14 Alternatives to Fresh Garlic

Many cooks opine that the only true remedy for a lack of fresh garlic is a trip to the store for more — no substitute will achieve its unmistakable pungent flavor and aroma. We agree; nothing hits quite like fresh garlic, and any swap-out will modify your dish’s flavor noticeably. But we also know there are days when you’re completely out of garlic or have zero inclination to peel and mince it. If you’d accept a swap that provides even a fraction of fresh garlic’s vibe, these substitutes are for you.

Before we dive into garlic’s best replacements, let’s identify what makes it so distinctive. Garlic belongs to a group of plants called alliums. When alliums are cut, crushed, smashed, or otherwise damaged, they release a sulfurous-smelling compound called allicin. Allicin’s pungency is the calling card of not only fresh garlic but also its cousins: onions, shallots, chives, and leeks. These other alliums make passable substitutes for fresh garlic, but garlic contains a lot more concentrated allicin than they do. You won’t get a wallop of garlic flavor from them, but you’ll get varying degrees of that iconic nose-tickling bite.

You can also use processed garlic products like garlic powder as subs for fresh, but remember that allicin decreases in intensity the older it gets, so modify your expectations and ratios. And, if you’re avoiding garlic and other alliums for health or religious reasons (or even if you just don’t like their taste), there are a few non-allium ingredients that can take its place in a pinch. 

If you’ve ever noticed what appear to be smaller, sometimes longer onions with papery, golden-pink skin near the onions and garlic in the produce section, you’ve met shallots. These alliums taste like sweeter, toned-down onions but with a little garlic-like pungency to boot. This is why some cooks use them as a substitute for fresh garlic. They’ll provide that bright, acidic punch of allicin without such a heady, tear-jerking wash of onion flavor. No, it won’t be garlic, but it will at least be something special.

Since shallots are much milder than garlic, use a bit more of them when swapping out for the big G. Try one tablespoon of minced shallot for one clove of fresh garlic. Mincing will help bring out the sharp, garlic-like effects — the more you cut into an allium, the more allicin is produced.

If your recipe calls for roasted garlic, you can sub in shallots as well. Leave the shallots whole, with the skin on, and squeeze them to pop them out of their papery covering when done.

Leeks look like large green onions, with a long, bulbous white base shifting into flat, dark-green leaves. Preparing leeks is a bit more labor-intensive than other vegetables, as they require careful washing to remove the dirt that gets stuck in their layers. You then discard the majority of the vegetable, leaving only the thick, white section above the root. Once these necessary tasks are done, though, you can enjoy the sweet, mild flavor that makes them a passable substitute for fresh garlic when you want the assertiveness of an allium without the sharp bite of garlic or onions.

Don’t be afraid to employ a heavy hand when swapping leeks in for fresh garlic; they have the gentlest flavor and “bite” of all the alliums. Use about double the amount of leek as you would garlic.

There’s another type of allicin-producing vegetable that may surprise you by how similar it looks to regular garlic and how little it looks like a leek, its closer relative. Elephant garlic, or great-headed garlic, could easily fool you into thinking it’s stronger than regular garlic due to its much larger size, but the reverse is actually true: It shares that zesty allium chemistry with garlic and onions, but its bite is as gentle as that of any leek. It works as a garlic sub in dishes like fresh salads, where a little garlic flavor would be nice, but the real thing would be overbearing.

There’s a good reason chives add an uplifting piquancy when used as a garnish for baked potatoes, soups, and the like: They’re alliums, and, depending on the type you use, they offer either a delicate, onion-like flavor (in the case of onion chives) or a mild, garlicky taste (from garlic chives). You could use either of these long, hollow, grass-like plants as a garlic substitute in cases where a much lighter dose of allicin would work. If your dish relies heavily on garlic, you may want to skip this swap-out — it’s better suited to recipes that use garlic as a background effect rather than a main subject. Think “yes” for light vinaigrettes or simple sauces and “no” for garlic bread or aioli.

If subbing chives for fresh garlic, consider your desired result. If you want more of a garlic flavor, you’re better off with garlic chives. These white-flowered plants contain stronger notes of that good stuff than the purple-blossomed onion chives, which offer more of an onion effect (no surprise!). But keep in mind you’re not going to get a ton of garlic taste in either case.

Due to their mild flavor, you’re best off using chives raw, just as they’re served in typical preparations. Ratio-wise, consider treating them like leeks: Start with a 2:1 ratio of chives to garlic and adjust from there.

If you live in an area of the U.S. where ramps grow wild, you may already know they’re a pretty sensible substitute for fresh garlic. Ramps are a type of wild onion that’s related to spring onions and leeks (they’re also known as wild leeks). They’re strongly flavored of garlic and onion, with the garlic effect coming out more, particularly in the bulbs more so than the leaves – the latter offer a stronger onion taste. Ramps are key in the cuisine of Appalachia, where enthusiastic foragers sniff out these strong-smelling alliums each year to make use of their distinctive flavor while they can: Ramp season is fleeting; April and May are all you get.

