Pickled Garlic
Pickled garlic is a simple way to preserve garlic at home, and it's a tasty snack right out of the jar. It can also be used in place of fresh garlic in all manner of recipes as well.
Servings: 24 servings (3 pints)
Equipment
Ingredients
Basic Pickled Garlic
- 6 cups peeled garlic cloves from 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 lbs unpeeled garlic
- 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup dry white wine or water
- 1 Tbsp canning salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp whole mustard seed optional (3 tsp, one tsp added to each pint jar)
Spicy Pickled Garlic
- 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup dry white wine or water
- 1 Tbsp canning salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1– 2 Tbsp red pepper flakes 3 to 6 tsp, or 1-2 tsp added to each pint jar
- 1 Tbsp black peppercorns 3 tsp, one tsp added to each pint jar
Sweet Pickled Garlic
- 6 cups peeled garlic cloves
- 3 cups white distilled vinegar 5% acidity
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon canning salt
- 1 Tbsp pickling spices optional, 1 tsp to each pint jar
Instructions
- The process for making pickled garlic is the same regardless of the recipe you choose. Canning is optional, and refrigerator pickled garlic keeps for quite a long time as well.
- Wash and prepare either 3-pint jars or 6 half-pint jars. Add dry spices to the bottom of each jar (using half as much for half-pint jars).
- Make a brine by heating vinegar, water/wine, sugar, and salt to boiling.
- Add peeled garlic cloves and boil for 1-minute.
- Use a slotted spoon to scoop hot garlic out of the brine and pack it into the prepared canning jars on top of the dry spices. Be sure to leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Pour the boiling brine over the garlic, still maintaining ½ inch headspace.
- For refrigerator pickled garlic, cap the jars, and you’re done here. Just let the jars cool on the counter before storing them in the refrigerator.
CANNING PICKLED GARLIC
- If canning, make sure you remove bubbles and adjust the headspace after pouring the brine over the garlic.
- Wipe jar rims and seal with 2 part canning lids before processing in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. After processing, turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the canning water for 5 more minutes before removing them to cool on a towel on the counter. (That extra 5 minutes helps prevent liquid loss from siphoning, which can happen if the jars change temperature too rapidly. Allowing them to cool slightly in the canning water before removing them helps prevent this.)
Notes
For a safe pickle, the brine liquid must be at least 50% vinegar that's standardized to 5% acidity. Using more vinegar is fine, but do not reduce the vinegar below 50% of the total liquid.
Spices, salt, and sugar are for flavor and are not for preservation in these pickled garlic recipes. Feel free to adjust to your tastes.
Nutrition
Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg