How to Chop Garlic

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Since garlic is used in so many recipes, it's vital that you know how to chop it! Fortunately, all you need to do is smash a clove in order to peel it. Take care to hold the knife so you don't accidentally cut yourself and then chop the garlic clove until it's as fine as you want. The more you practice, the faster you'll be, so get chopping!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Separating and Peeling Garlic Cloves

1
Push the flat side of a knife on the clove to loosen the peel. Take a chef's knife and lay it on the clove so the flat side is resting on top of it. Hold the knife handle with one hand and bring the palm of your other hand down on the flat blade. The pressure of your palm will smash the clove.^{[1]
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- You don't need to flatten the clove of garlic as you smash it. Just apply enough pressure to loosen the peel.
2
Pull the peel off of the garlic clove. Grasp the end of the peel with your thumb and index finger. Then, you can either shake the clove out of its peel or gently tug the peel off using your fingers.^{[2]
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3
Smash a whole head of garlic if you need several cloves. If you're going to chop more than 3 or 4 garlic cloves, speed up the process. Instead of pulling off individual cloves, place both of your palms on a whole head of garlic and push down so the cloves separate.^{[3]
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Tip: To peel several cloves fast, place them in a bowl put a lid on top. Shake the bowl vigorously for about 10 seconds. You should now be able to pick out the peeled cloves.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Chopping the Garlic by Hand

1
Trim off the dry stem end of the clove. If you look at the peeled clove of garlic, you'll see a narrow tip at one end and a wide, dry end where it used to be connected to the stem. Use the knife to cut just the dry bit off.^{[4]
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- Although the dry stem end is edible, it will be tough and won't cook down in your dish.
2
Slice the clove into thin pieces. To prevent cutting yourself, tuck your thumb and fingers towards your knuckles as you hold the garlic clove in place. Hold the chef's knife in your other hand and slice across the entire clove, making the pieces as thin as you like.^{[5]
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- If you're planning on mincing the garlic, make the slices as thin as possible. For roughly chopped garlic, it's fine to leave the slices a little thicker.
3
Turn the knife 90-degrees to cut the garlic into pieces. Keep one hand on the handle of the knife and position the fingers of your other hand so they're resting on the top of the knife blade near the tip. Rock the blade of the knife back and forth so the blade doesn't come away from the cutting board and your fingers stay out of the way. Cut the garlic in the opposite direction to chop it into rough pieces.^{[6]
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- If your recipe calls for coarsely chopped garlic, you can use the pieces now.
Variation: If you prefer, hold the garlic steady and use an up and down tapping motion with the knife instead of rocking it back and forth.
4
Keep chopping if you want minced garlic. If your recipe calls for finely chopped or minced garlic, scoop the garlic back into a pile and continue to chop it until the pieces are as small as you like.^{[7]
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- If you'd like to make a rough garlic paste, sprinkle a little kosher salt over the minced garlic. Use the flat part of a knife blade to smash and spread the garlic until it turns into a paste.

Community Q&A

Question

What is the easiest way to chop garlic?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

If you’re doing it by hand, the easiest method is to slice each clove widthwise into rounds, then gather the slices into a pile and rock your knife back and forth on top of them to chop them into smaller pieces. You can also buy a garlic chopper, which does most of the work for you by pushing the clove through a grid of steel blades.
Question

How do I mince garlic?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

The only difference between mincing and chopping is that the pieces are smaller. Simply slice up the garlic, then keep rocking the blade of your knife on top of the slices until they’re as small and fine as you want them to be. Minced vegetable pieces are usually about 1/8 of an inch (.3 cm) across.
Question

How do you chop garlic without it sticking?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

After you cut the garlic into slices, sprinkle the pile of garlic with a little bit of salt. This will keep the pieces from sticking to your knife as you chop them up.