How to Eat Raw Garlic

Reviewed by Chef Jeff Woodward

Last Updated: July 19, 2024 Approved

The pungent flavor of raw garlic comes mostly from a compound called allicin. This and related compounds have been linked to health benefits, but there's a catch: these compounds are destroyed within a few minutes of cooking at 140ºF (60ºC).^{[1]
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Research source} While allicin is not the cure for the common cold, there's good evidence that this raw deal is doing you a favor.^{[2]
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Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute
Research center dedicated to promoting optimal health through cutting-edge nutrition research and public outreach

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Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Strong-Tasting Recipes

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1
Make pesto. Chop garlic and fresh basil. Combine in a food processor with toasted pine nuts, and grated Parmesan or pecorino, pouring in olive oil as you blend. Spread on rustic bread or toss it onto freshly cooked pasta — the residual heat from the noodles won't affect the properties of raw garlic.
- This recipe is very easy to adjust by taste as you go. Start with one clove of garlic for a large bowl of pesto and increase if desired. Two cloves may overpower other flavors.^{[3]
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2
Whip up some aioli. Another Mediterranean sauce that understand the value of garlic, aioli can add flavor to sandwiches, chicken salad, and many other dishes. You can make the mayonnaise style recipe in a blender, or labor over this handmade Spanish recipe that uses only garlic and olive oil:^{[4]
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- Place peeled garlic cloves in a mortar with a pinch of salt.
- Crush the garlic to a smooth paste with a pestle.
- Pour olive oil drop by drop into the garlic paste as you continue grinding it with a smooth motion.
- Keep this up for at least twenty minutes, as the garlic slowly absorbs oil. The finished aioli should be so thick you can turn the mortar upside-down.
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3
Go Mexican. Every Mexican dish needs salsa, every salsa needs spice, and garlic is a great way to fill that need. Try these recipes for jalapeño salsa, chipotle salsa, or cooked salsa (with raw garlic added after cooking).
- If avocados are in season, make guacamole. If your usual recipe doesn't use garlic, try adding one clove. Any more and you may need to reduce the amount of onion or peppers to compensate.
4
Add to a vinaigrette. A basic vinaigrette is the easiest salad dressing you can make. One or two cloves of garlic, very finely minced, makes an excellent addition to a small bottle of the dressing. You can also use it in more complex variations, such as this tart recipe:
- Chop one large garlic clove and two or three leaves fresh basil
- Whisk together 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil and 1 tbsp (15 mL) raspberry vinegar
- Stir in garlic and basil along with 2 tsp (10 mL) brown sugar, ½ tsp (2.5 mL) Dijon mustard.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5
Eat it on toast. Better hold your next meeting over the phone — this will leave its mark on your breath. Mince the garlic extra fine, mash it into a pat of butter, and spread it on toast for an eye-opening breakfast.
- This works best with tangy, cultured butter, often sold as European-style butter in the United States.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Recipes for Concealing Garlic

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Mashed potatoes can hide anything, right? Well, raw garlic might test its limits. If you're eating raw garlic purely for health benefits, mince it as finely as you can and stir it into your potatoes once they've cooled down a little. You'll still taste it, but the cream and starch should help spare your sinuses.
2
Munch on apple and garlic. This may sound like a strange combination, but the goal is to hide the garlic, not to create a new favorite snack. Ohio State researches discovered that raw apple can break down the compounds that cause garlic breath. Place thinly sliced garlic between two slices of apple and you may manage to hide the flavor as well as the evidence.
- The compounds that cause garlic breath are part of the same group of compounds that are often credited with health benefits. The exact link is unclear, but it is possible this method could undermine your goals.
- Parsley, spinach, and mint had the same effect in this study, making them good choices for a post-garlic breath freshener.
3
Pickle the garlic in a home canner. This garlic isn't exactly raw; the pickling process does reduce the amount of beneficial compounds, but not as much as prolonged cooking does.^{[5]
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Research source} Pickled garlic is less intense than raw garlic, so you can add several cloves to sautéed vegetables, salad dressings, and other recipes without overpowering other flavors.^{[6]
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- The easiest way to peel large numbers of garlic cloves for canning is to blanch them. Keep them in the water for less than five minutes to minimize the effect on nutrition.^{[7]
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. This chilled soup is a blend of several raw vegetables, usually with tomatoes and stale bread as the base. Although the linked recipe blanches the garlic for three minutes, this is probably not long enough to break down the raw nutrients.^{[8]
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Research source} If you'd like to keep it 100% raw, simply blend raw garlic along with the rest of the vegetables.

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Can I cut up a clove of garlic and swallow it to receive the health benefits?

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Just chew it up and swallow as fast as you can, as the active ingredient has a very short half life. Cutting it up only takes longer and loses some benefits.

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Is it safe to eat garlic on an empty stomach?

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It shouldn't hurt you to eat garlic on an empty stomach, but you'll wind up with an extra bad case of garlic breath.

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Can I eat garlic before going to bed at night?

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Yes! Just make sure you brush your teeth thoroughly afterwards.

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Tips

High quality garlic powder still contains the enzyme it needs to produce allicin and other compounds responsible for garlic's taste, and possibly for health benefits. To reactivate this enzyme, mix the garlic powder with an equal amount of water before adding it to a dish.^{[9]
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Before cooking with garlic, crush it or cut the tops off the cloves, then let it stand for ten minutes. This maximizes the amount of enzymes that survive the heat, keeping the garlic closer to its raw form, chemically speaking.^{[10]
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Research center dedicated to promoting optimal health through cutting-edge nutrition research and public outreach

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Large amounts of garlic in the diet may lower the risk of gastric cancer and have a small, beneficial effect on heart health, although more studies are needed. Other health claims are usually not based on research. In particular, claims about the common cold are based on shaky evidence, and most studies show that garlic likely has no effect on blood pressure or H. pylori infections.^{[11]
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Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute
Research center dedicated to promoting optimal health through cutting-edge nutrition research and public outreach

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