A garlic press is a staple kitchen gadget for anyone who likes to cook. Whether your forte is a simple tomato sauce or a delicate consommé, garlic adds extra flavor to a whole host of dishes. That’s why it’s always worth having one of the best garlic presses to help with food prep.
Besides crushing garlic and removing the pulp with minimal waste, a good garlic press should be simple to assemble and easy to use with a comfortable grip. It also needs to be easy to clean so no garlic residue remains when you use it next time.
A garlic press can also cut down on your prep time, save your hands from smelling of garlic and, if your chopping skills are anything like mine, give you finer results.
To help you decide on the best garlic press, we’ve tested a wide range of gadgets. We’ve looked at how effective they are at crushing garlic, how much skin they remove, and how easy they are to use and clean.
So before you invest in this essential gadget to help you in the kitchen, here are our top picks for the best garlic presses for all types of cooks and budgets.
The quick list
This garlic rocker is a simple device that's easy to use and easy to clean. It works by using two hands on either side of the gadget to create a rocking motion to make lightwork of crushing the garlic. It's ideal for users who lack hand strength.
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If you don't like to touch garlic, this garlic press could be for you. It peels, crushes and ejects the cloves without you having to handle the garlic. Although it's impressive and makes crushing garlic effortless, it does come with a hefty price tag.
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This garlic press comes with a separate garlic peeler, for those who dislike handling the cloves, and a brush to clean the gadget. It's slightly harder to use than other devices in this guide, but performed well overall.
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This garlic mincer has a unique design which is based on a twist motion, making is easy to use for those with a weak grip. It's easy and fun to use and did a great job at crushing multiple cloves of garlic.
The garlic press is like a box of tricks with a dicing, slicing, and shaving tool, a silicone peeler and a cleaning brush. Once chopped the garlic is stored in a box, so any leftover garlic can be saved for another day.
This garlic press is lightweight but it does require two hands to use the device. The cleaning tool is stored within the handle, and was the best we found out of those we tested, making it ideal for those who don't like to get their hands dirty.
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The best garlic presses you can buy
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Best overall
The Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker got high marks from us for a number of reasons, which is why we’re rating it as the best garlic press overall. At first glance, you might not even realize it’s a garlic press, but its simple design grabs your attention.
The stainless steel material is designed to withstand pressure from two hands pressing down on the boat-shaped kitchen tool and rocking it to work the garlic clove. Plus, you don’t have to worry about losing parts or something breaking.
To test this Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker, we peeled garlic after gently pressing it with the crusher to get the skin to fall off. Then, we put one large clove under the garlic press and pushed down on both sides — gently rocking the device. As the crusher was pressed flush against our cutting board, the garlic came up through the holes. It was easy to scrape the crushed garlic off with a spoon on both sides, and the press did a nice job of getting most of the garlic out of each clove. Its ease of use is especially handy for those who don’t have a strong grip strength, which is often needed for such tools.
In addition, the Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker was easy to clean with soap and water. In fact, a good rinse resulted in most of the remaining garlic left being washed away, and we used a scrub brush to remove any leftover pulp. It was easier to clean than other garlic presses we tested, as the holes were big and there weren’t other parts that needed to be scrubbed around. Plus, since it’s stainless steel, it doesn’t retain the odor, and your hands shouldn’t smell like garlic after touching this tool.
These best garlic presses will make light work of crushing garlic before you cook, and for a price that’s around $20, this Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker was our favorite garlic press overall.
Best if you don’t want to touch garlic
The Dreamfarm Garject Garlic Press indicates that it would be easy to eject garlic from this garlic press — and it certainly lived up to its name. The first thing you’ll notice when handling this garlic crusher is its hefty weight, and at 9.6 ounces, it’s four times the weight of the Joseph Joseph Rocker Garlic Crusher.
However the Dreamfarm Garject Garlic Press does a great job of peeling, crushing and ejecting garlic well — without you touching the garlic. It also comes with lots of bells and whistles — a stark contrast from the other garlic presses we tested.
