How To Make Garlic Pickle? [5 Easy Ways]

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Garlic is a wonder vegetable that comes with numerous health benefits. It can be used in different types of recipes to prepare salads, dishes, and so on. While there are many ways of preserving garlic for long-term storage, making garlic pickle is one of the easiest. The garlic pickling process may take different forms depending on the recipe used. Overall, it involves fermenting garlic to prolong its shelf life. It is one of the best home food preservation methods. This article discusses several recipes, which you can use to make garlic pickles. Keep reading for more information.

How to make garlic pickle?

To make garlic pickle, you will need:

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the garlic and let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Pour the pickling mixture into a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid and store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Enjoy your garlic pickle on sandwiches, salads, or straight out of the jar! Bon appétit!

2. Apple Garlic Cloves Pickle Recipe

This pickled garlic recipe is a favorite in Indian cuisine, making its way in many recipes due to its great flavor. Even though it is a simple garlic pickle recipe, it can also be transformed into a hot and sweet garlic pickle.

The sweetness comes from the jaggery, which is added to it. Preparation of the garlic cloves can be via cooking or maturing them in the sun, giving them the characteristic pungent flavor—Peel garlic after oiling your hands to prevent discoloring your fingers and retaining a garlic smell. You could also soak the garlic cloves in hot water to peel them easily.

Even though these homemade pickles have a short prep time, it requires keeping them for one week to mature. Add the peeled garlic cloves and turmeric after heating oil in a frying pan. Sautee on low to medium heat for two to three minutes while stirring.

Add jaggery, chili powder, and salt, and cook on a slow flame for two to three minutes or until the jaggery dissolves. Keep stirring occasionally. After adding the masala powder, mix well, and let it cook for another minute. Remove the container from the flame, let it cool, and store the garlic pickle in a glass jar. Keep the pot in a cool, dry place.

In one week, the pickled garlic will be ready for the table. Mustard oil is excellent for preparing this recipe since it has an inviting pungent flavor. If you have a problem with the mustard flavor, use regular vegetable oil or sesame oil.

Before pickling, check that the garlic cloves have no fungi, larvae, or mold, which could make them rot during the pickling process. Then, you can slice off the overly large pieces before adding them to the pan. Instead of lemon juice, you could also use apple cider vinegar.

While storing pickled garlic in the glass jar, be sure to stir it using a clean, dry spoon at least once a day. With that, all the spices will spread out into the pickles, making it more balanced. Letting it sit without stirring makes the spices settle at the bottom of the jar.

If you aren’t ready to serve the pickled garlic after a week, you can preserve it for up to three months. The pickled garlic recipe below involves the preparation of a small number of pickles. After that, you can expand it to make as much pickled garlic as you want.

Ingredients

For garlic pickle

½ cup garlic cloves, peeled
¼ teaspoonful turmeric powder
Three tablespoons mustard oil
One tablespoon chili powder
Two tablespoons lemon juice or cider vinegar
½ teaspoonful salt
One teaspoonful of finely chopped jaggery

For Grinding to Make Masala

Two teaspoonfuls split mustard seed
¼ teaspoonful cumin seeds
¼ teaspoonful fenugreek seeds
¼ teaspoonful asafoetida
¼ teaspoonful crushed coriander seeds

Method For garlic pickle

Step 1: Heat the mustard oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the garlic cloves and the turmeric powder and leave it to sauté for three to four minutes over a slow flame. Keep stirring the garlic until it is soft enough.

Step 2: Add lemon juice into the pan and keep cooking for two to three minutes. From time to time, stir the garlic.

Step 3: Add pickling salt, chili powder, and jaggery and cook on a slow flame for two to three minutes. Keep occasionally stirring until the jaggery dissolves completely.

Step 4: After adding the masala powder, stir to mix well and cook for another minute.

Step 5: Remove from the cooker, let it cool, and store in a sterilized jar. Store the pickled garlic in a cool, dry place. After one week, you can serve the garlic pickles with your dishes.

If you didn’t have ready-made masala, you need to prepare some right there in the kitchen. Put the fresh split mustard seeds in a mixer jar. Add the split fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds, and asafoetida. If you want, you can dry roast the ingredients before grinding them. Blend the ingredients in a mixer without adding water until you have a fine powder. Keep aside until you need it for making garlic pickles.

