Homemade Garri Powder (Lebu)

Make the best African recipes with all-natural, healthy, and homemade Garri Powder (Garri Lebu or Smooth Garri)!

There are many reasons to have garri powder in your kitchen and in your diet. It gives excellent quality to your meals and drinks, especially rich, nutty, and sweet flavors.

From the original form of garri, you can turn it into a powder for ready-to-use condiments or ingredients. Moreover, the garri is not just about flavor, but incredible health benefits too. 

Once you use garri in your dishes, you won’t be able to get enough of it. You can pair it with almost any dish or drink for a memorable meal that you can share with your loved ones.

No wonder, garri rhymes with happy. It can truly make your tummy happy!

How to Make Garri Powder

If you have processed garri at home, then you can turn it into garri powder in just one step. With the help of your blender, you can make garri powder in less than five minutes!

Whether you’re in a hurry or not, you can surely make this garri powder.

Ingredient

You only need one ingredient for this recipe, and you guessed it right, it’s garri!

Garri

In its base form, garri is a processed staple food in Africa, specifically Nigeria. They make it from cassava, giving it a hint of nutty and sweet flavors even after fermenting.

When you touch garri, they may feel like grains because of how coarse they are. But they’re actually grain-free! Before selling and using it, it goes through a process to release more of its flavor.

First, you need to harvest and choose to get the best produce. Then, peel, wash, and grate the cassava. Ferment it for about two days, dry it for another two days, and dry stir-fry or roast it until dried. 

Sometimes, the garri is white or yellow, depending on how you prepare it. White garri is the classic kind, while you can make yellow garri by toasting it in palm oil to give it a hint of color. 

There are different types of garri, such as white, yellow, ijebu, and Ghana. 

• White garri: It is the most common type of garri in Africa. It is made by peeling, grating, fermenting, and roasting the cassava until powdery. 
• Yellow garri (or garri Ibo): In this type of garri, you need to add palm oil to the cassava before the fermenting stage to give it a yellow color. It is starchier and thicker compared to other garri. 
• Ijebu garri: You can use ijebu garri for soaking because of its sour taste. You need to ferment it for a longer time for a more robust and less starchy quality. 
• Ghana garri: As you can tell, this type of garri is native to Ghana. Ferment it by drying it under the sun and roasting it. I suggest using it to make thick eba. 

Health Benefits of Garri

Aside from the quality it gives, garri can also be good for your health:

• Garri is rich in carbohydrates and calories that can help you manage your weight.
• Golden Penny Foods shared that garri can promote digestion and prevent constipation. 
• The copper, magnesium, and vitamin B17 from garri can boost your immunity. 
• According to Niyis, garri can lower cholesterol levels to improve your heart function. 
• It’s also a low-fat food that reduces the risk of obesity and other health conditions. 

Imagine how garri can affect your meals and diet. You can certainly expect positive results from this food!

Directions

Here’s how easy it is to make garri powder:

1. Put the garri in a blender. 
2. Blend the contents until powdery.
3. Once content with the consistency, store the powder in a jar.

Now, you have ready-to-use garri powder whenever you need it. Most of the time, it takes less than five minutes to make it and a lifetime to appreciate what it does for diet and health!

Tips

If you want to make your own garri at home, then here are tips on how you can buy and store cassava at home. 

Buying cassava

• The Spruce Eats suggests buying cassava with firm roots.
• Check if the roots have soft spots. 
• For sliced cassava, buy ones with white flesh and without blemishes.

Storing cassava

• Fresh cassava can last several weeks at room temperature.
• Once you peel it, keep it in the fridge for a month.
• You can also freeze peeled and sliced cassava for several weeks.

Garri Powder Variations

Classic garri powder is made of white garri, but you can also use other types of garri. For instance, you may prefer yellow, ijebu, or Ghana garri for different flavors. 

Make yellow garri by adding palm oil when you’re fermenting the cassava pulp. You can also add the oil when you’re frying or toasting the pulp for a coarse texture. Ijebu and Ghana garri are also great options for your recipes.

In making the garri powder, you can use a food processor or a miller as an alternative to a blender. I also suggest using a mortar and pestle to get similar results.

Recommended Tools

• Blender: Make the garri powder in a blender.
• Jar: Store the powder in a jar.

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How to Use Garri Powder

One of the best things to make with garri powder is a Garri Smoothie. It gives the drink a thick, creamy, and dense texture for a real smoothie experience. The smoothie tastes so much better with bananas, peanuts, milk, and natural sweeteners too. Try these: Choco Garri Smoothie, and Peanut Garri Smoothie.

You can also use garri powder as a flavoring agent or thickener for soups and stews. Alternatively, just soak it in milk or water, add your favorite toppings, and enjoy it like cereal. You can also pair it with beans recipe like Ewa Agoyin, High Protein Bean.

Storage Tips

• At room temperature: As long as you keep it in a dry area, the garri powder can last up to several months. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is garri powder?

Garri powder is a condiment made of fermented cassava. From the fermented form of garri, it is turned into a powder by blending it until it turns into granules. 

What is garri made of?

It is made of cassava that’s harvested, grated, fermented, dried, and toasted. Moreover, garri can be produced from different types of cassava, like white, yellow, ijebu, or Ghana garri. 

What is garri used for?

There are numerous ways to use garri. For instance, you can use it as a thickener for soups and stews. It can also be used to add flavor to dishes, especially for a sweet, nutty, and sour taste. 

I also use it to make smoothies with bananas, peanuts, milk, sweeteners, and other ingredients.

Is gari the same as cassava flour?

No, gari and cassava flour are not the same in Nigeria. For Garri, you will have to ferment and roast the cassava. For cassava flour, the cassava is grated, dehydrated, and milled.