Garlic Powder vs Garlic Salt: Difference and Comparison

It is the spices that can make or break a dish. So you must know the minute differences between ingredients that sound similar but are different in taste and flavour.

Garlic is one such ingredient that we add to various dishes to make it taste better, and it also comes in different forms nowadays. But we confuse ourselves about when to use garlic powder and when to use garlic salt.

Key Takeaways

1. Garlic powder consists of pure, ground garlic, while garlic salt is a mixture of garlic powder and salt.
2. Garlic powder provides a stronger garlic flavor than garlic salt due to its higher concentration of garlic.
3. Using garlic salt can lead to over-salting a dish, so it is important to adjust other seasonings accordingly.

Garlic Powder vs Garlic Salt

Garlic powder is made by dehydrating and finely grinding fresh garlic cloves. It is a versatile seasoning that can be used in various dishes, such as soups, stews and, sauces, marinades. Garlic salt is a blend of garlic powder and salt. It is a popular seasoning for savoury dishes, such as meat, poultry, vegetables, and pasta.

Garlic powder is the powdered form of garlic. The cloves are sliced or minced correctly and then put into a dehydrator at 105f.

Once properly dried, it is left to cool down to room temperature and then processed in a mixer until it turns into powder.

Garlic Salt, on the other hand, is prepared through a different process. It simply involves mixing garlic powder and any salt, preferably sea salt, in a fixed proportion and weight.

Sometimes you may find other ingredients in garlic salt, which can differ depending on your brand.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Garlic Powder	Garlic Salt
Preparation	Garlic powder is prepared by grinding the dried garlic granules.	To make garlic salt, you need to mix garlic powder and salt.
Health benefits	Garlic powder is healthy to consume.	Garlic salt causes more harm than good.
Usage	Garlic salt is low in nutritional value.	Garlic salt can be used to season meals.
Nutrition	Garlic powder is highly nutritious.	Garlic powder does not cause diseases instead helps to cure heart diseases and cancer.
Harmful	Garlic powder does not cause diseases rather helps to cure heart diseases and cancer.	Garlic salt is harmful to your health if consumed excessively.

What is Garlic Powder? 

Garlic powder is prepared by crushing the garlic cloves into powder. It is done by chopping all the cloves into the same size and then spreading them into a dehydrator.

The required temperature should be around 160°c so that all the moisture inside the cloves is soaked and properly dried. 

The dried cloves are then grounded in a processor to turn them powdery. Garlic powder can be used as a seasoning element and spice.

From ancient times, it has been an essential ingredient in many Indian and Chinese dishes. Many Asian and European countries also have traces of using garlic powder in their traditional dishes. 

Garlic powder has high nutritional value as it has carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals.

It is mainly used in preparing savoury meat and fish dishes and is added to vegetarian dishes, soups etc. By adding garlic powder to your plate, you can elevate your dish’s flavour and the way it smells.

However, garlic powder is very healthy to consume. It helps to improve your health if you are affected by heart disease. Out of these two, it can be said that garlic powder is safer to use and consume because of its high nutrition and flavour. 

What is Garlic Salt?

Garlic Salt is made by mixing these three ingredients: garlic powder, sea salt and calcium silicate. The ratio of the garlic powder and salt is 1:3. Thus, making garlic salt does not involve a complicated and tiresome process like garlic powder.

But to use garlic salt excessively may lead to worsening your health as it contains salt that can increase your blood pressure and cause heart diseases.

Due to the high salt or sodium content in garlic salt, stomach cancer can also be a potential risk. So everyone needs to check the consumption level of garlic salt.

Regarding taste, garlic salt is not that flavourful but can be used as a mild seasoning. Unlike garlic powder, it does not have many health benefits instead causes harm if consumed excessively.

Some researches also show that consuming too much salt can make your bones.

Now it’s straightforward to make garlic salt at home. You need to add garlic powder with any salt in a proper proportion. Though the nutritional nutrition of garlic salt is not as high as garlic powder, it does make your dish tasty and flavoursome.

Main Differences Between Garlic Powder and Garlic Salt

1. Garlic powder is the powdered form of dried garlic granules, and garlic salt is the mixture of garlic powder and salt.
2. The taste of garlic powder is closer to the flavour of real garlic. But garlic salt is not that tasteful.
3. Consuming garlic powder can give many health benefits, whereas garlic salt is not very healthy to consume.
4. The nutrition value of garlic powder is high as it contains protein, fibre, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. But garlic salt is not that nutritious.
5. While garlic powder is very flavoursome and can be used as a spice, garlic salt is not that tasteful, and it is better to use it to season things.

References

1. https://journals.asm.org/doi/abs/10.1128/aem.66.5.2269-2273.2000
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc5401602/

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023