Quick n’ easy recipe today! This probably comes as a surprise to nobody, but I initially bought black garlic as an impulse buy. Thankfully, I had an out-of-town visitor who happens to be an amazing cook, and after we sampled the black garlic on its own, he offered to make it into a black garlic vinaigrette.
When my friend presented his stunning dressing to me, I immediately became a fan of this unique ingredient. We enjoyed it with just some fresh salad greens that day, but over the course of that week I also slathered it on my avocado toast and roasted vegetables.
At that time I had no idea how black garlic was even made, harboring the common misconception that it’s a fermented food. I later learned that black garlic is prepared by very, very slowly (multiple days) cooking garlic at a super low temperature. This causes garlic’s natural sugars to break down and caramelize, producing a deep, savory, malty flavor.
Months later I finally saw black garlic at the store again so I set out to recreate those flavors, and here we are. A beautiful dark purplish-brown-hued dressing with robust, complex flavor. It’s only a few ingredients more than a classic balsamic vinaigrette but it tastes absolutely special.
Aside from the black garlic itself, all of these ingredients here are pretty usual. This black garlic dressing uses a lot more oil than I would typically. I’m sure that a creamy cashew based version could also be delicious here, but I was looking for that silky olive oil texture this time around.
My favorite way to use this black garlic salad dressing is on my winter vegetable barley bowls!
Black Garlic Vinaigrette
A punchy vinaigrette featuring the sweet and malty flavor of black garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 head black garlic removed from the peel and finely chopped
- 1 small clove fresh garlic minced
- 1 tbsp finely-chopped shallot
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar plus more to taste
- 2 tsp prepared mustard
- 1/2 tbsp agave nectar (or sweetener of choice)
- 6 tbsp olive oil plus more as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a blender or food processor, combine the black garlic, fresh garlic, and shallot, and blend as finely as possible. Add the red wine vinegar, mustard, and agave nectar, and again blend to combine.
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Add olive oil in a steady stream, blending until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste (this will need plenty of salt), and add more oil if needed to reach the desired texture. After adding additional oil, check the seasoning one more time for salt, pepper, and acid.
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Enjoy right away, or store in the fridge for up to a week or more. The mustard and black garlic help this dressing emulsify quite well, but if needed, shake/stir the dressing again before serving.
Recipe Notes
LOWER-FAT VERSION: I have it on good authority that you can substitute part of the olive oil with aquafaba (the cooking liquid from chickpeas or other beans) to make a lower-fat dressing.
NUTRITON: Serving size is approximate. Calories per tablespoon depend on the final amount of oil, vinegar, etc. used.
WHERE TO FIND BLACK GARLIC: Sometimes you just have to get lucky! Trader Joe's has been known to sell it at times. Other natural/specialty grocers tend to carry it seasonally. I've linked to black garlic on Amazon above, but note that the price online is WAY WAY higher (~$15 or more) than what I paid in the store (~$4).
Shoutout to Wikipedia for explaining to me what black garlic really is!
Other recipes from the blog that highlight garlic:
One Pot Spicy Garlic Almond Butter Noodles
Kale, Garlic Scape and Walnut Pesto
Other delicious salad dressings:
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Leanne Brawner says
Made this… YUM!!! I love the flavor of the black garlic so much that I tripled it, so I didn’t need any additional sugar. Used dijon as my mustard. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll never buy a bottle again.
Sarah W says
Lovely ingredients and I can’t wait to try! Been obsessed with black garlic for a while now! Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s Black Garlic is processed in Japan. Black Garlic North America makes theirs from garlic grown in North America and make it in Wisconsin. And they’ve got certified organic. (I see their 2-bulb bags in Wisco co-ops). They sell 4 bulbs of black garlic with free shipping on their site for $12 (4+oz for $12 vs Trader Joes 1+ oz for $3) Pretty good price comparison considering quality and origin. Just don’t buy the bulk bags on Amazon and you’re good to go 🙂 (unless you are like me and want a ton of the stuff – even then I just buy the peeled cloves straight from their site because it is so much more convenient than the sticky bulbs I gotta peel) haha! 🙂 Or, if you are super patient you can just make the stuff, though I haven’t tried to yet! LOL!
Josh says
I’m an aspiring chef in culinary school and I used your recipe adapting slightly and my chef instructor loved it.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hey Josh, thanks for letting me know, I’m so glad to hear that!
Anne Lemieux says
Just made this wonderful condiment. Put it on undressed coleslaw shavings….Made a wonderful tangy coleslaw. Three are so many things I can think to use this on.
Deb says
Wonderful flavor.
Sabina Wilson says
Very nice…we have been doing a version of this dressing for over 10 years. We use in on many different foods.
Megala says
Beautiful vinaigrette ! Love its brown color !!