Not Your Mom’s Garlic Press—We Tested and Loved These the Most

Let’s face it, even the most avid garlic lovers don’t want to have garlic-scented fingers after prepping dinner. It’s one reason why many people love their garlic press. Garlic presses limit the hands-on garlic work, and they do the job quickly. Another bonus is that many presses can handle unpeeled garlic, sending tasty garlic through the press while the papery skins stay behind. That’s an awesome time-saver, and it eliminates an annoying task.

Although I don’t mind the rhythmic chomp-chomp-chomp of mincing garlic, I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I didn’t have a garlic press in the kitchen. Sure, sometimes I prefer minced or sliced garlic rather than crushed, but the crushed version is perfect for marinades, rubs, and even when I’m tossing the garlic into a blended salad dressing where it will get blitzed even more. 

Over the years, I’ve tested a lot of garlic presses, from cheap ones that fell apart in my hands to more expensive models, and finally have a favorite. We also sent top-rated models to the Allrecipes Allstars—our dedicated team of trusted experts—to find the best garlic press to have in your drawer.

Our Favorite Garlic Press

Dreamfarm Garject

$42 $40 at Amazon

Dreamfarm Garject Lite

$24 at Amazon

When it comes to garlic presses, there are features that I like, results that I look for, and cleanup options that are a must. The Dreamfarm Garject ticks every box. I bought the Garject because I’m hard on my kitchen tools and prefer durable metal over plastic. While the number of cloves that can be pressed depends on their size and shape, this is large enough to handle several unpeeled cloves at once, especially if I spend time arranging odd-shaped cloves in the hopper.

Over the years, I’ve tested a lot of Dreamfarm’s well-designed, innovative tools, and I love several unique features of this garlic press. One is a scraper that automatically runs along the bottom of the press to remove crushed garlic, so there’s no need to grab a knife after pressing. There’s absolutely no need to peel the cloves before using this press, though peeled cloves tend to fit better in the hopper. Either way, the ejector removes accumulated skins and peels from the hopper after the garlic is squished.

When the press is completely open, a bumpy silicone piece fits into the holes to loosen any stuck garlic. It’s another feature to avoid handling the garlic and getting my fingers fragrant. After I’m done squeezing all the garlic I need, I chuck the Garject into the dishwasher to get the last bits taken care of.

Compared to other garlic presses, the Garject has a wider stance rather than a deep bowl, so less pressure is needed for pressing. Speaking of pressure, with very fresh, crisp garlic, this can literally shoot garlic from the holes, so it’s important to have it pointing into a bowl or container, or you might be cleaning garlic spatter from the counter.

I originally had the Garject Lite, which is essentially the same design but less rugged and possibly a bit smaller. Since I upgraded a while ago, Allstar Ashley Berger put the Lite version to the test and she gave it rave reviews. 

“Garlic presses easily out of this press,” says Ashely. “Without a lot of inertia, the unpeeled garlic clove breezed through the shoot, and the peeling was left behind.” She also enjoyed the “peel eject” button, which allowed her to easily press another clove. “The ease of operation makes this a fantastic garlic press to use one-handed, helping those cooks who are in a hurry to cook and clean it up,” she says. “10/10 would recommend.”

The major differences between the Garject and the Garject Lite are the material and price, which is significant. For someone who is less of a menace when using kitchen tools, the Garject Lite will do the same job as the Garject, and save some cash. If you prefer a metal tool, the Garject is a fine investment that should last a lifetime, all while keeping vampires away. 

I'll admit that this press isn’t always perfect. While the squeezing always works just fine, sometimes the skin flipper doesn't work perfectly to completely remove the skins, but it works better than having to dig the skins out of the hopper with my fingernails. At the end of the day, a garlic press is a unitasker, but one that I appreciate when I have that task on my to-do list.

