Like your favorite track off an artist’s largely ignored second album, garlic scapes are treasures hiding in plain sight. The long, curly tendrils show up at many farmers markets and well-stocked supermarkets or grocery stores in late spring or early summer. They’re generally sold by the bunch and make a stellar addition to pesto, soups, stir-fries, and more.
What are garlic scapes, exactly? These green stalks extend from the base of hardneck garlic plants, resembling oversize chives or scallions. They’re related to but different from green garlic (the bulbs and shoots of garlic plants that haven’t fully matured). If left unattended, garlic plants will sprout tiny purple or white flower buds at the tips of the scapes. Farmers tend to trim them, though, to encourage bulb growth.
You can use scapes in all sorts of ways. Less pungent than garlic cloves, they provide subtle garlicky flavor and can be served cooked or raw. Sauté the green shoots in olive oil with green beans and other veggies for a side dish that screams, “hi, hello, it’s springtime,” or mix finely chopped raw garlic scapes into compound butter or hummus for a quiet kick. They’re also an excellent substitute for or used in addition to ramps or leeks in pasta recipes or frittatas.
If you typically store garlic bulbs on the countertop, keep in mind that garlic scapes are best kept in a plastic bag or container in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh and crunchy for up to three weeks—though it’s unlikely they’ll last that long.
Some of our favorite ways to use scapes are below, but for garlic fiends, the sky’s the limit. Consider this a jumping-off point for your new favorite farmers market find.
12 ways to cook with garlic scapes:
- Depending on how much you like (or should I say love?) garlic flavor, you can swap the green stalks for half or all of the basil in your go-to pesto recipe. Blitz in a food processor with Parmesan, pine nuts, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
- Fold chopped and sautéed garlic scapes into frittatas, omelets, or our best-ever scrambled eggs.
- Swap thinly sliced garlic scapes for the scallions in your next batch of crispy fried rice.
- Cut garlic scapes into coins and add them to a hot pan to make all sorts of stir-fries.
- Mix finely diced garlic scapes into a vinaigrette or green goddess dressing to instantly upgrade your next salad.
- Blister whole garlic scapes on the grill for a lightly charred snack or side dish to serve at your next barbecue.
- Stir finely chopped garlic scapes, olive oil, and salt into Greek yogurt to make a dip for crackers or crudités. Or, thin the mixture with a spoonful of water and drizzle it over grilled meat or roasted veggies.
- Pickled garlic scapes are a revelation. Cut the green shoots into 6-inch pieces and process them the same as pickled ramps.
- Sauté sliced scapes to use as a homemade pizza topping. Save any leftover oil from the pan in the fridge for your next salad dressing.
- Use the scapes whole in a hearty, warm-weather-friendly braise.
- Add a few diced garlic scapes with the chopped onion the next time you make risotto. Feeling fancy? Save one finely sliced green stalk to garnish each bowl.
- Mix chopped scapes with room-temperature butter and roll it into a log to make a versatile compound butter. Use it on grilled or pan-fried fish, roasted veggies, and garlicky grilled cheese. Or stash it in the freezer and pull it out a few months down the road to make a truly special Thanksgiving turkey.