This ginger paste will save you a lot of time in the kitchen, especially if you cook a lot of Indian food.
When it comes to cooking Indian food, I am all about saving time without compromising flavor. There are a few things I almost always have in my fridge to help me cook faster: onion tomato masala, garlic paste, and this ginger paste.
As someone who cooks a lot of Indian food, these three things are essential for meal prep. It allows me to be able to throw together nutritious, delicious, homemade meals even when I am short on time or just too tired to cook from scratch. I don’t need to mince ginger or garlic – I can just toss a bit of paste into a hot pan along with protein, veggies and some spices. And just like that I’ve made a fresh, flavorful meal.
WHAT IS GINGER PASTE?
Ginger paste is exactly what it sounds like – blended ginger with a bit of oil. Store it in the fridge or freezer and use as needed.
Some people combine ginger and garlic into one paste and while you can do this, I suggest keeping them separate. That’s because not all recipes call for both ginger AND garlic. Also, I like to know exactly how much of each ingredient I am using in a dish. Additionally, having them separate allows me to use these ingredients in non-Indian recipes as well.
HOW TO STORE AND USE GINGER PASTE:
You can store the ginger paste in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you can keep it in the freezer and store it for around six months (if not longer).
I like to store the paste in 1 teaspoon cubes. I like using this tiny cube silicone tray for ginger paste, garlic paste, and green chilli paste. Knowing that each cube is equal to 1 teaspoon makes it easy to use in recipes.
I use 1 teaspoon of ginger paste per 1-inch knob ginger.
WHY MAKE GINGER PASTE?
I always prefer homemade to store-bought. I think the minimal effort you’ll spend making this paste is well worth it. Yes, you’ll be sacrificing a bit of convenience but in the long run, your food will taste much better and fresher. Store-bought ginger paste tends to have other ingredients mixed into it and doesn’t taste anywhere near as fresh.
Also, by making the paste yourself, you can adjust the amount of oil to taste – though I do suggest using at least the amount called for in the recipe as that will help preserve the ginger paste.
HELP! MY GINGER PASTE IS STRINGY! WHY IS MY GINGER SO FIBROUS?
The fresher the ginger, the less fibrous it’ll be. Ginger becomes more fibrous as it ages. Unfortunately, unless you have ginger growing in your backyard, you’re going to be at the mercy of whatever is available at your local grocery store.
If you have older ginger, then it’ll be more fibrous than fresh ginger – not much you can do about this. My suggestion would be to puree the ginger for a longer time period and also, try adding more oil when blending.
DO I NEED TO PEEL THE GINGER FIRST?
This is up to you. I stopped peeling ginger a few years ago. Why did I stop peeling ginger? Truthfully, out of laziness. But I’ve found that it doesn’t make a difference in the outcome of a dish, at least not to me.
The frozen ginger cubes you see here were made with the peel on.
This ginger paste will work in any recipe calling for ginger. After making it once, you’ll see how convenient it is to have on hand – it helps make cooking a breeze.
I hope you find that this saves you time and I also hope you’ll be cooking more Indian food as a result!
Ginger Paste
Yield: 1 ½ cups 1x
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1 teaspoon ginger paste = 1-inch knob ginger
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh ginger root (approx. 4 cups chopped ginger), peeled
- 2 to 4 tablespoons oil (use a neutral flavored oil)
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Scrape the ginger down the sides as needed.
- Store the ginger paste in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to six months. I suggest storing the ginger paste in 1 teaspoon cubes using this tiny cube silicone tray.
Notes
- I suggest using at least 2 tablespoons of oil to help preserve the ginger paste, but feel free to add more if you’d like.
- I like to store the paste in this tiny cube silicone tray – each cube is equivalent to 1 teaspoon.
Can we olive oil or veg oil instead of avocado ?
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yes, any neutral oil works 🙂
Another great idea, thank you! I think I’ll make it and freeze it in my tiny chocolate moulds that are silicon so it’ll be easy to pop them out and also do it with garlic. I now always since getting a decent food processor slice up tons of onions in it. Freeze them on trays then into containers. So handy! Works great with celery too plus I do a mirepoix in the machine too and freeze on parchment paper lined trays. Makes life so easy.
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The chocolate molds sound like a great idea 🙂 Love freezing the mirepoix idea as well! 🙂
Hi Ashley, This looks wonderful! Quick question….How long will this keep in the fridge? Thanks!
You can keep it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a month – after that I’d move it to the freezer 🙂
Can you use this paste as a substitute for grated ginger and if so what would you suggest the ratio be?
Yup! I use 1 teaspoon for a 1-inch knob but you can use 1/2 teaspoon if you prefer less ginger 🙂
Hi..can we use it for tea, since oil added..I love ginger tea
I haven’t tried it but you can… I personally would not because of the oil
There are people who purposely add coconut oil to their teas. Think of the wonderful health benefits. 🥰❤
Is it a must to add oil coz I love ginger tea?
You can grate fresh ginger by hand in seconds with a hand grater to add to tea anytime. Just peel the small amount and grate the amount you need and store the rest of the knob of ginger in a baggie in the fridge.
The Ginger paste with oil mostly for cooking. The olive oil is added to help preserve the fresh ginger paste.
Hi. Must I peel the ginger first?
Hi Vanessa, I recently stopped peeling ginger and it’s just fine! Fresh ginger has a thin peel so you can keep it on but if you’re using older ginger and the skin is thick then it may be better to peel. I hope that helps!
Hi! I am trying to figure out if there is any way to get rid of those pesky fibers from the ginger once you’ve put it into the blender! I make a ginger salad dressing and I ALWAYS end up with these ANNOYING little stringy bits of the ginger fiber in my mouth! PLEASE HELP! Thank you!!