Simple Garlic Marinade
This is my favorite garlic marinade and I am so psyched to share it with you today so you can add tons of yummy garlicky flavor to your grilled poultry, meat, seafood or tofu all summer long. You can also use this marinade recipe to marinate meat that you cook inside during colder months. You’ll love the simplicity of the method–no chopping required and the clean-up is so easy!
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Garlic Marinade
Marinating is such a great way to add tons of flavor to grilled meat and even really lean cuts like chicken breast, pork tenderloin or even tofu. Whatever you add to this marinade– it will come out packing a garlic flavor punch! It’s one of my favorite marinades.
This technique is maybe not so unfamiliar if you’ve been around here for a while. This garlic herb grilled chicken is pretty similar. And so is the technique for the chicken on this Fajita Salad. But this recipe is like the master recipe for all garlic marinade because it works for all proteins. It is an equal opportunity marinade.
Recipe Highlights
- Good news–you can cook the meat inside too. It’s not just for grilling. Try it with a pork loin roast!
- Make a big batch of the marinade ahead. It’s such an easy way to add flavor to lot’s of proteins throughout the week.
- It requires very minimal ingredients.
- It only takes 5 minutes to make! Yet another reason why it’s the best garlic marinade ever.
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
- Garlic: You’ll only need 3 whole garlic cloves for this recipe. For the best results (in terms of garlic flavor) and most nutritious results, use fresh garlic instead of jarred garlic. Jarred garlic contains Phosphoric Acid which is a phosphate, and according to the Center For Science in the Public Interest, we should “cut back” phosphates in our diets. Also, just in case–stay away from garlic powder here.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: If you need to use another type of oil, use avocado oil.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Check out my guide to vinegar to see what to use if you don’t have red wine vinegar.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt (or sea salt), freshly ground black pepper, and Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning or herbs de Provence
Step-by-Step Instructions To Make This Garlic Herb Marinade
Step 1: Smash garlic & make marinate
Press the garlic cloves with the side of a chef’s knife to crush slightly. Remove the papery skin and transfer the garlic to a large re-sealable bag. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, then seal it closed and lay it on a work surface. Smash the garlic with the flat side of a meat mallet until completely pulverized (alternatively, use a rolling pin or the smooth bottom of a skillet). Open the bag and add oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Then just sort of mix that altogether a bit by shaking the bag around.
This marinade is very potent stuff, so it goes a long way. One batch will marinate up to 1 1/2 pounds of meat. Add in chicken thighs, pork chops, tofu or desired protein, and seal bag shut.
Step 2: Marinate meat, seafood or tofu
Set the bag aside to let your choice of protein marinate. For poultry and meat, marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. For seafood, marinate for 10 to 30 minutes. Drain and discard the marinade. For tofu, marinate 30 minutes to 8 hours (here it is okay to use the marinade to brush over tofu while cooking). Then proceed to cook the protein over medium-high on a gas grill or in a grill pan. Alternatively, bake or saute if desired. Cook until desired degree of doneness and juicy perfection.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Once you marinate a grillable with this recipe, you’ll need a few side dishes too. May I suggest this Panzanella Salad or my Italian Pasta Salad to go with it?
This garlic marinade is great for meal prep. Cook up a couple of chicken breasts with the marinade and store in the fridge for quick lunches during the week.
If you want to make a big batch of the garlic herb marinade (scale it by 2-3x) or have excess marinade, store it in a sealable container or zip-top bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If freezing, make sure to leave 1-inch at the top. Freeze for 2 to 3 months. Dethaw at room temperature.
Lemon and garlic go really well together, so if you wanted a little lemon flavor you could add lemon juice and lemon zest to the marinade instead of vinegar. You could also swap out the dried herbs for fresh herbs, or add soy sauce, green onions and sesame oil for an Asian twist.
More Sauces and Marinades
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Simple Garlic Marinade Recipe
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
My Favorite Garlic Marinade | Toss any protein you like into this simple marinade and prepare to be wowed! No chopping, no mess- try this technique (all made in a bag) and you’ll never need another marinade recipe again! It works with tofu, shrimp, fish, beef chicken and pork!
Ingredients
- 3 whole cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tespoons Italian seasoning, Greek seasoning or herbs de Provence
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Press garlic cloves with the side of a chef’s knife to crush slightly. Remove papery skin and transfer to a large re-sealable bag. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal closed and lay on work surface. Smash garlic with the smooth side of a meat mallet until completely pulverized. Open bag, add oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Agitate to combine. Then add in poultry, meat, seafood or tofu. Seal bag shut.
- For poultry and meat marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. For seafood, marinate 10 to 30 minutes. Drain and discard marinade. For tofu: marinate 30 minutes to 8 hours (and it is okay to use the marinade to brush over tofu while cooking.)
Notes
Cooking Tips:
- For the best garlic flavor and most nutritious results, use fresh garlic instead of jarred garlic. Jarred garlic contains Phosphoric Acid which is a phosphate, and according to the Center For Science in the Public Interest, we should “cut back” phosphates in our diets.
- If you do not have a meat mallet, you can use the flat bottom of a heavy skillet or a rolling pin to smash the garlic.
Total Fat: 5 g
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: sauces and marinades
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 batch
- Calories: 42
- Sodium: 146
- Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Protein: 0
This marinade IS wonderful! BTW, I just use a garlic press and shoot the garlic right into the bag. You have one of the best blogs out there – delicious but still healthier recipes – you are well-appreciated!
Great idea Mich! I don’t have a garlic press, but I imagine that would be a perfect way to pulverize the garlic for this marinade!
I have been using this recipes for years and it’s definitely a family favorite for grilled chicken but going back to make it for the first time this year and the updated version 3/23 seems to have removed the info about how many pounds of meat this recipe is for. Can you put that back in please Katie? Thank you!
I am not sure how that happened but this is what I found in the Way Back Machine from 2020. “This marinade is very potent stuff, so it goes a long way. One batch will marinate up to 1 1/2 pounds of meat.” That is the only reference I see to the amount of meat. Does that answer your question? BTW, hope you are well!
I used this marinade for tofu and it was absolutely delicious! Approved by both seasoned tofu eaters, and newbies. I highly recommend it!
Another great way to smash garlic is using the bottom of either shot glass, a wine bottle, or any other small bottle.
Will this marinade work with pork tenderloin and can I marinate overnight?
Yes it works with pork tenderloin. And you can marinate anything other than fish overnight. Enjoy!