The Best Garlic Presses of 2026

Garlic is a key ingredient in most good recipes. But mincing garlic can become tedious when cooking large batches (or if you like a lot of garlic). For when the mincing gets tiresome, people look towards a garlic press.

These small, handheld devices gently push cloves of garlic through holes to create uniform pieces. They eliminate the need to do fancy knife work and can save you loads of time while cooking.

Even though garlic presses seem like straightforward tools, it can be hard to pick which one to add to your kitchen drawer. Luckily, we already did the tedious work to find the best garlic presses. So all you have you think about is impressing your friends and family with great meals.

What You Should Know about Garlic Presses

Stainless steel versus plastic garlic presses

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is by far the most common material for garlic presses: It’s durable, it’s long-lasting, and, most importantly, it doesn’t retain that distinctive garlic odor or garlic flavor. Stainless-steel garlic presses will press and crush garlic without issue for years, and will easily wash clean as soon as you’re done.

Plastic

The advantages of plastic garlic presses are that they are lightweight and inexpensive, easy to use, easy to store, and easy to afford. They’re not as heavy as their metal counterparts, which can make them easier to handle for people with limited grip strength. That being said, they don’t stand up to the kind of work that stainless steel presses will, and unlike metal presses, are prone to hold onto persistent odors and flavors (like garlic).

Our choice

Stainless steel by a mile. Metal presses offer the best performance for the longest period of time, and won’t transfer flavors that can taint future meals. For anyone planning to use a garlic press more frequently than once or twice a year, picking a stainless steel press is a no-brainer.

What features to look for in the best garlic presses

Ergonomic design and ease of use

A good garlic press will have comfortable handles, a balanced weight for easier squeezing, and an easy-to-use, easy-to clean design.

Durability and build quality

If you’ll be using your new press with frequency, then make sure you’re investing in a solid press that can stand up to heavier use.

Safety features

Especially if younger children or older adults will be using the press, make sure the press you use won’t accidentally catch or cut fingers with use.

Garlic press alternatives

There are more options than just presses for getting garlic ready for your best dishes – including tried-and-true alternatives and newer gadgets.

Mortar and pestle

Ancient, heavy, and designed to pulverize anything in its bowl, the mortar and pestle has been used since the Stone Age (really!) for crushing nuts, seeds, and things like garlic into a satisfying paste. This method required some hand and arm strength, but it's unparalleled at turn cloves of garlic into a smooth, uniform paste. Want me know more? We tested the best mortar and pestles and found the ones worth your time.

Garlic graters

If your recipe calls for a garlic paste, a garlic grater is an excellent tool. Often a ceramic plate with a raised grating surface, a garlic grater can quickly and efficiently turn cloves into a fragrant and flavorful paste in the same way a mortar and pestle can.

Microplane tools

Microplanes excel at creating the very finest shavings of garlic with a surprisingly small amount of pressure. If you’re looking to add garlic to sauces, dressings, or meals where you want the garlic flavor to be evenly dispersed throughout a dish, we think a microplane grater is an excellent choice.

Chef’s knife

For versatility and adaptability, you can’t do better than a chef’s knife, which lets you mince, chop, thinly slice, or roughly chop garlic (as well as handle any other cutting your dish needs.) Our testers sliced through tomatoes, squash, herbs, and more to name the best chef’s knives.

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