Cloves To Minced Garlic Conversion

Working on a recipe and need to know cloves to minced garlic conversion, or vice versa - it's all here, plus additional garlic substitutes. Did you know ½ teaspoon of minced garlic equals 1 garlic clove?

This simple yet crucial conversion ensures that you can seamlessly substitute fresh garlic with its minced version, maintaining the right balance of flavor in your recipes.

Jump to:

• Swap Fresh for Jarred Garlic with Ease
• How Many Cloves of Garlic Equal a Teaspoon?
• Quick Garlic Conversion Table
• Conversion Table Cloves to Minced Garlic
• Is Chopped Garlic the same as Minced Garlic?
• Why Does it Matter if Garlic is Minced or Chopped?
• Garlic Paste vs Minced Garlic
• Garlic Cloves to Tablespoon
• Garlic Powder and Garlic Salt Conversions
• What is granulated garlic, garlic flakes, and garlic juice?
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments & Reviews

Swap Fresh for Jarred Garlic with Ease

Garlic is one of the most used ingredients in cooking. It can be the difference between a perfectly flavored dish and an underwhelming bland dish.

However, as popular and beloved garlic is in the kitchen, it can be tricky to figure out exactly how much to use.

How Many Cloves of Garlic Equal a Teaspoon?

One recipe may call for a clove of garlic, while another recipe calls for a teaspoon of chopped garlic. Another recipe may ask for a teaspoon of garlic powder, while another one asks for 2 teaspoons of minced garlic.

Cloves, chopped, minced, powder. What does it all mean? More importantly, how do you correctly convert everything from that big bulb of garlic you grabbed at the store into varying teaspoon measurements?

Use the garlic conversion chart below! Using this chart, you will quickly know how much garlic and what form of garlic to use in any recipe.

Don’t stop at the chart, though. Keep reading to understand why these conversions are so important to follow.

Quick Garlic Conversion Table

Here is a handy quick reference for the many garlic products you can use when a clove (or cloves) of fresh garlic is needed.

Garlic Form	Quantity for 1 Clove	Notes
Freshly Chopped Garlic	1 teaspoon
Store-Bought Minced Garlic	½ teaspoon
Garlic Paste	½ teaspoon
Crushed Garlic	½ teaspoon
Garlic Powder	⅛ teaspoon
Garlic Salt	½ teaspoon	Adds ⅜ teaspoon salt. Adjust additional salt in recipe accordingly.
Granulated Garlic	¼ teaspoon
Garlic Juice	½ teaspoon
Garlic Flakes (Dried)	½ teaspoon

Conversion Table Cloves to Minced Garlic

Clove Quantity	Yields
1 Medium Clove	1 teaspoon chopped garlic or ½ teaspoon minced garlic
3-4 Medium Cloves	1 tablespoon chopped garlic or ½ tablespoon minced garlic

Save this conversion chart to quickly reference anytime you are cooking, but don’t close your tab just yet! Quickly review the following notes for how to best use each garlic form.

Due to garlic’s strong flavor, these notes will help you make the best choice for all your garlic conversions in the future.

Is Chopped Garlic the same as Minced Garlic?

The difference between minced garlic and chopped garlic is small. However, this small difference can make a huge difference in your recipe.

In fact, not paying attention to if the garlic is meant to be chopped or minced can ruin a recipe.

Chopped garlic results in larger pieces of garlic. This can be large chunks, slices, or roughly diced pieces.

When you peel and cut a clove of garlic at home, you usually end up with chopped garlic. Chopped garlic pieces can still be seen when added to a recipe.

In contrast, minced garlic is finely chopped, sometimes to the point that it resembles a paste. The garlic you buy in a jar at the store is usually minced.

You can also mince garlic at home by finely chopping it so it is difficult to see individual pieces.

Why Does it Matter if Garlic is Minced or Chopped?

Minced garlic will provide a more pungent flavor to your dish. This is a result of two things. The first is that more flavor is released from the “juice” of the garlic when it is finely chopped. The second is because there are so many small pieces of garlic that they end up being distributed throughout the dish.

