Garlic is able to bring flavor to almost any dish, and it is often used in combination with other herbs and spices.
Due to its popularity, you might find that if you are the type of person who cooks from home a lot, then your supply is running low.
If this is the case, then you don’t have to worry because there are lots of different options available to use as substitutes.
If you can’t get your hands on granulated garlic, it is likely that you will have something lying around in your kitchen that you can use as an alternative.
Garlic has been used for a very long time throughout history, so by now, there are plenty of alternatives for you to choose from.
Some might give you better results than others, but you definitely don’t have to skip out on the home-cooked meal that you had planned.
These dried out pieces of garlic make garlic flakes, and these are then further ground down to make both granules and a fine powder.
These are what we refer to as granulated salt and garlic powder, and sometimes they can be made into other forms too.
Interestingly, you can also opt to make these yourself at home using your oven, but it will take much longer and will be a lot more work than simply buying them from the grocery store.
What is the Difference Between Granulated Garlic and Garlic Powder?
Though they are both made exactly the same way, they are not the same product. Both of these products have a totally different texture.
Granulated garlic is much more coarse, whereas garlic powder is much finer. The granules are also typically more expensive than garlic powder, but it will also last for a longer period of time in storage.
Granulated garlic isn’t always as easily available as garlic powder, and they are relatively similar, which is why they are often confused with each other.
If you are short of one, you might be able to use the other as a substitute, but maybe not for every recipe. We will explain more about this further on.
Granulated garlic is used in so many different recipes, for a variety of purposes, and it can help to really bring the flavor of a dish together.
The garlic in this form is much sharper than some other types of garlic, and it can add this flavor to whatever you are cooking, even when it is only used in small quantities.
Some will make the mistake of adding too much granulated garlic, but due to the fact that it is so overpowering, this is something that you should probably avoid unless you really like garlic.
Can I Substitute Garlic Powder for Granulated Garlic?
You can, in fact, use garlic powder instead of granulated garlic without any problems.
Due to the fact that the powder is much finer, it will make no difference to the overall texture of the dish, which might happen if you were substituting the opposite way around.
These two ingredients are often compared to granulated sugar and caster sugar in terms of their consistency when cooking.
Another thing that you should note is that because this powder is much finer than granulated garlic, you will need to use less of it in the dish.
Ideally, you should half the amount that you are expected to use, otherwise, the garlic will be much stronger than any of the other flavors that you have chosen to include.
Other Granulated Garlic Substitutes
Though garlic powder might be the best option to choose from when it comes to substitution, as it is known to work the best, you can also use some other forms of garlic as substitutes as well.
We are going to go through all of the other things that you should know about for substituting granulated garlic, so you can be aware of all of your options.
Garlic Salt
Another alternative that you should consider is garlic salt. Though it might not be the best substitute for all recipes that you are making, it can certainly do the job for most of them.
Something that you should know when using garlic salt is that if your recipe says to add any extra salt, you should avoid doing so.
Garlic salt will already create a high salt content in your dish, so adding even more salt is likely going to completely ruin the dish by making it way too salty.
Interestingly, garlic salt is made up of one part garlic and three parts salt, so you really are getting more salt than you may have bargained for.
This is why if you are using garlic salt as an alternative to granulated garlic, you should not add anything else that is extra salty.
If you need ¼ of garlic granules for your recipe, then you should swap it out for one teaspoon of garlic salt, which should give you the perfect ratio.
Garlic Flakes
A garlic alternative to garlic granules is garlic flakes, which are a pretty accurate substitute in terms of the flavor that they can provide you with.
You should note that when you are using garlic flakes, you should double the number of garlic granules that you should have used.
So, for every one teaspoon of garlic granules, you should use two teaspoons of garlic flakes. Another great thing about garlic flakes is that when you soak them in water, they can be used to replace fresh garlic.
Garlic Juice
An ingredient that most people tend to shy away from due to its super-strong smell is garlic juice.
Garlic juice is now much more widely available to the public than it had previously been, and it is simply the juice that has been extracted from the garlic itself, so it will make a good switch.
You will need to use half the amount of garlic juice that you would have used garlic granules, as it is more potent. So, if you were supposed to use a teaspoon of granulated garlic, you should only use half a teaspoon of garlic juice.
You might find that the overall flavor isn’t a perfect match, as the process of getting both of these types of garlic is quite different, but it should be a close enough match.
As it is liquid-based, it can also make your mixture too runny in things like sauces, so you might need to use something else to thicken it up a little, but this might not always be the case.
All of these options will replace dried garlic, dehydrated garlic, garlic oil, wild garlic, garlic chives, crushed garlic, minced garlic, fresh garlicclove, garlic flake, and powdered garlic. Onion powder and shallot are my standbys.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is granulated garlic the same as garlic powder?
If you are cooking a fish that requires garlic powder only to find that you do not have any, you may wonder if you can use granulated garlic instead as a replacement. You may wonder if there is really any actual difference between these two. Realistically no, there is no real difference apart from the texture. These two types of garlic are both made from dehydrated garlic, the powder has a fine consistency like flour whereas granulated garlic is more like cornmeal. But the taste and the results are pretty much the same.
Granulated garlic is less likely to clump in comparison to powder. It works bell for dressings, sauces and soups and combines well with liquids. Powder is better as a marinade, and it gives a more intense garlic flavor. However, both of these can be used interchangeably in many cases.
How much granulated garlic is equal to a clove?
Granulated garlic is much like cornmeal in its consistency. It, alongside garlic powder, can easily replace fresh garlic cloves in any meal. However, since these types of garlic are dehydrated, you will often get a lot more bang for your buck.
So if you were to use a full teaspoon of these in cooking, it would often equal a lot more than a single clove of garlic.
If you are substituting one clove of fresh garlic for granulated garlic then you should use a quarter teaspoon of granulated garlic in its place. If you were to use granulated garlic to replace four cloves of garlic, use a whole teaspoon.
Garlic powder is similar, but much more powerful. If you are using garlic powder as a substitute then you should only use one eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove of garlic. This is because garlic powder is a lot more potent than granulated garlic
How do you make granulated garlic?
To make granulated garlic you need to first of all peel the cloves of garlic and cut them up into thin slices. Then dry the garlic slices in a preheated oven for two or three hours, or in the sun for 3 or 5 days. The slice should look crisp, dry and break very easily then you have done this job well.
You should then use a blender or a food processor in order to grind up the dry garlic slices into a fine powder until it starts to look more like an oatmeal dish than garlic.
Once this is done, spoon the ground up garlic into a clean and sterile jar and seal with a tight-fitting lid and store in a dark place. You should store in an airtight container so as not to lose any of that wonderful garlic stench and flavor.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
