Best Ginger Garlic Paste Brands in India – Mishry

Basic yet essential- ginger garlic paste is a staple in Indian cooking.

There’s no denying that freshly prepared ginger garlic paste has deeper, richer flavors. But if you’re short on time or are just looking to add convenience to your culinary journey, this review is for you.

Aroma, flavors, health benefits, ginger garlic paste is a lip-smacking blend of ginger root, garlic cloves, and some oil. 

We reviewed nine ginger garlic paste brands to find the best-tasting one. After two rounds of tastings and inspection, we chose Suhana Ginger Garlic Paste as our Top Pick. It is the freshest, tastiest and most robust amongst all the brands we tested. The proportion of ginger and garlic is near perfect. We Also Recommend Smith & Jones and Bambino.

Here’s all you need to know about the ginger garlic paste brands we reviewed.

What are we looking for?  A fresh tasting, aromatic paste with a balanced proportion of ginger and garlic. Our benchmark was a homemade paste and how close do the packed ones come to it. 

1. Aroma

Fresh ginger and garlic are both highly aromatic and can enhance the flavor and aroma of simple dishes with a quick, small addition.

Most packaged ginger garlic pastes have a sour, industrial aroma that is very undesirable. We checked the aroma for freshness. Which is the more dominant aromatic in this paste – ginger or garlic? 

2. Flavor 

Pungent, sulfurious, citrusy or a mix of all?

Prominent on ginger or garlic or the perfect blend of both? How robust and fresh is the flavor? Does it come close to a homemade paste or does it have an artificial taste?

Aroma and flavor, together, make up for an important aspect – freshness. 

3. Texture

Can the texture of a ginger garlic paste change the texture of the dish it’s added to? Our testing and research revealed that depending on the recipe you use it for, it can change the overall experience. If using it for a tikka, the strands of ginger or bits of garlic can be slightly unpleasant. But it won’t make much difference if using it in a rajma/chole. 

Are these a smooth paste or a fibrous coarse mash? Does this impact the texture of the curry/dish? 

4. Ingredients

What is the percentage of ginger and garlic? Apart from salt what other spices does it contain? Any preservatives and acidity regulators? Any brand that uses natural preservatives? 

5. Moisture Content

Any ginger garlic paste with excess water content can promote bacterial growth in the paste and lead to fast changes in color, aroma and flavor. 

The water content of a ginger garlic paste also impacts our cooking experience. More water content means more splattering during cooking and thus more cleaning (on the backsplash and countertop). It can also lead to some oil splattering on clothes and skin. 

Packaging and shelf life were also supporting parameters.

Looking for a garlic paste? We tested three brands. This is the one you should opt for.

How did we test the ginger garlic paste brands? After a round of product inspection (label, color, consistency) we tested the product using slabs of paneer.

We marinated 100 gms of paneer for 15 minutes in 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, salt and red chilli powder. This was repeated for all the brands. 

In a non-stick pan we spread ½ Tbsp oil and cooked the paneer from both sides. This was followed by a taste test.

Here are the details on all the brands we tested –

Suhana’s Ginger Garlic Paste has a strong, pungent aroma. The garlic flavor is robust and prominent, followed by a fresh gingery heat which we liked. Garlicky flavors are intense. This is a fresh tasting paste and there is nothing industrial about it. Our paneer dish made using Suhana’s Ginger Garlic Paste had the best, freshest and most robust ginger garlic flavor.

What could we see? This is a beige colored paste which has a droppable consistency. So you won’t have to struggle to scoop it out during cooking. This is a well packed paste and comes in a plastic bottle which makes storing it much easier.

This is a more or less a smooth paste and has strands of ginger. 

Product inspection – Suhana’s ginger garlic paste is priced at Rs 52/- for a 200 gm pack. It has a shelf life of 6 months. Once opened use within 2 months. 

It is made with 40% ginger, 35% garlic 35%, water and edible common salt. It also contains an acidity regulator and acidic acid (E260). Sodium benzoate is used as a preservative. It also mentions the use of xanthan gum which helps prevent separation of ingredients. 