3. Crunchy Garlic Dill Pickles in Apple Cider Vinegar

If you are looking for an old-fashioned garlic pickle recipe, this is the right one. You don’t need to have made pickles before to try out this particular recipe. Pickling cucumbers with garlic take a short time. After that, you can preserve the pickles in jars until you need to serve them with your food.

This is the best way of making refrigerated dill pickles. The canned pickles only need a little refrigeration to use in a meal. If you can, grow pickling cucumbers in your kitchen garden and use them to make this recipe.

Alternatively, you can buy pickling cucumbers for this recipe at the nearest farmer’s market or grocery store. With that, your timing should just be right, targeting the pickling cucumbers when they are in season, especially during the hot summer months.

The old-fashioned recipe for homemade dill pickles starts with slicing off both ends of the cucumber. You can then slice them into horizontal chips, sandwich slices, or spears, ensuring you have enough pieces to fill six pint-sized canning jars. Finally, add some minced garlic and dill seeds to the mixture.

Place the jars in an oven heated to 250°F until they are hot enough to fill with hot brine. Wait until everything (including lids and seals) heats up and pour the brine onto the pickle slices. After removing air bubbles, wipe the jar rims, pop the rings and caps on, and seal tightly.

Place the jar upside-down for five minutes and then back to the right side again. Place the jars on a dishtowel on a counter to prevent breakage. As they cool, the seals are likely to “pop,” indicating that the seals on the jars are safe enough. The pots have to seal properly to guarantee secure storage in the pantry. If they don’t, then you will need to convert them into refrigerator dill pickles.

Store the sealed jars in the pantry for up to two weeks before opening and tasting the homemade dill pickles. After that, however, you might want to use the water bath process to preserve the garlic pickles safely.

This particular canning process works efficiently to preserve homemade dill pickles. Fill the pickled garlic into pint jars, leaving 1/2 -inch head scape. Remove air bubbles and clean the rims. Process the jars in a hot water bath canner for up to 15 minutes. After that, you can seal the pickled garlic and store it in the pantry for up to two weeks.

Ingredients

½ cup canning salt
4 ½ cups white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
8 cups of water
Mustard oil
Five tablespoons fresh dill seed
Six teaspoons minced garlic
Enough pickling cucumbers for six canning jars

Method

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 250°F. Clean the canning jars using hot, soapy water and place them on a cookie sheet lined with a tea towel in the range so that they remain hot.

Step 2: Put the flat lid seals and their rings in a small bowl, and set them aside.

Step 3: Wash the pickling cucumbers and cut off and discard the two ends. Cut the cucumbers into sandwich slices, chips, or spears and pack them into the heated jars. You could turn the jars upside-down and slowly slide the sliced cucumbers inside. The pieces will stand much better if you do that.

Step 4: Add one teaspoonful of minced garlic and ¾ tablespoon of fresh dill seeds to every jar.

Step 5: After filling the jar, place it back into the oven. You may want to remove one pot from the oven, fill it, and return it to the stove as you fill another one. The jar needs to remain heated so that you can add hot brine and seal it properly.

Step 6: Put the water, apple cider vinegar, and camming salt in a large saucepan and heat it. Keep stirring until all the salt dissolves.

Step 7: As you bring the brine to boil, pour some nearly boiling plain water over the canning rings and lids. After sitting in hot water for five minutes, the rubber seals will soften.

Step 8: As the brine boils, pull the jars from the oven. Pour the boiling brine into the jars, one at a time, leaving ½ inch at the top. Be sure to cover the pickled garlic with brine. Insert a canning tool or plastic knife to the sides of each can to remove air bubbles. Add brine as needed to cover the garlic pickles fully. Leave ½ inch space on top of the jars. Used a clean towel to wipe the rims of each jar clean and dry. Put a flat lid in place and screw the canning ring tightly. Invert the jars immediately, letting them sit for five minutes and turning them back. Let the brine cool as you listen out to the jars “pop,” indicating that the sealing is just proper.

Step 9: You can proceed to place the sealed jars in a water bath canner. Take 15 minutes to go through the canning process as recommended by USDA and your canner’s manufacturer instructions.

Step 10: Let the sealed jars cool while sitting on a tea towel. Listen for the “pop” sound, which indicates additional tightening of the seal. This garlic pickle recipe requires you to wait for two weeks for the perfect incorporation of the brine into the pickles. After that, you can use the cans to prepare refrigerator pickles whenever you need them. Be sure to label those jars with the debt you expect them to be “ready.” That way, you can know when to enjoy them.

