Garlic Salt Vs Garlic Powder – What’s The Difference?
Could you imagine a world without garlic? We use it for nearly every meal and probably too often. No recipe could ever stop us from adding an additional serving of garlic because honestly, there is never too much garlic.
We live in fortunate times when we have access to countless ingredients in the form of spices. We no longer have to go through all the fine chopping unless, of course, you would rather stick to the absolute freshness and aroma.
Garlic, for instance, can be found mixed in various shapes or with numerous other ingredients that make it convenient for certain cuisines. The most common forms of garlic include garlic salt and garlic powder.
So, what are the differences between garlic salt and garlic powder? Garlic salt is nothing more than garlic powder mixed with salt. Although this does sound simple, the addition of the salt changes the entire concept and application of the ingredient.
With this said, do you think that this was enough of an answer? On the contrary, I believe you will learn a lot from this in-depth overview of two of the most common spices on the market.
A Quick Overview of Garlic: Health Benefits
Before we get into the individual characteristics, we have to say that raw and fresh garlic will always be on another level in terms of freshness, aroma, and health benefits.
However, fresh garlic cannot compare to powdered garlic when it comes to convenience and ease of use.
If you have never used any of these powdered variants before, think of those times when you are extremely tired after a hard day at work, and the last thing you want is to cook but you have to.
Wouldn’t it be easier to sprinkle some garlic powder instead of cutting a clove in small pieces? Not to mention how much easier it is to nail the correct amounts of spice.
Now, to the serious part.
Garlic has been used in medicine for thousands of years, long before it was ever used as food. It has been used as a remedy to sicknesses of all kinds – from the most common cold to cancer treatment in modern-day medicine.
We have prepared a list of health benefits that come with the regular intake of garlic.
In all honesty, most of its health benefits have not been entirely scientifically confirmed. Scientists have suggested various benefits after countless tests but more work is needed.
However, how does one not believe in the ultimate properties of garlic when it has been used as medicine for more than 7000 years?
Even with insufficient scientific data, would you dare to question one of the most well-known ancient remedies? After all, if it didn’t work, would humans still be using it?
Here are some of the most important health benefits that allegedly come with the daily intake of garlic:
Common Cold
Depending on where you live, chances are that your parents filled your mouth with garlic when you got sick as a child. In certain regions, people often treat their small sicknesses with all-natural supplements, and garlic is one of the most known practices.
The good thing is that it has now been backed by science.
In fact, the daily intake of garlic decreases the frequency of the common cold. There was a debate on whether these benefits apply with any form of garlic but in the end, it was confirmed that it is equally effective.
Heart Diseases & Cholesterol
According to recent studies, continuous daily intake of garlic leads to decreased levels of cholesterol. It helps with the regulation of blood pressure and blood sugar.
This is all due to its antioxidant properties.
Powerful Antibiotic
Garlic has been used in ancient medicine treatment to practically all types of infections.
Its antibacterial properties by far have shown to be more sufficient than a few of the most powerful antibiotics known to men.
Cancer Prevention & Treatment (Potentially)
Scientists suggest that the daily intake of garlic will decrease your chance of developing several types of cancer.
For example, there was an interesting major face-to-face survey conducted by scientists that aimed to inspect the diets of over 6000 people. 75% of the individuals were healthy while the other 25% were lung cancer patients. Through a series of patterns, the scientists suggested that garlic could potentially play a major role in lung cancer prevention.
A few important compounds in garlic have been found effective in the destruction of a specific type of brain cancer cells. However, scientists will need a lot of additional research before they could even consider adding garlic to brain cancer treatment programs.
Garlic Powder vs Garlic Salt: The Differences
To clear out any confusion and make the comparison as simple as possible, we have prepared a small chart of the nutritional values of both garlic powder and garlic salt. Before we get to this part, however, we have to discuss the main differences.
The obvious difference is the mixture of ingredients that go into the preparation of garlic salt.
For instance, garlic powder is entirely made out of dried garlic that has been pulverized. My absolute favorite garlic powder is this one from Amazon.
When it comes to this, you need to make sure to check the ingredients list on the back of the package. Low-cost garlic powder is often mixed with additives and is not pure.
At the same time, garlic salt is usually a mixture between dried garlic (garlic powder), salt, and an anti-caking agent which has the purpose to prevent the two other ingredients from sticking.
The garlic salt I’m obsessed with is this one from the San Francisco Salt Company.
The regular ratio between garlic powder and salt is one to three.
Below, you can see a couple of charts that present the nutritional values of each ingredient.
| Per 1 tsp | Garlic Powder | Garlic Salt | ||
| Calories | 10 | 4.8 |
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| Grams/Mg | % Daily Value | Grams/Mg | % Daily Value |
| Fat | 0g | 0% | 0g | |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | 0mg | ||
| Sodium | 1.9mg | 1588mg | ||
| Potassium | 37mg | 18.4mg | ||
| Total Carbohydrates | 2.3g | 1.1g |
| |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.3g | 0.1g |
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| Sugars | 0.1g | 0g |
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| Protein | 0.5g | 0.2g |
| |
| Vitamin A |
| 0% | 0% | |
| Vitamin C |
| 0.1% | 0% | |
| Calcium |
| 0.2% | 0.2% | |
| Iron |
| 1% | 0.6% |
Of course, you cannot expect huge differences in this case and overall with spices. Besides the additional amounts of sodium contributed by the salt, there is not much that would attract your attention.
