Preserving garlic, also called pickling garlic, is one of the easiest ways to save your garlic harvest. There’s nothing better than having fresh garlic ready to use all year long.
About ten years ago, I found myself with a huge harvest of hard neck garlic and no possible way to use it all before it began sprouting. I love garlic and cooking with garlic but even so, I knew I needed to figure out how to preserve garlic.
While I’ve canned fruits and vegetables before, I’d never thought to try preserving garlic. My brother Miles visited us last week and was kind enough to spend a couple of hours showing me how to can it.
As it turns out, it is almost ridiculously simple. It’s so simple and so effective that I wish I had learned to do it a long time ago.
We all love having garlic ready to use now in the refrigerator and I’m excited to share my findings with you!
This garlic tastes FRESH. If you’ve ever bought a jar of minced garlic or peeled cloves in oil or vinegar, this doesn’t resemble any of those things. I have used the preserved cloves in a couple of recipes already and the taste is exactly the same as fresh.
How to Preserve Garlic
Raw, dried garlic can be kept for months in a cool and dark environment. However, here in the very warm southwest, it rarely lasts over a month in my home before it sprouts. Preserving it with this easy pickling method helps keep it fresh for months.
Wondering if this method yields garlic with a pickled, vinegary taste? It doesn’t. The natural oils of the garlic prevent the vinegar from being absorbed into the cloves! Handy, right?
To use your preserved garlic, just take out the number of cloves you need, rinse quickly with water, and use as desired. If you want a slight vinegar bite to the garlic, or if you are using it in a recipe that also calls for vinegar, simply use the garlic without rinsing.
Also called pickling garlic, this method is one of the most common ways to save your garlic harvest. At any given time, you’re likely to find a row of jarred garlic tucked in the back of my refrigerator.
Why Does Garlic Turn Blue
Updated 9/19/12 to answer multiple questions regarding, Why Did My Garlic Turn Blue? If your garlic does turn blue, it is still safe to eat.
This can happen when enzymes and amino acids present in garlic react with the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic’s pungent smell. I’ve seen this happen a few times over the years and apparently, it is fairly common.
Selecting Garlic
If you don’t grow and harvest your own garlic in a home garden, follow these tips for selecting the best and freshest heads of garlic from your farmer’s market or grocery store to use in your preserved garlic recipe:
First, look for heads of garlic without sprouting. Sprouting is an immediate indicator that the garlic is no longer fresh and not worth your money.
Next, give the garlic a quick “sniff and squeeze.” If it smells mildewy or moldy, give it a pass. That’s an almost sure indicator that the garlic has gone rotten.
Fresh garlic cloves should never be soft or squishy. A fresh head of garlic will be firm to the touch and not yield with a light squeeze.
How to Peel Garlic
Arguably the most time-consuming part of the process of preserving garlic is peeling it. Of course, you can just use your fingers and peel away but if you’re looking for a faster process, or run into a stubborn clove whose skin just won’t peel, here are a few popular tricks.
I’ve tried all of these methods and it really just depends on how much garlic you need to peel, how you plan to use it, or if you’re preserving it.
The method below requires just Two Metal Mixing Bowls and it is my favorite.
- Take your whole head of garlic and place it in a large metal bowl.
- Place another bowl the same size on top of the first bowl so that you have an orb shape.
- Shake the two bowls very hard for about 30 seconds.
Keep in mind that this method works best with older garlic where the skin is already a little loose. Vigorously shaking the garlic in the bowls allows the skins to just break and fall away from the cloves. This method works best when using large quantities of garlic to smash into each other and help the process along.
Likely the most well-known method of peeling garlic cloves in a flash is by hitting the clove with the flat side of the knife. This is handy when cooking, but for this recipe, we want to preserve whole cloves intact so be careful not to smash your garlic if you try this method.
Similar to the bowl method above, you can also place the garlic cloves in a glass jar with a closed lid and then vigorously shake to loosen the garlic skin. This is definitely effective but, the amount of garlic you’re able to process this way is limited.
You can also use the microwave or warm water to heat the garlic slightly, making it easier to peel with your fingers.
Preparing Garlic
Depending on when your garlic was harvested you might notice some brown spots on the cloves. This is perfectly normal and doesn’t mean your garlic is rotten.
After rinsing once, I used a small paring knife to trim off brown spots on my garlic cloves. After all the brown spots are removed, rinse the garlic bulbs a second time and proceed with the recipe as directed.
