Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Black Garlic

Black garlic might sound weird and might look weirder, but it is a secret weapon that many home cooks have started embracing over the years. It was once criminally overlooked or perhaps under the radar, but thankfully it has become more accessible and widely incorporated by the Western culinary world. With roots in Korean cuisine that go back centuries, it has flavored many unique dishes by adding a super rich, umami punch that elevates any meal.

It's one of those ingredients that brings an undeniable depth of flavor to any dish it's added to, from savory to unexpected sweet recipes. If you want to impress people at a dinner party, and keep your guests guessing about what exactly you added to your vinaigrette, try black garlic. It's truly a fun ingredient to play with and it doesn't require an advanced palate or culinary background to understand how best to use it. While it might not be the cheapest ingredient relative to its volume, a little goes a long way, and you'll find yourself reaching for it over and over, rather than letting it die a slow death in the pantry.

Here, we aim to help you learn about the myriad ways to use black garlic, in addition to understanding what it is, what it goes with, where to source it, and how to incorporate it into your own cooking for maximum impact. If you've always been curious about it, but never felt ready to dive in, let us guide you and inspire you.

Black garlic might be new to you, but it's an old ingredient with many examples of culinary use going back hundreds of years. It has strong ties to Asian cuisine, specifically, Korean and, to a lesser extent, Japanese. In traditional Chinese medicine, it also has been used as a remedy for longevity, considered to be a balanced food according to Taoist philosophies. As a base for sauces, it fits within the cannon of other boldly-flavored, fermented Asian ingredients that we all love like miso, kimchi, soy sauce, fish sauce, and douchi (Chinese fermented black bean paste). It's so tasty and bold, it can hold a candle to all of these ingredients, thanks to the power of fermentation.

Its more recent history spans the last 20 years, where it has become more of a chef-favorite and has shown up on tasting menus and in online recipes. Progressive chefs turned to the ingredient to stand out in the arms race of secret weapon ingredients. In 2004, Scott Kim, a Korean native, developed a special oven that was able to cure large batches of black garlic, helping to popularize the ingredient. Then in 2005, it made a splash in American pop culture by debuting on Iron Chef, which may have been the first time some viewers had ever seen black garlic. Thankfully, it's no longer an obscure or esoteric food, with many cooks discovering why its roots go back so far, and for good reason.

Black garlic is, as the name would suggest, black. From their raw state, the garlic bulbs and their grey, papery skin transform to a golden brown color, looking like they've spent too much time in an oven. The skin becomes translucent at times, which gives way to the crown jewels: the delicious cloves inside. These cloves go from a cream color when raw to a deep, black with a purplish hue that can also sometimes appear brown. Simply put, it looks like what you might expect: garlic that was heated and fermented for a long time, where the sugars present caramelize to bring about that signature, dark appearance.

The black color is not the result of burning or being overcooked; rather, it is the result of chemical reactions such as the Maillard reaction involving amino acids and sugars. This in turn means that the once hard, potent, and moisture-rich raw cloves become soft, and pliable, with a putty-like texture, completely devoid of that unmistakable overpowering smell and taste. The once tightly wrapped skin around each clove—the bane of many home cooks' existence, sometimes next-to-impossible to remove—is easily removed as it naturally comes off the shrunken cloves. To that end, each clove may shrink down significantly, accounting for moisture loss during the long fermentation process. Yes, black garlic may not look the most appetizing at the end of the day, but trust us when we say it definitely is.

This delicious culinary ingredient is the product of a lengthy process — good things do indeed come to those who wait. Here, standard fresh garlic bulbs are fermented at controlled temperatures for long periods to reach the desired result. The equipment used varies and is a rabbit hole in itself, usually encompassing a fermentation chamber of some sort, a dehydrator, a slow cooker, or even a rice cooker set to the "keep warm" setting. A rice cooker is an especially great tool to make black garlic at home. 

