Peeling garlic is one of those time consuming, but necessary kitchen tasks we always wish was easier. Below you’ll learn how to peel garlic fast, with the four garlic peeling hacks ranked in order.

These four methods will change the way you look at peeling garlic. Any kitchen hacks that save time and make tasks easier are worth learning!

For each of these garlic peeling tricks, you’re going to need to detach the garlic cloves from the head of garlic. To do this, put the garlic with the root side facing up and smack the it with the heel of your palm until the cloves separate.

Now that you’ve got your cloves of garlic ready to be peeled, keep reading to learn how to quickly peel garlic below, and make sure to watch our YouTube video showing each of the best ways to peel garlic in action.

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Garlic peeling hack: rolling garlic

The peeling garlic trick in last place, at number 4 is rolling garlic. Some people roll it in between their hands, but I found that to be really uncomfortable, so I rolled it in a silicone garlic peeling tube.

Simply place the garlic cloves in the tube and apply firm pressure while rolling it. If you crush the garlic when you’re rolling it, you’re applying too much pressure.

Some benefits of this method are that it leaves the cloves of garlic whole, and doesn’t cook them like some of the other methods do.

However I’ve had inconsistent results on how much garlic it peeled every time I tried it. It’s also not practical for peeling large quantities of garlic and requires special equipment.

How to peel garlic quickly with the bowl method

An easy way to peel garlic that landed in third place, is the bowl method. For this method, you’ll need equally sized metal bowls. Some people have also done this in glass jars, or plastic containers, but I find that metal bowls work best.

Place the garlic in one metal bowl and place the other bowl on top. You’ll end up with a large round orb.

Shake the two bowls with the garlic inside very hard for about 20 seconds. While you are shaking the bowls and garlic, the skins will separate from the cloves.

Similar to the rolling method, the bowl method leaves the garlic cloves intact and doesn’t cook the garlic. It is an ideal method for large quantities of garlic.

While it’s supposed to only take 20 seconds, I’ve always had to shake longer to get good results. It does eventually peel most of the garlic, but requires a lot of effort, which may not be physically possible for everyone.

It’s also very noisy and produces two large bowls which will need to be washed. Overall, this is an effective trick to peeling garlic if you have a large quantity you want peeled, and if you don’t mind some physical effort.

How to peel garlic easily, in the microwave

The peeling garlic hack in second place is the microwave method. For this, all you have to do is put the garlic cloves in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 20 seconds.

Allow them to cool for about ten seconds and then peel them. The steam produced from being heated in the microwaves loosens the skins and makes this method the easiest way to peel garlic.

It does partially cook the garlic, but most of the time you’re going to be cooking garlic anyways, so that’s only a problem if you’re making a recipe that needs raw garlic, like a salad dressing or marinade.

How to peel garlic fast, with a knife

The best way to peel garlic quickly is by crushing it with a knife. You’ve probably seen or used this method before. It’s a popular way to peel garlic because it’s so effective!

Place a chef’s knife over a clove of garlic, angled down, and put pressure on it by either smacking it with the heel of your palm or pressing on it, being mindful of the knife’s edge.

This method is the most consistent and fastest way to peel garlic. It’s the perfect way to peel garlic in seconds!

It’s also great because it doesn’t require much effort. The only downside is that it crushes the cloves, so if you need them to be aesthetically sliced, this isn’t the best method for that.

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Peeled garlic recipes & storage

Now that you know how to peel a garlic head quickly and easily, you can try one of the recipes below that use fresh garlic!

If you’re not ready to use the garlic right away, be sure to store it properly. Once the skins have been removed from the garlic, it will start to degrade quickly.

Individual cloves that have been peeled will last for about a week in the fridge. Chopped cloves will only last about a day.

To keep the peeled garlic fresh for longer, place the peeled garlic cloves in a small jar with an air tight lid. Add olive oil to cover the garlic and seal tightly. Garlic will keep this way in the fridge for up to 3 months.

You can also store peeled garlic in the freezer for 10-12 months. It’s one of the many kitchen essentials you can freeze!

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Admin note: This post on how to peel a garlic clove first appeared on the blog in May of 2013. I have updated the post to add new images, a video tutorial and printable instructions.

Yield: Peeled garlic

How to Peel Garlic Fast - 4 Garlic Peeling Hacks

If you need to know how to peel garlic fast, make sure to print out the instructions to the four most effective garlic peeling hacks, below.

These four methods are the rolling method, the bowl method, the microwave method, and the knife method.

Active Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Difficulty easy

Estimated Cost $5

Materials

Garlic

Tools

Silicone garlic peeler
Two large metal bowls
Microwave
Microwave safe bowl
Chef's knife
Cutting board

Instructions

Each of the garlic peeling hacks below has it's own set of instructions. Feel free to try them all and see which one works best for your needs.

Rolling method

Put several cloves of garlic in a silicone garlic peeler.
Using firm pressure, press down and roll it on a counter top.
Once the peels have loosened, remove them.

Bowl method

Place cloves of garlic in a metal bowl.
Take an equally sized metal bowl and put it on top, forming an circular shape.
Making sure you have firm grip, shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
Remove the metal bowl on top.
Gather your peeled garlic cloves.
If you still have unpeeled cloves, replace the lid and shake for another 20 seconds.

Microwave method

Put the cloves of garlic in a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave for 20 seconds.
Let cool for 10 seconds.
Peel your garlic (the peels should come off easily, if they don't, you can microwave them for a few more seconds).

Knife method

Put one clove of garlic on a cutting board.
Position the flat side of the chef's knife on top.
Being mindful of the knife's edge, apply pressure by pressing down on, or hitting, the flat side of the knife with your palm.
This will crush the garlic, and allow you to peel the cloves easily.

Notes

Both the bowl method and the microwave method are good for large quantities of garlic. The rolling method can peel a few cloves at a time, and the knife method should only be used on one clove at a time.

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Sunday 5th of May 2013

now why wasn't I ever taught this before.........

Elaine Mcd

This is not true. This will only separate all the cloves from the head. You will still have to peel each and every clove. Nice try but so sad for you.

Wednesday 26th of June 2013

It does work...Elaine try again..hit it really hard and shake good.

admin

Did you read the part about shaking the container of cloves and skins? That is what separates them. It is more than just pounding them. It is the shaking them that does the trick.