Making homemade ginger garlic paste is an easy, satisfying Saturday 'putter in the kitchen' kind of project. Can you buy “good enough” paste? Yes, but you will have a fresher, punchier start to your dishes if you make it yourself. And a shortcut for all sorts of recipes, way beyond Indian dishes. For more help with Indian cooking, see my Indian Kitchen Fundamentals post.
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Ginger and garlic paste is one of those workhorses in an Indian kitchen. Used over and over, it is one of the standard building blocks of flavor. You have four options depending on how much time you have:
- Make ginger and garlic purée each time you need them for a recipe
- You can make ginger and garlic paste
- Buy frozen garlic, and ginger pastes separately; available in most grocery stores
- Buy a good brand of paste, either together or separately
Also, some recipes use slightly different amounts of ginger to garlic, but I find that curries (masalas) are forgiving, and equal measures for most recipes work out just fine. Just remember that this is a raw ingredient and it needs to be caramelized in oil as a part of your recipe. Often this purée is added to the pan after the onions are cooked.
What's to love
- Have the choice of healthy preservatives (e.g. turmeric and vinegar)
- Start many recipes, Indian or not, with a pure, good smelling, more punchy paste
- A big batch will last a long time and give you a welcome shortcut
- Making homemade ginger and garlic paste allows you to tweak the recipe
Ingredients
I have found that most cooks are happy with an equal amount of garlic to ginger. If you prefer a more front and center flavor of one over the other, feel free to change the quantities.
Besides equal parts ginger and garlic, the only other ingredient is enough water in order for the blender to work. Please note: water makes this paste more perishable, so only add it if you are going to be using it within 3 days, or storing it in the freezer.
If you would like the paste to keep well in the refrigerator, add small amounts of turmeric, salt, vinegar, and oil to preserve your paste naturally.
How to Make Ginger and Garlic Paste
Wash and dry the ginger thoroughly. With a spoon, vegetable peeler, or knife, peel and then roughly chop it. If you don't have peeled garlic, peel it unless it is very young. I have tips for peeling garlic in my Tips and Tricks section.
Using a blender (I prefer a personal blender for this job) blend the ginger and garlic using the liquid you choose. Scrape down the blender jar as needed. Ideally, you will have a smooth paste but small chunks are fine too. They will break down during cooking.
Questions and Answers
If they are both young and tender this step isn’t necessary. I don’t often find either at this early stage, however.
If you are freezing your ginger and garlic paste, there is no need for these natural preservatives. You do need some liquid. This could be all of one, or a combination of water, oil, vinegar, or lime juice for a total of around 1/4 cup for this amount of paste.
I am very happy with my Ninja Pro Compact Personal Blender. Overall, a smaller blender that is powerful enough to break down the ginger fibers will do the job nicely.
According to Cook's Illustrated, as ginger is stored it becomes less acidic and some of the pigments turn to a blueish color. It is still fine to use, however.
Tips and Tricks
- Try to avoid old and fibrous ginger or sprouted garlic.
- Whole fresh ginger will keep in the freezer for several months tightly wrapped in a paper towel, then placed in a zippered plastic bag. Grate it while still frozen.
- Buy a good quality peeled garlic in bulk and pop leftover cloves in the freezer.
- I find peeling garlic almost too boring for words. Here are some shortcuts:
- Buy already peeled garlic (my favorite shortcut)
- Pop separated garlic cloves in the microwave and heat them on high for about 20-seconds. If the peels still don’t come off easily, add more time in 10 second increments.
- You can try soaking garlic cloves in water for 15 minutes and the skins loosen.
- Blanch the cloves in boiling water for a minute or so, then run under cold water to stop the cooking. This also makes the job a bit easier.
- The chef's trick is to smash garlic cloves with the side of a knife, which loosens the skin.
Storing and Preserving
Store your homemade ginger and garlic paste in a clean glass jar with a lid.
Refrigerator: If you add turmeric, vinegar, salt, and oil, your paste should last up to four weeks. Be sure to use a clean dry spoon to dip the paste out. And if it develops any odd odor, flavor, or color, it is time to say goodbye.
Freezer: When freezing ginger and garlic paste you don't need to add (but can) any of the natural preservatives. The paste will keep well for up to 3 months before a reduction in quality. I like to freeze it in one tablespoon cubes in an ice cube tray. When frozen, store in resealable bags.
Substitutions and Shortcuts
- Store bought ginger & garlic is a lifesaver in emergencies. When choosing a brand be sure to look at the ingredients and avoid preservatives and emulsyfiers. Here are some products to try for those times when you need it.
- The best ginger garlic paste buying recommendations:
- Asian Kitchen Ginger Garlic Cooking Paste
- Taj Ginger Garlic Purée
- Brands that make the best fresh ginger substitutes:
- Ginger People Ginger Grated
- Shan Ginger Paste
- Dorot Crushed Ginger (frozen)
- Amore Ginger Paste (in a tube)
- Here are some garlic paste brands to try:
- Dorot Crushed Garlic (frozen)
- Amore Garlic Paste (in a tube)
- Taj Premium Garlic Paste
- The best ginger garlic paste buying recommendations:
Favorite dishes using this recipe
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please rate by clicking stars ⭐️ on the recipe card and/or let me know in the comments below. Thank you! ~Alonna
Recipe Card 📖
Easy Ginger and Garlic Paste with Substitutions
Ingrediants
Essential Ingredients (Use within 3 days or freeze)
- 1 cup garlic cloves ~ Peeled
- 1 cup ginger ~ Peeled and coarsely chopped
- water ~ Start with 3 tbsp. Add more as needed
Ingredients for Preservation (fridge or freezer)
- 1 teaspoons sea or table salt ~ Substitutions
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil ~ I prefer avocado oil, more as needed to process
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Wash and dry the ginger thoroughly. With a spoon, vegetable peeler, or knife, peel and then roughly chop it.
- If you don't have peeled garlic, peel it unless it is very young. I have tips for peeling garlic in the Notes below.
- Into a blender, add all the ingredients you are using and blend to a smooth paste, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as needed. If your blender needs more liquid in order to process properly, add an additional tablespoon of water or oil.
- Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator and if you used the ingredients for preservation, the paste will stay fresh for up to four weeks. Or spoon tablespoons of the paste into an ice cube tray. When the cubes are frozen, store them in a resealable bag. YIELD: Approximately 1 cup of ginger and garlic paste.
Notes
- Any added moisture will increase the possibility of spoilage. If you are not freezing your paste make sure both ginger and garlic are as dry as possible before blending.
- Find the freshest garlic possible. If there are any green shoots, remove them as they tend to be bitter.
- If your ginger is young and has tender skin, you don’t need to peel it,
- I find peeling garlic almost too boring for words. Here are some shortcuts:
- Buy already peeled garlic
- Pop separated garlic cloves in the microwave and heat them on high for about 20 seconds. If the peels still don’t come off easily, add more time in 10-second increments.
- You can try soaking garlic cloves in water for 15 minutes and the skins loosen.
- Blanch the cloves in boiling water for a minute or so, then run under cold water to stop the cooking. This also makes the job a bit easier.
- The chef's trick is to smash garlic cloves with the side of a knife, which loosens the skin.
- Whole fresh ginger will keep in the freezer for several months; you can grate it frozen. Wrap it in a paper towel and then tuck it in a freezer bag to store.
- Turmeric, oil, salt, and vinegar are added to increase the shelf life of homemade ginger and garlic paste. Omit if you will be using up within 3 days or storing it in the freezer.
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