Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste
This homemade ginger garlic paste is going to be a game changer, and will simplify cooking all your favorite Indian recipes. From grilled meats and curries to soups and stews, this versatile paste is a must, and here's how to make it from scratch, in a matter of minutes!
Best of all, it lasts for weeks- and can even be frozen for months, to use whenever you want to. It's an absolute staple in every Indian household, just like the classic garam masala spice mix.
Ginger and garlic paste is the essence of Indian cooking, if I'm being honest. Almost EVERY curry or marinade recipe calls for it, and it truly adds a TON of flavor and aroma to the dish. And that's why, every few weeks, I get my hands on lot of fresh ginger and garlic, and spend a few minutes making this paste.
If you too, love batch-making sauces and condiments, you've got to try my habanero oil and hot pepper vinegar recipes- they both add a nice kick of heat to your recipes. Also try my homemade chaat masala and green chili chutney if you love Indian food- they are both total flavor bombs.
Jump to:
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Variations & Substitutions
- How to Make Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste
- 💭Top Tip
- How to Store Leftover Ginger Garlic Paste
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Use the Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste
- Recipe FAQs
- More Essential Recipes
- Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste
What's So Great About the Recipe?
Traditionally, ginger and garlic paste was made by crushing the fresh ingredients using a mortar and pestle, but thanks to food processors and blenders, making the paste barely takes 10 minutes.
What I love the most about this is how convenient it is- just like my Tikka Masala sauce. All you need is a few minutes in the kitchen to have this staple ready, which you can then use to make all your favorite recipes in a jiffy.
Recipe Ingredients
Ginger: Fresh ginger root. Check for any soft spots on the surface, and discard those pieces. Avoid using ginger which is tough and fibrous.
Garlic: Choose fresh garlic, ideally ones that have big pods, since they are much easier to peel.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Based on your personal taste preference, experiment with different ratios of ginger to garlic. I usually like to stick to a 1:1 ratio or a 5:6 ratio of ginger to garlic.
- You can also add some fresh green chilies into the ginger garlic paste, and make ginger-garlic-chili paste, which works just as well to build flavor in all your Indian recipes.
How to Make Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste
Step 1: Peel and clean the fresh ginger and garlic. Chop the ginger into 1 inch chunks.
Step 2: Transfer them to a bowl of water and wash them well a couple of times to remove any dirt. Pat them dry.
Step 3: Transfer them to a blender jar and blend until you get a slightly chunky paste.
Step 4: Add oil or salt (or both) if needed, and blend again. Transfer to a glass jar.
💭Top Tip
Use the back of a spoon or the edge of a knife to scrape the skin of the ginger using backward motion. This is the easiest way to peel it without peeling off a lot of flesh too.
How to Store Leftover Ginger Garlic Paste
Store the homemade ginger garlic paste for up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator. Make sure you use a clean glass jar, preferably one with an airtight lid to keep it fresh and prevent oxidation.
You can also make the paste in a big batch and freeze it for up to 3 months. Use souper cubes or ice cube trays to portion it out into individual sections- it's actually really easy that way, since you can use it straight from frozen! I did that when I made my homemade vegetable bouillon cubes too!
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- You can also add some salt to the ginger and garlic while blending it. Doing this is thought to help the mixture last longer, as salt is a natural preservative.
- Another great trick to prevent spoilage and to help the paste last longer is to top it with a layer of oil once you've transferred it to a jar.
- Make sure you clean the ginger and garlic well before you blend them together. Patting them dry is another important step you don't want to miss.
Got some extra ginger left? Try my homemade Air Fryer ginger powder recipe!
How to Use the Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste
You can put the garlic ginger paste to use in a LOT of different recipes. It is the perfect addition to your marinades for any kind of meats, and even a base for your soups, gravies and stews.
I love adding a small spoonful of this paste to my stir fries too. If you ask me, this is one of my favorite versatile ingredients to make- right after my tomato passata and yellow curry paste.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but you won't be able to store the paste for long, as it may spoil much quicker than the paste made using fresh ginger and garlic.
If you notice any major color change in the paste, or find that it has developed an off-putting smell, it means the paste has turned bad, and it is best to discard it.
More Essential Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this homemade ginger garlic paste or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Ginger Garlic Paste
Ingredients
- 2-3 pods garlic
- 100 g ginger
Instructions
- Peel and clean the fresh ginger and garlic. Chop the ginger into 1 inch chunks.
- Transfer them to a bowl of water and wash them well a couple of times to remove any dirt. Pat them dry.
- Transfer them to a blender jar and blend until you get a slightly chunky paste.
- Add oil or salt (or both) if needed, and blend again. Transfer to a glass jar.
Notes
- Use the back of a spoon or the edge of a knife to scrape the skin of the ginger using backward motion. This is the easiest way to peel it without peeling off a lot of flesh too.
- You can also add some salt to the ginger and garlic while blending it. Doing this is thought to help the mixture last longer, as salt is a natural preservative.
- Another great trick to prevent spoilage and to help the paste last longer is to top it with a layer of oil once you've transferred it to a jar.
- Make sure you clean the ginger and garlic well before you blend them together. Patting them dry is another important step you don't want to miss.
