Garlic Skin Powder: A No-Waste Dehydrated Garlic Recipe

A homemade seasoning that is made by drying garlic skins to turn them into a powder that you can use to add a mild garlic flavor to all sorts of foods.

When cooking with garlic, it isn’t just the cloves that you can use! Instead of tossing the papery skins that you remove from the cloves, turn them into a delicious powder you can use to add a mild garlic flavor to all sorts of different recipes.

Garlic skin powder is simple to make using your oven and a small amount of time. The result is a shelf-stable product that can season vegetables, soups, sauces, meats, breads, popcorn, and so much more!

All it takes is some clean garlic skins, a way to dry the skins, and a blender or grinder to turn them into a fine powder. You then get to enjoy a mild garlic flavor wherever you add the homemade seasoning.

Why Make Garlic Skin Powder?

Reduces Kitchen Waste – Anymore, we try to do everything we can to reduce the amount of waste and trash that our household produces. While we do compost quite a bit of our kitchen scraps, putting something you might otherwise toss in the trash to use in your kitchen instead has much more appeal to our family.

Easy To Make – I am all about trying to make recipes and the semi homestead life work for our family. And that doesn’t mean creating a ton of steps or hoops to jump through just to get the finished product. This garlic skin powder is simple, easy to do, and can be made with minimal hands-on time. Separate, cook, grind, store – that’s pretty much it!

Expands Garlic Harvest – When you put a lot of time and effort into planting and growing garlic, you want to make the most out of your harvest! In addition to harvesting hardneck garlic scapes in late spring and the cloves in the summer, you can now also enjoy the skins year-round!

Mild Garlic Flavor Seasoning – I am a huge garlic fan and use minced garlic in a ton of recipes, but I like the idea of adding just a little extra garlic flavor here and there as well. You can use garlic skin powder just like you would any other dried seasoning. Instead of the intense garlic flavor that minced or powdered garlic provides, you still get the garlic flavor, but in a more subtle form.

Choosing The Right Skins To Use

If you’ve ever looked at a freshly harvested bulb of garlic, then you are probably thinking I am crazy for even suggesting you use the skins for recipes! The skins are usually covered in dirt and debris.

After homegrown garlic is harvested, it needs to cure (i.e., be allowed to dry for a period of a few weeks). During this process, you simply remove excess soil but leave the dirty skins alone. Once cured, the bulbs can then be trimmed and stored long-term – still with the dirty skins attached. You only clean the garlic right before using.

However, if you are batch freezing a bunch of minced garlic like I do, then go ahead and remove the layer or two of dirty skins to show the bright, clean skins beneath. You can compost or toss the few dirty skins. The clean skins are the ones we will use to make garlic skin powder. (Side Note: Batch mincing and freezing garlic is a HUGE time saver in your kitchen, and I highly suggest you do it!)

In addition to not using the dirty skins, don’t use any skins that are moldy, slimy, or from cloves that are rotten or spoiled. If some of the skins are slightly dirty, give them a rinse to remove the dirt before using and allow them to dry. Both the clean skins from the entire bulb as well as the individual cloves can be used.

How To Make Garlic Skin Powder

Any time you go to use garlic in a recipe, save the clean skins and store them in a dry container or Ziploc bag. Once you have enough to cover a sheet pan, you can make the powder. Or, do like I do and batch mince a whole lot of garlic and save the skins from that process. Skip using any dirty skins.

Next, cut off or remove the tough root end. Removing this part is optional, so feel free to leave it be if you’d like. Spread your garlic skins out onto a rimmed baking sheet or pan. Set your oven to a low temperature of around 125 to 135º Fahrenheit. You can also use a dehydrator if you prefer. Both methods work completely fine.

For The Oven: Allow the skins to bake for about 45 minutes. Give them a good stir because the skins on the outside of the pan tend to dry out a little quicker than those in the middle. Place them back in the oven and continue to cook until the skins are completely dry and crispy. The amount of time this takes will depend on how much moisture was in the skins to begin with.

For The Dehydrator: Cook for 1 hour, then check to see how dry the skins are. You may need to continue dehydrating them for a couple of hours until they are fully dry and crispy. The amount of time needed to fully dehydrate will depend on the amount of moisture in the skins.

Blend Then Store

Once the skins are completely brittle and dry, it’s time to turn them into powder. You can use either a high-powered blender or a grinder. I have used both, and the blender just leaves behind larger pieces and doesn’t result in as fine a powder. The seasoning will still work just fine.

Since I make a lot of homemade spices and seasoning blends, I actually have a dedicated Black and Decker Coffee and Spice Grinder (Product Link) to be my go-to spice machine. It results in a very fine powder that is perfect for spicing up your recipes without adding texture or grit you might get from larger pieces.

Be careful when grinding the garlic skin powder because it can go airborne. You don’t want to inhale a whole bunch of the floating bits, trust me on this one!

Store the powder in an enclosed container in a cool, dry location. I like to pop in a Desiccant Packet (Product Link) with the powder just to remove any excess moisture that might get into the jar. Use it to season all sorts of goodies.

How To Use Garlic Skin Powder

You can use garlic skin powder wherever you would enjoy the addition of garlic flavor. Even though it has a mild flavor profile, start with just a small amount and add more as needed. (Want more garlic flavor? Try my Garlic Scape Salt Recipe!)

Try adding garlic skin powder to some of these great foods:

• Sprinkle over popcorn
• Add to homemade bread, rolls, or biscuits
• Top all types of potatoes (French fries, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, etc.)
• Sprinkle on roasted or sautéed vegetables
• Mix into soups and stews
• Add to other homemade spice and seasoning blends
• Season beef, chicken, or fish
• Stir into gravies or sauces
• Add to butter to make compound butter
• Use to season breadcrumbs
• And so much more!

Frequently Asked Questions

How does garlic skin powder vary from traditional garlic powder? Garlic skin powder is made from the dry, papery skins that surround the garlic cloves and bulbs, while garlic powder is made from the actual dried cloves. The skin powder has a milder flavor and is best as a supplemental seasoning as opposed to swapping it out one-to-one for garlic powder.

Can you eat raw garlic skins? Technically, yes, they are edible. However, since the skins are so papery, they are not pleasant to eat whole. After they have been dried and blended, they are an excellent seasoning or spice.

Do you have to use an oven or dehydrator? No, you can also dry the garlic skins naturally. Keep the skins in a warm, dry location away from wind and moisture. The process will take much longer, but it is still possible to dry them naturally.

My garlic skin powder clumps together. What did I do wrong? Chances are you are trying to blend the skins before they are fully dry. Allow them to dry for a bit longer, then try again.

How long does the powder last? Store the powder in an airtight container in a dark, cool, and dry location. Under these conditions, it should stay fresh for several months. If you notice any moisture, mold, change in color, or odd smell, discard or compost immediately.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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