The 5 Best Garlic Presses of 2024

 

Before the days of binging cooking shows and daydreaming up our very own version of the Eat Pray Love fantasy (just me?), mincing fresh garlic seemed over-the-top fancy — and like oh so much work. But with the best garlic presses, the process of adding that signature aromatic is easy peasy. 

Not only are these handy devices risk-free for fingers and good for crushing garlic with one squeeze, but the newest models are easy to clean, sturdy, and a breeze to handle without hurting yourself or making aching wrists worse. 

In fact, Meggan’s personal favorite is the OXO Good Grips Garlic Press, which she uses for delicious recipes like her crowd pleasing garlic bread spread and her easy, flavorful honey garlic chicken! 

And while we love her top tier pick, we were curious what other options were out there, so we researched the best ones on the market. We looked for models that are trusted by professional chefs and read hundreds of reviews to get an idea of each garlic press’ strengths and weaknesses. 

Ahead, check out our list of the best garlic presses.

Our Top Picks: 

1. What’s in Meggan’s Kitchen: OXO Good Grips Garlic Press – $17.57 at Amazon
2. Also Great: Dreamfarm Garject Lite – $24.95 at Amazon
3. Best Stainless Steel Garlic Press: Orblue Garlic Press Stainless Steel – $15.97 at Walmart
4. Easiest to Clean: Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press with Built-in Cleaner – $18.49 at Amazon
5. Best to Avoid Smelly Fingers: Rösle Stainless Steel Garlic Mincer & Ginger Press – $39.49 at Amazon

Reviews of The Best Garlic Presses

1. What’s in Meggan’s Kitchen: OXO Good Grips Garlic Press

Meggan purchased her first OXO garlic press back in 2003. She loves it for mashing large quantities of garlic because it’s very precise without requiring too much concentration or setup, unlike chopping up cloves with a sharp knife on a flat surface. 

“Normally, when you chop cloves of garlic, you have to interrupt your workflow to wash your cutting board and knife so that raw garlic smell doesn’t permeate everything else you cut after it,” says Meggan. “This keeps the garlic off your cutting board if you’re cutting a lot of different things, which helps keep any smells at bay.”

While they don’t make that one anymore, their company has continued to evolve, producing the OXO Good Grips Garlic Press, which is their latest and greatest model. Meggan loves the similar design that achieves the same goal, while the soft, comfortable handles are easy to squeeze. 

We also love that the large hopper fits multiple gloves of garlic at once, making it a very efficient tool. The stainless steel swing basket is also easy to empty out and clean, especially since it’s dishwasher-safe.

The Specs:

• Material: Stainless steel, plastic
• Dimensions: 10.5 by 4.5 inches
• DIshwasher-Safe: Yes

The Pros:

• Large capacity
• Wide screen holes
• Easy to press
• Built-in cleaner

The Cons:

• Can leave bits of garlic behind

What Others Are Saying:

The OXO Good Grips Garlic Press has a 4.4-star rating on Amazon from more than 900 reviews. Additionally, it was named best overall garlic press by Delish and Serious Eats.

Buy the OXO Good Grips Garlic Press: 

2. Also Great: Dreamfarm Garject Lite

This particular model is a more affordable version of the brand’s high-end version, which boasts a chrome-plated zinc build While this one is made from nylon instead, it’s still just as intuitive and easy to use, works on both peeled and unpeeled garlic, and can handle multiple cloves at a time. 

If you’re worried about the durability of the plastic material, don’t be. According to reviews, the garlic press doesn’t feel weak or flimsy in the hand, and it’s dishwasher-safe. Meggan and I both think it’s definitely worth the space in a drawer for a tool that offers such quality and consistency at such a great value.

Fun fact: The Dreamfarm company loves to come up with creative mash-up names for its cooking tools. For this garlic press, “Garject” is what you get when you combine the words “garlic” and “eject.” Too cute!

The Specs:

• Material: Plastic
• Dimensions: 7.76 by 2.13 by 2.09 inches
• DIshwasher-Safe: Yes

The Pros:

• Lightweight
• Easy to use
• Works with peeled and unpeeled garlic
• Scraper included
• Can handle multiple cloves at a time

The Cons:

• Can’t be used for ginger

What Others Are Saying:

The Dreamfarm Garject Lite has a 4.2-star rating on Amazon from more than 950 reviews. It was also named best overall garlic press by The Spruce Eats.

