If you’ve ever wondered how to measure garlic cloves by tablespoons you aren’t alone. Many recipes call for tablespoon measurements concerning garlic and may leave you pondering, “4 cloves of garlic is how many tablespoons of minced garlic?” If you can resonate with this question then this article is for you.
In this post, we’ll be diving into how many tablespoons four cloves of garlic equates to. We will also look at how many teaspoons you can expect to get out of one or more cloves. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
- Minced Garlic vs Garlic Cloves
- How Many Tablespoons of Minced Garlic is 4 Cloves?
- How Many Tablespoons Is 4 Cloves of Chopped Garlic?
- How Many Teaspoons is 2 Cloves of Garlic?
- How Many Tablespoons is 3 Cloves of Garlic?
- How Many Teaspoon of Garlic Powder Equals One Garlic Clove?
- Four Cloves of Garlic Is How Many Tablespoons? Sizing Matters!
- FAQs
Minced Garlic vs Garlic Cloves
To start, it’s helpful to know the difference between minced garlic and garlic cloves.
Minced garlic is garlic that has been chopped very fine. When bought in a store, it is usually confined to a small glass or plastic jar (though larger quantities are also available). Minced garlic that is sold pre-chopped usually has additives in it such as preservatives to help it remain shelf stable.
Why do people seem to prefer this type of garlic over fresh garlic, you ask?
The answer is usually rooted in convenience. Though preserved garlic sold in a jar isn’t quite the same as fresh garlic cloves, it certainly does the job. It’s much more flavorful than using plain ‘ole granulated garlic. It is also easy to spoon out for measuring. Fresh garlic cloves, on the other hand, tell a different story.
Fresh garlic cloves are sold in a bulb tend to be inexpensive. They are typically peeled away from the bulb and used either whole, chopped, or minced.
The act of mincing a fresh garlic clove by hand isn’t a foreign idea. However, it is much more tedious than spooning pre-minced garlic out of a jar. That’s because garlic cloves can be tiny and things can get a bit tricky when trying to dice a small clove into even smaller pieces. For this reason, many people opt for pre-minced garlic. But our favorite has always been true garlic cloves, due to their freshness, lack of preservatives, and versatility.
So, what does all this have to do with measuring, anyway?
It is likely that one day you’ll find yourself following a recipe that calls for tablespoons (or even teaspoons) of garlic rather than actual cloves. This is a common occurrence in many recipes as minced garlic is easier to sauté and disperse throughout a dish than garlic cloves. On top of that, minced garlic is much easier to measure.
Still, buying garlic cloves can be much cheaper than buying a jar of garlic that’s already been minced. Not to mention, you’re skipping out on preservatives that may have been added to your pre-chopped garlic by simply using cloves instead. But you will still need to know how much garlic equates to the amount of minced garlic you need in your recipe, right?
Allow us to help!
How Many Tablespoons of Minced Garlic is 4 Cloves?
There are about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of minced garlic in four garlic cloves.
But things aren’t always that simple.
Garlic cloves come in a variety of sizes that may make these measurements a little off. For example, you can get jumbo-sized elephant garlic that might result in only 1 or 2 garlic cloves equaling 1 ½ tablespoon of minced garlic.
On the other hand, you can also get a hold of garlic cloves that are very tiny and may only yield one tablespoon or less of minced garlic–even if you’re using four cloves!
How Many Tablespoons Is 4 Cloves of Chopped Garlic?
Four cloves of chopped garlic may yield up to 2 tablespoons of garlic–or so it would seem.
It is important to remember that the more coarsely chopped the garlic is, the more surface area it’ll use up. For this reason, it may seem as though there is less of the coarsely chopped garlic needed to fill an entire tablespoon than minced garlic.
Thus, it is for this reason that we can conclude that 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic would only be 1 ½ tablespoons of finely minced garlic. It really does depend on the coarseness of the chop!
How Many Teaspoons is 2 Cloves of Garlic?
Two cloves of garlic are going to be the equivalent of about 3 teaspoons of minced garlic. Even when you place an average-sized clove directly into a teaspoon, it will likely fill up the space of the teaspoon–with a little extra sticking out.
Having said that, remember that garlic cloves come in wildly different sizes. This is true even of cloves within the same garlic bulb! Smaller cloves tend to be found deeper within the clove while larger cloves tend to sit towards the outside. Therefore, it is important to keep the size of the cloves in mind before assuming that the cloves will be equivalent to one measurement or another.
How Many Tablespoons is 3 Cloves of Garlic?
Three cloves of garlic are generally the equivalent of about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of garlic. Remember that four cloves of garlic when minced is about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons on garlic. For this reason, it would make sense that by taking away one clove of garlic, you’ll get only a slightly lesser amount. Again, these measurements will vary drastically depending on the size of the actual clove.
How Many Teaspoon of Garlic Powder Equals One Garlic Clove?
Sometimes you’d rather not deal with garlic cloves and may opt to use garlic powder instead. When this happens, you may wonder how much garlic powder is equivalent to one garlic clove and vice versa.
Generally speaking, ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder is the equivalent of 1 garlic clove. Sound odd? It isn’t really.
Garlic powder is a much more concentrated form of garlic, and therefore, you’ll use much less of it than you would minced, chopped, or fresh garlic cloves.
Four Cloves of Garlic Is How Many Tablespoons? Sizing Matters!
While four cloves of garlic usually are representative of about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, the truth is that many variables can affect this conversion. The actual size of the garlic cloves makes a big difference, and so does the way you chop them.
Bear in mind that the finer you chop the clove, the more of the clove is likely to fit in a tablespoon than if you were to coarsely chop it. Therefore, use our measuring recommendations more as a guideline to determine how much garlic to use rather than a rule.
Also, be sure to use your best judgment when it comes to gauging how many cloves you’ll need for your recipe in accordance with their size. Remember that some garlic cloves are quite large and others remarkably small. Which you are using will determine how many cloves you’ll actually need in your recipe.
We hope this helps!
FAQs
How many tablespoons are in a clove of garlic?
Depending on how big the clove is and how the garlic is chopped, you may expect one clove of garlic to render half a tablespoon of minced garlic.
Is chopped garlic the same as minced garlic?
Yes and no. Chopped garlic is typically fresh garlic cloves that are coarsely chopped by hand. Minced garlic can also be done by hand, but this sort of garlic also is sold in a jar in the store. Also, minced garlic is typically finely chopped, while chopped garlic may or may not be.