Storing Garlic
If you use the method outlined in the recipe, you’ll need to store your jars of preserved garlic in the refrigerator to make them last. Designate one side of a shelf or a shelf on the inside of a drawer for your garlic jars. They should stay fresh for several months and even up to a year.
Sticking with this basic refrigerator canning method is by far the easiest and more reliable way to preserve garlic.
While there are multiple sources online that claim pressure canning works, I’ve removed this information, based on a reader review that doing this destroyed her garlic. I stick with my recommendation of preserving garlic in vinegar in the refrigerator. According to the USDA, “Canning of garlic is not recommended. Garlic is a low-acid vegetable that requires a pressure canner to be properly processed. Garlic loses most of its flavor when heated in this way. For this reason, adequate processing times have not been determined for canning garlic.”
How to Use Preserved Garlic
Now that you know how to preserve garlic, you can use that garlic anywhere you’d use the fresh stuff. And believe me when I tell you it maintains all the same aromatic, flavorful goodness of a freshly harvested garlic bulb.
Sauteed garlic is a must-have for countless savory recipes. We use it in everything from Garlicky Ginger Stir-Fry for a quick and easy weeknight meal to Sauteed Zucchini Ribbons.
Preserved garlic (rinsed and patted dry) is also amazing roasted! Use it in Roasted Garlic Quinoa with Mushrooms, Roasted Garlic and Bacon Guacamole and Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip and be everyone’s new best friend.
I also love garlic as an ingredient in salad dressing, sauces, marinades and savory spreads. It’s just divine in Beer and Garlic Marinade, Mojo Marinade, and in Homemade Ranch Dressing. This Chipotle Garlic Sauce served with roasted fingerling potatoes are a garlic lovers’ dream.
True garlic fanatics NEED to try the Garlic Lover’s Potato Salad. That recipe alone is worth “putting up” a big batch of garlic so you have it on hand anytime a craving strikes.
Give preserving your own garlic a try. I guarantee you won’t be sorry! It’s an easy and money-saving way to ensure you always have garlic on-hand anytime you need it.
I encourage everyone to learn about preserving and pickling vegetables. One of our favorites is pickled daikon radishes.
Kitchen Tip: I use this pot and these jars when preserving garlic.
Kitchen Tip: How To Preserve Garlic
Ingredients
- Garlic heads broken apart and cloves peeled
- Distilled vinegar
- Large pot for boiling the vinegar
- Jars for storing the garlic
Instructions
- Break apart your heads of garlic and peel the cloves. Place the peeled cloves of garlic in a large mixing bowl and fill with water. Use your fingertips to scrub any dirt off of the cloves. Once the cloves are cleaned, transfer them to a large strainer and rinse well.
- Depending on when your garlic was harvested, you might have very few brown spots on the cloves. My garlic was harvested late this year, so the ends were quite brown with some spots on the cloves as well. Use a small paring knife to trim the spots and then transfer the cleaned and trimmed cloves back to the strainer. Rinse again.
- Bring the vinegar to a boil in a large pot. For several hundred cloves of garlic, I used about 8 cups of vinegar. Place the clean garlic cloves into small jars. (I prefer to use small vs large jars to avoid contaminating a huge amount if the jar is open for too long in the refrigerator.) I filled 10 half pint jars with garlic. Once the vinegar has boiled, pour it over the garlic and screw the lids on tight.
- Let the jars come to room temperature on the counter overnight and then store in the refrigerator. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to a year. Enjoy!
Nutrition
{originally posted 9/14/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/10/22}
Lecia says
After doing you vinegar method, can you sore them in olive oil?
Mary says
I’ve never tried storing them in oil.
Tanya says
Can I add a little bit of sugar?
Nancy Miller says
Hi Mary. For storing garlic as for the vinegar is it white or cider vinegar
Mary says
I use plain white vinegar.
Marlene says
I did my garlic the same way you did. I processed it in a hot bath. Question I have is why did my garlic turn blue and the water became cloudy. Don’t think I will be using it. Garbage now.
Mary says
It’s okay to use if it turns blue! I addressed that in the article. This can happen when enzymes and amino acids present in garlic react with the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic’s pungent smell. I’ve seen this happen several times now and apparently, it is fairly common.
Pauline says
Can you do this with minced garlic as well?
