Pickled Garlic Recipe: 5 Ways to Use Pickled Garlic

Pickled garlic is fresh garlic preserved in a pickling liquid that gives the cloves a sweet, sour, and slightly spicy flavor. The pickling process changes the original texture of the garlic and extends the shelf life. Garlic cloves are naturally firm with a slight give, but pickling softens the allium, giving it a chewy, appealing texture, perfect for cocktail garnishes, relish, and pizza toppings.

While pickling is a straightforward process, pickled garlic requires a few extra steps. Here are some tips to streamline your pickling experience:

1. 1. Pickle garlic with other vegetables: Pickling garlic alongside other vegetables—like beets, corn, sweet peppers, or green beans—creates a perfect marriage of flavors that can brighten any sautéed dish.
2. 2. Blanch the garlic to prevent discoloration: Without intervention, garlic often turns blue during fermentation. The highly acidic pickling liquid causes a chemical reaction that causes the allium to release blue and green pigments. While the color does not affect the taste, it can affect the garlic’s visual appeal. To prevent this discoloration from occurring, blanch the garlic in boiling water for one minute, then plunge it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. The heat should destroy the enzymes and stave off discoloration.
3. 3. Choose the right pickling method: There are two main types of pickled garlic: canned and refrigerated. Refrigerator-pickled garlic is not shelf-stable, lasts for a few months, and must stay in the fridge at all times. Conversely, canned pickled garlic is shelf-stable and lasts a few years when stored in a cool, dark place.
4. 4. Peel the cloves and leave them whole: Remove the individual cloves from a head of garlic, peel the cloves, and use them for pickling. The peel, though paper-thin, can prevent the pickling liquid from fully penetrating the garlic. Leaving the cloves whole increases their usage possibilities and helps them maintain their integrity, so they don’t fall apart in the pickling jars.
5. 5. Use fresh garlic: Avoid jarred, minced, or pre-packaged garlic because it’s hard to identify when producers harvested or packaged them. Additionally, their flavor won’t be as intense as fresh garlic, still in bulb form, which you can find at the grocery store or your local farmers market.

Pickled garlic is versatile: You can use it in appetizers or main dishes, as a topping or secondary ingredient, or enjoy it as a snack. Here are some ways to use pickled garlic in your cooking:

1. 1. As a cocktail garnish: Pickled garlic is an excellent addition to cocktails with extravagant garnishes and toppings, like the classic Bloody Mary. Additionally, swap the olives in a Dirty Martini with a pickled clove for a flavorful twist on the original recipe.
2. 2. In hummus: Garlic is a key ingredient in hummus, a popular appetizer consisting of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) blended with tahini (sesame paste), olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Adding pickled garlic to homemade hummus adds a sweeter, brinier, and less spicy flavor than raw fresh garlic. Since the garlic softens during the pickling process, it incorporates well with the creamy chickpeas and tahini. Add a splash of the pickling liquid to the hummus for more flavor.
3. 3. In a relish: Add pickled garlic to chopped dill pickles or diced bread-and-butter pickles (preserved cucumbers) to make a relish for hot dogs, hamburgers, and sandwiches. The slight spice naturally in garlic adds a contrast of flavor to relish, which is traditionally on the sweeter side.
4. 4. On a charcuterie board: Olives, grapes, and other fruits often accompany meat, cheese, and bread on a loaded charcuterie board. Add pickled garlic to the mix for a bright flavor to break up the richness of all of the meat and cheese options. Learn how to make the perfect charcuterie board.
5. 5. As a pizza topping: Add diced pickled garlic to pizza sauce or on top of the pizza before or after cooking. Adding the pickled garlic before cooking the pizza will help you achieve a deep, caramelized flavor, complementing gooey cheese and other toppings.