The ginger and garlic flavor in this paste is very balanced and proportionate. Neither of the two take the center stage but flavor the paneer really well. The milky taste of paneer was not the highlight, it was the combination of ginger and garlic that made a splash. Smith & Jones Ginger Garlic Paste has a medium pungency (aroma). This tastes and smells fresh (not industrial). 

While cooking we noticed that it did not sizzle too much, making the moisture content desirable. 

Packed in a plastic squeezy pouch, this easily pushes out of the nozzle. The pack can easily be stored in the fridge after use. This is a very smooth paste which is beige in color. Both, ginger and garlic, have been used in equal quantities. Smith and Jones ginger garlic paste uses two preservatives (INS 211, INS 202).

Product information – A 200 gm pack of Smith & Jones ginger garlic paste is priced at Rs 48/- and has a shelf life of 12 months. This has 40% of garlic and 40% ginger along with salt, acidity regulators, thickener and preservative. Keep refrigerated after opening. 

We Also Recommend Bambino for its robust flavor of ginger and garlic. It was not a clear winner as the intensity was a little lower than our Top Pick. There is no tart, tangy flavor which is a good thing. This ginger garlic paste does a good job of imparting balanced flavors to slabs of plain paneer. Just like the above variants, this did not sizzle extensively while cooking, indicating that the moisture levels are in control.

We could see a few ginger strands here and there, but this is more or less a smooth paste. This has a slightly tarty and medium pungent aroma.

Product inspection – Bambino’s Ginger Garlic Paste is priced at Rs 45/- for a 200 gm pack. The shelf life is 11 months. Once open, store it in the refrigerator. 

Main ingredients include ginger, garlic, salt, citric acid, acetic acid, stabilizer and preservative (INS 211 – Sodium benzoate). The percentage of ginger and garlic has not been mentioned. 

Mother’s Recipe deserves a special mention for being the only brand that uses a natural preservative (turmeric). Taste wise, this has a bolder ginger flavor than garlic. It is fresh tasting and has no industrial flavor. The intensity/potency we were looking for was a bit lower in this one. So you might end up using larger quantities to impart the same flavor as our winners. When we cook using this paste, there is some extra sizzling. The aroma is pleasing. 

Product information – A 200 gm pack of Mother’s Recipe Ginger Garlic Paste is priced at Rs 50/- and has a shelf life of 12 months. This is made using  34% ginger and 34% garlic. Apart from that it contains water, salt, acidity regulator, stabilizer and turmeric powder. Turmeric acts as a natural preservative in ginger garlic pastes. The paste is free from class II preservatives. 

Product information – A squeezy pouch with a reclosable lid holds 200 grams of this ‘grainy’ ginger garlic paste. This is priced at Rs 50/- and has a shelf life of 12 months. The brand recommends transferring the contents to an air-tight container and consuming the paste within two weeks of opening. With illustrative graphics of the ingredients, the brand claims their product is made with ‘natural ingredients’, ‘no added color’. The ingredients, shelf life, nutrition values are mentioned at the back.

The main ingredients include ginger (43%), garlic (27%), water, iodized salt, acidity regulator (INS 296), stabilizer (INS 415), and preservatives (INS 211 & INS 224)

Catch uses a larger proportion of ginger than garlic. This may be because the quality of garlic is more potent than ginger. Moreover, this brand uses two preservatives.

Tasting Notes – This culinary paste emitted a pungent aroma with some lemon-like citrusy notes. It is a thick, moist light beige paste. We could see some minuscule granules of garlic and strands of ginger. 

While the appearance and texture were fairly desirable, the taste was unimpressive. We followed the same recipe as for other contenders. This ginger garlic paste only impacted the aroma and made it tarty. Taste-wise, the prepared dish was bland. The milky paneer flavor was prominent and we could only taste the salt that we sprinkled. 

Product inspection – Offered in a pouch with a screw cap, 200 grams is priced at Rs 68/- and it has a shelf life of 12 months. The ingredients and nutrition values are mentioned at the back, like most contenders. Double Horse provides caloric values per serve which is appreciated.

