How Much Freeze Dried Garlic Equals One Clove?

Freeze Dried Herbs & Spices

Got a recipe, and you have tons of freeze-dried garlic, or bought a bottle from Litehouse? We’ll tell you how much freeze dried garlic equals one clove to make your conversion easier for you.

How Much Freeze Dried Garlic Equals One Clove?

The rule of thumb is that a fresh clove of garlic equals a teaspoon of freeze-dried garlic. So, if your recipe calls for a clove of garlic, it’s safe to go for a teaspoon of freeze-dried ones.

If you prefer to weigh your ingredients, conversion is easier. You need to use 50% less freeze-dried garlic than fresh garlic. 1 medium-sized clove weighs about 5 grams or 0.18 oz. This would mean you’ll need 2.5 grams or 0.09 oz of freeze-dried garlic.

But you don’t have to stick to this. It’s just a general rule that you can use as a reference. If you’re not a fan of garlic or find that freeze-dried garlic is a touch stronger, go for less. If you love the smell and aroma of garlic, you can add a bit more than what the rule calls for.

It really depends on your preference. The thing that we love about cooking with freeze-dried aromatics is that we can be as conservative or as aggressive as we want. Sometimes we use less for our stews. Other times, we add more when we want a punchy garlicky flavor to our sauces.

Will It Be the Same After Rehydrating?

If you want the fresh flavor of garlic, rehydrating freeze-dried garlic is okay. As soon as you rehydrate it, you get this fresh garlicky taste. This is because freeze-drying preserves the true flavor of garlic. It only intensifies because freeze-drying takes out water. And unlike dehydration, there’s no heat applied that causes the garlic to change or degrade.

But rehydration is just an option. We find it easier to get a delicious golden-brown color on non-reconstituted freeze-dried garlic. Still, if you’re uncomfortable working with freeze-dried garlic, you can definitely reconstitute.

If you’ve got reconstituted freeze-dried chopped garlic, you’ll need 1 teaspoon. For reconstituted freeze-dried minced garlic, you should get ½ teaspoon. Note that these measurements are after reconstitution and not before.

How Do You Rehydrate Freeze Dried Garlic?

You can rehydrate freeze-dried garlic in warm water for 3 minutes. Others prefer hot water, but that can “cook” your freeze-dried garlic. You can use room-temperature water, but the rehydration time can take longer.

How much water should you use? Enough for water to pool in the bottom of your cup or bowl of freeze-dried garlic. Don’t add too much that it would cover the top or drown the aromatic. A pool of water at the bottom is enough. Just stir the garlic every now and then, and every piece will rehydrate.

How Do You Use Freeze Dried Garlic?

Now that you’ve got your basic conversion, you’re free to experiment with how to use your freeze-dried aromatic.

There are many ways for you to use freeze-dried garlic. They’re very convenient because you don’t have to deal with crushing, peeling, and chopping. No more garlic hands, either.

You can use freeze-dried garlic in your favorite mashed potato recipe. Just add it to your cream to help reconstitute it. Or you can add them directly to the mashed potatoes as is for a garlicky crunch.

If you love making pesto from scratch, this can give that pungent garlicky flavor. For a cup of fresh basil pesto, usually, you’ll need about 3 cloves of garlic. That’s equal to more or less 3 teaspoons of freeze-dried garlic.

Love making your own salad dressing? Then you can use freeze-dried garlic to make Caesar salad dressing. For a dressing that serves 4, you can use about 2 teaspoons of reconstituted minced freeze-dried garlic. This will prevent your dressing from getting thicker. Just remember to drain your reconstituted freeze-dried garlic well before adding it to your recipe.

Want to make your own garlic powder? Just put your freeze-dried garlic in a spice grinder or a high-speed blender/food processor and process it to a fine powder. You can also use a mortar and pestle, but it will take longer. Store in air-tight containers and use as you will. If you want to put it to another level, add a tablespoon of kosher salt to a teaspoon of garlic powder. Place them in a shaker and use them for your stir-fries and other recipes.

End Note

How much freeze dried garlic equals one clove? Just remember that it’s equal to:

• 1 teaspoon freeze-dried garlic
• 5 grams of freeze-dried garlic

Freeze drying also intensifies the flavor of the aromatic. This means it’s safer to use a bit less than being aggressive with your recipe. You can easily add more to enhance the flavor of your food. It’s harder to mute freeze-dried garlic’s strong taste and aroma, especially if you have a sensitive palate.

Where are you going to use your freeze dried garlic? Let us know what you plan to do in the comment section.

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