While the product packaging says this garlic press could accommodate two to three garlic cloves, we found it did a great job with one large unpeeled clove. If you place a few small garlic cloves in the hopper, make sure they are peeled to get the most out of it with each press of this garlic-crushing device.
After placing unpeeled garlic into the hopper, and bringing both handles together, we were pleasantly surprised that it didn’t take much hand strength to crush the garlic. Upon opening the handles, you’ll notice the scraper gets to work and kicks the pulp off the gadget and into your bowl, pan or cutting board. Make sure you open the handles wide enough that the plastic scraper catches on the ejector’s lever. A shovel-looking accessory in the hopper removes the garlic clove from the hopper, or you can also press the plastic “peel eject” button located inside the handle.
The Dreamfarm Garject Garlic Press was fun to use, and the best garlic press if you don’t want to touch garlic. Particularly, seeing how all the components worked together was impressive, and made us want to crush more garlic. Considering all the components that go into this garlic press, we were surprised that it was easy to clean. While it was simple to rinse clean, we did need a scrub brush to get a few more pieces of garlic pulp out of the hopper. However, if you don’t wish to hand wash, this garlic press is also dishwasher safe.
With a price tag of around $50, this garlic press is costly. However, we think the Dreamfarm Garject Garlic Press would make a nice gift for your favorite cook who uses a lot of garlic — or a treat for yourself! Overall, it’s a great kitchen tool that makes crushing a lot of garlic fast, effortless, and keeps the garlic smell off your hands. What could be better in a garlic crusher?
Best value garlic press
The Orblue Garlic Press is the ideal choice for those who hate peeling garlic skin and want to avoid touching cloves as much as possible. As the best garlic press for removing garlic peels, the Orblue Garlic Press comes with a Garlic Peeler Rocker and a brush for cleaning the device.
For those not familiar with how to use the peeler — a silicone tube — the box showed detailed instructions on how to use it properly, which helped with the testing process. The garlic skin removal accessory worked well for removing some garlic skin, but not all of it when two cloves were put into the cylinder. Instead, we had to put a clove back in before rolling it again to remove more skin. Bear in mind, the hopper can hold one big clove or two small ones.
Design-wise, The Orblue Garlic Press feels moderately heavy, and has two handles with a basket that swings separately from the handles for ease of use during cleaning.
One downside of this garlic press however, was that it required the strength of two hands to crush the garlic cloves. Plus, it needed to be pressed down pretty hard during the squeeze to get the pulp out.
Using a spoon, we scraped the pulp off and used the end of the cleaning brush to remove any leftover garlic from the hopper. The provided brush made it easy to remove excess pulp from the hopper, and clean the garlic press.
Overall, The Orblue Garlic Press is well-made, durable, and suitable for someone who crushes a lot of garlic. We like that it comes with peeling and cleaning accessories, and is moderately priced. Although the tool felt harder to press than the OXO and KitchenAid models, this rated highly for being a well-designed kitchen gadget for crushing garlic.
Best garlic press for weak grips
This Joseph Joseph Helix Garlic Press Mincer was our best garlic press for those with a weak grip, making it fun to use. It has a unique design that allows for a twisting motion to crush the garlic in the hopper. Simply take the skin off first, then add the garlic to the hopper before aligning the other handle on top. (Dots on each handle show you where to line it up.) Then using two hands, simply twist the pieces towards each other, and use a spoon to scrape the crushed garlic off the bottom. Alternatively, you could use the end of the spoon handle to get the remaining garlic out of the hopper, or a tiny spoon to get the crushed garlic out.
During testing, we found the Joseph Joseph Helix Press Mincer was a fast and easy-to-use tool, when crushing a few cloves. More so, it also doesn't require grip strength — so if you have carpal tunnel or limited hand strength, the strength is applied horizontally which relies on the shoulders over the hands. The nylon material is comfortable, which makes it ideal for those with a weaker grip. Plus, cleaning was very easy due to the fact that the two pieces completely separate. Overall, we thought this garlic press did an excellent job of crushing multiple cloves at once, and was easy to use.
