We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Food

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What are Garlic Flakes?

Malcolm Tatum
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 29,000
Share

When it comes to keeping garlic around the house, garlic flakes are a great way to add this tasty herb to recipes without having to go through the process of cleaning and mincing garlic cloves or bulbs. These flakes are simply dehydrated bits of garlic that can be stored for long periods of time and used in all sorts of foods.

The process for creating garlic flakes is a simple one. Bulbs of garlic are divided into cloves and stripped of the outer layers. The cloves are then minced into more or less uniform pieces, placed onto trays, and run through a dehydrating process to extract the liquid content from them. Once the drying process is complete, the garlic is spun through mesh that helps to create the flake sizes desired. The end result is ready for packaging and sale at any number of retail outlets.

It is possible to make this seasoning at home as well. Anyone who owns a dehydrator can easily mince the cloves and lay them out in a drying tray in the dehydration unit, following the same basic process that is used for drying fruit. Once the flakes are dehydrated, they can be wrapped in cheesecloth and broken into smaller flakes with the use of a hammer, if necessary.

Garlic flakes work very well in a number of applications. They can easily be added to soups and stews to add a bit of flavor, and fried ones added to a meat loaf also ensures an infusion of taste in the finished product. The flavor of casseroles can also be enhanced. Essentially, any recipe that includes cooking time and some sort of liquid is all that is needed. As the flakes absorb some of the juices or liquids during the cooking process, they release the garlic flavor, enhancing the overall taste of the dish.

Just about every supermarket will carry some form of garlic flakes along with garlic powder and salt. Health food markets often will carry ones made from organically grown garlic bulbs as well. They may be slightly more expensive than garlic salt, but the health benefits are much higher, since the contents are pure garlic and not mixed with salt or any other substance.

Share
DelightedCooking is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Malcolm Tatum
By Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing to become a full-time freelance writer. He has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including DelightedCooking, and his work has also been featured in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and newspapers. When not writing, Malcolm enjoys collecting vinyl records, following minor league baseball, and cycling.
Discussion Comments
By anon282688 — On Jul 31, 2012

Garlic powder is granular, and can remain granular and noticeable in the finished dish if used for many applications. Garlic flakes dissolve entirely, so there are no granules, just flavor.

Also, if you can notice granules, that means not all of the flavor has been released.

As far as nutrition goes, I'm guessing they're both the same, and not as good as fresh garlic after losing some essential oils (20 percent? 50 percent? 90 percent?) Probably not much since flavor oils and there's still flavor, and through the passage of time which sees certain nutrients degrade. Plus, if it is exposed to heat during drying, that can also affect the taste.

By reader888 — On Mar 19, 2011

This sounds like a great substitute for buying cloves of garlic and crushing them yourself. I know that fresh garlic is probably healthier, but I just don't like going through the hassle.

Plus, I don't really like biting into the little pieces of garlic when I'm eating a meal. When you use garlic flakes, and they are put into some sort of liquid, do they take a more solid form again? Or do they just provide a garlic flavor?

By heath925 — On Mar 17, 2011

I've used garlic powder and garlic salt before. I try to use garlic powder more though, so that I'm not adding more sodium to our meals.

Is there a benefit to using garlic flakes instead of garlic powder?

By anon124360 — On Nov 05, 2010

when extracting the liquids to produce garlic flakes, does this also remove essential oils (and, therefore nutrients)?

Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing...
Learn more
Share
https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-are-garlic-flakes.htm
Copy this link
DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.