Buy the Dreamfarm Garject Garlic Press Lite: 

3. Best Stainless Steel Garlic Press: Orblue Garlic Press Stainless Steel

The Orblue Garlic Press and Mincer stands out for its ergonomic design that quickly crushes garlic with minimal effort. It has the same professional-grade stainless steel material that the super fancy ones have, but it costs less. Plus, you can even use the heavy duty construction to crush peanuts for Thai food toppings or ice cream sundaes. 

One of the best features is that it can be used for both peeled and unpeeled cloves. All you have to do is press the handle, and the minced garlic falls through the holes, completely separated from the peel. We love that it comes in four colors (silver, blue, red, and black) and that you get a cleaning brush, too. 

The Specs:

• Material: Stainless steel 
• Dimensions: 7.5 by 2.6 inches
• DIshwasher-Safe: Yes

The Pros:

• Affordable
• Extra strong
• Easy to clean
• Easy to squeeze
• Ergonomic handle

The Cons:

• Small capacity

What Others Are Saying:

The Orblue Garlic Press Stainless Steel garlic press has a 4.5-star rating on Amazon from more than 21,000 reviews. 

Buy the Orblue Garlic Press Stainless Steel: 

4. Easiest to Clean: Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press with Built-in Cleaner

This option has a small ergonomic handle that lets you crush garlic with minimal pressure or hand strain. The angled teeth design was engineered to line up just right to completely remove garlic skins from unpeeled cloves, along with pushing through every last bit of garlic and juice. This means that there’s next to no waste and yields are high, which Meggan and I both love! 

It comes with a little cleaning tool that gets stored in the handle and conveniently pops out when you need it. It also features a nonstick coating and is dishwasher-safe, so it’s by far one of the easiest garlic presses to clean.

The Specs:

• Material: Aluminum
• Dimensions: 6.38 by 2.23 inches
• DIshwasher-Safe: Yes, but hand wash recommended

The Pros:

• Ergonomic 
• Easy to hold
• Built-in cleaning tool
• Nonstick

The Cons:

• Bulky design 

What Others Are Saying:

The Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press was named the easiest to clean garlic press by Good Housekeeping. Additionally, it has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon from more than 8,400 reviews.

Buy the Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press with Built-in Cleaner: 

5. Best to Avoid Smelly Fingers: Rösle Stainless Steel Garlic Mincer & Ginger Press

This best-selling stainless steel tool costs a little more, but it’s worth it for a device that minimizes contact with pungent garlic juices that could strip a dinner date of romance with just one whiff. Since it presses whole unpeeled cloves, your hands won’t have to ever touch raw garlic. 

One of the standout features of the Rosle Garlic Press is its ergonomic design, engineered for optimal comfort and ease of use. The elongated handles provide a firm grip, allowing for effortless crushing of garlic cloves so you won’t break a sweat to press pulp and juice through the sieve. 

The basket also catches all of the papery skins for you while the sieve swings up for easy cleaning under running water. You can also toss it in the dishwasher which makes cleanup easy so you can concentrate on other things.

The Specs:

• Material: Stainless steel
• Dimensions: 8 by 1.20 by 2 inches
• DIshwasher-Safe: Yes

The Pros:

• Prevents contact with raw garlic
• Works with unpeeled garlic
• Requires minimum effort
• Dishwasher-safe

The Cons:

• Expensive

What Others Are Saying:

The Rösle Stainless Steel Garlic Mincer & Ginger Press has a 4.5-star rating on Amazon from more than 2,400 reviews. It was also named best splurge by Delish.

Buy the Rösle Stainless Steel Garlic Mincer & Ginger Press: 

Other Garlic Presses to Consider

KitchenAid Classic Garlic Press

Despite being from a reputable kitchenware brand, Epicurious said that this KitchenAid press was the flimsiest model they tried, had the smallest hopper, and the mesh plate was so narrow that it was hard to get all the pieces of garlic cleaned out. The KitchenAid Classic Garlic Press is available at Amazon for $11.97.

Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker Crusher Mincer Press

The Joseph Joseph brand is darn near iconic for its attractive and smart design. At first, this garlic press seemed like a fantastic buy because it looks fun to use, fits easily in a drawer, and is easy to use and clean. Unfortunately, the holes are so large it does more of a chop than a mince. The Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker Crusher Mincer Press is available at Amazon for $19.99.

Chef’n Garlic Chopper

While it looks cool, would be fun for kids, and dispenses bits of garlic as you roll the wheels so you don’t have to fish them out, it also produces choppy results and it doesn’t work well with unpeeled garlic. The Chef’n Garlic Chopper is available at Amazon for $14.12.