Best versatile garlic press
The Kitchen Innovations Garlic-A-Peel Garlic Press is one of the most versatile garlic presses in our tests, and packed with useful accessories. Unboxing this garlic crusher is similar to opening a Russian doll — there’s more and more to discover with every layer. The Kitchen Innovations (KI) press has a garlic dicing tool, a slicing tool, a shaving side along the box, a silicone peeler, and a cleaning brush. Plus, the plastic box you dice and slice into can store chopped garlic for another day, and you don’t have to touch garlic at all with this garlic-crushing tool.
Once you’ve decided how you want your garlic prepared, remove the peel using the silicone peeler. Using either the slicing or chopping accessory, put the clove inside, press down, and the garlic will fall into the storage container. Additionally, closing the top to dice or slice the garlic didn't require much effort or strength. Plus, there’s no mess, or touching of garlic, so you can simply pull the clear box out and dump it onto your pan or bowl.
Perhaps the biggest challenge we had with the Kitchen Innovations (KI) press was cleaning it. Although it comes with a handy brush to help clean the grates, and the top part of the lid comes off, the diced garlic grates were still tricky to properly clean. If you don’t clean them well, hardened garlic will stick to them. It made the container smell like garlic a few days later because it wasn’t cleaned as well as it should have.
It can also be a little tricky to get all of the pieces back together, and lined up in the bottom of the kitchen tool exactly the way it was when bought. That means you might have a lot of pieces scattered about your kitchen if you can’t get everything to line up correctly.
Overall, The Kitchen Innovations (KI) is a fun-looking, versatile kitchen gadget on your countertop, and can be used to prep other foods. In particular, we liked that this could also be used for ginger, shallots, shaved citrus peels and more.
For less than $20, Kitchen Innovations Garlic Press offers great value for money, and impressive results as the best versatile garlic press.
Best lightweight garlic press
This Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press may resemble a stapler, but this was rated as the best lightweight garlic press in our tests. The updated model from earlier versions of Zyliss’ garlic press features a large hopper that can accommodate one large clove or two small cloves. You don’t need to remove the garlic peel before placing the clove in the hopper but we discovered that you get more garlic out if you remove the skin first.
This Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press gets points for being lightweight at just 5.12 ounces, but we still needed to use both hands to exert more grip strength to crush large cloves of garlic. Bear in mind, you’ll need to ensure the metal crusher lines up in the hopper properly before bringing the two pieces together to crush the garlic.
The designers at Zyliss included a cleaning tool that can be used to remove the leftover skin with one end by poking it into the hopper, and using the teeth on the other end to remove any leftover garlic. Out of all the garlic presses we tested, we found this to be one of the best cleaning tools that came with a garlic press. A minor caveat is that this press did smell faintly of garlic after being cleaned, but that could be because it’s aluminum.
Nevertheless, the Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press is a good, simple garlic press for someone who occasionally uses garlic in cooking, doesn’t want anything hefty, and doesn't want to get their hands dirty!
Best for beginners
If you’re someone who doesn't cook with garlic often, the KitchenAid Classic Garlic Press is a good garlic press. This basic garlic crusher tool would also make a great introductory kitchen gadget for a first home or college student living on their own. Ideally, you’ll remove the garlic skin, then place one clove into the compartment and squeeze. We liked that this KitchenAid Classic Garlic Press doesn’t require a lot of hand strength to get a good amount of garlic out, and the pulp can then be extracted with a spoon.
In addition, the KitchenAid Classic Garlic Press has a removable basket for easy cleaning — whether you’re putting it in the dishwasher or a quick hand wash. That also means it’ll take up less space in your dishwasher if you only have to put the basket in. Overall, the KitchenAid Garlic Press produces impressive results in crushing the garlic well, and with ease. It’s also available in two colors (black, and cobalt blue), and comes at a bargain price, making it great value for money.
Best for volume
NexTrends Garlic Twister can do so much more than its name suggests. Apart from mincing garlic it can also mince ginger and crush nuts. How does it work? Unlike traditional garlic presses that press down on the garlic, this novel gadget uses a cross-cutting action to mince ingredients. When tested, it formed more of a garlic paste than the results of a traditional garlic press.
