Easily Turn Garlic Into A Paste Using This Kitchen Staple

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Garlic is an essential aromatic in cooking, adding flavor and depth to a wide range of dishes. While fresh garlic is commonly chopped, sliced, or minced, sometimes it's best to create a paste to evenly distribute the flavor throughout a marinade, sauce, stew, spread, or dressing. This is because the smooth consistency of garlic paste allows it to blend seamlessly into liquids and purées, providing tremendous flavor to your pasta, mashed potatoes, bread, salad, or meats. You can even use garlic paste to give store-bought gravy a major flavor boost. While it might be tempting to use store-bought garlic paste, making your own is fairly easy with the use of one additional ingredient everyone has in their kitchen: salt. 

To make the paste, start by using a chef's knife to smash and mince multiple cloves of garlic. Then, sprinkle coarse salt onto the minced garlic, gathering it into a pile. Holding the knife at an angle, mash the garlic and salt together until it turns into a paste. The salt draws out moisture and acts as an abrasive, making the garlic less sticky and easier to work with. It also reduces the intensity of the flavor of the garlic so that it won't overpower your dish.

Adding salt to the cutting board happens to be the simple extra step Gordon Ramsay takes for better minced garlic. Follow a few more tips for making garlic paste and you'll be whipping up flavorful dishes with this aromatic ingredient in no time. 

When making garlic paste, coarse salt like kosher or sea salt is ideal due to the large granules that will help pulverize the garlic into a paste. That being said, regular salt will work in a pinch, but might take a little longer or a bit more muscle to grind into a paste. If you find it difficult to create a paste with a knife, you can also try using a mortar and pestle which makes mashing a breeze. 

Using your knife or a mortar and pestle to make garlic paste is great for when you only need a tablespoon or two of garlic paste for your dish. However, if you would like to store some for later, there are other tools you can use. For example, use a food processor or blender to make a large volume of ultra-smooth garlic paste. Simply add peeled garlic cloves, salt, and olive oil or water to the machine and blend until smooth. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to two weeks or in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for several months. 

Garlic's potent aroma tends to linger on your hands, so try out the interesting way Martha Stewart removes garlic odor with ease. You can also minimize how much you touch the garlic as you mince it by using a garlic press like the Gorilla Grip Garlic Press or buying pre-peeled garlic cloves like 365 Everyday Value Organic Peeled Garlic.