating garlic is a breeze! Once you get the garlic ready to load onto the trays, it’s very hands-off.

This is my preferred method of dehydrating because it doesn’t require me to check on the garlic often or worry about things getting too browned.

In addition, a dehydrator works at a lower temperature than an oven so it better preserves the nutritional value of the garlic (or any item you are drying).

🧄 PRO TIP: The smell of garlic will completely take over the space you are using the dehydrator in so consider moving it to a garage or other sheltered space.

Food Dehydrator Instructions

• Prepare garlic as per the above instructions
• Avoid putting the garlic directly onto the dehydrator trays, especially if it is minced! Your garlic will end up falling through the gird on the trays.
  • Instead, spread the garlic slices on silicone mats on the dehydrator trays, making sure that they are not too crowded

• Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 10-14 hours, depending on whether it is minced or sliced, or until they are crisp and brittle.
• You cannot overdry the contents in your dehydrator, just check the garlic at 10-12 hours and add 1-2 more hours if needed. All dehydrators have different drying times.

⏲ Dehydrating Garlic in Oven

If you don’t own a dehydrator, please do not fret. You can certainly achieve great results by using your oven as well.

The trick here is to try to keep your oven at as low a temperature as possible and check on it often because garlic can brown and get too “cooked” otherwise.

Oven-Drying Instructions

• Preheat your oven to its lowest setting. Most ovens go as low as 175 F but many, these days, can be set as low as 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Prepare garlic as per the above instructions.
• Spread out the sliced garlic in an even single layer on a piece of parchment paper lining a sheet pan.
• Bake for 2-3 hours, checking and stirring every 30 minutes until they are completely dry.
• Dry garlic doesn’t give when you try to bend it or press on it. It will be crisp and not pliable.

💡 How to Make Homemade Garlic Powder

Listen, garlic lovers, this is a MUST try if you have already made dehydrated garlic! Take it one step further and blend it into the most delicious garlic powder you ever tasted.

An added benefit to dehydrated garlic powder is that it can be used in dry spice rubs and whenever you don’t have time to chop and mince garlic for recipes!

Instructions for the Best Garlic Powder

• First, make sure the garlic is 100% dry.
• Then, using a spice grinder or a coffee grinder, zap 1/2 cup of dried garlic chips at a time into a fine powder. I do this twice to make a 1/2 pint jar of powder.
• Sift the garlic powder through a fine mesh sieve to remove any larger pieces of dried garlic that may disrupt the fine powdery texture.
• 1 cup of dried garlic chips will yield one cup of amazing garlic powder.

🌱 Dehydrating Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are the curly, green shoots that grow from a hard-neck garlic bulb. They are edible and have a mild delicious garlic flavor. Garlic scapes can be eaten raw or cooked. They are excellent when grilled or sauteed. I often make garlic scape pesto with them.

If you, like me, grow copious amounts of hardneck garlic, then dehydrating the garlic scapes is an excellent way to prevent having too much of this fresh garden delight to consume all at once.

Dried scapes make a great addition to soups or stews and you can use garlic scape powder to season anything you like, even popcorn!

I can’t be the only home gardener who ends up with piles of scapes wondering what else I can do with them.

I have also come across wheelbarrows of scapes before at a local herb farm where they were giving away bagfuls due to the overwhelming abundance!

Instructions

• Wash the scapes if needed.
• Trim the flower bud from the top so only the uniform darker green “stem” remains.
• Cut the scapes into 1/2″ pieces.
• Lay them out on a food dehydrator tray.
• Dehydrate at 115 degrees for about 6-8 hours, or until crisp.
• If using an oven, dehydrate the scapes by putting them in a thin layer on parchment paper lining a sheet pan, at 140 degrees for 3-4 hours, checking every 30 min.

💡 In addition, the garlic scapes can be made into a powder using the same method as was used for garlic powder!

✅ Conditioning Dried Garlic and Scapes

Once your garlic and/or scapes are done dehydrating, you will want to take a final step to make sure they are 100% dry for storage. This is called conditioning.

To do this, place the dried garlic/scapes in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, and seal it tightly.

Shake the container once a day and open and close the lid. If any moisture appears on the inside of the container, the garlic is not yet dry and needs more time in the dehydrator.

Repeat this process until no moisture appears inside the container. Once conditioned, your garlic creations will be ready to store and use in your recipes!

⭐️ FAQs: Dehydrating Garlic

💧 How to Rehydrate Dried Garlic

OK, here is where I have to admit that I love garlic so much that I enjoy munching on a few dried minced garlic bits gleefully, as long as I am not headed to the dentist. Sprinkle them raw directly on a salad or on top of stir-fries!

However, I also use plenty of dehydrated minced garlic in my camping and backpacking meals in addition to making all my own homemade garlic powder for use at home.

Otherwise, soak minced garlic or garlic chips in a bit of hot water for 15 minutes. Then strain out the water before adding them to any dish, like you would with fresh ingredients.

You can also add them straight to the pot if you’re braising a dish, making soup, or using a slow cooker, and they will rehydrate slowly that way too.

❇️ Final Thoughts on Dehydrating Garlic

Have I convinced you yet? I hope so! It’s really exciting to try new easy processes in the kitchen and also to be prepared with ingredients that you don’t have to worry about spoilage with.

Dehydrating garlic is such a great way to have this flavorful food on hand at home or for use in all your delicious camping recipes! And since you don’t need a lot of it, dehydrating garlic is an economical way to enjoy this delicious ingredient.

It’s easy to dehydrate garlic and make your own dried garlic powder plus end result is a shelf-stable product that you can use in many different ways. Give it a try and enjoy the flexibility and convenience of delicious dehydrated garlic in your pantry.

Be sure to check out my other popular How To Guides on dehydrating food for camping: How to Make Dehydrated Kiwi for Camping, EASY Dehydrated Cinnamon Apples for Camping, and How to Make Dehydrated Strawberries.