I removed the garlic skin before using the gadget, but if you’re averse to touching garlic, you can give the cloves two ‘whacks’ with the device to loosen the skin for quick removal. However, I found removing the skin almost impossible without touching the clove. You can also add a good amount of garlic into the device, so if you enjoy your meals on the garlicky side, this could be a good option for you. Simply place cloves in the container segment and insert the upper section, which sits neatly inside. Then, using both hands, twist the upper and lower segments in opposite directions. Repeat until the ingredients are the consistency you desire.
Once you get used to the technique, you can add up to 5-6 cloves — if you dare! But the more garlic you add, the longer it will take to crush. The garlic was easy to remove, but it needed a good tap and a little prompting with a knife. However, I thought the remaining garlic would be difficult to wash away, but I was wrong. I put some hot spuds in the device and gave it a swish, and hey presto, it was clean.
When using a traditional garlic press, I tend to leave the crushed garlic on a chopping board, which can leave a strong odor. However, with the garlic twister, I was able to leave the garlic inside the gadget until I was ready to use it, eliminating the issue of having to scrub away at a chopping board. It takes a little longer to use than a garlic press, but it has other benefits, such as being easier to clean and allowing you to crush more in one go.
Best for home cooks
OXO is an established kitchen tool company, and the new OXO Good Grips Garlic Press doesn’t disappoint. As the best garlic press for home cooks, it's a well-made, easy-to-use garlic press for the cook who doesn’t need to crush a lot of garlic at once. The hopper is good for one large garlic clove or two small ones, and you can crush the garlic without removing the skin if preferred.
During our tests, the new OXO Good Grips Garlic Press was a straightforward way to crush garlic and didn’t require much hand strength — which is ideal for those with arthritis or lack a strong grip.We also found that it squeezed a lot of pulp out of the garlic clove when added to the hopper (without skin), and it was easy to remove excess pulp with a spoon. This ensures there is no waste, and you get the most out of your cloves.
The fact that the hopper is separate from the two handles and swings out makes it easier to clean. However, we found cleaning this garlic press by hand required a scrubbing brush, and a bit more elbow-grease than some of the other garlic presses in this list.
Overall, the new OXO Good Grips Garlic Press is a good-quality product that doesn’t require a lot of hand strength, making it a user-friendly kitchen tool.
Best novelty
My first impression of the Chef’n GarlicZoom is that it’s the wackiest garlic chopper I’ve come across. It certainly has a fun element to its design, which would make it perfect for gifting, especially as a novelty gift for a garlic lover. Who knew there would ever be a garlic crusher on wheels?
This latest version is an update on the classic version, which has been improved to make it easier to use. It now fits up to three garlic cloves and opens (at the top) completely for easy access.
Once you open the two top sections, you’ll see that it has sharp blades inside, so I wouldn’t recommend that it be used by children. However, you can place up to three cloves within the gadget before closing it up and running it back and forth on a work surface. I did find it a bit awkward to get used to, but with a few attempts, I was on a roll.
The garlic was chopped evenly, although it did look as though it was going to be a problem to remove it all. With the sharp blades, I wasn’t tempted to get too close. However, with a few taps, I was able to remove most of the chopped garlic.
But how did it clean up? After an unsuccessful attempt at cleaning it out, I discovered that the GarlicZoom came apart — although you’ll need good eyesight to read the minute instructions on the packaging. By positioning the blades vertically, you can gently squeeze the green wheels and remove the top section. This made it much easier to rinse under water and remove the remnants. But do be careful, as the blades are sharp.
One thing’s for sure, using the GarlicZoom will certainly put a smile on your face and give you evenly chopped garlic.
Why use a garlic press?
What are the benefits of using a garlic press?
Using a garlic press can save you the effort of chopping up garlic cloves. If the garlic press has a garlic-crushing component that makes it easy to slip the skin off of it, even better. That could help you prep your garlic for cooking with a garlic press and not have to spend much time handling raw garlic, which will leave your hands smelly.
Best of all, using a garlic press should save you from chopping, dicing and slicing garlic cloves.
