Is Sprouted Garlic Safe to Eat?

Garlic is, without a doubt, one of the most commonly used ingredients in a kitchen. Because of this, you might keep a lot of it around. Garlic is inexpensive and easy to purchase in bulk because it can last six months when stored properly. Personally, I have a brown bag in my pantry stocked at all times.

But should a trip to the pantry reveal your garlic has grown beyond the bulb, you may find yourself wrestling with the idea of throwing it out or wondering if chopping it up (despite the sprouts) is a fool's errand. A sprout is just the garlic's way of saying "okay, time to make new garlic," a regeneration of sorts, so can it really be a bad thing?

Should You Eat Sprouted Garlic?

Garlic sprouts are perfectly safe to eat. Depending on who you ask, the sprouts might taste bitter — or the garlic it's grown out of, having used its moisture and sugar to sprout the new growth, might be. Either way, deciding what to use comes down to one thing: what you're cooking.

If the dish in question is a large casserole, pot of soup or stew, or other cooked item that wouldn't notice if the garlic is a bit more fierce, go ahead and use the whole kit and caboodle. Alternatively, simply remove the sprouted part and go about your business.

If your dish is raw, uses a lot of garlic, or puts the garlic front-and-center (like one of those recipes that uses a whole head or more), you may want to opt for cloves that haven’t begun the process of sprouting. Personally, in my own kitchen, even if it's considered "less than ideal," I'm using the sprouted garlic. I've never noticed a real difference in taste.

What to Do With Sprouted Garlic

If you find the sprouts to have an enjoyably grassy flavor, there's something to be said for using them on purpose in a pesto, dressing, or garnish. What's more, sprouted garlic may even carry substantially higher levels of antioxidants than its un-sprouted counterpart, according to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

A sprouted surprise also poses an excellent opportunity to reduce waste in your kitchen. Minced garlic sprouts contribute nicely to an omelet or stir fry, and pickling them adds an easy and shelf-stable pop of vibrancy to heavy dishes or a Bloody Mary.