Blogging by popular demand (or so I’d like to think): I made garlic powder and onion powder! Oh yes I did! Am I the only one who didn’t realize just how easy and inexpensive it is to make this stuff?
Probably.
It started when I wanted to make my own taco seasoning, which called for both these ingredients. And what’s the point of growing all these herbs and veggies but still buying their powders? Google is a good friend, I tell ya. I come up with a question and it provides me an answer every time.
The most obvious benefits to making homemade garlic or onion powder is the cost: With onions or garlic purchased from the farmer’s market I’m paying about half the price I would pay for powder at Trader Joe’s. And if I ever manage to get my own garlic and onions to grow, even less. 
Also, the flavor is so much stronger than store-bought powders, so I use a bit less. And on top of that, there are no additives like “Anti-caking agents”, whatever those may be. And drying can be done numerous ways, from free to next to nothing. Dried garlic is obviously not as preferred as fresh, but it comes in handy.
Want to know how to make your own garlic or onion powder? Here’s how I made mine:
1. First, I put my onion in the freezer while I pealed and sliced each clove of the garlic into thin, flat strips. Unless you like a good tear duct cleansing, popping your onion in the freezer for 10 minutes or so will minimize the release of sulfuric acid. It has no affect or benefit on the drying process, it’s simply to avoid sobbing while slicing. With the onions I peeled and sliced them into thin rings. I placed the garlic on the fruit roll tray in my dehydrator so they wouldn’t fall through the trays; the rings of onion went on the regular racks.
Sliced garlic: I didn’t slice it all thin enough so some of them much longer to dry.
2. Next I stuck them all in a food dehydrator at 130 degrees until they were dry and brittle – about 2-3 hours for those I had sliced thin enough; longer for those I didn’t. Air drying is another option; it can take days to weeks so protecting them may be necessary. You can also use your oven, set to 150 degrees for 1-2 hours, making sure to flip them occasionally. They may brown a bit more and it may decrease the flavor, or at least that’s what I hear. One last thing to remember: The food dehydrator and the oven create a bit of Tuscan ambiance with the garlic throughout the house, so if you want to decrease smelling like you have a fear of vampires, air dry them. (I really want this air dryer!)
Sliced onions: again, I could have sliced these thinner too.
3. To check that they were fully dry I tried to crumble a bit between my fingers. When ready, I ground the dried garlic in a mortar and pestle and stored it in the old spice jars I had kept. I did the same with the onions. You can also grind them in a food processor or store the slices to use as is. You can store them in baggies, Tupperware, a canning jar, whatever. It supposedly keeps for up to a year once completely dried (although I can’t see us ever testing that theory) and possibly longer in the freezer. If you save the slices as is, you can reconstitute them in water if called for.
Grinding the onions in the mortar and pestle.
4. One regular sized garlic made about 2-3 tsp of garlic powder and one average sized yellow onion created about the same. Next time I plan to do several cloves of garlic at once, so I’m not doing this as often. I’m also going to look into sewing one of those air dryers using a thin muslin. (Wish me luck on that one.)
Cool no?
My name is Tara. I am a mama and a lover, a full-time nomad, a passionate devourer of Life and an Organic Life Coach.
this is so cool!
as crunchy as I am, I hadn’t thought of this (I have done onions tho not ground them).
You’d probably use less than the store bought stuff, and you don’t have all that extra salt either.
Now THAT is cool! Do you mind if I post a link to your post on my website?
Nadia, link away!
Andrea, I know! It was a total “Duh!” moment when I realized how easy it was. And yes, I don’t think I need as much as store-bought. But being the garlic lovers we are, that doesn’t seem to stop us.
I have always wanted to make my own, but I worried that it would permanently impart a garlic flavor/odor to my dehydrator. After yours aired out, do you think it’s still okay to make fruit-leather and apple rings?
Angela, I never thought of that. No, I don’t notice any odor on any of my trays. I’d imagine if the plastic is older or has any scratches it may soak up more odor/flavor. Soaking and/or cleaning the trays with baking soda should probably help reduce the odds too.
Oh for goodness sakes. That’s so easy! lol Why had it never occured to me? Thanks so much for sharing. And thanks for the reminder to slice really thin.
Hi Tara, thanks for stopping by. I love my dehydrator, but I have to admit, I never made any powders. Great idea! In my small garden I would get the most out of my garlic by making the powder. The flavor intensifies when dried and you don’t have to use as much as fresh.
Great tip!
Crikey, that looks really easy! Having a “duh, why didn’t I ever think of that” moment here! I use those types of powders all the time too..
Love it, love it, love it! While I’ve been making my own onion and garlic powder for a while, I never knew the trick about chilling the onion to reduce the tear factor! Thank you!
Thanks also for visiting my blog… and count me among your fans!
- Leia (TennZen)
And you got excited about graham crackers! Cool stuff–must try it later in the season.
Thought I would stop in again it’s been awhile since I was here and see what you are up to. WOW do I love this idea, I have been blogging about basic ingredients too on my blog. This is one of those that you smack your forehead and say why didn’t I think of that.
Thank you so much for sharing this idea. Do you think a blender or food processor would work too.
