Learn how to make lacto fermented garlic that is an easy and delicious way to add probiotics to your diet. Follow me as I take you step-by-step to make this delicious and easy recipe.
My love for garlic runs deep. You will frequently see me adding a whole head of roasted garlic to soup, or pan frying it with some pork chops.
Here’s the thing: fermented foods are also a passion of mine. See where I’m going with this?
Fermented garlic almost tastes like the combination of raw garlic and roasted garlic. Fermenting mellows out the strong flavors and makes it oh-so-delicious.
No meal is complete in our house without some type of fermented food (like some pickles, sauerkraut, or salsa), and adding this garlic recipe makes it that much easier.
You can use fermented garlic as you would pickled garlic: in soups, salads, stir frys, salad dressings, dips, marinades, and more. The possibilities are endless.
It is a great way to sneak in some healthy probiotics into a recipe you would normally use garlic in anyhow. Just be careful to not heat it up too much, killing the good bacteria.
Is fermented garlic good for you?
Yes. Regular garlic is a nutrient-dense food, with B vitamins, antioxidants, vitamin C, selenium, manganese, and more. It has also been shown to have natural antiviral and antibacterial properties.
During the fermentation process, the good bacteria (lactobacillus) that is already present on the garlic grows with a little time, while the salt from the brine inhibits the bad bacteria.
This process allows the nutrients already naturally present in garlic to become more bio-available to you during digestion, and also has the added benefit of probiotics.
Probiotics can aid in gut health, which has been shown to help your immune system, decrease inflammation, and can help decrease the incidence of certain diseases, like heart disease. (source).
How long does fermented garlic last?
It will last up to a year in the refrigerator.
Always look for any signs of mold, and be sure that there is an even color throughout and it still looks edible. It is normal for fermented garlic to change color.
Smell it to make sure it still smells right, and doesn’t have an off or bad smell. Check to make sure the texture is still good, and not mushy. You can always taste it to make sure it tastes good.
Tips For Making Lacto-Fermented Garlic
- After the garlic has been fermenting for about 3 weeks, give it a taste to see if it’s where you like it. If not, then leave it for another week or two.
- Add dried herbs, like basil, thyme, oregano, or parsley to the brine to add some delicious flavors.
- Use fermented garlic in any recipe that calls for raw garlic. Avoid heating it because it will kill the good bacteria.
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Tools you may need:
Liquid measuring cup
Glass fermenting weight (optional as garlic doesn’t tend to float, and stays under the brine well.)
Ingredients:
- Peeled garlic: Usually I peel garlic by cutting off the top and then peeling each clove with my hands.
- You can also pull the cloves from the head and place them in a mason jar with a tight lid. Shake for about 20-30 seconds and the peels will just comes off.
- Water: choose non-chlorinated water. I use water from my Berkey water filter
- Salt
- Herbs (optional)
How To Make Lacto-Fermented Garlic
- Create brine by warming up water and dissolving salt. Set aside to cool.
- Peel garlic and fill a quart-sized mason jar, leaving about 1 inch of head space.
- Add any dried herbs, like basil, oregano, or thyme, if you would like.
- Pour cooled brine over peeled garlic, leaving 1 inch head space, and place fermentation lid on top. You can place a glass weight on top of the garlic to make sure it stays below the brine, but typically, garlic doesn’t float up above the brine.
- Allow to ferment for 3-4 weeks (or longer), then refrigerate or place in a cool root cellar.
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Lacto-Fermented Garlic
Ingredients
- 3-4 heads peeled garlic
- 1 quart Water - filtered
- 2 1/2 tablespoons salt
- Herbs, optional
Instructions
- Create brine by warming up water and dissolving salt. Set aside to cool.
- Peel garlic and fill a quart-sized mason jar, leaving about 1 inch of head space.
- Add any dried herbs, like basil, oregano, or thyme, if you would like.
- Pour cooled brine over peeled garlic, leaving 1 inch head space, and place fermentation lid on top.
- Allow to ferment for 3-4 weeks (or longer), then refrigerate or place in a cool root cellar.
Notes
- Allow the garlic to ferment about 3 weeks and then give it a taste to see if it tastes how you like it. If not, then leave it for another week or two.
- Add dried herbs, like basil, thyme, oregano, or parsley to the brine to give it some extra delicious flavor.
- Use fermented garlic in any recipe that calls for raw garlic. Avoid heating it because it will kill the good bacteria.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I grew 3 types of garlic this year and will definitely try this recipe. Thank you for the amazing recipes and videos. I used your sourdough starter recipe. My family loves the results.
“3-4 heads peeled garlic
…
Peel garlic and fill a quart-sized mason jar, leaving about 1 inch of head space.”
Surely you do not mean a quart. Your picture is a half-pint I’m guessing…
This sounds so good! Thank you. How do you know how much salt to use?
I’m so addicted. I eat these like candy. Thank you
This is definitely amazing. Only trouble is, I don’t think I should have eaten 1/4 of the quart size jar in one sitting. So yummy.. I used a few springs of rosemary …. Thank you so much.
Rosemary sounds delicious in the garlic. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Do you think I could add lacto fermented already garlic to honey and get something good to occur?
Did you ferment it or someone around you? If so, I would say yes you could add it. If it was purchased commercially, then no.
The nutrition label states yields 20 and a serving is one. Is that with the few bulbs of garlic in the recipe yielding 20 pieces and it’s one serving for all 20 ? In that one serving is 784 mg sodium?
The serving size is hard to calculate with this recipe because the amount of garlic and size of the bulbs varies so much. The sodium is also very skewed since it includes the brine, but when you eat or use the fermented garlic you are not using the brine as well, just the clove.
My garlic is gray blue after about 2.5/3 weeks. It smells like garlic. Blue/gray is ok, right?
According to google it is a reaction. https://www.thespruceeats.com/garlic-turns-blue-when-pickled-1327752
Do I need to “burb” my garlic every day? I have no experience with fermenting.
PS. I LOVE your site and am looking forward to learning more new things!
If you are not using a fermenting lid I would recommend burping it every day.