Easy Roasted Garlic Scapes {Air Fryer or Oven}

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Roasting garlic scapes is one of the easiest ways to prepare this seasonal crop, and it only takes a few minutes. Serve them like roasted green beans with your favorite proteins, in pasta, on pizza, or anywhere else!

tray of roasted garlic scapes next to lemon.

Garlic scapes emerge during the late spring and early summer, and I always look out for them at my local farmers market!

Scapes are the flowering stems of hardneck garlic plants. Each spring, they try to produce flowers and seeds, which takes their energy away from bulb growth. Since most of us prefer to eat garlic bulbs instead of seeds, garlic growers remove these tender stalks to grow the biggest bulbs possible.

This means that we end up with these delicious green stems with a very mild garlic flavor. I always say they’re like a cross between green beans and asparagus, but with a subtle garlicky bite. They’re seriously good, and I preserve a bunch of them every summer!

Roasting is perhaps the best way to use too many scapes because you can go through several bunches at a time. They’re quick, easy, and ready to serve, making them a delicious side dish with any summer meal!

If you have a bunch of garlic scapes on hand, make sure you check out these garlic scape recipes! I’ve gathered over 30 different recipes to help you preserve the harvest (or enjoy it right now).

Why you’ll love this garlic scapes recipe

Ready in a hurry – Unlike other recipes that require canning or fermenting, these roasted garlic scapes take less than 10 minutes to prepare. Perfect for a quick and easy summer dinner!
Just 4 simple ingredients – You don’t need to buy any fancy ingredients from the store for this super simple recipe. You just need raw garlic scapes, a little olive oil, salt and fresh lemon juice (optional). That’s it!
Mild garlic flavor – The roasting process softens the scapes and mellows out their garlic flavor. They taste like garlicky green beans!

Equipment

To roast your own garlic scapes, you’ll need:

Cutting board
Sharp knife
Oven method: rimmed baking sheet and parchment paper
Air fryer method: quarter sheet pan or air fryer basket
Tongs

bowl of fresh garlic scapes for roasting.

Ingredients

Whole garlic scapes – Make sure to use fresh garlic scapes that are still tender and pliable. You can use the entire scape, but I always trim off the bud and the last inch of the stalk. These tend to dry out and become woody.
Extra-virgin olive oil – Or another liquid fat.
Sea salt
Lemon juice – This is optional, but I love adding a drizzle of lemon juice right over top. This really makes the scape flavor pop! For extra flavor, grate the lemon zest over top as well.

How to Roast Garlic Scapes

1. Preheat the oven or air fryer to 425 F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Arrange the prepared scapes on the baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Use the tongs to toss the scapes to ensure each one is evenly coated. Spread the scapes in a single layer and avoid overlapping (they’ll flop around, so just do your best).

4. Roast for 6-8 minutes in the oven, flipping the scapes over halfway through. The baking time will vary depending on the size of your scapes. Very thin, tender scapes will be ready in 6 minutes and thicker ones may require up to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overbake or the scapes will dry out.

5. Remove from the oven and drizzle with fresh lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately or use in your favorite quiches, pasta dishes, and more.

Storing Suggestions

Once cooked, the leftover scapes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 6 months.

How to Use Roasted Scapes

Once roasted, these scapes can be eaten as a side dish with pork chops (amazing with this Iberico Secreto), roasted chicken, and other proteins.

They’re also lovely when added to quiches and frittatas, homemade pizza, and more!

Roasted scapes can also be blended in the food processor to make garlic scape hummus, garlic scape vinaigrette, and more. The roasting process makes them nice and tender, so they’re easy to blend at this stage.

Tips & Variations

Scale up or down. You can use this method with any amount of scapes. I used 10 scapes on my small air fryer tray, but you could easily roast several dozen in the oven.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Just like my air fryer broccolini, a little Parmesan cheese will melt onto the scapes and add extra flavor.
Load up on garlic flavor. In addition to the garlic scapes, feel free to add a couple of regular garlic cloves, too.
Roast small pieces. Instead of roasting the whole scapes, feel free to cut them into small 2-3 inch pieces. Adjust the roasting time and check them at 6 minutes.
Cook on the stovetop. Ditch the oven and warm up a large skillet. Add a little oil and let it heat up, then sautee the scapes until tender. Easy!

squeezing lemon juice over tray of roasted garlic scapes.

More Scape Recipes

Can’t get enough garlic scapes? Me neither! Here are some of my favorite recipes:

FAQs

What’s the difference between garlic scapes and green garlic?

Green garlic is early, young garlic plants that are harvested for the delicate stalks and greens. They look more like leeks or green onions, and are eaten in the same way.

Garlic scapes are harvested months later when the garlic plant attempts to produce flowers. The scapes are removed from the garlic plant, while green garlic is the entire garlic plant eaten whole.

Can you eat the garlic scape flowers?

Yes, but I find the garlic flowers a bit papery. I prefer to remove them and eat only the green stalks.

Why are my roasted garlic scapes woody?

The bottom portion of the stem can become woody over time. I always remove at least half an inch of the stalk, if not more.

Related Recipes

If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.

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