Ginger Garlic Paste is a staple in Indian cooking. While I often use freshly chopped ginger and garlic in my recipes, having homemade ginger garlic paste in the refrigerator works like a charm on busy days. You can easily find this paste at Indian grocery stores but once you make a batch at home, you will realize that homemade tastes so much better (and fresher) and imparts a much better flavor to your dish. With this easy recipe, you can make ginger garlic paste within minutes and store it for months. Use it while making chole, rajma and more!

What is Ginger Garlic Paste

In simple words, ginger garlic paste is a paste made with ginger and garlic. The ratio of ginger to garlic can vary from recipe to recipe, but usually it consists of 50% ginger and 50% garlic.

When I first started cooking, I always got this paste from Indian grocery stores, but now I make it at home. Homemade ginger garlic paste is not only economical, it also tastes so much better. If you have added fresh ginger and garlic paste to a recipe then you would know how much aroma and flavor it imparts compared to the one that you buy from stores. It is also great for meal prep and makes cooking easier on busy days.

Store bought ginger garlic paste doesn’t taste fresh and it also has added preservatives. This homemade version is made with just 3 things- ginger, garlic and oil (as a preservative). Some people also add salt as a preservative but I just add the oil and it seems to do the job.

Step by Step Instructions – How To Make Ginger Garlic Paste

Wash the ginger knobs and then dry and peel them. You don’t have to peel them, I know a lot of people use ginger with the skin in paste. But I like peeling them. Once you have peeled the ginger, cut it into small slices/cubes.

Remove the garlic peel, now this process can be tedious. But think of it this way, it is this extra work that will save you tons of time while cooking in the next few months. You can also find peeled garlic at grocery stores now, so that’s a hack that you can use. Although, I find peeled garlic to not have the same flavor as fresh unpeeled garlic.

Once both ginger and garlic are ready, weigh them using a kitchen scale. This was 250 grams of ginger and 250 grams of garlic after removing the skin. So, keep in mind that they will weigh more with the skin.

Transfer the ginger and garlic to a high speed blender or a food processor. Also add 2 to 2 & 1/2 tablespoons of oil. The oil acts as a preservative and so it needs to be added to this recipe. You can use any of choice like avocado oil, olive oil, vegetable oil etc.

Blend for 1 to 2 minutes on high speed, scraping the sides as needed until you have a smooth paste. It’s okay if your paste isn’t super smooth, that depends on the type of blender or processor you are using.

Once done, you will have 2 cups or 500 grams of homemade ginger garlic paste ready to be used in your recipes!

How to Store Ginger Garlic Paste & Freezing Options

Once the paste is done, now comes the part of storing it. This recipe makes a lot of ginger garlic paste, more than I can consume within 4 weeks. And so, I like storing this paste in 2 ways:

• In the refrigerator: I take some amount of the paste which I think I will use in a few weeks and place it in a clean glass container (make sure the container is dry and free from any moisture). Secure the lid tightly and keep this container refrigerated. The ginger and garlic paste stored in your refrigerator will last up to 4 weeks.

• In the freezer: Freezing the ginger garlic paste is a great way to extend its shelf-life. I like to take an ice cube tray and then place 1 to 2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste in each compartment. Measuring the amount and then freezing the paste makes it much easier to use the paste in recipes later. Cover with a lid and let it chill for 2 to 3 hours or until frozen.

Once the paste is frozen, remove the cubes of ginger garlic paste from the tray and transfer the cubes to a freezer safe bag. I also like to write the date on top of the bag so that I can remember when I froze the paste. Now, simply place the freezer bag in the freezer. Once frozen, the ginger garlic paste should be good for up to 3 months.

How to Use Ginger Garlic Paste in Recipes

Now, you have the paste ready but how do you use this paste in recipes?

A lot of Indian gravy recipes like Rajma, Chole or rice recipes like Biryani call for ginger garlic paste. You can straight away use the paste from the refrigerator or freezer in these recipes. You can thaw the frozen paste but it’s not needed especially when it’s a gravy based dish. You just add the frozen cube to the dish. But remember this is raw ginger and garlic so you would need to cook this for a few minutes for the flavor and aroma.

Another question you may have is about when to add the ginger garlic paste while cooking? Usually ginger garlic paste is added after the onions are sautéed. But you can also add it along with the onions and cook the onions and the paste together.

You can use this paste in so many Indian and Indian inspired recipes like Tawa Pulao, Aloo Matar, Masala Macaroni, Achari Bhindi, Kadai Paneer, Mushroom Tikka, Paneer Tikka and many more!

Important Tips & Notes

• Whenever you are taking out ginger garlic paste from the refrigerator, make sure to use a clean dry spoon. Don’t use a wet spoon, that can cause the paste to spoil.

• Don’t skip the oil in this paste. It acts as a preservative and you need it. You can also add salt if you like, I don’t add salt to keep it simple. Some people also add turmeric powder.

• This recipe uses a 1:1 ratio of ginger and garlic. You can definitely use 2 parts garlic to 1 part ginger or 2 parts ginger to 1 part garlic as per your preference. Sometimes the ginger is too strong, in that case it makes sense to use only 1 part of ginger.

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