Puerto Rican Garlic Paste is a versatile recipe that adds great flavor and helps cut down on tedious kitchen processes. Its versatility opens up limitless possibilities. I am incorporating other Puerto Rican flavors in this recipe to create a flavor profile that will complement my recipes.
This Puerto Rican Garlic paste is a great way to flavor any meat, such as Pernil, Chicken Thighs, or Chuletas Fritas (Puerto Rican Pork Chops); sauces, stews, and soups like Caldo Gallego or Chicken Chorizo Stew. It also blends well with marinates, like Mojo and vinaigrettes.
A basic Garlic paste could be the foundation of many other recipes that call for minced garlic. Some uses for garlic paste include compound butter, garlic bread, and salad dressings. Puerto Rican garlic paste, Sofrito, Mojo Marinate, and Achiote Oil are fundamental in my kitchen. These flavor agents bring color and gusto to my cooking and have become my signature flavor. It's not a condiment, yet sofrito's number one partner is beans; learn how to cook dried beans with my Redydrated Beans and Habichuelas Guisadas posts.
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Why this recipe works
- Helps with prep: Making garlic paste and keeping it in the fridge helps with meal preparations since you will not have to peel garlic cloves whenever you need a clove, or two. The flavors also concentrate as it sits in the fridge.
- Versatile: The most basic form of this paste is garlic and oil. I can give this garlic paste the typical flavors of Puerto Rican cooking by introducing oregano, cumin, and other ingredients. However, add any flavors to meet your tastes and likes.
- Economical: There are many options for garlic paste at supermarkets and grocery stores; however, nothing beats the flavors that are unique to your palette. A bag of peeled garlic is a fraction of the price of premade pastes, and you would get twice as much paste when you make your own. Plus, it will be free of additives, preservatives, and other ingredients you might not want.
Ingredient Notes
- Garlic: Without garlic, we do not have garlic paste. Already peeled garlic is readily available at supermarkets. Make sure it is as fresh as possible. Otherwise, grab handfuls of bulbs to peel to make this recipe.
- Oregano: Either powdered or dried crumbled leaf will do. Oregano, peppercorns, and garlic are the main ingredients in powdered adobo. This recipe recreates the powder into a fresh version of adobo.
- Peppercorns: As with oregano, you can use ground or whole peppercorns. I like the texture of crushing the peppercorns as I make my Puerto Rican garlic paste. Not all the peppercorns will be crushed to the same size, so as we use the paste, the boldness of the pepper will come through the cooking.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions
- Mexican: Add rehydrated Chipotle peppers or powder, orange zest, and a splash of its juice, and this garlic paste turns into a Mexican adobo, which will give any meat a delicious south-of-the-border flavor.
- Asian: Add Ginger, lemongrass, soy sauce, and a pinch of brown sugar for an Asian-inspired rub to put on Chicken, Salmon, Beef, or Pork.
- Onions: Onions add sweetness and zest to the paste. I do not add onions often, but I do on occasion. If you are not a big fan of garlic, consider cutting the garlic in half and adding onions.
- Other Herbs: Curries, Basil, Rosemary, and Thyme, to name a few.
How to make Puerto Rican Garlic Paste
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make garlic paste.
- Add garlic cloves to the blending cup of your immersion blender or the pitcher of a blender or small food processor.
- Add Oregano and Cumin.
- Add Peppercorns, Salt, and Coriander seeds.
- Add a dash of lemon juice. This helps in preserving and enhancing the flavors.
- Add olive oil and blend using an immersion blender, a regular blender, or a food processor. Blend to desired consistency—from rough chop to creamy—I prefer creamy. Once blended to your liking, pour into a mason jar and secure with an airtight lid. Refrigerate for about two weeks or freeze for up to three months. There you have it, Puerto Rican garlic paste!
Expert Tips
- Purchasing Garlic: Supermarkets now carry already peeled garlic. I recommend buying these since they will save time peeling each clove. However, I use a silicone garlic peeler to help remove the paper-thin skin of the clove when using bulbs. Allrecipes has a post on techniques for simultaneously peeling large amounts of garlic. If you do not find the already peeled garlic cloves, these solutions might help get you started on making your garlic paste.
