Home Made Interest » Recipes » Sides » Quick Pickled Garlic
published May 23, 2022 — last updated June 15, 2022
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Pickled garlic is a healthy and delicious snack that is easy to make. All you need is just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes and you’ll have this trendy treat!
Garlic lovers, this one is you for you! Not a garlic lover? You will be after trying pickled garlic.
All you need for pickling vegetables is a simple brine that you can customize to your liking using different combination of vegetables, herbs, and spices to make your own custom flavors. We’ve made pickled carrots, radishes, green beans, and cauliflower just to name a few.
We use a little more vinegar in our brine for pickling garlic because the vinegar helps to neutralize the sharp flavor of the garlic.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Garlic – You’ll use approximately 6 -8 heads of garlic to fill up 2 half pint mason jars.
- White vinegar – You can substitute any vinegar you would like including rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar. Do note that if you use red wine vinegar, it will color your garlic red.
- Water
- Kosher salt – The salt must be non-iodized. We suggest kosher salt or sea salt. Iodized salt will turn vegetables a dark color and make your brine cloudy.
- Sugar – You can use alternatives to sugar such as honey, agave, maple syrup, or an artificial sweetener such as Stevia or Splenda.
- Black Peppercorns – always a good choice for giving your dish some spice
- Crushed red pepper flakes – this will give your garlic a little spice
You can also add any other herbs or spices you would like to your pickled garlic recipe, depending on your own tastes. Try adding bay leaves, coriander, or mustard seeds. Play with the spices and see what you like best!
Want to learn more. Check out our guide on How to Make Quick Pickled Vegetables!
How to Peel Garlic
You’ll be peeling a lot of garlic so try one of these simple tips for making it go a little faster.
Method 1 – Blanche it. Break garlic bulb into individual cloves. Place the garlic cloves in bowl. Pour very hot water over the garlic and let them soak for 1 minute.
After soaking pour them through a strainer to remove the water. cut the end off of each clove and then press on the tip of the clove. The garlic will slip from the peel.
Method 2 – Shake it. Break garlic bulb into individual cloves. Place the cloves in a jar and fasten the lid in place. Shake hard for 1 minute. The garlic cloves will separate from the peel.
How to Pickle Garlic
Step 1 – Prepare the garlic. Peel the garlic cloves and pack them into the jar.
Step 2 – Make the brine. In a small saucepan combine vinegar, water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes. Stir together.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove the pot from the heat.
Step 3 – Add the liquid. Let the mixture cool for 2-3 minutes and then pour the liquid into the jar until the garlic is fully covered.
Step 4 – Pickle. Screw the lid on and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. Garlic can be used as soon as you like but we recommend letting it pickle for 2-3 weeks for the best flavor.
Best Container To Use
We recommend glass wide mouth pint jars. The glass won’t react with the vinegar and they are durable and reusable with air tight seal.
How to Use It
Pickled garlic is a great addition to charcuterie board along with pickled carrots, pickled radishes, and pickled red onions, olives, cheeses, and meats.
Pickled garlic can also be used in any recipe that you would use regular garlic. We add it to dishes like our sheet pan honey garlic chicken or restaurant style salsa.
Lots of people also eat it on it’s own as a snack. Since the pickling process, more specifically the vinegar, mellows out the sharpness of the garlic you can just pop them in your mouth and enjoy!
What Does Pickled Garlic Taste Like?
Pickled garlic has a more mellow flavor thank regular raw garlic. The vinegar tames down the sharp, overwhelming taste of the garlic and makes it more palatable.
The herbs and spices you include in your brine will also chance the flavor. You can make it taste more like a pickle by adding dill, or make it spicier by adding red pepper flakes or including sliced up chili peppers.
Is Pickled Garlic Healthy?
Garlic has lots of health benefits. Civilizations throughout history have used garlic for its medicinal properties. It is low in calorie and rich in minerals and vitamins, including vitamins C and B6. It is has prebiotic fiber which is good for your digestion and is full of antioxidants.
Garlic helps fight off illness, reduce blood pressure, lower your risk for heart disease, may also help protect against any heavy metals (such as lead) in your body!
Why Did My Garlic Turn Blue?
Sometimes during the pickling process, your garlic can take on a blue hue. Don’t panic! There is nothing wrong with your garlic and it is totally safe to eat!
The reason this happens is sometimes the enzymes and sulfur-containing amino acids in the garlic react to the acidity in the vinegar. This can cause a blueish color. It is a natural process and not harmful.
How Long Is Pickled Garlic Good For?
Because this is a quick pickling recipe, your pickled garlic is not shelf-stable and should not be stored at room temperature. It will need to be refrigerated. It will be good for up to 3 months in the fridge.
Looking for More Quick Pickled Vegetables?
- Quick Pickled Cucumber
- Quick and Easy Pickled Cauliflower
- Easy Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles
- Pickled Green Beans {Dilly Beans}
- Quick Pickled Carrots
- Quick Pickled Jalapenos
- Pickled Red Onions
- Quick Pickled Radishes
- More Pickled Vegetables…
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Servings: 20
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 3 minutes mins
Pickling Time:: 21 days d
Total Time: 21 days d 23 minutes mins
Quick Pickled Garlic
Pickled garlic is a healthy and delicious snack that is easy to make. All you need is just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes and you’re ready to start pickling garlic.
Print Recipe
4.80 from 5 votes
Ingredients
- 8 heads Garlic
- 1.5 cup White vinegar
- 1/2 cup Water
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Sugar, can use sugar substitute
- 1 teaspoon Peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Peel the garlic cloves and trim off the hard end. Pack the cloves into the jar. See post for tips on peeling garlic.
In a small pot combine vinegar, water, salt, sugar, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes. Stir together.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove the pot from the heat.
Let the mixture cool for 2-3 minutes and then pour it into the jar until the garlic is fully covered.
Screw the lid on and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. Garlic can be used as soon as you like but we recommend letting it pickle for 2-3 weeks for the best flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 4cloves, Calories: 23kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 236mg, Potassium: 49mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 17IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
Author: Kat Jeter & Melinda Caldwell
Course: Side
Cuisine: American
Keyword: garlic in vinegar, how to pickle garlic, pickled garlic, pickling garlic
Cooking Method Gluten-Free Pickled Recipes by Diet Sides
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4 comments on “Quick Pickled Garlic”
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Paul Botnen — December 5, 2022 @ 11:24 am Reply
wasteful printing process. 21 pages to get a one page recipe. will not be back.
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Melinda — December 5, 2022 @ 7:04 pm Reply
Paul I just tried printing it on my end and it is only 1 page. Below the title of the post there is a button that says PRINT RECIPE. Maybe you printed the whole post?
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Carol A McCollum — May 8, 2023 @ 6:16 pm Reply
Can less salt be used? Have to limit my sodium intake.
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Kat — May 17, 2023 @ 1:51 pm Reply
Yes, in “quick pickle” recipes you can lower the salt amount safely.
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