Garlic Salt
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This incredibly versatile garlic salt spice blend adds a world of flavor to any dish! It's super simple to make and you'll quickly find yourself adding it to everything!
Also, whip up a batch of your very own celery salt and chipotle sea salt.
Have you ever cooked a dish or meal and just knew it needed a little somethin' somethin'?
Your forever-more answer will be this homemade garlic salt. It's 3 parts sea salt to 1 part garlic granules, and it adds the perfect seasoning to any savory meal. It takes 5 minutes to make and will last for 6 months (maybe less since this will be your new go-to spice blend!).
What is garlic salt?
First things first: What is garlic salt?
Great question! Garlic salt is a blend of salt, usually sea salt, and garlic granules or garlic powder in a 3:1 ratio. This means there's 3 parts salt to 1 part garlic.
Because this blend skews to the more salty side than garlic-y, it's best to use garlic salt in recipes where you have a measured amount of salt (not garlic). For example, if you're making a pasta sauce and it calls for 1 teaspoon of salt, you can add 1 teaspoon of garlic salt to get the added flavor boost from the garlic-salt combo opposed to just plain salt.
Garlic salt is great for sprinkling on dishes where you might add a pinch of salt on top, like salads, eggs, or a sandwich. Or, you can use it in place of regular salt when making meals to get the bonus garlic flavor in there.
Is garlic salt good for you?
In one sense garlic salt could be considered better for you than straight salt. This is because by adding garlic salt instead of table salt to a dish, you're actually reducing the overall amount of salt used. Some of that salt content will be replaced with garlic.
Keep in mind that garlic salt still contains salt. So if you have high blood pressure or are avoiding salt for any reason, garlic salt is not your answer for seasoning.
How to use garlic salt
There are lots of ways to use garlic salt since it can essentially be used as a flavored-up version of regular salt! Here are some examples of how to put your homemade garlic salt to good use:
- Use it in dry rubs and marinades
- Sprinkled on top of veggies, avocado toast, popcorn, or fries
- Used to season meat dishes like grilled chicken, fish, shrimp, or beef
- Incorporate it into salad dressings and dips
How to make garlic salt
It couldn't be any easier to make garlic salt. So easy, in fact, you'll be wondering why you haven't done this sooner! Here's a rundown:
- Combine the spices: Add the salt and garlic granules to a bowl and mix until combined.
- Transfer: From the bowl, pour your garlic salt into an airtight container, shaker, or spice jar so you can start adding a whole bunch of flavor to your meals!
Variations to try
Here are some additional ways to make your meals sing by making and using your own spice blends.
- Pepper: Adding pepper to your garlic salt blend will add a peppery, woody flavor. It's also commonly referred to as SPG or salt pepper garlic. In this case, you would add equal parts of all three spices.
- Onion powder: Sharp and sweet, including onion powder in your garlic salt blend will be great for savory dishes! To turn this combo into an All Purpose Seasoning blend, use the sea salt, garlic granules, onion powder + paprika and pepper. Use half the black pepper and onion powder as you do paprika, garlic, and salt.
- Lemon or lime zest: Adding citrus zest to your spice blend adds a nice zip of flavor. You'll need to peel a number of lemons/limes and then dry them in order to do this. This is often called lemon garlic salt or lime garlic salt. Check out our recipe for lemon pepper seasoning to learn how to dry citrus peels.
Garlic granules vs garlic powder
The difference between garlic granules and garlic powder comes down to size. Granules are larger dried garlic flakes, whereas garlic powder is much finer.
When considering using garlic granules or garlic powder in a spice blend, granules are your top choice. The reason for this is that the texture of the granules will mix more consistently and evenly with the other spices than the finer garlic powder.
How to prevent garlic salt from caking?
Garlic salt will clump or cake when exposed to moisture or heat, sometimes forming a hard-as-a-rock block of spices. To prevent this from happening you should store your spice blend in an airtight container, in a cool, dark place. Be mindful when leaving the spice blend near any hot elements or on the counter in the sun.
If you live in a humid environment (like we do in the Pacific Northwest), adding a food-safe silica packet to your garlic salt container works wonderfully. We save them anytime we open a package and find one inside so we always have a few on hand and add them to garlic and onion powder jars to prevent clumping.
To unclump your garlic salt, you can stick it in a food processor or blender, or try using your microplane to finely shave it.
What's the best garlic salt ratio?
Garlic salt follows a 3:1 ratio of salt to garlic. This means it's more salty than garlic-y.
This recipe makes a Ā½ cup of garlic salt. If you would like more or less all you need to do is scale the spices up or down, maintaining the 3:1 ratio.
For example, if you want to make a smaller amount, like Ā¼ cup, you will use 3 tablespoons of sea salt and 1 tablespoon of garlic granules.
On the other hand, if you'd like to make 1 cup of garlic salt you will mix 12 tablespoons (or Ā¾ cups) of sea salt and 4 tablespoons of garlic granules.
Recipe FAQs
What kind of salt should I use?
We recommend using fine sea salt.
Can I use garlic powder instead of garlic granules?
You can use garlic powder instead of granules, however, it may not blend as evenly.
Is garlic salt the same as garlic powder?
Garlic salt and garlic powder are two different things. Garlic powder is dried and finely ground garlic, whereas garlic salt is 3 parts salt and 1 part garlic.
Can I use garlic salt in place of garlic powder?
It's not recommended to replace garlic salt with garlic powder in any recipe you may be following. Garlic salt has more salt than garlic in it. If you replace garlic powder with garlic salt, expect the dish to be saltier than if you simply used powdered garlic.
Do I need to use salt if I use garlic salt?
No, you don't need to add any more salt if you have replaced the salt content with garlic salt.
Can garlic salt go bad?
It can clump or cake if exposed to moisture or heat. Any kind of moisture can lead to mold. That said, if stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, it should last for 6+ months.
Garlic Salt Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic granules
Instructions
- Add the sea salt and garlic granules to a small bowl.6 tablespoons sea salt, 2 tablespoons garlic granules
- Stir until it is well combined.
- Transfer the garlic salt to a jar and either use it right away or store it in your pantry.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our spice blends!