We only have to mention that garlic powder is low in calories and can be consumed freely even by people with dedicated food regimes and diets.
Which one is healthier, you may ask?
Once again, the main difference between the two is the salt. Salt is often related to numerous health issues and diseases.
While garlic could potentially decrease the risks of heart diseases, salt does quite the opposite.
If you already know that you should consume low amounts of salt, then garlic powder should be your ultimate choice and definitely the healthier option.
Substituting Garlic Powder for Garlic Salt
As we stated in the previous paragraph, there are cases when you shouldn’t consume salt. On such occasions, you should definitely substitute it with garlic powder.
Simultaneously, you can always substitute them if you are looking for a more distinctive garlic taste.
After all, garlic salt consists of just about ¼ garlic. If you try to reach a better garlic taste using garlic salt, you could easily end up with a dish with too much salt.
With this in mind, using garlic powder and salt individually will give you absolute control over the seasoning.
Just make sure you’re using a quality organic garlic powder like this one.
As a side note, salt is a part of almost every ingredient and comes in various forms and mixtures. When you use garlic powder, you could add salt using any of the other known methods, for example, as a sauce or with bouillon cubes.
Would you add additional salt if you already used a fair amount of garlic salt?
In other words, garlic powder is a great substitute to garlic salt when you want to have additional control over your seasoning or you need a more distinctive garlic flavor.
As for garlic salt as a substitute, it is mainly suitable when you want to add a little bit of garlic to the mix and you know that garlic salt is three parts salt and one part garlic powder.
How To Make Your Own Garlic Powder And Garlic Salt
Below are two basic recipe ideas for making both garlic powder and garlic salt.
Homemade Garlic Powder
Even though our favorite garlic powder is organic and absolutely amazing, cooking always feels different when you use ingredients that you made yourself.
In this same manner, you can easily make your own garlic powder and then salt, if needed, by following several simple steps.
Step 1: Start by peeling off the necessary amount of garlic cloves and cut them into smaller pieces.
Step 2: For this step, you can either use your oven or a food dehydrator, in case you own one. Set your oven/dehydrator at 150 °F and place your garlic pieces inside. You should leave them dry well for as long as they may need.
Step 3: Wait until you either feel that your garlic pieces are completely dry or until they look this way. Try to crush one with your finger. If you can do it effortlessly, then your garlic is done. If not, put them back in your machine.
Step 4: As soon as your garlic pieces have cooled down, you can start grinding until you reach the desired powder. For this, you can either use a coffee/spice grinder or you can use the old-school method of the pestle and mortar which will take some additional time and effort.
Step 5: Make sure to prepare an airtight jar or any similar isolated container. You need to place your powder and seal it. Then, make sure to place the jar/container in a dry location that is not under direct sunlight.
Step 6: If you want your garlic powder to be perfect, you should let it sit in the jar for no less than a week. Also, make sure to shake it diligently on a daily basis throughout these following days. This is necessary if you want to prevent the development of mold in the future. By shaking it, you will apportion any remaining moisture evenly throughout the powder.
Additional Tips: Although garlic is available all year round, the best crops are gathered in autumn. This is because the perfect planting time for garlic is between November and April.
Therefore, if you want the greatest homemade garlic powder, you should make your stocks for the following months in autumn. Of course, this is just a small tip and you can make your homemade garlic powder all year and whenever you need it.
Homemade Garlic Salt
Again, although we have our favorite garlic salt that you can buy on Amazon, as long as you have a little bit of both at home, you can simply mix them together and you are done.
Step 1: Start by mixing up your two ingredients. You need three parts salt and one part garlic powder. As simple as that. You can use absolutely any type of salt, but we recommend fine kosher or sea salt.
Step 2: Put the mixture in an airtight jar and then store it at a dry and cool place. It would be a good idea to label it as Garlic Salt to save yourself the troubles that could occur later.
Related Questions
Why should I make my own garlic powder or garlic salt?
It all comes down to your personal preferences. Many people prefer to prepare everything for themselves. After all, is there anything that beats homemade food?
Besides the obvious satisfaction of making your own seasoning, homemade garlic powder and garlic salt will save you a decent amount of money long-term.
Knowing today’s world, why waste money on overpriced products of uncertain origin when you can simply spend an hour making garlic powder that will last you months?
Is garlic salt better than regular salt?
We found this to be a commonly asked question and thus, garlic salt does have a few additional benefits next to your regular table salt.
People who use a lot of salt surpass the recommended daily sodium rates by a lot. By substituting table salt with garlic salt, you will not only decrease your intake of sodium but also add more flavor to your dishes.
As a whole, using any type of mixed seasoning will decrease your sodium intake which may not sound too impressive, but your health will appreciate it.
Does garlic powder have the same properties as fresh garlic?
Dried foods in general always lose some of their nutritional values when compared to their fresh state.
Logically, it is the same with garlic and garlic powder. If we compare them, garlic powder is low in calories compared to fresh garlic and not as rich in vitamins.
Nevertheless, the sole purpose of garlic powder is convenience and honestly, it does make up for the loss of nutritional value.
Moreover, having it should not stop you from consuming fresh garlic. It is simply far easier to work with garlic powder as an ingredient for seasoning instead of entire cloves of garlic.