Ramps are so decidedly garlicky that you can try them in pretty much any recipe that calls for garlic. You can eat them raw or cooked, but a simple chop and sauté is the most common treatment; it mellows the flavor. They’re perfect in pesto as a swap for both fresh garlic and basil (use both the leaves and the bulbs), and they’re a great garlic sub in a stir-fry as well. For your ratios, consider a small bunch of chopped ramps to be the equivalent of six peeled garlic cloves, and adjust accordingly.

Although asafoetida (or hing) isn’t one of the five key spices used in Indian food, it’s essential to many dishes. Used throughout India, it provides a strong, onion-like pungency that makes it a valuable garlic substitute, particularly for those who don’t consume alliums for religious reasons. This dried, powdered gum resin from the Ferula plant is related to carrots and fennel, not alliums. The name “asafoetida” contains a very apt description of its aroma: “fetid.” It has an incredibly powerful, eyebrow-raising smell like rotten garlic or sulfur (it’s also called “devil’s dung”) that mellows to an umami-rich garlicky/leek-like effect when cooked.

Asafoetida is uniquely positioned as an excellent garlic sub because, again, it’s not an allium, but it actually contains some of the same sulfur compounds found in garlic and onions. That means flavor and aroma — so much of it, in fact, that you need to be light-handed (or at least careful) when subbing it out for garlic; too much can be overwhelming. Store it in an airtight bottle and use only a pinch during cooking, dissolving it in ghee or oil first to cut the bitterness.

It’s absolutely an uncommon spice to add to your cooking list if you enjoy experimenting, but be aware that it’s more distinctive and complex than just an onion/garlic dupe. Hold off on using it as a fresh garlic substitute in Italian or other cuisines where its flavor might be incompatible.

Fennel looks like the Frankenstein of vegetables. It has an onion-like bulb with celery-esque stalks, and wispy, dill-ish leaves. It’s in the same family as carrots, celery, and asafoetida but tastes completely different, offering a mild, sweet flavor of licorice or anise. No matter how you use fennel, it won’t taste like garlic, but it works as a fresh garlic substitute when you want a deep, complex flavor with no allium taste. Use it in dishes where its subtle sweetness makes sense, such as in sautéed vegetables, soups, stews, or salads.

All parts of the fennel plant — bulb, stalks, fronds, and seeds — are edible. The seeds offer a decided punch of licorice flavor that you can disperse throughout your dish by crushing or chopping them. The bulbs, when raw, offer a celery-like crunch and a notable anise or licorice taste. If you’re subbing fennel bulb for fresh garlic in an attempt to tone down strong flavors, try dicing and cooking it, adding it early in the cooking process, to sweeten it up and soften the texture.

How much fennel to use in place of fresh garlic depends on how much licorice flavor you want in your dish. Start small and test as you go. If working with a cooked bulb, try about ½ cup of it, finely diced, per three garlic cloves. For a raw, diced bulb or those pungent fennel seeds, keep it light, with about ¼ teaspoon per garlic clove that you’re replacing. Take it up to ½ teaspoon of minced fronds per garlic clove.

You’re more likely to find garlic scapes at farmers markets than in your regular conventional grocery store, but they’re worth looking out for between late spring and summer; they have a wonderful garlicky flavor that happens to make them an excellent substitute for garlic cloves. Scapes are the long, thin stem and the flower that sprout from the tops of hardneck garlic bulbs. Before these curly-tipped stalks became of more widespread culinary interest, farmers used to simply cut them off and throw them away or compost them – they would hog too much of the plant’s energy that would otherwise be concentrated on the bulb, where the precious cloves live.

Garlic scapes’ texture is similar to that of fresh asparagus, and they’re replete with heady garlic and chive flavors. They also offer some of the spicy bite of garlic cloves themselves but milder, fresher, and more “veggie” tasting. This means you can employ them pretty much anywhere a recipe calls for fresh garlic. Slice them thin and try them raw in salads for a hit of garlic without the bite, or add them to your pot instead of garlic cloves when it’s time for the aromatics. Use a 3:1 ratio of sliced garlic scapes to fresh garlic cloves since the flavor will become more subtle with cooking.

When you don’t have fresh garlic cloves on hand (or just don’t feel like peeling and mincing it), garlic paste can do the trick admirably. Garlic paste is available in tubes at most conventional grocery stores, but if you’re taking this route, check the label to see how much salt and oil have been added, and taste-test before use; you may want to add a bit less of these ingredients to your dish to balance the amount in the paste.

Making garlic paste at home is a breeze, though: Merely purėe garlic cloves and oil in a food processor or blender before transferring it to an airtight container to keep the flavor locked in. Garlic paste keeps in the fridge for about a week, so it’s convenient to make ahead of time.  

