How to Peel a Garlic Clove

Last Updated: September 5, 2024 Approved

Peeling a garlic clove isn't that difficult. Depending on whether or not you want full or chopped cloves, there are a variety of ways to peel a nice head of garlic.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Peeling by Knife

1
Get a garlic bulb and separate a clove. A clove is one of the small, wedge-shaped pieces that make up the entire "head" of garlic. Simply pull one off the cluster with your finger tips.
- You can cut away the papery white skin as well to make this easier.
2
Cut away the brown top of the garlic. If there is a hard, thin brown "top" on the clove. Slice it away with your kitchen knife. This makes peeling slightly easier, but it is not strictly necessary, and some cloves will not have much of a stub to remove.
- You can also cut the clove in half. This may make it easier to ultimately remove the skins. ^{[1]
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Lay it flat side down, so that the part of the clove that was nearest to the center of the head faces away from you. ^{[2]
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You want a quick, firm strike with the heel of your hand. You'll hear a light crunch. Remove the blade to see the skin detached from the clove.
You may need to practice a bit to learn how much pressure you can apply, but when you lift the knife you'll find that the skin comes right off.
Your clove is now ready for cooking.

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Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Peeling by Water

Remove any easily peeled skins briefly before moving on.
2
Soak the cloves in cold water for five minutes, making sure they are fully submerged. Place the cloves in 1-2 inches of water and let them rest. The water will loosen the skins. Use a metal whisk to beat the garlic and speed up the process.
- Place the cloves in a covered or watertight container when possible. While the skins will loosen if they are soaked, you can also shake the container to knock the skins off the garlic even faster.
The skin should be loose and easily removed by hand now. Pinch off the skin by pulling on the clove, and cut the ends off if there is any tricky bits still stuck on the clove. ^{[3]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Peeling by Microwave

Do no microwave the entire head of garlic, as this can ruin it for later nights. Simply remove the cloves you plan on using right then.
With the garlic on a small plate, heat them up briefly on high. You should notice the skin billowing and loosening.
Cut the root end off with a knife and the skin will slide off easily. ^{[4]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Peeling By Shaking

This is a great method for pealing an entire head of garlic at once. Remove whatever loose papery skin you can by hand before beginning.
Place the bowls together, open side to open side, to form a larger 'sealed' bowl.
Let the garlic clang around inside the bowls for 1-2 minutes, shaking vigorously.
You should be left with the individual cloves, which will likely still be covered in skin. Remove the skins and the hard bottom chunk of the bulb and throw them in the compost or trash. Then reseal the bowls.
You may have to pick off some of the finer, thinner skins by hand, or use another method to remove the individual clove skins, such as soaking the cloves in water in the stainless steel bowl. However, with enough shaking the majority of skins should fall off on their own.

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Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Peeling by Mallet

Pull the cloves you want to peel off the head and place them on a cutting board.
The cloth will control the garlic from flying off the table as you hit it. Any kitchen towel will do.
3
Pound the garlic cloves once or twice with a mallet. This will crack the shell, allowing for better peeling. This is similar to using the knife blade, but it is easier to do on many pieces of garlic at once.
- You don't want to smash the cloves, simply hit them lightly but firmly to get the skins off.
Lift the cloth and pull away the remaining skins. You may need to cut some of the ends off to fully remove them.

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Community Q&A

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Question

When converted, how many teaspoons does one clove of garlic produce?

Community Answer

It depends entirely on the size of the clove. You will likely need at least 5-6 cloves of garlic for one tsp. of garlic paste.

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Question

This may sound like a novice question, but what makes a single clove of garlic? One of the seeds or the whole head?

Community Answer

One of the smaller parts of the garlic head is 1 clove. When you peel the whole thing, you should see smaller parts and those smaller parts are each cloves.

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Question

How can I grow garlic?

Community Answer

Peel a store bought clove of garlic that is of high quality. Get a container and put a paper towel over the bottom of it and add about a centimeter of water. Align the garlic cloves in the bottom. Leave them in there until there are sprouts coming out the tops. Once the sprouts are two or three inches tall, plant the garlic in soil.

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Tips

If you're not keen on slamming your fist down on a knife, you can instead do away with the knife and smash the clove with a canned item from your pantry.

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What makes peeling hard is the dry skin of the garlic. While the Water Method takes longer, it is much easier and the clove will stay mostly intact.

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Warnings

Avoid using an unstable cutting board.

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Always take extreme care when using knives.

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How to Peel a Garlic Clove

Steps

Peeling by Knife

Peeling by Water

Peeling by Microwave

Peeling By Shaking

Peeling by Mallet

Community Q&A

Video

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Tips

Warnings

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