If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind peeling and chopping garlic by hand, this list might not be for you. But if you’ve ever found yourself frustrated by sticky garlic fingers and still having them smell hours later (this soap will take care of that for you, by the way), welcome! You’ve come to the right spot.
Garlic presses don’t have a great reputation amongst professional cooks, “I know most trained chefs would prefer to just chop or mince by hand with a good, sharp knife,” says Yumna Jawad, chef, recipe developer, and founder of the cooking blog Feel Good Foodie. “But I prefer crushing garlic using a garlic press because it’s faster and more efficient, especially when crushing many garlic cloves—I'm Lebanese, after all, and we use a lot of garlic in recipes!”
Our top picks
- Best overall: Oxo Good Grips Heavy Duty Garlic Press
- A great upgrade: Männkitchen Stainless Steel Garlic Press
- Best budget: Cuisinart Garlic Press
If you, too, love a quick, no-fuss way to crush garlic, these tools will save you time—and your fingers—from the mess. We spoke to Jawad and other chefs for their tips on what to look for in a quality garlic press, before testing the most popular gadgets to see which ones live up to the hype.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Durable
- Wide, soft-grip handles
- Easy to press
- Fits multiple cloves
- Built-in cleaner
- Dishwasher safe
Cons:
- Bulky (takes up some space in the drawer)
Materials
Stainless steel, rubber
What we love: The Oxo Good Grips Heavy Duty Garlic Press is our favorite for the way it perfectly balances power, comfort, and ease of use. As soon as I pressed a single clove of garlic in it, I immediately said to myself, “Oh yeah, this is the winner.”
Its wide, soft-grip handles make it especially comfortable to squeeze (even when you’re pressing multiple cloves at once) and the sturdy construction gives it a satisfyingly substantial feel in hand. As for yield, it consistently delivered a good crush, pressing garlic evenly without leaving a ton of pulp behind in the chamber. The roomy basket easily fits more than one clove at a time, which speeds things up if you’re cooking something garlic-heavy. I also appreciate the red cleaning press on the handle, which lines up with the holes when you flip the handles of the tool to push out any lingering bits.
$28 is on the high side for a garlic press, but I think it’s worth every penny. It makes working through piles of cloves a breeze, doesn’t take up too much space, and rinses easily. The fact that it’s also dishwasher safe is just the cherry on top.
What we’d leave: It’s not a space hog, but it does take up more space than lighter models out there. That’s the only downside I can think of, everything else about this tool is pro quality.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Durable
- Lever assist requires less force
- Fits multiple cloves
- Sleek and powerful
- Dishwasher-safe
Cons:
- Expensive
- Bulky
Materials
Stainless steel
What we love: If you want a press that feels as satisfying to use as it does to look at, the Mannkitchen is for you. But it’s got more than just a high end look. The whole is made from stainless steel, and everything about it—from the weighted feel to the mechanical precision—screams “serious kitchen tool.” The standout feature is its lever-assisted action, which uses a clever multi-hinge design to multiply your pressing power. No slipping, no awkward angle-jamming—just a smooth, solid press that produces almost no hand strain.
Another big win: It’s nearly seamless, which means nothing gets trapped in corners, and cleanup is ridiculously easy. I didn’t have to pick at stuck garlic skins or run it through the dishwasher three times. A quick rinse and I was done.
What we don’t love: It’s expensive. For a single-use kitchen tool, the $50 price tag is hard to justify. But if you’re serious about your garlic, it’s an investment that delivers on both performance and design.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Affordable
- Lightweight
- Dishwasher-safe
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- Smaller garlic chamber
- Harder to squeeze
Materials
Stainless steel, rubber
What we love: For under $15, the Cuisinart Garlic Press punches way above its weight. It’s not fancy—and it’s definitely not engineered to the degree that the Männkitchen is—but it gets the job done. The rubberized handles mean it’s comfortable to hold and maneuver, even with smaller hands, and it doesn’t tire you out after a few cloves. If you just want to occasionally skip the knife and avoid garlic-scented fingertips, this little press is a reliable sidekick.
What we don’t love: The garlic chamber is on the small side, so you’ll need to work in batches if you're prepping for a crowd. And while it handles peeled cloves pretty well, it struggles with unpeeled garlic and thicker cloves that don’t fit neatly in the chamber.
How I tested these garlic presses
I got my hands on a bunch of garlic presses and put them to work—pressing peeled and unpeeled cloves, cleaning out the chamber (and stubborn bits of stuck garlic), and seeing how much hand strength each one required.
I paid extra attention to how comfy they were to hold, how easy they were to clean, and whether the garlic came out nicely minced or in sad little chunks. I also tapped pro chef Yumna Jawad for her take on what makes a garlic press actually worth using.
Other garlic presses we liked
What I love most about this press is the removable stainless steel basket, which makes all the difference. Once you’re done pressing, just pop the basket out and rinse it under warm water—no need to jab at clogged holes with a toothpick or deal with stuck-on bits. The fact that it pops all the way out rather than remaining hinged makes it much easier to get everything clean.
During testing, I found the press produced a nice, even result with minimal mess, even when working through multiple cloves. It’s not quite as effortless as the OXO when it comes to pressing power—you’ll need a little more muscle—but for a well-designed, easy-to-clean press that looks good on your counter and holds up to regular use.
The Epicurean’s curved handles make it so easy to turn peeled or unpeeled cloves into perfectly minced garlic. The leverage on this thing provides so much extra pressing power cloves just glide through the chamber effortlessly. In testing, it produced an excellent yield with very little garlic left behind in the basket—exactly what you want when you’re working through multiple cloves for a sauce or marinade. But it’s listed for $65-$85 at different online shops, which is expensive for a single-use tool. Even the Männkitchen retails for less. It’s also much bulkier than other models. The curved handles take up more space than other presses I’ve tested.
