22 Ways Our Community Eats Black Garlic
We asked one simple question in a recent Instagram post: how do you eat yours? We were not prepared for the response. Hundreds of comments came flooding in, and reading through every single one was one of the best afternoons we've had at The Original Black Garlic HQ. So we did what any garlic-obsessed team would do, we analysed every comment, counted the trends, and pulled out the ideas that made us stop scrolling. Here's what we found.
The everyday favourites
Unsurprisingly, our community's go-to move is stirring black garlic straight into pasta. From carbonara to Bolognese to a simple bowl with butter and basil, it came up again and again. Often described as adding "that special black garlic flavour" no other ingredient quite replicates.
Toast and sourdough weren't far behind. The classic combo of crusty sourdough, a drizzle of olive oil, and black garlic mashed right in, appeared so often we're convinced it should come with its own hashtag.
One follower summed up the appeal perfectly:
"Ooh the absolute BEST way to eat it is whipped directly into unsalted butter with sea salt flakes, then spread over hot, crusty sourdough!!"
Salads, cheese boards, crackers, and pizza rounded out the everyday essentials — proof that black garlic earns its place in a lunchbox as easily as a dinner party.
When people got creative
This is where the comments truly delighted us. Once people got past the obvious pairings, the ideas got genuinely inventive:
A Sunday roast game-changer. One follower described making black garlic gravy for a roast dinner as "a serious upgrade" — rich, sweet, and savoury against all those classic roast flavours.
The ultimate umami glaze. Someone shared their method of mashing black garlic into a paste with olive oil, soy sauce, and honey, then brushing it over roasted meat. They called it "perfection," and honestly, we believe them.
Fermented honey. A follower makes their own garlic-infused honey — "amazing for immunity, and cooking!" We're already planning to try this one ourselves.
Plant-based and proud. Black garlic aioli made with cashews, stirred into scrambled tofu, blended into hummus, folded through a raw vegan cashew sauce with zoodles — our vegan community showed up with serious range.
The dinner party trick. Sliced thinly and served on cocktail sticks with olives and jalapeños, alongside a glass of red wine, as an aperitif. Simple, elegant, unexpected.
Cheese, but elevated. Whipped into a Camembert with honey before baking. Melted into mac and cheese. Mashed into cottage cheese with crackers, tomato, and cucumber. Is there a cheese pairing black garlic doesn't improve? We're starting to think not.
The comment that stopped us in our tracks
Among the recipe ideas and flavour combinations, one comment reminded us why we do this. A follower shared that she and her daughter are coeliac, and black garlic has genuinely helped them cook from scratch more easily. It's a small thing to say in a comments section, but it means everything to us. This is exactly why we started The Original Black Garlic in the first place.
The verdict
If this comment section taught us anything, it's that there is no wrong way to eat black garlic. Toast it, roast it, whip it into butter, glaze your Sunday joint with it, or just eat it straight from the pot (multiple people admitted to this — no judgement here). So, which one are you trying first? Let us know in the comments, and don't be surprised if we're back with round two of this list before long.
Follow along on Instagram to join the conversation and share how you use The Original Black Garlic.