Making black garlic is actually very hands-off and relatively easy. To get the best results, the garlic must be kept at a steady temperature of around 140 degrees Fahrenheit for as little as four weeks, and as long as eight. There is nothing added to the garlic during this process; the recipe for black garlic is simply the bulb, time, and heat. Patience will coax out those super punchy flavors that are the result of enzymatic bowing, Maillard, pyrolytic, and redox reactions.

For best results, it is recommended to use freshly harvested garlic with peak moisture levels that facilitate the transformation. It is also best to avoid dried-out, older garlic with green shoots sprouting and opt for locally grown over industrially processed, cheap grocery store options. Progress should be monitored during the first few weeks; if the bottom looks scorched, you'll need to start over. Towards the end, there will be visible browning of the skin, and the bulbs should end up squishy, soft, and fragrant. Voila.

Let's discuss the best part: how black garlic tastes when it finds its way into a recipe. It is complex, and is often described as sweet, earthy, at times a bit fruity, vaguely reminiscent of roasted garlic, with a pronounced umami depth of flavor. When overly used, it could come off as pungent or maybe overwhelming, but never in the way raw garlic is, thanks to the lack of those nostril-burning sulfurous compounds that get cooked out. Losing that signature sharpness of raw garlic is the best part, in addition to taking on an almost balsamic vinegar flavor profile, or even similar to that of tamarind. Simply put, the acidity gets ramped up, in addition to the sweetness, making it undeniably rich. If garlic in its raw form is more one-note, perhaps a violin, its fermented cousin is a full symphony. A lot is going on and, as such, it should be savored.

Things to consider are how black garlic could taste when used as-is or when it is added to a sauce or stew, returning back to the heat once again. It can lose some of its complex nature when cooked for long periods, compared to retaining its character when added to a vinaigrette where it is not heated. Much like raw garlic, it doesn't really lose too much flavor over time when properly stored, thankfully, unlike ground spices. Overall, the flavor is something to behold: unique, layered, rich, and ready to win you over. 

There is a time and place for black garlic, just like the raw stuff. It should be noted that it is not a perfect substitute for raw, or vice versa. Nor would powdered, dried garlic ever be a suitable stand-in for the fermented kind. But the three states of garlic can play off each other, and it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to combine them for a very garlic-forward flavor profile. For example, a small amount of garlic powder could be added to a vinaigrette where black garlic is the star of the show to act as a savory counterpart, adding a less-pungent base to help balance out the dressing.

Using fresh garlic does run the risk of overpowering your precious, much pricier black bulbs, so consider that when attempting to pair them. But if you're looking to marry the two, it's always best to use unprocessed, fresh garlic over jarred if you can. Buying pre-peeled garlic is fine though, and can save time when you just need to get dinner ready quickly.

Lastly, we recommend using black garlic in its whole form over black garlic seasoning blends or the ground version that is sometimes sold in jars. Unfortunately, if you're used to cooking with black garlic in its whole form, you'll notice these options lack the punch that you'd expect, and can thus seem like a waste of money. Save up for the real stuff instead, if you can. 

Now, the fun part — cooking with black garlic! If you're new to this delicious ingredient, there are plenty of expert guides to cooking with garlic out there for you to reference. Yet, with the miracle of fermentation, a whole new world awaits with lots of opportunities for experimentation in the kitchen here.

Firstly, recognize that in its natural state, black garlic is a paste, and so it tends to do well when incorporated into liquids like sauces, vinaigrettes, and pestos. For example, a blood orange and black garlic dressing with balsamic vinegar over arugula is to die for. Black garlic can also be used as a base component to a marinade; combined with soy sauce and other herbs and seasonings, you could do worse to punch up the flavor of a flank steak. For a spin on a classic, try swapping out raw for black garlic in an aoili, or adding it into hummus for a fun twist.

Black garlic paste slathered onto a big slice of French bread, with a nice glug of your best olive oil and some flaky sea salt, is a divine snack. You could add it to a cheese board to show off for your guests. Also, never throw away those skins! They're full of flavor and can be put into a stockpot for a long, slow Sunday of simmering either a vegetable broth or chicken stock. Finally, if you're feeling adventurous, try making black garlic ice cream — seriously, it's delicious!