If you haven’t tried this recipe, you are missing out on a lot. It creates some of the best refrigerator pickles, which taste great when served cold. In that case, you will need to refrigerate each jar for three to four hours before opening it to eat.

4. South Indian Garlic Pickles

This Indian pickle recipe is a variation of the first recipe on this list with several other ingredients. People on the Indian sub-continent love to serve it with hot rice. It makes one of the best dishes for lunch any time of the year. The popularity of Indian cuisine makes India the world’s spice center.

Besides, eating pickled garlic is super healthy as it reduces blood sugar levels, regulates blood pressure, and lowers blood cholesterol. So if you love pickles, this is one of the best ways to prepare them.

Put some garlic cloves in a bowl, clean, and peel them. Give them some time to dry before using them in this garlic pickle recipe. Chop the ginger and green chilly finely and keep aside. A knife, chopper, or food processor would do just fine.

Heat oil in a frying pan and put the garlic cloves in it. Fry the garlic for three to four minutes until it is tender and soft; remove the garlic and put it on a paper towel. Fry the curry lease, green chili, and ginger lightly in the same oil.

On medium heat, add salt and spice powder to the oil. Sauté the mixture until you can no longer smell raw spices. Next, add jaggery or brown sugar to the mixture. Next, add the fried garlic (you can place it on a paper towel) and mix until it is well-coated—taste to ascertain the salt and spice level.

Wait for two minutes and put the pan away from the heat. Add the white vinegar and mix carefully. Store the pickled garlic in a glass jar or airtight container. If you prefer refrigerator pickles, you can keep the mixture in a fridge for more than 12 months. The container needs to be airtight and free of moisture.

You don’t have to empty a container when serving the pickled garlic. The contents can stay fresh as long as you use a clean, dry spoon every time you want to serve the pickles. Afterward, it would help if you sealed the container airtight before refrigerating once again.

Ingredients

25 to 30 clean, peeled garlic cloves
Six slit green chilies
4-5 tablespoons mustard oil
Three tablespoons finely sliced ginger
One teaspoon turmeric
Three teaspoons salt
2 to 3 sprigs of curry leaves
One teaspoon asafoetida
Three tablespoons red chili powder
Two teaspoons mustard seeds
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2-3 tablespoons white vinegar or fresh lemon juice
One tablespoon jaggery or brown sugar

Method

Step 1: Peel and clean the garlic cloves while keeping them dry.

Step 2: Chop the ginger and green chili finely and keep them aside. You can either use a mini food processor or chopper to prepare your ingredients at this stage.

Step 3: Heat the mustard seat in a frying pan and, when it is adequately hot, throw in the garlic cloves. Keep stirring for three to four minutes until the garlic is cooked and tender.

Step 4: Remove the garlic cloves and put them on a paper towel. Use the same oil to lightly fry the green chili, ginger, and curry leaves.

Step 5: Keeping the flame low, add the salt and spice powders. Sauté the mixture until you can no longer smell the raw flavor of the spices.

Step 6: Add jaggery or brown sugar to the mixture, followed by the fried garlic (remember you had put it on a paper towel). Stir until the coating is delicate, and check the salt and spice levels.

Step 7: Wait for two minutes and put the pan away from the heat. Add some apple cider vinegar or white vinegar and stir to mix.

Step 8: Store the resultant pickled garlic in a clean glass jar or container. Seal it airtight and store it in the pantry or refrigerator. If you want refrigerator pickles, you can keep them in the fridge for more than one year. The only condition is that the container should remain airtight and moisture-free.

Step 9: You can serve all or part of the pickled garlic in the container. Use a clean, dry spoon if you need only a little bit. Afterward, seal the container airtight before storing it.

5. Kosher Pickled Garlic

If you like you hold Judaism beliefs, this garlic pickle recipe is one that you want to try. It is healthy and adds flavor to any dish with which you consume it. You can either use this method to prepare canning pickles or refrigerator pickles. In the case of refrigerator pickles, you only need to put the finished product in an airtight container and store it in a refrigerator. You can keep it marinated for three or more days for it to be ready to eat.

If you choose canned pickled garlic, you can keep the finished product in cans at the end. With that, you prolong the shelf life of the garlic pickle to up to one year. The garlic can stay fresh as long as you keep it in a dry, dark pantry.