How we tested
How we tested the best garlic presses
To determine the best garlic presses of 2023, we pressed the same size garlic cloves to analyze how much garlic came out of the press after we crushed it.
We tested those that said you could insert the clove in with the skin on, and presses that suggested the hopper could accommodate a few cloves at once.
In addition, we looked at the weight of the product, design, how easy it was to use, and if it was easy to get the most amount of garlic out.
Finally, we analyzed how easy the garlic press was to clean. Despite many of these garlic presses being dishwasher safe, you might find that the garlic gets stuck in the holes after it goes through a cycle.
Materials
Most of the garlic presses were made of stainless steel, which can help combat that lingering garlic smell on most kitchen tools. Almost all of the garlic presses tested had steel or aluminum components, while other presses contained silicone garlic peelers and had plastic handles for comfort.
Accessories
Some of the garlic presses came with accessories, like brushes to help with cleaning, tubes that prevent you from touching the garlic while rolling to get the skin off, or a handy garlic extracting device. This means you didn’t need to grab another utensil or kitchen tool to remove the garlic from the press.
Size and weight
The size and weight of the best garlic crushers varied. Some of the best garlic presses were quite large — up to 8 ounces and nearly 8 inches long. Quite a few of them seemed a little heavy for one-handed-pressing techniques, once the handles were closed, a few required two hands to get more garlic out. Some of our favorite garlic presses were the lightweight ones,and those with unconventional garlic press shapes.
Cleaning tips
To ensure a thorough clean, we scrubbed off the presses with a dishwashing brush and highly recommended if you’re buying one of these best garlic presses. Follow the instructions of each manufacturer before placing them in the dishwasher. Ideally, open the garlic press and make sure the dishwashing water and soap can work their way through the garlic hopper or main compartment.
FAQs
Can you put unpeeled garlic in a garlic press?
Although there are garlic presses that can accommodate unpeeled garlic, experts advise to take the peel off first if possible. Not only will unpeeled garlic make the process easier, but will offer better results. You can either peel with a chef's knife or a garlic peeler.
How to clean a garlic press
Some garlic presses can be trickier to clean than others; it all depends on the gadget. However, one of the easiest ways to clean a garlic press is to start by rinsing it immediately after use. Once garlic residue is left to dry, it will become harder to shift.
Rinse your garlic press under warm running water straight after use, using a small brush to get into awkward nooks and crannies. However, you might find that your garlic press has a tool to help remove leftover garlic, such as ORBLUE's Garlic Press, Kitchen Innovation's Garlic-A-Peel Garlic Press, and Zyliss’s Susi 3 Garlic Press.
If your garlic press has been left for some time, you’re best off leaving it to soak in warm soapy water for about 10 minutes. This will enable the garlic to soften, making it easier to remove. You can then clean it as above using a small brush. Once this is complete, rinse it under warm running water and leave it to air dry before storing.
However, if you find cleaning a garlic press all a bit of a faff, you might like to try the Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker, apart from being the best overall in this guide, the design is extremely simply, and easy to clean.
Best garlic presses: Round-up
For all-round excellence, the Joseph Joseph Garlic Rocker came out on top. It was easy to use, crushed the garlic with good results and was easy to clean. However, if you prefer not to touch the garlic, we tested plenty of garlic presses, including the Dreamfarm Garject, which includes a device to eject the garlic. Although it performed well, it is a bit pricey, and if you’re on a budget, the ORBLUE Garlic Press may be more suitable. If you have a weaker grip and need a little extra help, the Joseph Joseph Helix Garlic Press mincer has an ergonomic twist action and performs well when crushing multiple cloves. While the Zyliss Susi 3 Garlic Press is a lightweight option, it requires more pressure to use the press.
On the style front, you can’t beat the OXO Grips Soft Handled Garlic Press or KitchenAid’s Classic Garlic Press. Both proved to be user-friendly kitchen tools, with the KitchenAid model being particularly budget-friendly.
If you’re looking for versatility with your garlic press, Kitchen Innovations Garlic-A-Peel Garlic Press is for you. If you thought garlic was just for crushing, this press offers dicing, slicing and shaving, and it can all be stored within the box.
