Enjoy bold garlic flavor without the peeling or chopping. This canning minced garlic in water recipe makes it easy to keep ready-to-use garlic on your pantry shelf. Using a pressure canner, you’ll safely preserve garlic cloves in water while locking in pungency, flavor, and convenience for soups, sauces, stir-fries, and more. Perfect for home cooks who love easy canning recipes and want to cut meal prep time.

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By Diane Devereaux | The Canning Diva® 
Last updated: August 30, 2025

Preserving Pungency: A Guide to Home Canning Minced Garlic

Garlic has been treasured for millennia, both for its culinary punch and its health benefits. By learning how to can minced garlic safely at home, you’ll always have this essential ingredient prepped, ready, and shelf-stable. Whether you’re building quick weeknight meals or stocking an emergency pantry, canned garlic is a powerful shortcut in your cooking routine.

A Brief History of Garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum) is one of the oldest cultivated crops in human history, with origins tracing back over 5,000 years to Central Asia. The ancient Egyptians revered it for both flavor and medicinal use, even placing bulbs in tombs like King Tutankhamun’s. Garlic spread through trade routes into Europe, India, and eventually the Americas, becoming a staple in cultural cuisines across the globe.

Today, garlic is more than just an ancient crop—it’s a cornerstone of modern kitchens. From gourmet restaurants to weeknight family dinners, its bold flavor shows up in cuisines across the globe. In fact, garlic consumption has risen dramatically in recent decades as home cooks embrace its versatility and health benefits. That’s why I included garlic-forward recipes in my cookbook Meals in a Jar—because having ready-to-use garlic on your pantry shelf makes it easier to create flavorful, time-saving meals without sacrificing quality.

Nutritional Benefits of Garlic

Garlic isn’t just prized for flavor—it’s also a nutritional powerhouse. The compound allicin, released when garlic is chopped or crushed, has been linked to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Regular garlic consumption may help support heart health by promoting healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It’s also thought to boost immune function, making it a go-to ingredient during cold and flu season. Beyond these benefits, garlic provides essential nutrients like manganese, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and selenium, making it a small but mighty addition to your diet.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), numerous studies highlight garlic’s role in supporting cardiovascular health, immune defense, and overall wellness.

Once pressure canned, minced garlic becomes an easy and safe flavor boost for countless recipes. Add it to stir-fries, soups, sauces, dressings, and marinades with no need for chopping or peeling. A teaspoon can be sautéed with butter for an instant aromatic base, or stirred into rice, beans, or pasta. Because it’s preserved in water, the garlic retains its pungency.

How to Easily Peel Garlic

Peeling garlic doesn’t have to be tedious. The easiest way is to break apart the bulb, place the cloves under the flat side of a chef’s knife, and give a quick, gentle smash. This loosens the skins instantly, making peeling a breeze. For a visual demonstration, you can check out Saveur Test Kitchen peeling tip on YouTube, which shows just how simple it can be to prep garlic for canning in bulk.

Canning Minced Garlic in Water Recipe

This canning minced garlic in water recipe gives you jars of pre-minced garlic ready to use in everyday cooking. Pressure canning locks in garlic’s pungent flavor without oils, making it a safe, shelf-stable pantry staple. Perfect for soups, sauces, stir-fries, and quick meal prep. Once a jar is opened, be sure to store it in the refrigerator until consumed.

Yield: About 7 half-pints
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Processing Time: 45 minutes (half-pints)

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 cups peeled garlic cloves (about 2 to 2.5 pounds whole heads)
• Optional: Pickling salt (¼ teaspoon per half-pint jar)

Instructions

1. Prep the Garlic by peeling garlic cloves and mince them finely using a food processor or sharp knife. Set aside.
2. Wash half-pint jars, lids, and bands in warm, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly. Keep jars warm until ready to use.
3. Bring a pot of clean water to a boil. This will be used to fill the jars over the minced garlic. Using a funnel, pack the minced garlic loosely into each hot jar, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add optional ¼ teaspoon pickling salt per jar if desired.
4. Pour boiling water into each jar, maintaining the 1-inch headspace.
5. Wipe jar rims with a washcloth dipped in vinegar. Apply lids and screw bands and hand tighten.
6. Place jars in a pressure canner with the recommended amount of water.  Process half-pints for 45 minutes at 10 PSI or according to your elevation and canner type. If processing in pints, process for 50 minutes and 55 minutes for quarts.
7. Allow canner to return to zero pressure naturally. Remove canner lid and allow jars to rest for 10 minutes before removing them to cool.

Pressure canning garlic at home gives you instant access to one of the most useful and delicious kitchen staples. You’ll save time on prep and always have rich flavor on hand, ready to add depth to any dish.

Pro Tip: Use a stainless steel blade when processing garlic and avoid aluminum pots when heating or storing garlic. Garlic can react with some metals and cause off-colors or flavors.

Canning Minced Garlic in Water

Recipe by The Canning Diva

5.0 from 1 vote

Servings

7 half-pints

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

This canning minced garlic in water recipe gives you jars of pre-minced garlic ready to use in everyday cooking. Pressure canning locks in garlic’s pungent flavor without oils, making it a safe, shelf-stable pantry staple. Perfect for soups, sauces, stir-fries, and quick meal prep.

Ingredients

US Metric

• 3 3 to 4 cups peeled garlic cloves (about 2 to 2.5 pounds whole heads)

• Optional: Pickling salt (¼ teaspoon per half-pint jar)

Instructions

• Prep the Garlic by peeling garlic cloves and mince them finely using a food processor or sharp knife. Set aside.
• Wash half-pint jars, lids, and bands in warm, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly. Keep jars warm until ready to use.
• Bring a pot of clean water to a boil. This will be used to fill the jars over the minced garlic. Using a funnel, pack the minced garlic loosely into each hot jar, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add optional ¼ teaspoon pickling salt per jar if desired.
• Pour boiling water into each jar, maintaining the 1-inch headspace.
• Wipe jar rims with a washcloth dipped in vinegar. Apply lids and screw bands and hand tighten.
• Place jars in a pressure canner with the recommended amount of water.  Process half-pints for 45 minutes at 10 PSI or according to your elevation and canner type. If processing in pints, process for 50 minutes and 55 minutes for quarts.
• Allow canner to return to zero pressure naturally. Remove canner lid and allow jars to rest for 10 minutes before removing them to cool.

Notes

• Pro Tip: Use a stainless steel blade when processing garlic and avoid aluminum pots when heating or storing garlic. Garlic can react with some metals and cause off-colors or flavors.

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About the Author:
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, is an internationally recognized food preservation expert, author, and educator with over 30 years of home canning experience. She’s the author of multiple top-selling canning books and teaches workshops across the U.S. Learn more at TheCanningDiva.com.

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