Five Alternatives to Shallots

If you haven’t used these tiny purple-looking veggies for cooking before, you really should. They’re usually found in the produce section of the grocery store, right next to the onions and garlic, which also happen to make excellent shallot substitutes.

Shallots, although belonging to the same family as onions, have a much milder, somewhat sweeter, and less acidic flavor profile that makes them a great addition to any recipe that calls for the flavor of raw onions. When looking for shallot substitutes, keep in mind your recipe; if the shallots are the main attraction, you might want to get the real thing; nonetheless, these work well as a garnish or seasoning.

We have several substitutes that will work nicely in a hurry, regardless of whether you’ve run out of shallots or haven’t cooked with them before. You probably have a number of these possibilities in your kitchen right now. Check out our guide to the top 5 shallot substitutions to ensure that your dish tastes just as good even if you have a few backups on hand.

1. White Onion

When a recipe calls for raw shallots, a raw white onion works well as a stand-in. Even while white onions taste more like onions than shallots, they can nonetheless complement a dish’s flavor without being overbearing. To ensure that your dish tastes like more than just onions, start with less white onion if your recipe asks for sautéed shallots and then increase the amount from there.

2. Red Onion

You can use red onions as a 1:1 substitute for white or yellow onions in recipes calling for raw shallots as a garnish or salad ingredient because they have a milder, less onion-y flavor with some bite. However, because cooked red onions have a deep purple color, you may want to avoid using them in recipes that call for cooked shallots because they will drastically alter the appearance of your meal.

3. Scallions

Since scallions have a mild flavor that makes them an excellent shallot substitution in both cooked and raw recipes, it’s likely that you’ve found yourself asking for scallions when you meant shallots, or vice versa. To bring out the most shallot-like taste from this mild herb, mix in a pinch of crushed garlic or powder with the white bulbs of the scallion.

4. Leeks

Leeks and shallots can be substituted 1:1 in recipes because of their comparable flavor profiles. To achieve the closest flavor, use the mid-green portion of the leek stalk. Leeks cook quickly and can burn easily, so add them toward the end of the cooking process or keep an eye on the heat.

5. Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are a terrific substitute for shallots, but you might only come across them if you cultivate your own garlic at home. If you happen to have garlic scapes on hand, use them in any recipe that calls for shallots as a garnish because of their mild garlic flavor, which lacks the intense pungent flavor of a bulb of garlic.

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