Therefore, if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic and you use 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, your dish will likely have a stronger and more intense garlic taste.

Sometimes, minced garlic from a jar is not as strong as freshly minced garlic. In this case, you may need to add more garlic to get the desired taste.

However, always begin with the suggested conversions first. You can always add more if needed.

Garlic Paste vs Minced Garlic

Garlic paste is gaining popularity as a store-bought version of ready-to-use garlic. It is basically crushed garlic made into a paste rather than chopped.

Most garlic paste is available in tubes that can be found in the produce section of your local grocery store. It is a great substitute for minced garlic since the conversion is the same.

Another ready-to-use form of garlic popping up in stores is garlic cubes. These are sold in the freezer section in stores like Trader Joe’s.

They are just cubes of minced garlic that have been pressed into cubes and frozen. If using these, read the conversion chart provided on the package for the best conversion rate.

Garlic Cloves to Tablespoon

What if a recipe calls for a tablespoon of chopped or minced garlic instead of a teaspoon? Use these conversions to help you convert larger quantities of garlic.

The standard teaspoon to Tablespoon conversion for any ingredient is 3 teaspoons = 1 Tablespoon. Therefore, if 1 garlic clove = 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic, then 3 garlic cloves = 1 Tablespoon of chopped garlic.

While the conversion rate for 1 clove of chopped garlic and minced garlic is different in smaller quantities, I suggest using the same conversion rate for both chopped and minced garlic when measuring in tablespoons.

Remember that minced garlic is MORE pungent than chopped garlic. As a result, when using large quantities of garlic, the flavor can quickly enhance and overpower a recipe.

Therefore, even though the standard conversion would be to use 6 cloves of garlic for 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, start with the conversions above 3 garlic cloves for 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.

You can always add more if needed, but once the garlic has been added to a dish, it is difficult to reduce the taste. It’s best to start with less and add more, a ½ teaspoon at a time if needed.

Garlic Powder and Garlic Salt Conversions

Garlic powder or garlic salt are popular ingredients in many recipes. In fact, many recipes will call for these instead of fresh garlic.

However, if a recipe does call for fresh garlic and you don’t have any on hand you can use the conversions provided above.

Garlic powder is made from dehydrated garlic that has been ground to a powder. It is a more concentrated flavor, so you only use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder for each fresh garlic clove.

Garlic salt is granulated (dehydrated garlic) and mixed with salt. Garlic salt adds extra salt to your recipe, so if you are substituting garlic salt for fresh garlic, be mindful that you don’t over-salt the dish.

I recommend leaving out any additional salt the recipe calls for until after adding the garlic salt and testing the taste. *Plus, let your dish cook so that the flavors can 'meld' before enhancing or adjusting seasoning.

What if you do have fresh garlic on hand, but the recipe calls for garlic powder? Use this conversion for swapping garlic powder for fresh garlic: 1 Tablespoon (or 3 teaspoons) of minced garlic = ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder.

In other words, you can use 1 garlic clove (of chopped garlic) for each ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder that a recipe may require.

What is granulated garlic, garlic flakes, and garlic juice?

Granulated garlic, garlic flakes, and garlic juice are probably the least familiar forms of garlic. However, all three of these forms can be used in place of fresh garlic.

Granulated garlic is similar to garlic powder. It is made from dehydrated garlic that has been processed and crushed. Imagine a consistency like salt.

Since it is not as finely ground as garlic powder, it is less concentrated; therefore, you are able to use more of it.

Garlic flakes are slices of garlic that are dried. They have not been ground into a powder form.

These would be more widely used in a dish that calls for chopped garlic rather than minced since it will result in large pieces of garlic in the dish.

Garlic juice is a real thing. It is the juice that is released from garlic when it is pressed. When you crush or mince garlic at home, you will notice this juice that is released. Garlic juice is not widely sold or used, but it can be found if needed.

Whether your recipe calls for a clove of fresh garlic or a ½ teaspoon of garlic juice, the conversion chart above will help you get the perfect taste in your recipes using whatever form of garlic you have on hand.

Remember that with any form of garlic, it’s best to start with less and add more as needed!

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