Kuhn Rikon Epicurean Garlic Press

While it looks like a solid stainless steel option, reviewers noted that it smashes garlic around the edges of the plunger, which not only means your hands come out smelling like garlic after cleanup, but the task takes longer than most. And it’s pricey. The Kuhn Rikon Epicurean Garlic Press is available at Amazon for $53.95.

Why You Can Trust Us

Hi, I’m Belle, an award-winning content creator and an adjunct professor who works in restaurant PR in the Midwest. For more than 20 years, I’ve held almost every position imaginable in various restaurants, including ownership of a Korean-concept hot dog cart (that was named after my dog’s teeth). My writing and on-camera work can be seen on the Better Homes & Gardens website. 

I worked with Meggan to create this guide of the best garlic presses on the market — and there were a bunch to choose from! I began with the model Meggan uses to see the features she appreciates before researching other highly recommended models. After reading hundreds of online reviews to find the best options out there, we compared them side by side and rated them on price, ease of use, and how easy they are to clean.

Everything to Know Before Buying a Garlic Press

What to Consider Before Buying a Garlic Press

While they may seem like a simple household gadget, there are a few things to consider before buying a garlic press for your home.

• Easy to clean: Some are universally hard to clean, so Meggan suggests selecting one that is dishwasher safe. They sometimes will come with cleaning tools that allow you to press out any bits that are stuck in the holes.
• Capacity: There are options that can handle up to three garlic cloves at once! Depending on your needs and how much garlic you cook with at once, you might want a press that can handle more than one clove.
• Mincing size: Larger holes can create more of a chopped garlic effect rather than a mince, but they can be easier to clean, making it an important consideration before picking a model. 

How to Use a Garlic Press

Using a garlic press is a straightforward process that can save time and effort in the kitchen. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Prepare the garlic: Select fresh garlic cloves. If your garlic press only crushes peeled cloves, you’ll want to separate them from the bulb and peel off the outer skin of each one. You can do this by applying pressure with your fingers or using the flat side of a chef’s knife to gently crush the cloves, making the skin easier to remove. (You can also use a handy garlic peeler!)
2. Load the press: Open the handles and place one or more cloves in the chamber, depending on the capacity of your chosen garlic press.
3. Position the press: Hold the garlic press over the bowl or pan.
4. Squeeze: Squeeze the handles together until you see the garlic forced through the small holes underneath.
5. Scrape: Scrape off any residue or pulp that remains.
6. Clean: Rinse it under warm running water to remove any bits of garlic. You may have to use a cleaning brush. From there, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on whether the press can be put in a dishwasher or should be washed by hand.

Is Garlic Minced or Pressed Better for Cooking?

It honestly depends on what you’re cooking. These contraptions use a plunger to push garlic through a fine screen, resulting in a sort of paste, whereas slicing garlic has a chunky texture that is more subtle. Each way has pros and cons:

Minced garlic

• Pros: Mincing garlic by hand allows for greater control over the size and consistency of the pieces, and the bits release their flavor gradually during cooking for a subtle effect.
• Cons: Mincing by hand is time consuming, can produce an uneven texture, leaves odor on your hands, and tends to produce more waste. 
• Uses: Meggan loves using minced garlic for recipes like her Cheese Tortellini in Garlic Butter Sauce!

Pressed garlic

• Pros: Presses are quick and efficient, saving you time. The flavor is incredibly intense, the consistency is uniform, and minimal efforts and skill are required. 
• Cons: The intense flavor can easily overpower a dish and the press can be challenging to clean.
• Uses: Pressed garlic is great for enhancing the flavor of Meggan’s Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

How Do You Press Garlic Without a Garlic Press?

Meggan says you can easily mince garlic with a chef’s knife or grate it on a microplane grater. If you don’t have one of those, you can use a mortar and pestle to crush garlic into a paste.

Can You Use a Garlic Press for Ginger?

Yes, you can use a garlic press for ginger, but it may not yield optimal results compared to using a specialized ginger grater or grating it by hand. This is a fairly common question that manufacturers often answer for you, so look in the product description to see if it’s a yay or nay.

The Best Garlic Recipes

Try one of these recipes Meggan developed with garlic as the star. Once you try it with freshly minced or pressed garlic instead of the dry stuff in a shaker, you’ll never go back!

30 Minute Meals

Cheese Tortellini in Garlic Butter Sauce

Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes

Garlic Bread Spread

Chicken and Turkey Recipes

Garlic Butter Roast Chicken

Stock, Sauce, and Spread Recipes

Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

Chicken and Turkey Recipes

Honey Garlic Chicken

Prices were accurate at time of publication.