Sautéed Garlic Scapes (+ How to Freeze Them)
Sautéed garlic scapes are one of my favourite things to cook in early summer. In case you don’t know what these are, these are the curly green stalks of the garlic plant, cooked hot and fast until they blister and turn sweet, with a garlic flavour far gentler than a raw clove. This meal comes together in about 15 minutes, it is naturally vegan, and it is the dish I make the week the scapes appear.
Every one of these photos is from my own garden. I grow hardneck garlic, and for a few weeks in June the plants send up these looping green stems – the scapes – and I go out with scissors and cut them all. There is a real reason to cut them, beyond dinner: snipping the scape off tells the plant to stop putting energy into a flower and send it back down into the bulb instead, so the head of garlic underground grows noticeably bigger. Harvesting scapes is the rare two-for-one in the garden – a vegetable to cook now, and better garlic to dig up later. Most years I freeze half of what I cut, so I have green-garlic flavour right through winter.
What garlic scapes are, and when to cut them
Garlic scapes are the flower stalks of hardneck garlic. Each one grows up from the centre of the plant, curls into a loop or two, and ends in a pointed bud that would open into a flower if you left it. You cut them while they are still young and tender, usually once they have made one full curl – in my garden that is June, and they are only around for two or three weeks. Taste-wise they sit between a garlic clove and a spring onion: fresh, green, and garlicky, but mild, especially once cooked. If you do not grow your own, look for them at farmers markets and in CSA boxes in early summer; they rarely make it to supermarket shelves, which is part of why people get excited about them.
Getting them ready to cook
Prep is quick. Rinse the scapes, then trim off the pointed flower bud at the top and the very bottom of the stem if it feels tough or woody. Cut what is left into bite-sized pieces, about two fingers wide. The thin, curly upper sections are the most tender, so if some of the lower stems feel firm, save those for blending into pesto rather than sautéing. That is genuinely all they need before they hit the pan.
How I sauté them
Get a pan properly hot with a little olive oil, add the scapes, and let them cook for five to seven minutes, tossing now and then, until they are blistered in spots and tender-crisp – you want them to keep a little bite, not collapse into mush. Right at the end I pour in a splash of soy sauce or tamari with a little maple syrup, which reduces into a glossy, savoury-sweet glaze in under a minute, then finish with toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, and a pinch of chilli flakes. Salt carefully, since the soy is already salty. Full quantities are in the recipe card below.
What to serve sautéed garlic scapes with
They are a proper little side dish, but they slot into a lot of meals. I most often serve them next to crispy tofu or tempeh and rice, or pile them onto a grain bowl. They are excellent tossed through pasta or noodles with their glaze, spooned over toast smeared with hummus or white beans, or folded into scrambled eggs or tofu for a garlicky breakfast. They sit happily alongside anything off the grill. And if you have more scapes than you can cook, blend the raw ones into a garlic scape pesto – it does everything basil pesto does, with a gentle garlic kick.
How I freeze garlic scapes for winter
This is the part I would not skip. Scapes freeze beautifully, and a whole summer of them means green-garlic flavour in your cooking long after they have vanished from the garden. I do it two ways. The simplest is to chop the raw scapes, spread them in a single layer on a tray to freeze, then tip them into a bag once solid so they do not clump – from there you drop a handful straight into whatever is cooking, no thawing needed. The other way is to blitz them into a paste with a little olive oil, a rough pesto base, and freeze it in an ice-cube tray, then pop out a cube whenever a soup, stew, stir-fry, rice pot, or dressing needs a hit of fresh garlic. Both keep for about a year. Honestly, I get more use out of my frozen scapes in January than I do fresh in June.
For more garlic-forward ideas, browse my vegan garlic recipes, try sticky Asian garlic tofu, or make a cosy roasted garlic pasta.
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Sautéed Garlic Scapes
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Wooden spoon
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb garlic scapes trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp sesame oil toasted
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Rinse the garlic scapes, trim off the flower buds and any woody ends, then cut into 2-inch pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scapes and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until bright green and tender-crisp.
- Stir in the soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until glossy and lightly caramelized.
- Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes if using.
- Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve warm.
- Serve warm as a side, tossed through pasta or grains, piled on rice, spooned onto toast with hummus, or folded into scrambled eggs or tofu.
- To keep them for winter, freeze chopped raw scapes flat on a tray then bag them, or blitz into a paste with a little oil and freeze in cubes — add straight from frozen to soups, stews, stir-fries, and rice.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Garlic scapes are the curly green flower stalks of hardneck garlic. Growers cut them off in early summer so the plant can put its energy into the bulb. They taste like a mild, fresh garlic and are completely edible once trimmed.
Garlic scapes appear for just a few weeks in early summer, usually around June, depending on your climate. Look for them at farmers markets and CSA boxes, since they rarely show up in regular grocery stores.
The easiest way is to sauté them. Trim and chop them, then cook in a little oil over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until tender. You can also grill, roast, or blend them raw into pesto.
Yes, but milder. Raw scapes have a fresh, green garlic flavor that is softer than a clove. Cooking them mellows it further into a sweet, gentle garlic taste, similar to roasted garlic.
Yes. Chop and blend them with a little oil, then freeze the puree in ice cube trays. Pop out a cube whenever you need fresh garlic flavor through the winter. Whole raw scapes can also be frozen in a bag.
You eat the tender green stalk. Trim off the pointed flower bud at the top and the tough, woody bottom of the stem, then use the rest. The thinner, curlier sections are the most tender.