Ingredients

• Bay leaves

• Cumin seeds

• Coriander seeds

• Mustard seeds

• Red pepper flakes

• Peppercorns

• White vinegar

• Kosher salt

• Garlic

Method

Step 1: Peel the garlic (if you had bought whole garlic bulbs). Be sure to keep the garlic cloves whole. Mashing them can only spoil this particular recipe. Instead, you can use any of the following three methods to peel garlic cloves and keep them whole.

Mason Jar: Put the unpeeled garlic cloves inside, screw the lid in place, and shake the container vigorously until all the peels fall off.
Garlic Peeler Tube: Insert several garlic cloves into the tube and put it flat on the counter. Roll it while pressing with your palm. Watch as the peels come off one clove at a time.
Two Bowls: If you have lots of garlic cloves, peel them using this method. Put garlic bulbs on the counter and hit each one with your palm to release the cloves. Place the unpeeled cloves on one bowl, cover with the second bowl, and shake until the garlic cloves get fully peeled.

Step 2: Mix the kosher salt and vinegar in a saucepan. After bringing it to a boil, sauté until the salt dissolves fully. Lower the heat, cover the saucepan and keep it warm.

Step 3: Prepare the glass jars and lids. Wash the jars in hot soapy water, rinse in boiling water, and dry them. Depending on the canning method you choose, you may need to sterilize the jars. You may dip the jars in boiling water until the time comes to fill them with the vinegar mixture. Alternatively, you can keep the jars in an oven at 250°F. Also, wash the lids and their rings in hot soapy water. Current canning guidelines from USDA do not require keeping cans in hot water.

Step 4: Add spices and seasonings to each of the jars and fill them with garlic pickles. You need half a bay leaf, one teaspoon peppercorns, one teaspoon cumin seeds, one teaspoon coriander seeds, one teaspoon mustard seeds, and one teaspoon red pepper flakes.

Step 5: Once the seasonings have settled at the base of the jars, add the garlic cloves and fill with the vinegar mixture. At the top, leave ¼-inch headspace.

Step 7: Use a bubble remover to eliminate any bubbles built up inside the jars. A long, thin object, such as a chopstick, will do the trick.

Step 8: Add some more hot vinegar until you only have the ¼-inch allowance at the top.

Step 9: Wipe the jar rims using wet paper towels. Any dirt on the edges will prevent the seal from fitting perfectly into place.

Step 10: Secure each jar using a lid and screw the ring on until it has a finger-tight fitting.

If you wanted refrigerator pickles, that’s the end of the preparation process. You can then put the jars in the fridge so that they can marinate for at least three days. After that, they will be ready for serving with your favorite dish.

However, for shelf-stable canning pickles is your intention, proceed with the following steps:

Step 10: As you fill the jars, boil some water and add it to a large pot (with a basket or rack at the bottom) or water-process canner. The height of the container should be large enough to lease a 1-inch margin over the jars. After bringing the water to a boil, cover the container, and keep it hot until you need the jars.

Step 11: Using a jar filler, lower each jar with the right side up into the container of boiling water. Ideally, it should leave at least a 1-inch margin on top of the cans. Cover and heat the water so that it starts boiling once again. Using the boiling water, process the jars for 20 minutes or so. After turning off the lid, let the jars sit in hot water for at least five minutes.

Step 12: Remove the jars using a jar lifter and set them on a towel. Let them sit for 12 hours. You can know that you have sealed the jars safely if the jars have slight indents at the center. Usually, the jars will produce a popping sound as they get sealed up. If you suspect that any of the jars haven’t been sealed adequately, store them in the refrigerator for not more than three months.

Canning pickles give them a long shelf-life if you store them in a cool, dark place such as a pantry or cabinet. If you have space in your basement, keep your pickled garlic there. After one year, it will still be stable enough to eat.

Since the canned pickles are likely to get mixed up with other grocery items inside your home, be sure to label them. Include the date when you made them and the probable expiry date. That way, you can be sure that your pickled garlic is still fresh when you eat it.

How to Eat Pickled Garlic

You can eat your homemade pickles with virtually any conceivable dish. It has a mellower flavor compared to fresh garlic, which has a sharp taste. Eating it separately or adding it to your meals is one of the best ways of spicing up your life. Here is how to eat pickled garlic:

1. Straight from the Jar

Whenever you feel like eating pickled garlic, you can scoop it straight out of the jar. In that case, you do not need to heat or cook it. However, if you had stored the pickles in a pantry, refrigerating for three to four hours is beneficial.