- Storage: I only make 4-8 ounces of garlic paste at a time and use it daily. Therefore, I keep my paste in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. And it keeps for about a month (when I am not using it regularly). However, you may freeze the garlic if you do not use the total amount in two weeks to a month. Fill the ice tray cubes halfway and freeze. Pull garlic off from the ice tray once frozen and store in a ziplock bag in your freezer until needed. It should last up to 3 months.
- Labeling: Garlic paste, as well as sofrito, achiote oil, or mojo marinade, are products that you make in bulk to use throughout a period. Labeling these items helps you track how old the product is and whether you may extend the life of it by freezing. I use these food labels, which are the same as the ones I used to use at restaurants. The key to using food labels is to track the product's lifespan. You could also write a Use by Date if you would like.
Recipe FAQs
An easy way to peel garlic is to lightly crush the cloves with the side of a knife, which loosens the skin. You can also use a garlic peeler or shake the cloves in a closed jar to remove the skin.
Garlic paste should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1-2 weeks. To extend its shelf life, you can freeze it in small portions for up to 3 months.
Garlic can sometimes turn blue or green due to a chemical reaction with acidic ingredients or the sulfur compounds in it. Using fresh garlic and storing the paste properly (e.g., in the fridge or freezer) can help prevent discoloration. Revolution Fermentation has excellent information on garlic turning blue or green and its safety.
Garlic paste is typically made from fresh garlic cloves. Garlic powder doesn’t provide the same texture or intensity of flavor, so it’s not recommended as a direct substitute for fresh garlic in paste form.
To mellow the flavor of garlic paste, you can blanch the garlic cloves in boiling water for 1-2 minutes before blending them into a paste. This reduces the sharpness of raw garlic.
More Traditional Puerto Rican Classics
- Tostones de Plátano (Puerto Rican Smashed Fried Plantains)
- Guineitos en Escabeche, Puerto Rican Pickled Green Bananas
- Guineos, Platanos, and Banana Leaves: Puerto Rican Staples
- Puerto Rican Homemade Sofrito
I’d love to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and rating below. Let’s connect on Instagram, and don’t forget to join my weekly email list for fresh new recipes.
📖 Recipe
Puerto Rican Garlic Paste
Equipment
- Immersion Blender
- Mason Jar(s)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces garlic peeled
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried whole orégano
- 2 teaspoon peppercorn whole black or melange
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- In the blending cup of your immersion blender or in the pitcher of a blender or small food processor, add garlic cloves.8 ounces garlic
- Add Oregano and Cumin.1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon dried whole orégano
- Add Peppercorns, Salt, and Coriander seeds.2 teaspoon peppercorn, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- Add a dash of lemon juice. This helps in preserving and enhancing the flavors.2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- Add olive oil and blend using the immersion blender or a regular blender or food processor. Blend to desired consistency; from rough chop to creamy, I prefer creamy. Then pour into a mason jar and secure with an airtight lid. Refrigerate for about 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.½ cup olive oil
Notes
- Purchasing Garlic: Supermarkets now carry already peeled garlic. I recommend buying these, since it will save you time peeling each individual clove. However, I use a silicone garlic peeler to help me with the task of removing the paper thin skin off the clove. Allrecipes has a post on techniques on how to peel mass amounts of garlic all at once. If you do not find the already peeled garlic cloves, these solutions might help getting you going on making your garlic paste.
- Storage: I only make about 4-8 ounces of garlic paste at a time, and I use it regularly-almost daily. For that reason, I keep my paste in the refrigerator in an air tight container. And it keeps for about a month (when I am not using it regularly). However, if you feel you might not use the full amount in a couple of weeks to a month, you may opt to put the freeze the garlic. Use an ice tray that is not normally used for ice, fill the cubes half way and freeze. pull from ice tray once frozen and store in a ziplock bag in your freezer until needed. It should last up to 3 months.
- Labeling: Garlic paste as well as sofrito, achiote oil, or mojo marinade are products that you make in bulk to use through out a period of time. Labeling these items helps you keep track of how old the product is and whether you may extend the life of it by freezing. I personally use these food labels, which are the same as the ones I used to use at restaurants. You do not have to be as detailed as the labels suggest, the main information is the name of the product, the time and date it was created. You could potentially write a Use by Date if you would like as well.
Zoe Forestier Villegas says
It is an excellent way to season and marinate meats.