recipes

29 Recipes That Put Garlic Front and Center

For people who always add an extra clove (or three).
GingerGarlic Fire Cod on a plate with toppings to the side
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kendra Vaculin, prop styling by Emma Ringness

You want garlic flavor? (We’re guessing so, since you’ve arrived at a list of garlic recipes.) Or lemon-garlic flavor (the key to a classic hummus)? Honey-garlic? Ginger-garlic (a purée of it, rubbed on meat as a marinade*)? Anything-garlic? Then you’re going to have to deal with garlic breath (although there are also some ways to deal with that). And you’d be smart to learn how, because there are some serious health benefits involved: Fresh garlic is rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese. Sulfur compounds, which have medicinal properties, form when you chop or crush it. (Actually, that’s a good trivia question: “Which is healthier, raw garlic or minced garlic?” Bet most people won’t guess that it’s the latter.) So, get thee to the grocery store, fill up your tote bag, and make these garlic recipes. They’re our 29 favorite ways to cook the allium.

* “Yum” is right.

  • One of the best eggplant recipes is this dish of grilled eggplant with garlicky tahiniyogurt sauce.
    Photographs by Laura Murray, food styling by Simon Andrews, prop styling by Sophie Strangio
    1/29

    Grilled Eggplant With Garlicky Tahini-Yogurt Sauce

    This garlic recipe features a method for grilling whole heads until the garlic cloves are tender and jammy (which means they’re spreadable). Eat them with crusty bread and a drizzle of good olive oil.

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  • Photo by Heami Lee, food styling by Judy Haubert, prop styling by Rebecca Bartoshesky
    2/29

    Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese

    Take two comfort dishes, grilled cheese and garlic bread, combine them, and.… There aren’t words, really. Just don’t rush the cooking process; moderate heat allows the cheese inside to melt fully without burning the outside.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris
    3/29

    Garlicky Buttery Scallops

    We love how easy but luxe this recipe is; it works for a dinner party just as well as it does a weeknight family supper. Make some garlic butter, sear the scallops, add some vinegar and herbs and you’re finished.

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  • Laura Murray
    4/29

    Homemade Caesar Dressing

    Probably the most famous garlic-heavy salad dressing in the world, whipping up homemade Caesar is easier than you might think. We’ll show you how to do it.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Andy Baraghani
    5/29

    Shish Taouk (Grilled Chicken Skewers With Toum)

    Toum, an intense garlic sauce usually paired with shawarma, is used as both a marinade and a condiment in this Lebanese chicken dish. Want to plan a dinner party around it (something we recommend)? Make this entire Lebanese feast.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Emma Ringness
    6/29

    Pasta With 20 Cloves of Garlic

    When we think “garlic noodles,” we think of this pasta dish. Twenty—that is not a typo—cloves of garlic, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast turn it into an umami bomb. And if you like this, here’s another pantry pasta that leans on garlic, plus anchovy fillets and Parmesan.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kendra Vaculin, prop styling by Emma Ringness
    9/29

    Ginger-Garlic Fire Cod

    Modeled after Hunan-style steamed fish, this fiery, flavor-blasted weeknight-friendly dinner is rounded out with a cooling, crunchy cucumber salad and steamed white rice.

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  • Laura Murray
    10/29

    Shrimp Scampi

    Don’t skip the marinade step: It really amps up the flavor and sets this buttery garlic shrimp recipe apart from the rest. If you want something without that step, try these Grilled Garlic-and-Black-Pepper Shrimp.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser
    11/29

    Squishy Garlic Dill Rolls

    Garlic bread gets a pillowy pull-apart makeover. Golden and glossy, gleaming with a brush of garlicky butter and dappled with dill, we’d say this is definitely next-generation stuff.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou
    12/29

    The Garlickiest Fried Rice

    Have we died and gone to heaven? Because this recipe involves a crispy fried garlic topping, rice fried in the leftover garlic oil, and scrambled eggs.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams
    13/29

    Garlic Confit

    You’ve got to be a Garlic Lover with a capital L for this one. All it takes is three heads of garlic, a couple cups of grapeseed oil, low oven heat, and two hours. Once the cloves are gone, use the garlicky oil in a salad dressing or marinade.

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  • Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser
    14/29

    No-Fail Roast Chicken With Lemon and Garlic

    This recipe for a beautifully browned roast bird is dubbed “no-fail” for a reason: You kinda can’t mess it up.

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  • Heidi's Bridge
    19/29

    Garlic Knots

    If you work in an Italian American pizza shop in the New York area, you’ve probably served garlic knots. If you’re a customer of shops like that, you can probably list the ingredients off of the top of your head: pizza dough, butter, fresh chopped garlic, garlic powder, parsley, salt. Side of marinara not optional.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou
    20/29

    Slow-Cooked Halibut With Garlic Cream and Fennel

    When garlic is cooked gently in plenty of fat (in this case, cream), it becomes something else entirely: Raw cloves go silky and sultry, warm and welcoming.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou
    21/29

    Roast Chicken Legs With Lots of Garlic

    The title of this recipe, Roast Chicken Legs With Lots of Garlic, is both serious and vague. Serious because we’re talking lots of garlic, but vague because, well, just how much garlic is Lots of Garlic? You’ll have to click to find out.

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  • 22/29

    Garlic Broth

    This back-pocket broth is hardly even a recipe—garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper; that’s it—but it’s the most soothing soup we can imagine. For a more filling garlic soup, try this recipe with potatoes and poached eggs.

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  • Christopher Testani
    25/29

    Zucchini-Herb Fritters With Garlic Yogurt

    Treat this garlic yogurt like aioli and spread it on sandwiches, dip crudités (or french fries—or anything, really) in it, or try it in tuna salad.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray, styling by Judy Mancini
    26/29

    Tomato and Roasted Garlic Pie

    Yes, you read that ingredient list right: This savory pie takes a whopping 6 peeled garlic cloves—and heirloom tomatoes, and Taleggio and Parmesan cheeses, and shallots and thyme—to make.

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  • Peden + Munk
    27/29

    Garlicky Harissa

    Make this harissa on Sunday and cut down on prep time for easy dinners throughout the week: Smother it on meat and you’ll take a simple grilled steak or chicken to the next level, no fancy technique or special care required.

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  • Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen
    28/29

    Chickpea and Celery Soup With Chile-Garlic Oil

    Like Kim from Maine, you may find this gluten-free recipe disarming: “I wanted an economical, easy dinner, and this worked. It sounded boring as written, but it came together beautifully.” (We appreciate the honesty, Kim.)

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Senior Associate Web Editor. When she’s not torturing herself by grinding coffee beans by hand and making her own butter, Rochelle writes about cooking techniques and seasonal eating for bonappetit.com. She comes to BA by way of a small farm in Central New York, where she worked as a farmhand... Read more
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