Karen B Stone says
Does it make a difference if you use White vinegar or apple cider vinegar? Which do you use?
Karen B Stone says
Sorry! Should have read more of the comments. White vinegar it is!
Kathy says
I am glad to hear about caning the garlic because I have a lot and didn’t know what to do with it so thank you!!!!!!
Jenny says
Does the vinegar react with the metal lid at all?
Mary says
It has not in my experience. It isn’t really in contact with the metal lid though, except for possibly as the jars are moved to the refrigerator.
Gini says
How long do you water bath process for if you dont wznt to store in the fridge and just want to store in a cold room?
Mary says
I honestly do not know if that would be safe. I’m not a canning expert and I am not comfortable guessing. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Meldie T. says
Why do you need to boil the vinegar first? Does using non-boiled vinegar work as well?
Mary says
I’ve boiled the vinegar for years simply because I was told to do that. I recently tried it without boiling and it worked fine. This isn’t going in the cupboard, it’s going in the refrigerator, so it shouldn’t be an issue as long as everything is covered. I honestly couldn’t find a good reason to boil it if you aren’t brining in a flavored solution. (Boiling would help blend the flavors in that case.) I hope that helps!
isabel says
I put the garlic buds in a jar then I put the vinager and some honey , without boiling it, will it spoil? Can I take the vinager now and boil it ? Please help me, I never preserved garlic before. Thank you.
Mary says
There is no honey in this recipe. I have no idea how adding that will affect things. If you’re storing this in the refrigerator it should be fine as is. I wouldn’t remove the vinegar now to boil it though.
Deb Mitchell says
When peeling the garlic for preserving should I also cut off the end where the clove was attached ?
Mary says
I’ve never cut or trimmed the garlic.
John says
Used this method many times. Garlic does not have a vinegar taste. I do purchase peeled garlic in a three pound bag from Costco. Saves a lot of time.
Ralph Odierna says
tried boiling the vinegar and poured it over the peeled garlic cloves waited till it got to room temp
then put it into the frig. woke up the next morning and a jar full of blue garlic.dumped it all simple
i dont think so
Mary says
If your garlic does turn blue, it is still safe to eat. This can happen when enzymes and amino acids present in garlic react with the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic’s pungent smell. I’ve seen this happen a few times now and apparently, it is fairly common.
Molly says
I Tried this method and ended up with two jars of blue garlic
Mary says
As noted above, if your garlic does turn blue, it is still safe to eat. This can happen when enzymes and amino acids present in garlic react with the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic’s pungent smell. I’ve seen this happen a few times now and apparently, it is fairly common.
richard carabillo says
We prepared the garlic as directed EXCEPT we did not boil the vinegar (white). Packed a few pint jars of peeled garlic and stored in fridge. At first the garlic was good as fresh BUT as time went on the entire lot tasted like vinegar and had a strong smell of vinegar. Unfortunately we had to discard the entire lot which left a strong smell of vinegar in the kitchen for a couple of days along with the kitchen sink drain. An expensive experience to say the least. Where did I go wrong?
Mary says
I use the garlic straight from the jar for cooking and I’ve never had a vinegar taste to the garlic. However, some people have noticed it with their own garlic, so I have been told that rinsing the garlic before using it helps. For myself, I’ve used the jarred garlic for at least a year without any issues.
Lenora says
I have several questions. What percentage vinegar was used? If you read vinegar labels at the store there is 4%, 5% and also a higher percentages for canning. (pickles). Is that why the garlic turned blue? Was the canning method used?
Mary says
I just use plain white vinegar and I’ve never watched the percentages. Garlic can turn blue when enzymes and amino acids present in garlic react with the sulfur compounds responsible for garlic’s pungent smell. I’ve seen this happen a few times now and apparently, it is fairly common.
Reveca Sandoval says
I’m doing as I saw a lady on You-tube , she cleans her garlic cloves then puts in a jar with water & puts in the refrigerator, she showed a jar that she’d put in there about 1 month ago & they look fresh ! Another method is break up in pieces put in ice tray pour extra virgin olive oil and set in freezer, she takes out as many of the frozen cubes as needed , she put in pan to show what it looks like after frozen , seeing is believing !
Deborah says
Do you think this would work with the bag of peeled garlic you get at costco? : – ( . I live in the city no garden
Mary says
I honestly don’t know why it wouldn’t. If you decide to try it, let me know how it works out, Deborah.