Subbing garlic paste for fresh cloves works best in dishes like sauces, soups, dressings, and dips, where the paste’s texture and flavor can blend in. Your substitution ratio will depend on the garlic paste in question; some are stronger than others. Age and preparation method impact the flavor and intensity, as does the brand (if you’re going with store-bought). Taste-testing is vital to get the effect you want, but a general guideline is to try one teaspoon of garlic paste in place of two garlic cloves, and see how that does for you. Garlic paste is denser than fresh garlic, since it’s essentially cloves broken down into a smaller, more dense form. At the same time, though, its flavor can be milder and less intense.

As with many other substitutes for fresh garlic, garlic powder can work as a stand-in for fresh cloves in cases where garlic isn’t intended to be the flavor focal point. Made of dehydrated, ground garlic bulbs, this kitchen staple won’t provide the same spicy punch as fresh garlic, especially the longer you’ve kept it, but it’s brimming with its own brand of garlicky goodness. Garlic powder mimics the chill, reigned-in flavor of cooked garlic without the need for any cooking at all.

Not only can you add garlic powder any time in the prepping or cooking process, it also disperses more easily across a surface (such as on a steak) or throughout a dish (like in a sauce). It also doesn’t take much of it to sub for fresh. Consider one clove equal to ½ teaspoon of powder.

With garlic salt in your spice cabinet, you’ve got a passable substitute for fresh garlic. This seasoning blend contains exactly what it sounds like: Garlic powder and salt in a 1:3 ratio (with parsley sometimes included). When swapping garlic salt out for fresh garlic, replace one clove of garlic with ¾ teaspoon of garlic salt. It’s also important to reduce the other salt you’ll use in the dish by at least ½ teaspoon to keep things balanced. Taste-test as you go to make sure your ratios are right — this is always important in cooking but especially so in this case.

Garlic salt is great in any dish or snack where you might add fresh garlic and salt individually — stir-fries, seared meats, dips, or anything involving potatoes. It’s not great as a garlic sub in cases where fresh, quality garlic is a key ingredient, such as aglio e olio.

Besides convenience or flavor preferences, trouble digesting alliums is another common reason people search for fresh garlic substitutes. Alliums like garlic are high in a type of carbohydrate called fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs). For some people, high-FODMAP foods cause significant stomach pain, bloating, and gas, making garlic — or any preparation including some form of it, like garlic powder — off-limits. If you love garlic but can’t eat FODMAPs, garlic oil is your answer.

Garlic oil is made by infusing oil with the flavor from garlic cloves by cooking them together and then letting them rest. Despite being filled with garlicky flavor, it’s typically low-FODMAP after the solids have been strained out. It’s the fructans — a kind of oligosaccharide — in garlic that make it such a digestive troublemaker, and fructans, not being fat soluble, can’t disperse into oil the way they can into water. For sub ratios, try one teaspoon of garlic oil for every garlic clove.

If you don’t already have dried garlic flakes in your kitchen, they may not be worth a supermarket trip. But if you do possess a jar of these dehydrated minced garlic flakes, you may have a decent substitute for fresh garlic in certain situations.

Garlic flakes are great for garnishing foods like pizza, sushi, or savory breads; you’ll also find them in everything bagel seasoning. They give a nice gentle crunch and a pop of garlic flavor, though less complex than fresh. 

You can rehydrate them in hot water for about 10 minutes before starting cooking, or let them rehydrate when cooked in liquids such as stews; slow-cooking in particular softens them up and effectively distributes their flavor. For a general substitution guideline, replace one garlic clove with ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes.

Granulated garlic is often compared to garlic powder, but the two have their differences. On the textural spectrum, granulated garlic falls in the middle, between garlic flakes (the largest) and garlic powder (the finest). It works as well as powder for a fresh garlic substitute as long as you keep in mind their differences in intensity: With its larger granules, granulated garlic packs less flavor than garlic powder since less surface area is exposed to oxygen, releasing fewer flavor compounds. Aim for ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic for each fresh clove being replaced.

Granulated garlic won’t work as well as fresh in recipes where the consistency and moisture of garlic are key, as in pesto or garlic confit. However, granulated garlic disperses flavor better through slow-cooked liquids and can be sprinkled over savory foods, adding a garlicky note without an overwhelming bite.

A jar of minced garlic offers undeniable convenience and saves busy cooks precious minutes, but it’s a bit contentious among garlic-purist foodies. Yes, jarred garlic lacks the vibrancy of its freshly minced counterpart, and some people find it to have an unpleasant pickled aftertaste, possibly due to the citric or phosphoric acids used as stabilizers. But it does provide a consistently predictable garlic flavor that’s often sufficient for a dish you aren’t pouring your heart and soul into. It also has a longer shelf life than fresh garlic, making it an indispensable stock-up item for those moments when fresh garlic isn’t available.

For recipes where fresh garlic’s robust flavor is crucial, like pesto or garlic bread, jarred garlic may disappoint. But for stews, sauces, and other dishes where garlic plays a supporting role, it’s a perfectly acceptable and convenient substitute. Generally, use about ½ teaspoon of jarred minced garlic for every fresh clove called for in a recipe.