This delightful garlic press surprised me—I thought it would skew gimmicky (Joseph Joseph designs are usually of the “one of these things is not like the other” variety), but the features are convenient and thoughtful. The built-in wiper blade pushes crushed garlic out of the chamber as you press, which means fewer sticky bits clinging to the holes. After, a clever nesting scraper tool helps sweep out whatever remains, so you’re not digging around with your fingernails or poking with a toothpick. But because much of the body is plastic, it doesn’t feel quite as durable or heavy-duty as the stainless steel presses. It’s made from a higher end plastic—in the time I’ve had it, it hasn’t warped and held up to runs through the dishwasher well—but it’s still not as sturdy as metal.
What to consider when shopping for a garlic press
Materials and feel
Not all garlic presses are built to last. According to Jawad, stainless steel is the gold standard. While aluminum and plastic options may be lighter and more affordable, they’re more prone to rusting, warping, or even bending over time. You are, afterall, really putting a lot of pressure on them. “The stainless steel material usually means that not only is it durable, but it also won’t corrode and won’t hold on to garlic smells after washing,” she says.
That said, your garlic press should still be comfortable to hold and easy to squeeze. “I usually look for one that has a comfortable grip that’s non-slip,” Jawad says. Especially if you’re pressing multiple cloves (or doing prep after a long day), a cushy rubber or silicone handle makes a big difference.
Chamber size
Pressing individual garlic cloves by hand isn’t speedy or convenient, and pressing anything more than four just leaves a mess. Look for a hopper that can hold 2-3 cloves at a time without overflowing to expedite pressing power.
Easy cleanup
The real dealbreaker for a garlic press? If it’s annoying to clean. “From the couple I’ve tried, I think that the hinged presses with flip-out baskets or removable plates tend to be the easiest ones to clean,” Jawad says. These allow you to pop the pulp out and rinse without having to dig garlic goo out with a toothpick. Look for a design with minimal crevices, or better yet, one you can toss in the dishwasher without worry.
Do I need to use a garlic press to mince garlic?
Of course not. Many professional chefs prefer mincing garlic by hand or using other gadgets they already have in their kitchen cabinets. But they can be helpful. “Honestly, I’d rather use a microplane or zester,” suggests chef and cookbook author Nini Nguyen. “It’s faster, easier to clean, and you can use it for citrus, cheese, ginger, all kinds of things. If I’m working with a ton of garlic, I’ll throw it into a food processor. I know some people love garlic presses, but to me they’re just not worth the hassle of cleaning.”
Can I put a garlic press in the dishwasher?
Many garlic presses are dishwasher-safe—almost all the stainless steel models you’ll find are—but always check the manufacturer’s instructions. Presses with removable baskets or flip-out plates are usually easiest to clean. Whatever you do, rinse it immediately to get any stuck-on bits out.
Can I press unpeeled cloves?
Some presses are strong enough to crush unpeeled cloves, but peeling first usually gives a cleaner press and prevents clogging (and makes cleaning by hand way easier).
Garlic presses we don't recommend
This is the only garlic press I’ve ever considered leaving out on the counter just for the aesthetic value. But it’s significantly heavier than most of the presses I tested, and hard to get leverage on. It’s also pricey—$55 for a garlic press is steep. Lastly, the handles can accidentally come undone when you’re trying to fill the chamber with cloves. If you open it too far, they’ll separate completely—great for cleaning, annoying if you’re trying to cook quickly.
The Zwilling Pro Garlic Press is built like a tank, with a streamlined, all-stainless-steel design that looks and feels premium. It’s definitely one of the most elegant garlic presses I've tested, and the quality is undeniable. That said, it’s not the easiest to use: The pressing mechanism requires more hand strength than others, and the curved chamber tends to hold on to garlic remnants unless you rinse it right away.
This budget-friendly set from Zulay Kitchen includes a garlic press, silicone peeler, and a cleaning brush—a decent starter kit for new home cooks. The press itself is lightweight and gets the job done, though the aluminum build doesn’t feel very sturdy. I also found the garlic chamber a bit on the small side, which means you’ll be pressing in batches if your recipe calls for more than a clove or two.
Dreamfarm’s Garject Lite is definitely clever: it’s designed to peel cloves, press them, and eject the minced garlic with a built-in scraper so you don’t have to dig it out yourself. It’s lightweight and easy to squeeze, and the eject feature does shuffle peels out of the chamber to save cleaning time. But in testing, the extra features felt a bit gimmicky. Also, I really had to press to get the most out of my cloves. Some of the peels ended up getting stuck in the press too regardless of the eject button.
True to All-clad’s brand, this stainless steel press felt built to last. It presses garlic effectively and is comfortable enough to use, with a straightforward design that doesn’t try to overcomplicate things. But it didn’t stand out in testing. The pressing action and yield were adequate, but no better than less expensive models. In the end, it’s just an average garlic press.
I grew up with the original round Susi press in my kitchen, and this version keeps the same straightforward approach with a few upgrades (swing-out grid, hinged basket). It’s lightweight but sturdy, and it’s designed to press unpeeled cloves, which helps speed up prep when you’re cooking with a lot of garlic. In testing, it crushed cloves effectively, so performance-wise it holds its own. But compared with our top picks, it was harder to clean—bits of garlic tended to get stuck in the holes and required extra rinsing or scraping to fully clear out.