Garlic Flakes: How to Use Them, and How Much Equals a Clove
Dehydrated garlic explained — flakes against granules and powder, the fresh-garlic conversions, how to rehydrate them, and how to store a bulk pack.
Peeling and chopping garlic takes time, and dried garlic has long been used in professional kitchens as an alternative. Garlic flakes are fresh garlic, peeled, sliced and dehydrated, so they can be used without peeling or chopping and are stored at room temperature. This page covers flakes against granules and powder, how much to use instead of fresh, how to rehydrate them, and how to store a bulk pack.
Buy Garlic Flakes Online
GARLIC FLAKES 20KG — Bulk pack
$160.00
Premium-quality dehydrated garlic flakes with a rich aroma and authentic flavor. Ideal for commercial kitchens, restaurants, seasoning blends, and food preparation.
This is a bulk pack rather than a pantry jar — it suits restaurants, takeaways, caterers and anyone blending their own seasoning at volume. The price and availability shown come from the current listing; the best-before date is on the product page.
Flakes, Granules or Powder: What's the Difference?
All four are the same ingredient — dehydrated garlic — cut to different sizes. The cut affects how each one behaves in a dish, and they are not interchangeable by volume.
Flakes (or chips) — Sliced
Garlic sliced and dehydrated, left in visible pieces. They rehydrate into something close to sliced fresh garlic, and stay visible in the finished dish — which is why they suit stocks, braises, marinades, pickles and dry rubs where you want the garlic to read as garlic.
Minced or chopped — Coarse grind
Flakes broken down further. Rehydrate faster than flakes and disappear into a sauce more readily, while still giving some texture.
Granules — Medium grind
Free-flowing and less prone to clumping than powder. The usual choice for dry seasoning blends, rubs and shaker-top applications where even distribution matters.
Powder — Fine grind
The finest cut, and more concentrated spoon for spoon than the coarser cuts. Dissolves completely, so it suits sauces, dressings, marinades and anywhere you want garlic flavour with no texture at all — but it clumps in humidity and scorches quickly.
As a rule of thumb, the finer the cut, the more concentrated it is spoon for spoon, and the faster it can scorch in a hot pan.
How Much Dried Garlic Equals Fresh?
The usual starting point is half a teaspoon of flakes per fresh clove:
| Fresh garlic | Garlic flakes | Garlic powder |
|---|---|---|
| 1 clove | about ½ tsp flakes | about ⅛ tsp powder |
| 2 cloves | about 1 tsp flakes | about ¼ tsp powder |
| 4 cloves | about 2 tsp flakes | about ½ tsp powder |
| 1 whole bulb (approx. 10 cloves) | about 5 tsp flakes | about 1¼ tsp powder |
These are conventional kitchen equivalences, not exact figures — dried garlic varies in strength between batches and cuts, and cloves themselves vary enormously in size. Start at the lower end, taste, and write down what worked for your recipe.
How to Rehydrate Garlic Flakes
In anything wet and slow — soups, stocks, braises, sauces, marinades — flakes rehydrate in the dish and need no special treatment. Soak them first when you want them soft from the start:
Measure.
Use roughly half a teaspoon of flakes for each fresh clove the recipe calls for. Dried garlic is more concentrated than it looks.
Cover with warm water.
Put the flakes in a small bowl and add about three times their volume in warm — not boiling — water.
Leave to soften.
Give them 10 to 15 minutes. They should plump up and soften to something close to sliced fresh garlic.
Drain, or don't.
Drain them for a rub or a dry application. For soups, braises and sauces, tip the soaking liquid in as well — some of the flavour is in it.
Add them late if frying.
Rehydrated garlic can brown and turn bitter faster than fresh. Add it toward the end rather than at the start of a hot pan.
Fresh garlic is usually used where raw, sharp garlic is the point — aioli, a raw dressing, garlic bread butter. Dried garlic is milder and rounder, and is generally used in cooked dishes.
Why Kitchens Buy Garlic Dried
For a busy kitchen the case is mostly operational rather than culinary:
- Because the garlic is already peeled, sliced and dehydrated, it can be used without the peeling and chopping fresh garlic needs.
