How to dehydrate garlic and make garlic powder

Always have a supply of garlic in your pantry!

Whether you buy garlic or grow it in your garden, dehydrating is a simple way to preserve this incredible pantry staple for future use. While fresh garlic is delicious and can last for a while, dehydrating will extend the shelf-life tenfold without compromising the flavour or nutritional value.

Preparing garlic in bulk is a little bit fiddly but the steps are very straight forward. All you need to do is peel the garlic, chop it and then place it on the dehydrator trays. Once dried, the versatility of dehydrated garlic is incredible. When it’s stored properly, dehydrated garlic, whether it’s sliced, chopped or in powder form, retains its flavour for up to two years. 

GARLIC POWDER

One of the great things about dehydrating garlic at home is that you can grind it in a high-speed blender to make preservative free garlic powder. Powdered garlic is a wonderful ingredient that can be added to a spectrum of seasoning blends, (perfect for your homemade sausages) and because it dissolves in liquid, it’s ideal for using in salad dressings and marinades.

GARLIC SALT

Bonus! You can also easily turn dehydrated garlic into garlic salt. To do this, simply blend 1-part garlic powder with 3 parts salt in the Vibe Blender System on nut mode for approx. 30 seconds.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE GARLIC POWDER AY HOME 

INGREDIENTS

Garlic (10 Bulbs fill 3 Breeze dehydrator trays)

METHOD

The smell of drying garlic can be overwhelming. Set up your Breeze dehydrator in the garage or outside in a safe sheltered space.

1.   Break apart the bulb then peel each individual clove. Cutting the ends off the cloves makes peeling easier.
2.   Cut the garlic in uniform slices or chop into fine pieces. It’s best to use a sharp knife or a handheld chopper. Do not use a garlic press because it’s important that the garlic retains the juice for maximum flavour and nutrients.

3.   Line the Breeze dehydrator trays with silicon liners.
4.   Scatter the sliced garlic and chopped garlic on separate trays so that you can monitor the drying time required. The garlic will shrink to a fraction of its size so you can allow the pieces to overlap a little bit without blocking airflow.

5.   Set the temperature to 55ᵒC and the time to 8 hours.
6.   Check on your garlic after a few hours. Turn it with your fingers, separating the pieces to ensure it drys evenly.
7.   The garlic is ready when it snaps when folded. If the garlic is flexible it requires more time. Set for a further 2 hours if needed. The drying process will take 8- 12 hours.

9.   When the garlic is dry, allow it to cool and then transfer to air-tight jars for storage.
10.  To turn your dried garlic into garlic powder, simply place the dehydrated garlic into the Vibe Blender jug and blend on 'nut' mode for 30 seconds or until a fine powder.

11.  Transfer the garlic powder into a jar. Even with adequate drying and storage, homemade garlic powder may clump over time in the jar.  To prevent this from happening, add about a teaspoon of uncooked dry rice and shake it through. The rice will help to absorb any excess moisture and keep the garlic from caking.
12.  Store away from heat or direct sunlight.

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