Is Garlic Powder Good for You? 4 Proven Health Benefits and How To Make at Home for Less
From boosting weight loss to reducing stroke risk, this is one powerful powder
Recently, BudgetTok creator Nicole Svenson got 6 million views and riled up a lot of people when she baked garlic skins and blitzed them into what she called homemade garlic powder. It made us think about garlic powder more than we have in… well, ever. So we turned to experts with our most pressing questions: Is that really how you make garlic powder? And is garlic powder good for you?
Keep reading to discover the secret perks of the unassuming seasoning. We’ve also got a version you really can make with garlic skins—plus a recipe for DIY roasted garlic powder that is cheap and next-level delicious.
Is garlic powder really made from garlic skins?
As you might have guessed, true garlic powder is made from ground, dehydrated garlic gloves, not skins. But before you take any TikTokers to task: Garlic skin powder is indeed a real thing and can be made with stuff you’d otherwise throw away, saving money and preventing food waste. It’s just a bit milder and less nutritious than regular garlic powder.
Woman's World Answers
Now, if you’re after big flavor and nutrition, fresh garlic is hard to beat. Yet traditional garlic powder is a surprisingly close second. “It offers many of the health benefits of fresh garlic, but in a more concentrated, convenient and economical form,” confirms Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, author of Be Your Own Herbalist and 60 Seconds to Slim. And when she says “many health benefits,” that’s quite an understatement. Because our jaws dropped when she started telling us all the things a 4-cent serving garlic powder can do.
Is garlic powder good for you? 4 health benefits
Add just a sprinkle or two a day, and here’s what to expect:
It reduces the risk of a heart attack
Scientists reporting in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine found that when hundreds of adults were asked to take daily doses of garlic powder, their systolic blood pressure (top number) fell 8.3 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure fell by 5.5 mmHg. That’s similar to what standard blood pressure meds can do, and was associated with 16 to 40 percent lower risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack or stroke.
“Garlic powder contains a substance known as allicin that helps blood vessels expand while lessening their rigidity,” says Schoffro Cook. “It also stimulates the production of a compound that prevents platelets in the blood from clumping together.” Oh, and garlic powder’s antioxidants help prevent harmful free radicals from damaging the heart and blood vessels.
It lowers cholesterol
When a study in Nutrition Research and Practice looked at how garlic powder impacted the bloodwork of over 1,600 people, it found that the average participant reduced their total cholesterol levels by 15.83 mg/dL and increased their “good” HDL cholesterol by 8.11 mg/dL. (Discover more foods that lower cholesterol.)
“The garlic compound allicin helps to block enzymes involved in the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver,” explains Schoffro Cook, noting that odorless supplements are available for anyone averse to the taste of garlic powder. “It also appears to prevent cholesterol from being absorbed into the blood through the intestinal wall.”
It aids weight loss
Want to shrink your waist? Half a teaspoon of garlic powder a day can help, according to a recent study in Phytotherapy Research. And in a separate Advanced Biomedical Research study on 110 overweight adults either given capsules filled with about a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder or a placebo capsule that smelled like garlic, those who got the real powder lost six pounds while the placebo lost just one and a half pounds.
“Sulfur in garlic increases the body’s secretion of compounds that boost fat burning in fat stores,” Schoffo Cook notes. “They also prevent the accumulation of more fat stores.” Meanwhile, a substance known as ajoene in garlic “signals for fat cells to be eliminated.” Garlic powder won’t cancel out the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle, but it can absolutely make your efforts to shape up more effective.
It boosts immunity
“Garlic is a powerful immune booster,” says Schoffo Cook. “It is naturally antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic—all of which give the immune system a helping hand against harmful microbes. Additionally, garlic increases the body’s production of antibodies against bacteria or viruses and enhances the production of the immune system ‘killer cells.’”
How does that translate in the real world? One British study found that people given a garlic-spiked supplement (with 180 mg of allicin, the equivalent of several tablespoons of garlic powder) were 63 percent less likely to catch a cold than those who got a placebo.
How much garlic powder do I need?
Doses of garlic powder used in studies range widely, but 1,600 mg or roughly half a teaspoon a day was common. “Garlic powder is quite safe,” notes Schoffro Cook. So add as much or as little as you like to food. Always check with your doctor before trying any supplement; garlic supplements may not be suitable for you if you are on blood thinners or have certain medical conditions, such as a bleeding disorder. And if you do opt for a garlic supplement, Schoffro Cook suggests taking it with food to avoid potential stomach upset.
How to make garlic powder at home
You’ll get one to two teaspoons of powder per bulb of garlic, but the rich, intense flavor is worth it.
Ingredients:
12 bulbs of garlic
Olive oil
Instructions:
- Slice the tops of bulbs, rub them with oil and wrap in foil. Bake at 400ºF until very soft. Cool completely.
- Squeeze cloves out of skins onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Mash very flat with a fork. Put in oven on the lowest setting with the door cracked. After about 90 minutes, flip and break apart garlic. To be sure garlic powder won’t clump and spoil, leave smashed cloves to dehydrate in oven until no longer soft, about three to five hours. Cool completely.
- Use a food processor, coffee grinder or spice grinder to grind into a fine powder. Store in an airtight jar with a silica pack or a few grains of rice. Best used within three to six months.
And now a word about garlic skin powder
Because garlic skins have a lot less allicin than whole garlic cloves, powdered garlic skin is much mellower and has fewer nutrients than traditional powder. Even so, it’s made with stuff you’d normally throw away—and it does add a nice hint of garlic flavor when added to things like soup or stew.
To make it, simply save the clean, papery skins of garlic until you have a cup or so. Spread on a sheet pan and bake at 200ºF for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely, then grind in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Store in an airtight container. Best used within one to two months.
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