- It is stored at room temperature rather than in chilled space — follow the storage instructions on the pack and the best-before date shown on the product page.
- It can be weighed into a seasoning blend or a production recipe.
- It is used in dry rubs and spice mixes, where fresh garlic would introduce moisture.
How to Store a Bulk Pack
A pack this size stays open for a while, so how it is stored matters:
- Keep the pack sealed and store it somewhere cool, dry and out of direct sunlight — moisture and light can dull the aroma over time.
- Decant working quantities into an airtight container and keep the bulk pack closed rather than opening it repeatedly.
- Keep it off a damp concrete floor, and away from the extraction and dishwash areas where humidity is highest.
- Store it away from bland dry goods like flour and rice — garlic aroma migrates.
- Check the best-before date shown on the product page before committing to a bulk size.
Delivery and Coverage
The store dispatches the next business day and courier delivery typically takes 1–3 business days.
Delivery is $7 as a base fee, with free delivery on orders above $69, and there is no minimum order value. DoorToShop currently delivers within the Auckland region — enter your postcode at checkout to confirm coverage for your address, or read how DoorToShop works.
Frequently Asked Questions: Garlic Flakes
Where can I buy garlic flakes online?
You can browse dried garlic from local merchants on DoorToShop. Garlic flakes are currently listed by Easy Grocery as GARLIC FLAKES 20KG, and orders are couriered to your delivery address.
What are garlic flakes?
Garlic flakes are fresh garlic that has been peeled, sliced and dehydrated, leaving visible dried pieces. They are stored at room temperature and need no peeling or chopping before use. Check the best-before date shown on the product page.
What is the difference between garlic flakes, granules and powder?
They are the same ingredient cut to different sizes. Flakes are sliced and stay visible in the dish; minced and granulated garlic are progressively finer and blend in more; powder is the finest and dissolves completely. The finer the cut, the more concentrated it is spoon for spoon, and the faster it can scorch.
How many garlic flakes equal one clove of garlic?
About half a teaspoon of garlic flakes stands in for one fresh clove, or about an eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder. These are conventional kitchen equivalences rather than exact figures — dried garlic varies in strength by batch and cut, so taste and adjust.
Do you have to rehydrate garlic flakes?
Not always. In anything wet and slow — soups, stocks, braises, sauces, marinades — they rehydrate in the dish itself. Soak them for 10 to 15 minutes in about three times their volume of warm water when you want them softened first, and add the soaking liquid too unless the application needs to stay dry.
Can I use garlic flakes instead of fresh garlic?
Yes, for most cooked applications. Fresh garlic is usually used where raw, sharp garlic flavour is the point, such as aioli or a raw dressing. Dried garlic is milder and rounder, and it can brown faster in a hot pan, so add it later than you would fresh.
Why do commercial kitchens use dried garlic?
Common reasons are practical: it needs no peeling or chopping, it is stored at room temperature rather than in chilled space, it can be weighed into a seasoning blend, and it does not add moisture to a dry rub or spice mix.
How should I store bulk garlic flakes?
Keep the pack sealed, cool, dry and out of direct sunlight, decant working quantities into an airtight container rather than opening the bulk pack repeatedly, and keep it away from humid areas and from bland dry goods that will pick up the aroma.
How long do garlic flakes last?
Store the pack sealed and dry and follow the storage instructions on the packaging. The best-before date for this listing is shown on the product page.
How fast is delivery on a garlic flakes order, and where do you deliver?
Orders are dispatched by the merchant the next business day and typically arrive within 1 to 3 business days by courier. DoorToShop currently delivers within the Auckland region — enter your postcode at checkout to confirm coverage for your address.
How much does delivery cost?
The base delivery fee is $7 NZD, with free delivery on orders above $69 — the exact amount is confirmed at checkout. There is no minimum order value.
Can I order garlic flakes with other ingredients?
Yes. DoorToShop is a multi-merchant marketplace, so you can add garlic flakes to the same cart as other grocery and dry goods available from participating merchants and check out once.