Ginger Garlic Paste Recipe (2024)

By Dassana Amit
Last Updated: January 29, 2023

Gluten Free, Vegan
4.84 from 12 votes • 12 Comments

Ginger Garlic paste is a cornerstone of many Indian recipes. While I’ll typically just mash or crush the garlic and ginger called for in a given recipe, I’ve found that keeping some on hand in the fridge helps to streamline meal preparations. Try this simple Garlic Ginger Paste recipe for yourself and set your fridge up for several weeks’ worth of cooking success!

About Ginger Garlic Paste

Ginger Garlic Paste is nothing but both ginger and garlic crushed to a fine paste together and bottled. It is one of the essential ingredient added to many Indian recipes.

The recipe shared here is my mom’s version. She always makes ginger garlic paste and keeps it in the fridge. I personally don’t usually make this paste ahead of time, rather just use the ingredients as I need them.

I have to admit, though, that having the paste makes life a bit easier and also saves time whilecooking. I just need to get the paste from the fridge to add to the recipe, no need for peeling, chopping, and then crushing the ginger-garlic. If you like to plan ahead, you’ll love this recipe.

Making the paste is easy, but peeling garlic feels like a never-ending task. I have tried the 2-bowl shaking method to get the peels come off easily, but it did not work for me. As such, I peeled them the traditional way, removing each peel one by one.

Of course, you can lightly crush or mash the garlic first to help you remove the peels, but peeling one by one suits me. So, when you have extra time, do this zen-like task.

You can also do this chore when watching tv or listening to music. Peeling garlic requires practice and patience. I suggest you meditate when peeling to make the time more productive. 🙂

Some people might have a burning sensation on their fingers while peeling the garlic. You can rub some oil on your hands to prevent the burning, but the flip side of this is that the peels stick to the oiled fingers.

That said, it’s still better than feeling the burning sensation several hours later. This burning sensation stays for a few hours or sometimes up to a day and then goes away. You could also wear gloves and peel the garlic cloves.

I have used an equal amount of ginger and garlic by weight. Please note that after peeling them, the weight did change significantly.

I used 250 grams of garlic and after peeling I was down to 186 grams of garlic. From 250 grams of ginger, I ended up with just 190 grams of ginger after peeling and chopping.

Make sure to account for some dried or wilted garlic cloves and a few ginger roots bruised or not in a good condition.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Ginger Garlic Paste

1. First separate the garlic cloves from 250 grams of garlic. Then peel the garlic cloves and set aside.

While peeling, discard garlic cloves that have wilted, dried or have black powder like substance on them or you see some black spots on them.

2.Rinse 250 ginger roots a few times in water scrubbing the mud lodged in them with a brush if needed.

Then peel them. Use a paring knife or the back of a spoon to peel them.

3. Then roughly chop the ginger and add it to the bowl containing the garlic cloves. Rinse again very well in warm water a few times. Drain all the water.

4. Add them to a grinder jar or a high speed blender or a food processor with edible rock salt and oil. Both salt and oil help to preserve the paste and prevent oxidization.

Just keep in mind to add less salt to any recipe that you make using this ginger garlic paste since the paste already has some.

You do not need to any water while grinding or blending.

5. Grind or blend or process to a smooth and fine consistency making sure that there are no small chunks of either the ginger or garlic.

6. Transfer the prepared ginger garlic paste to a clean glass jar. Close the lid and refrigerate.

Storage and Uses

7. Use Ginger Garlic Paste as required in any recipe that you make. This paste stays good for about 3 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it. On freezing it keeps well for about 2 months.

When removing the paste, always use a clean dry spoon. Any water or moisture if seeped into the paste, will spoil it.

Take the amount as needed for your recipes. Seal the jar with its lid and place back again in the fridge.

Expert Tips

1. Use garlic which has medium to large cloves and thus peeling them is easier. Small to very small garlic cloves take a lot of time. But on the contrary smaller sized garlic pods or cloves are more pungent and more flavorful compared to their larger counterparts.
2. Avoid fibrous or dry or dense ginger. Use fresh and tender ginger. If the ginger smells awful, then discard them.
3. Peel ginger quickly using the back of a spoon. You can also use a small knife or a paring knife.
4. Use both fresh ginger and fresh garlic. Kindly do not use frozen garlic or ginger. Also refrain from using store-brought packaged peeled garlic as using these may reduce the shelf life of your homemade paste and the paste can get spoiled quickly.
5. Both salt and oil act as preservatives and the color does not discolor or darken. Some people also add turmeric powder.
6. You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil to cover the top of the ginger-garlic paste in the jar to help prolong the shelf life.

FAQs

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Ginger Garlic Paste recipe from the archives, originally published in July 2016 has been updated and republished on January 2023.