Best Way to Freeze Fresh Garlic for Easy Kitchen Use

Looking for a great way to freeze garlic? Follow these simple steps and discover the easy way to do it!

Garlic is one of those things that I must have in my kitchen. Carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic are key ingredients in many of the home cooked recipes I love and make in my kitchen.

As a result, we make effort to grow all these vegetables right here in our gardens. In fact, if we have a year where we need to simplify, these 4 veggies are about all we plant! 

No matter what comes our way, I always grow our own garlic crop. Some years I fall behind, miss the autumn planting and have to settled for an early spring start instead. Come what may, I will find the time to make it happen. 

Because home grown garlic tastes better than garlic from the grocery store. And it isn't just easy to grow; it's also easy to preserve. 

Whole garlic cloves keep a long time in a cool, dry place. After harvesting and curing our crop, I pop the bulbs into baskets for long term storage. Sitting on the cold room shelf out of direct sunlight, entire garlic bulbs will keep until spring.

Whenever I need some for cooking, I grab a whole head of garlic and bring it into the kitchen. After peeling and using what I need, the leftover unpeeled cloves get tossed into my egg basket, where I can use them later on. 

But garlic won't last indefinitely in my pantry. 

When spring arrives, the individual cloves begin to sprout. In order to keep eating our own garlic until the next harvest comes in, I have to preserve it. 

And while you can freeze whole garlic cloves, I think this is the best way to freeze fresh garlic for easy kitchen use.

Key Reason for Freezing Garlic

If you don't have a dry, dark, cool place to store garlic and have keep it at room temperature instead, it probably won't last for more than 5-6 months before the bulbs begin to dry out.

This is a problem if you want to keep home grown garlic on hand at all times. 

And even if you have ideal conditions like I do in my pantry and cold room, there's also the issue of inevitable "spring action." Home grown garlic always sprouts in the spring.

How it knows that spring has come, I couldn't say. But every year when those large green sprouts appear, I know my time is limited. 

Firm cloves become soft and may even develop brown spots of decay as the sprout grow. Eventually, the sprout will consume the entire clove below. 

If you want to keep home grown garlic on hand until the new garlic crop comes in from the garden, you have to preserve it. 

There are lots of different ways to do this, but the most straightforward method is by freezing it. Let me show you one of my favorite ways to preserve a ton of fresh garlic cloves all at once. 

List of Tools

• Kitchen blender or food processor
• Sheet pan 
• Parchment paper
• 1 tablespoon
• snack-sized ziploc bags

Watch the Video Tutorial!

How to Freeze Garlic the Easy Way 

Step 1: Peel Whole Heads of Garlic

Take several heads of garlic and remove the outer papery peel. Separate the individual cloves, peeling each one. I like to toss mine into a small kitchen bowl as I go. 

Step 2: Mince Fresh Garlic 

When you've peel all the garlic, go ahead and mince it. You can use a knife and cutting board, or quickly send it through a kitchen blender or food processor, until you have lightly minced garlic. 

Helpful tip: if you work fresh garlic for too long in a kitchen appliance, you'll get garlic puree instead, resembling the garlic paste you get after putting whole cloves through a garlic press. Personally, I prefer the minced garlic texture, but you can do whatever you please! 

Step 3: Mold Your Garlic

Scrape minced garlic into a bowl, then line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Use a tablespoon to scoop up minced garlic.

Gently pat it down into the tablespoon, then tap it out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat, until garlic is used up and you many little mounds of minced garlic. 

Step 4: Flash Freeze Minced Garlic 

Put the entire baking sheet into the freezer and leave it for several hours, or until garlic has frozen solid. Yes, raw garlic freezes beautifully, so you don't have to worry about spoiling the flavor! 

Step 5: Bag and Freeze for Long Term Storage

Once the garlic is frozen and you have time to deal with it, lift the mounds and put them plastic freezer bags. I like to use small freezer bags for this, but you can also use freezer containers if you don't like using plastic.

It's always a good idea to label your freezer garlic for easy identification. 

Step 6: Use Like Fresh Garlic in Your Favorite Recipes

You can use frozen garlic just like you do fresh stuff. When cooking your favorite recipes, just pull a pat of garlic out of the freezer pop it into your recipe! But you don't have to cook it.

You can use it in raw form as well in your homemade condiments and salad dressings. 

You've already measured it, so you know exactly how much garlic you're using (1 tablespoon!).

Read more about garlic here:

How to Plant and Grow Your Own Garlic

How to String Hardneck Garlic Bulbs for a Braided Look

How to Preserve Garlic in Apple Cider Vinegar

Why You'll Love Having Frozen Cubes of Garlic on Hand

1. Freezing is one of the easiest ways to preserve lots of extra garlic.
2. Preserving garlic via the freezer will help you keep flavorful, home grown garlic on hand during the spring and early summer months when garlic usually sprouts or goes soft. 
3. Because you did all the prep work earlier, you won't have to mess with peeling fresh garlic cloves every time you cook in the kitchen. 
4. Frozen garlic is easy to use; just pop a cube of frozen garlic into your recipe and you'll have that garlic flavor we all love so much!
5. Frozen garlic is still very potent and none of its healthful benefits are lost.