Have you tried this with other dried veggies, I found it a great way to sneak some into our meals and use a thickner too. Summer squash and zuch. are the ones I have tried so far.
Thanks again!
Karyn
Karyn, I think a food processor would work if it’s a good one. Mine’s not that good.
The dried veggie thing is an interesting idea. It holds more flavor when it’s dried though, no? Could you not taste it?
Good idea… as long as you can grow the garlic / onions or get them for free. Even better if you sun/air dry them.
I do not think, however, that this is an overly cost effective alternative if you are buying the onions/garlic and/or are paying for power to run the dehydrator. A 3 LB bag of onions is about .99c – 2 dollars where I live, depending on the time of year, more if organic (a buck more or so). If a medium onion (4 oz) makes 2-3 tsp or =<1 TBSP, this 3 pound bag will make =<12 TBSP. A pre-dried bag of onion powder goes for $1.49-$2.00 and yields a good 7-8 TBSPs, I think. Factoring in the price of running the electricity and the wear on the dehydrator makes me think Growing-Your-Own and sun-drying is the most eco and wallet friendly way.
At $2/3-lb bag + $0.10/kilowatt(incl delivery fees)/hr + wear = $3-$4… to make? No savings there me thinks.
You make a very valid point. In regards to frugality, it comes down to local costs for the consumer. Our powders cost much more than doing it myself.
.
But in other regards, I save more energy making my own than is used in massive facilities and shipping the extra weight of the containers (I can reuse my container). So it’s as much sustainablility as it is frugality.
.
Sun-drying (unless you’re off grid with solar) is certainly the best way but may not be possible in high humidity areas.
.
All factors to weigh in making the right decision for your wallet and the environment.
This is exactly what I do with my dehydrator, too! I love it, no SALT! I love being able to make the most of my onions and garlic. I have even been experimenting with dried celery making celery powder. I plan on making some and giving it to my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law when I see them in 3 weeks. They live out of town! Great tutorial!
Thanks very much for some great ideas! I am currently trying to find a means of being both frugal and experimental whilst maintaining my concentration for my nutritional studies. I am going to make some vegetarian sausages containing homemade dehydrated veg! Cheers.
Good for you! Don’t you just love the way people are all on the same wavelength on Google? hehe. I put together a chicken-like soup combo of organic dried herbs and onions/garlic based on a vegan recipe I have for the same. I have a friend with cancer and I am handing her off stuff like this because I can really bulk it up with the ORGANIC herbs that I know really pack an immune-building punch (like said onions, garlic and like parsley). I tried it tonight and it makes quite a pleasant hot drink (I added just a drip of stevia to sweeten it up a tad). Smells like chicken soup. Recipe is posted here–>http://sweteraw.blogspot.com/2010/06/organic-vegan-chicken-like-soup-powder.html
Had to laugh at all the comments “had an ah ha moment” I had my “ah ha” moment regarding powdered sugar. Place sugar in grinder (coffee) or blender and blend until powdered. Can’t wait to try the garlic and onions.
I’ve been making garlic powder and garlic/salt/pepper powder for years but I do come across the problem of clumping and the garlic becoming a massive lump of no-shake-ability. It could be that it takes us to long to use it? I usually make 5 or 6 shakers worth at a time and I think the garlic powder alone is worth than when mixed with salt. Has anyone else come across this problem and come up with a way to fix it?
oops, I meant I think the garlic powder alone is worst than when mixed with salt…
This is a great idea. My problem with store bought garlic is that most of it is from China and the way it is dried imparts lead into it. Regrettably, garlic powder is recommended as a way to decrease lead blood levels and garlic that has lead in it is obviously counter productive. I will be making my own garlic powder from now on. Thank you!
From an article at Jim Prevor’s blog: Fresh garlic isn’t the only form of the vegetable causing concern. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service says dehydrated Chinese garlic imports increased 384 percent in the past 10 years. Layous and others cite a 2002 report by the now-defunct Americans for Wholesome Food, a coalition of businesses and organizations dedicated to educating consumers on domestic and imported garlic powder. The AWF’s report, based on independent lab tests, found “high levels of lead, arsenic and added sulfites in two supermarket-brand imported garlic powders from store shelves.”
Just an fyi tip when making garlic powder and onion powders. Instead of slicing, run them through the food processor first. Then dehydrate, next grind. When I make these powders the time in the dehydrator is greatly reduced. I dehydrate at 115 for around 12 hours. Of course you could up the temp and reduce the time. However I’m looking to preserve the nutrients and enzymes.
Very cool, yes! Thanks for the outstanding tutorial and thanks to the folks with the great suggestions in the comments.
This sounds great! Now that I have very gratefully harvested this year’s garlic, a bumper crop I might add, can I use last year’s garlics to dehydrate and grind…they a bit on the soft and shrively side?
Great website, by the way…I too an the “organic sister” of the family…just ask my out-of-box eatin’ city sister!
Hi I use an old sheer curtain to that I sewed a rolled hem on to strain cheese and I would imagine it would work instead of muslin to make a hanging dryer. It is machine wash and dry, folds flat and I have used the same curtain that I cut up for a year now. I don’t know if this helps,