How to Freeze Minced Garlic

Garlic is a common ingredient in many dishes, but chopping or mincing garlic every time you want to use it can be time-consuming. By mincing garlic ahead of time and freezing it, you will have the right amount ready whenever you need it. Be careful when purchasing large amounts of garlic to mince and freeze, as each bulb of garlic contains 10 or more cloves, and most dishes call for only a few cloves of garlic. Unless you intend to eat garlic every night, you may want to try freezing just one or two bulbs to start.

Mince and freeze garlic to reduce meal prep time. (Image: Halfpoint/iStock/Getty Images)

Step 1

Separate the cloves from your garlic bulb by placing the bulb on a cutting board with its root facing down. Press down on the bulb with your hand until the cloves separate.

Step 2

Peel the garlic cloves by laying them on a cutting board, flat side down. Lay a large kitchen knife on top of the clove, and then quickly smash the knife with your hand. The skin should fall right off the clove.

Step 3

Cut off the end of the clove where it attached to the garlic bulb, and then throw away the end and skin.

Step 4

Slice the garlic cloves into halves or quarters. Add two parts garlic and one part oil to your blender. Olive oil works well and will prevent the garlic from freezing into a solid mass.

Step 5

Scrape the contents of the blender into a plastic airtight container suitable for freezing. Immediately place the container into the freezer. Alternatively, you can freeze teaspoon-sized mounds of garlic on parchment paper, and then toss them all into a plastic freezer container. This allows you to pull out a standard serving size individually.

Things You'll Need

Cutting board
Large kitchen knife
Blender
Olive oil
Plastic container approved for freezer use
Parchment paper