2. With Sauteed Vegetables

On a frying pan, sauté your favorite vegetable, including onions, broccoli, and pepper. Add a bit of pickled garlic instead of the sharp-tasting fresh garlic. You can add a few chopped pickled garlic cloves in vegetables like onions, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, bell peppers, and green beans. The resultant finger-licking dish is just irresistible.

3. Charcuterie Board

If you plan to serve cheese, charcuterie, or snack boards, provide a variety of flavors to help your guests choose what they like the most. As part of the snack, include pickled garlic in a small bowl to compliment crackers, cheese, or sausage. You can give the garlic a slightly sweet flavor by sprinkling some extra-virgin olive oil on the cloves.

4. Pasta Salads and Stir-Fries

Did you know that chopped pickled garlic is a perfect addition to steamed rice or cooked noodles? With the garlic cloves, you can add flavor to the otherwise bland ingredients of the two dishes. After preparing vegetable curry, stir-fried rice, or creamy alfredo sauce, stir pickled garlic to add some flavor.

5. Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and Sandwiches

You don’t always have to eat a bland-tasting sandwich. Sprinkle some pickled garlic onto it to get a somewhat tangy taste. It is an excellent addition to sandwiches, paninis, and hamburgers. That zippy flavor is also great on pizza.

6. Grilled Meat and Seafood.

Did you know that garlic pickles can add flavor to your favorite grilled meat and wild seafood? Apply some pickled garlic cloves on your meat or seafood during the grilling process. With that, you will add a slight garlic kick and complement the smoky taste of the meat. The best seafood for this includes rockfish, halibut, and cod.

7. As a Spread on Toast

Instead of having crunchy pickles, mash them to create the perfect spread for your toast. Pickled garlic has a milder taste compared to the sharp-tasting fresh cloves. So, it is advisable to mash pickled garlic. You can use the garlic toast with a fresh salad garnished with garlic cloves.

8. Spaghetti Sauce

If you have prepared some homemade pasta sauce, be sure to spice it up with some garlic pickles. After chopping the garlic cloves, add to the spaghetti sauce and simmer until the sauce assimilates the flavor. You can use garlic-flavored spaghetti to make spaghetti or lasagna and meatballs.

9. Cocktails

Did you know that you can garnish your favorite cocktail using garlic pickles? It works well in Bloody Mary as well as a martini. If you want a dirty martini, you can use garlic brine instead of olive brine. For a spicy Bloody Mary, use garlic pickles prepared using hot pepper.

10. Salad Dressing

If you want a quick but tasty salad dressing, use the garlic brine to make it. Pour one part garlic brine onto a bowl and add three parts extra-virgin olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use it to dress your salads. This recipe doesn’t require you to add the garlic pickles but just the brine. However, you can do so if you desire a more robust flavor.

Health Benefits of Pickled Garlic

Whether eaten raw or in pickled form, garlic has many health benefits. It boosts immunity, preventing common colds and other conditions. It is also an effective treatment for fatigue, respiratory problems, bronchitis, diabetes, intestinal worms, flatulence, liver disorders, and hypertension.

1. Treating Colds

Pickled garlic helps prevent and even treat common colds by improving your immunity. It has antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which boost immunity. As a result, eating some garlic can fight off flu or common colds.

2. Preventing Cancer

Garlic has been established to have cancer-fighting properties. Using it regularly can protect you from colon cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and brain cancer. A nutrition serving of pickled garlic has organo-sulfur, a compound that can destroy one of the most active cells in brain tumors.

3. Treating Arthritis

Eating garlic can help reduce the pain that comes due to Arthritis. It contains thiochromone and diallyl sulfide, two chemicals that decrease pain due to Arthritis. Thus, eating pickled garlic can significantly reduce the spread of Arthritis.

4. Improving Iron Metabolism

Garlic is a significant catalyst of iron absorption in the blood. It contains Ferroprotein, a protein that regulates iron circulation between blood cells. It, therefore, prevents iron deficiency or low hemoglobin, which may cause anemia. Garlic should be consumed together with iron-rich foods like pumpkin seeds, red meat, and green vegetables.

5. Improving Heart Health

Garlic also carries several benefits for your heart. It reduces the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. Its anti-inflammatory properties mean it can prevent blood circulation issues and atherosclerosis. Therefore, consuming pickled garlic can prevent you from having a heart attack due to blood clots. Furthermore, garlic contains allicin, which regulates blood pressure.