The main ingredients are ginger, garlic, salt, synthetic vinegar, stabilising agent (E415). It also contains class II preservatives – Sodium Benzoate. The ginger to garlic proportion has not been mentioned. 

Tasting Notes – Of all our nine contenders, this had the smoothest consistency. We could not see any strands or bits of the ingredients in this deep beige-colored paste. With a smooth dropping consistency, we were quite pleased by the aroma as it wasn’t overpoweringly pungent.

As we were preparing the paneer dish for Mishry Secret Sauce, we realized this ginger garlic paste took quite some time to cook. Moreover, this had the highest moisture content too. Primarily, we tasted tarty flavors, owing to the use of vinegar. The warm flavors of ginger garlic were too subtle as they were overpowered by vinegar.

Product inspection – A 100-gram pouch of this ginger garlic paste is priced at Rs 25/-. It has a 12-month shelf life. The main ingredients are ginger (40%), garlic, salt, stabiliser, acidity regulator. It also contains permitted class II preservative (INS 211). The percentage of garlic has not been mentioned.

This had the deepest hue among all contenders. We really liked the consistency- ginger strands were visible and this paste had decent levels of moisture. It wasn’t a dry blob and was quite smooth.

This has a tangy, lemony aroma. Just like aroma, the flavor profile was prominent on tanginess too. We appreciate that there were no synthetic aftertastes. Though the tartness tasted fairly good, this paste was low on the flavor of ginger and garlic

Product information – Called ‘Hommade’, a 200-gram pouch of this ginger garlic paste is priced at Rs 50/-. It has a shelf life of 12 months. ‘Two teaspoons + 1.25 cm long ginger pieces and 4-6 cloves of garlic’ such detailed information is always appreciated.

The main ingredients are ginger (44%), garlic (26%), water, iodized salt, acidity regulator, stabilizer, and preservative (INS 211).

Tasting notes – The aroma was primarily tarty with a hint of pungency. This had the lightest appearance. The consistency is thick but slightly grainy. Despite not being too moist, this had a droppable consistency. While cooking, this paste sizzled a bit. 

The ginger flavor is much more prominent than garlic. It is not balanced. Moreover, this has a very industrial taste. 

Product information – Priced at Rs 49/- for a 200-gram pouch, this ginger garlic paste has a 12-month shelf life. It has the most inconvenient packaging of all. Though dual-packed, the contents need to be transferred to an air-tight container which impacts the ‘convenience’ aspect.

The main ingredients are ginger, garlic, iodized salt, citric acid, acetic acid, and stabilizing agent (415). It also contains a permitted class II preservative (E211).

Tasting Notes – While the packaging was slightly displeasing, the aroma was very inviting. It had the characteristic pungency but wasn’t overwhelming, it was well-rounded. This ginger-colored paste was thick, almost smooth with some strands of ginger. 

The distinct ginger garlic flavors could be tasted in this brand. However, these flavors were very artificial tasting which brought down our experience significantly. 

Why did we pick Suhana as our Top Pick? Why do we recommend Smith & Jones and Bambino?

An ideal ginger garlic paste is the perfect blend of both the ingredients. None of the flavors should overpower the other and strike that balance without tasting extremely tart, salty or industrial. 

We chose Suhana as our Top Pick because it gave us the freshest tasting, most robust ginger garlic paste. It was also packed well which made usage and storing easy. 

Bambino and Smith & Jones are also recommended. They came very close to our winner, taste wise. 

A note of appreciation for Mother’s Recipe Ginger Garlic Paste for not using any artificial preservatives. It uses turmeric as a natural preservative.

Here are some interesting FAQs on Indian ginger garlic paste brands.

Fresh, robust and proportionate quantities of ginger and garlic. Our Top Pick, Suhana, is all of this and more. Apart from nailing the perfect flavors of ginger and garlic, it was also the closest to a homemade paste (flavor wise). The jar pack was convenient to use and store.

We Also Recommend Bambino and Smith & Jones for their flavor.

Do you use packaged ginger garlic paste regularly or prefer a homemade one?

Our reviews are unbiased and all samples used during the reviews were paid for by us. Read our entire ethics statement here.