These days, you can find black garlic at most respectable markets, ranging from small gourmet shops to larger chains. You can also always go online if you live in a rural area with a more paired-down curation at your local store. When in doubt, ask your local grocer if they stock it because the sections of the store you may expect to find it at could leave you searching; it's just one of those ingredients that never seems to have a home. It also makes the rounds at farmer's markets, where some garlic growers who endeavor to ferment some of their harvests offer it to customers. Lastly, some health food stores may stock black garlic as well, since it's often touted for its health benefits.

The average price and size per package tend to vary, but one brand, Orgnisulmte Black Garlic, offers a 9-ounce jar for $15.00 at the time of publishing. If you see a sale and come to like cooking with black garlic, stock up, as it can be relatively cost-prohibitive. This is all the more reason to explore making it on your own; if you're already versed in the world of fermentation and dehydrating fruit, it's considered a pretty straight-forward kitchen project. Source the best local garlic you can and enjoy the fruits of your labor later. But if you're new to fermenting, do some research beforehand. An excellent resource is the "Noma Guide To Fermentation," by René Redzepi and David Zilber. 

It's no secret that raw garlic is often recognized for its health benefits, allegedly helping to shorten the duration of colds and reduce blood pressure. Black garlic demonstrates some of the same nutritional components as its raw form. A powerful compound called allicin — the stuff that makes raw garlic so incredibly potent and stinky — converts into antioxidants such as alkaloids and flavonoids, which can help the body in many ways. 

While there is less allicin in black garlic, it is still present and has been said to possess anti-anti-inflammatory properties, as well as immune system boosting potential. As far as calories go, it is a relatively low-calorie food, and considering most recipes only call for a few cloves to be used at a time, it's not of great consequence. If you are, however, on a diet, perhaps consult your dietician or nutritionist if you're unsure. All in all, you could say that black garlic isn't a bad addition to one's diet and could even be considered healthy. As if we needed any more reason to eat black garlic? To your health!

Obviously, whatever variety raw garlic comes in can then be converted into black garlic. Whether it's elephant, purple stripe, porcelain, rocambole, or silverskin cultivars, it can all end up being fermented and turned into black gold. Additionally, black garlic can come in organic and non-organic options, with the former usually fetching a higher price. There doesn't seem to be much difference between the two, but no judgment if you're a strict organic-only food buyer. 

When shopping for black garlic, opt for the unpeeled, whole bulb variety if you can, as this will be fresher; pre-peeled cloves may look easier to deal with, but they are more exposed to air thus prone to flavor-mellowing. You don't want this. Fermented garlic can sometimes be available dried into a powder and then added to spice mixes, or sold in a ground, pure dried powder. As we mentioned previously, these formats aren't recommended, as they truly lose their potency. Lastly, you may see black garlic sold in pill form as a supplement — we recommend against using these pills for your culinary needs as they would likely be mixed with stabilizers, additives, and even deodorized, none of which would help to add zip and zing to a sauce.

Protecting these little black gold gems is very important when considering the price — the last thing you'd want is to have them spoil before being able to use them. Proper storage is critical; think of it like how you would treat a fancy cut of some killer cheese. It should be treated differently from raw garlic, which is relatively easy to store. 

Black garlic has a lower moisture content than fresh garlic, as well as a lower pH, but this doesn't mean it is perfectly shelf-stable. Sure, it could sit on your counter for a few days, and is often sold at the market out on display at room temperature. But the best way to ensure your black garlic keeps well is to pop it into the fridge in a resealable plastic bag, an air-tight Tupperware container, or a glass jar. It will keep in the refrigerator for a week, but if you don't think you'll be able to use it all in that timeframe, freeze it. The same applies with freezing: make sure it is put into an airtight vessel to save your garlic from freezer burn and so that it won't oxidize. Once you get a taste for black garlic and begin to incorporate it into your repertoire, you'll likely go through it fast, avoiding any potential long-term storage issues.