Other Garlic Presses to Consider

KitchenAid Classic Garlic Press

$20 $10 at Amazon

This press is a classic, and it’s inexpensive to boot. Just put the garlic in the hopper and press. The head and press are stainless steel that won’t retain odors, and the handles are sturdy ABS plastic. The design is compact, so it will fit easily in a kitchen drawer, and since it’s a classic style, it’s easy for anyone to understand and operate.

Ashley found this very easy to use, though you must use both hands in the middle of cooking. She appreciated that this could potentially yield most of your garlic, if it’s peeled. “The holes on this garlic press are a bit larger than the other ones, and that helped,” Ashley says. The larger holes also make cleaning this by hand effortless, though you can also put it in the dishwasher.

The one unique design feature is that the garlic basket can be removed from the press for a more thorough cleaning, but that’s one more piece that you’ll need to keep track of, or it will end up being the mystery item in the kitchen drawer. 

OXO Good Grips Garlic Press

$18 $12 at Amazon

I’ve been a big fan of Oxo tools for some time now. They’re solid, well-designed, and sturdy performers, and this garlic press is no exception. It does its job well and doesn’t have extra frills that get in the way of clean operation. In fact, Ashley’s first note after testing this is: “Super easy to use, and great handles!” Like most other manual Oxo tools, the handles are more comfortable than most.

This press has a hopper with holes for the garlic to fit into and a piece that presses into the hopper. One unique feature of this press is the “swing basket.” It isn’t totally removable from the press, but it’s hinged and swings away from the press body for easier manual cleaning. Ashley did need a quick swipe from her sponge to get all the garlic, but nothing too difficult. For even easier cleaning, the press can go into the dishwasher.

The Leftovers: Other Garlic Presses We Tested

Joseph Joseph Helix Garlic Press Mincer

$16 $15 at Amazon

Pressing garlic is a manual, typically two-handed job, with one hand on top, the other on the bottom, and you’re squeezing them together. This press takes a different approach, with a spiral-action, screw-in press that fits into the bowl holding the garlic, and its uniqueness makes it worth a look. Instead of pushing the top and bottom together, your hands move horizontally as the press follows a spiral track. There’s no doubt that some people will find this easier and more comfortable to use. Unfortunately, Ashley was not one of those people.

“The handles got stuck in the twist, as the press reached the garlic,” Ashley says. “Then, I couldn't get it undone for quite some time.” Part of the appeal of this press is that it won’t allow overfilling since this needs to fit together so the screw threads engage. But Ashley couldn’t even get one clove pressed without this “locking up.” 

This comes apart for cleaning, which is a welcome feature and was the only positive part of Ashley’s testing. There are no hinges or other small crevices, so there are fewer places for the garlic to get stuck. It’s also dishwasher safe.

NexTrend 4th Generation Clear Garlic Twister

$29 $24 at Amazon

Rather than pushing garlic through small holes, this twister takes a different approach. The garlic goes into the toothed bowl, the toothed lid is placed on top, and the cook twists the two pieces, sending the garlic through the teeth as they mesh together. Since the hard plastic teeth aren’t sharp like knives, the action is more like crushing and tearing rather than pressing or mincing, resulting in a unique texture. Whether that texture is better or not depends on the recipe. For someone who uses a lot of garlic, it may be worth looking into this, just because it gives a different result. 

Ashley found that this crushes garlic well, except she experienced one big problem: how to get it out. “Once the garlic is twisted, you have to bang and bang and bang to get some of it out,” she says. “Most of the garlic went down the drain.”

While most garlic presses are unitaskers, this can take on other jobs, like chopping/crushing nuts, ginger, and perhaps even peppers and herbs. Just like with the Joseph Joseph garlic press, cleaning this was easy since it came apart. 

Why Take Our Word For It?

Donna Currie has been a fan of garlic since she first encountered garlic salad dressing and garlic dills as a wee child, proving beyond a doubt that she is not a vampire. A long-time product tester, she has tested and written about everything from spatulas to pizza ovens for a variety of online and print publications. She still hunts for new products to buy and try, even when she’s not writing about them.