How to Make Garlic Salt From Garlic Powder: Simple Guide
Garlic salt is a popular seasoning used in various dishes that gives them a salty and savory flavor. While garlic salt can be purchased commercially at the grocery, it’s often an easy process to make a fresh version of this seasoning right in your own kitchen.
To make garlic salt from garlic powder all you need is kosher salt. Mix garlic powder and kosher salt in a 3 to 1 ratio or for each tablespoon of powder add a teaspoon of salt. Optionally, add some onion powder for taste.
Why Make Garlic Salt?
Commercial garlic salt can be bought at the grocery store, but it’s also possible to make garlic salt at home. Here are a few of the advantages of making your own garlic salt:
- Less additives: If you want to make a clean seasoning that is organic and free of preservatives, making homemade garlic salt is your best option. Making your own garlic salt allows you to control exactly what ingredients go into your garlic salt mix.
- Less cost: If you buy commercial garlic salt you’ll be paying for processing, transport, and branding. You can make garlic salt in bulk at home for a fraction of the cost that you’d spend in buying pre-packaged seasonings.
- Control over additional spices: If you want to add other spices or seasonings to your garlic salt such as herbs, making homemade garlic salt gives you the freedom to add whatever dried herbs you like.
- Guaranteed freshness: When you buy pre-packaged seasonings, you don’t have any idea really how long the salt and garlic have been in transit or sitting on a shelf. You get the freshest possible garlic salt by making it yourself.
- Simple processing: Compared to other spice blends, garlic salt is simple to throw together. This spice blend is one of the easiest you can make at home, but it’s also versatile and can be used in many different savory dishes.
Since garlic salt is easy to make, especially if you already have pre-made garlic salt available, it’s well worth the effort to make it at home. To make garlic salt, all you have to do is add garlic powder to salt. Both table salt and kosher or sea salt can be used to make garlic salt. One tablespoon of salt should be used for every one teaspoon of garlic powder.
How to Make Garlic Salt From Fresh Garlic
To make garlic salt, the first major ingredient you need is garlic powder. Garlic powder can be bought commercially for making garlic salt, but commercial seasonings like garlic powder often have additives and other preservatives included with them. For a healthier version of garlic salt, you’ll need to make your own garlic powder.
Garlic powder can be prepared using fresh garlic. Garlic is easy to grow in many parts of the world, but if you don’t have room in your garden for garlic you can buy it from the store.
Here’s the method you should use to create garlic powder from fresh garlic:
- Peel 1/4 cup of garlic cloves. Any garlic cultivar can be used for making garlic salt, but elephant garlic offers the most garlic per clove. Rinse the garlic well to make sure that it doesn’t have any leftover peel attached.
- Add salt. Put the peeled garlic cloves in a blender and add a cup of salt. Any salt will work, but finely grained salt is better for soaking up the flavors of the fresh garlic due to the increased surface area.
- Blend the garlic salt. Process the salt and raw garlic in a blender for at least twenty seconds or until the garlic takes on the texture of sand.
- Prepare the garlic salt for baking: Spread out the fresh garlic salt on a silicone baking mat or baking parchment paper. Make sure that the garlic salt is spread evenly and as thinly as possible so that it dries quickly.
- Bake the garlic salt. Cook the garlic salt in the oven at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for roughly sixty minutes or until the salt takes on a dry texture. Do not cook until the garlic takes on a brown color since this is an indicator that the garlic has burned.
- Process the garlic salt again. Add the garlic salt back to the blender and pulse it a few times until the garlic salt is fine.
And there you have it! Once you’ve finished processing your homemade garlic salt, be sure to store it in an airtight container. Homemade garlic salt can last up to six months in proper storage since salt acts as a natural preservative.
What Is the Difference Between Garlic Salt and Powder?
The difference between garlic salt and garlic powder is that garlic salt is garlic powder with salt added. Garlic powder is just a form of dehydrated garlic that has been ground down. Garlic powder is added to salt to create garlic salt.
The simple recipe for garlic salt consists of 1 part of salt and 3 parts of garlic powder. If there is onion powder at home, you can add 1/3 part of onion powder for added taste.
What Is Garlic Salt Used For?
Garlic salt is a useful spice blend for many different savory dishes. Garlic is one of the most popular seasonings used in cooking, and this allium has been used in the culinary and medicinal arts dating all the way back to 2700 B.C.
Best Recipes for Garlic Salt
One of the best aspects of garlic salt is that it can be incorporated into so many different dishes. Here are some of the best dishes you can use garlic salt with:
- Beef: Garlic salt is a perfect flavor pairing for beef, so be sure to add some garlic salt to your hamburgers, chili, or steaks.
- Cream-based dips: Dips that use cream cheese can be somewhat bland without the right spice blend. Adding garlic salt can help amp up any other flavors in the dip and make it more aromatic.
- Potatoes: Garlic and salt are the best companions you could ask for to dress up your potatoes and give them a pungent punch. Add garlic salt to fries, mashed potatoes, and roasted potatoes for a special savory touch.
Garlic salt is a great match for any savory dish you’re serving. Try adding garlic salt wherever you’d add regular salt in a recipe to give it an extra boost.
Garlic salt is a staple spice that you should always have on hand in your spice cupboard. Making your own garlic salt from garlic powder at home is an easy process, so check it out for yourself!