What Are Chives—and How Do You Cook With Them?
Often reserved for a garnish, these green stems can offer so much more.
Juj Winn/Getty Images
If you’ve ever watched a cooking show, you know the understated but important role that a garnish plays. Some kitchens even have a dedicated garnish station. Think of a garnish like an accessory that embellishes food, and since we eat with our eyes first, the right garnish can make something look more appetizing. Garnishes are edible, so in addition to their aesthetic benefits, they also add flavor and texture to a dish.
Chives are a popular garnish added to savory dishes, like mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, omelets, soups, and more. They look like little green sprinkles, adding a dash of color and contrast to make your plate pop. While chives are excellent as a garnish, they also add flavor. The flavor of chives is often described as a mild onion flavor with a hint of garlic. If you like onions and garlic, then you’ll probably like chives. Here’s how to start incorporating them in your own kitchen.
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What Are Chives?
The allium family is a wonderful group of vegetables, and chives are a prominent member. Chives is the common name for the plant Allium schoenoprasum. You can think of them as a cousin to green onions, scallions, and leeks, but make no mistake—chives are a vegetable of their own. They’re also referred to as herbs since they bear a seed, and if we’re honest, they look just like herbs.
At a glance, chives look a little bit like grass. The long, green stems are hollow, which is why they’re often mistaken for green onions. But the key difference between green onions and chives is that chives are very thin and don’t have a bulb at the base. Rather, flowers bloom at the end of chives, and while the blossoms are edible (and pretty to look at), they’re typically discarded and not used much in cooking.
Chives Nutritional Benefits
They’re aesthetically pleasing and flavorful, but they’re also full of beneficial nutrients—what can’t chives do? According to the USDA, chives provide vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, and beta carotene. These are antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress, which may lessen the risk of certain diseases, according to researchers. Chives are also a source of minerals, like copper.
Fruits and vegetables are associated with tons of health benefits, so it’s no surprise that the research on chives is promising. Chives have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties—researchers even suggest that the green plant could help reduce pain from a sore throat or sunburn. The growing body of research on chives also suggests that they fend off age-related skeletal muscle loss, and there’s even evidence that chives may protect against certain types of cancer.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that chives aren’t something you eat in large quantities. So, even though chives can be a good source of certain nutrients—and even provide some health benefits—they’re not a significant source of them. Still, it certainly doesn’t hurt to eat chives, and this is just another reason to love them and the many roles they can play in your diet.
Types of Chives
Grocery stores mainly carry one type of chive, but there are three main types of chives to know.
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Common chives
Walk into any supermarket looking for chives, and the common chive is likely what you’ll find. Unsurprisingly, they’re the most common type of chives. The scientific name for chives—Allium schoenoprasum—refers to this variety. When you think of chives and their bright green stalks, this is what you’re thinking of.
Garlic chives
Allium vegetables are often described based on their proximity to onions or garlic. Regular chives (aka common chives) have a subtle flavor that’s closest to onions, and they look like green onions. But if garlic is your thing, garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) add that garlic flavor. They don’t look all that different from regular chives, but the taste is more pungent. They’re often used in Chinese cooking, so garlic chives are also sometimes called Chinese chives.
Siberian chives
You know how flowers bloom at the tops of chives? If you like the floral element of chives, you’ll appreciate Siberian chives (Allium nutans). This type of chive grows much taller—roughly two feet. The flowers are also larger, so the plant has more ornamental presence. The flowers have a purple or blue hue, so Siberian chives are also referred to as blue chives. While they may look different, common and Siberian chives taste pretty much the same.
Chives Substitutes
Following a recipe that calls for chives but you’re fresh out of them? You’re not the first person to need a substitute for chives in a pinch. The secret is to swap out chives for another allium, which you likely already have on hand.
Scallions
Chives and scallions (aka green onions) are two separate vegetables, yet they’re often confused for one another. And for good reason—they look and taste similar. Because of this, scallions are the best substitute for chives. To use them in place of chives, stick to the green hollow stems.
Onions
Onions are an important member of the allium family, especially in relation to chives since chives are often described as having an onion-like flavor. Since onions are much more pungent than chives, you don’t need a lot to achieve a similar flavor.
Garlic
Some chives actually taste somewhat like garlic. If a recipe calls for garlic chives, which aren’t as common as regular chives, try swapping it out for garlic itself. If possible, opt for a type of garlic called green garlic. It’s the young or immature version of garlic, though it looks like a leek or green onion.
Parsley
Parsley is an unexpected but effective alternative to chives. This is a good call if a recipe uses chives for a garnish. You can simply use finely chopped parsley instead to add a pop of color and freshness.
How to Cook With Chives
Chives can be sensitive to heat, so cooking with chives doesn’t always involve actually cooking them. This is partly why chives have fallen into the garnish category—adding chives at the end of a recipe allows them to stay intact. When you add chives too soon, the heat can destroy some of the flavor, which is already subtle to begin with. So, it’s best to add chives during the last minute or two of cooking, or wait until the dish is removed from heat to add chives as a garnish.
Chives are technically vegetables, but they’re sometimes treated like herbs in the kitchen. This explains why chive recipes are most often savory. If you’re new to cooking with chives, try thinly slicing them to create little sprinkles. You can also use kitchen shears or herb scissors to get the job done quickly. Then, sprinkle them on top of potatoes, eggs, soups, meat, seafood, and more. Though they’re not regularly exposed to high heat, you can also bake with chives. Chive biscuits, for example, are a classic chive recipe.
Since they have so many uses, it’s nice to keep chives on hand. If you store them properly, they can last for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, though they’re best when used as fresh as possible. To store chives in the fridge, transfer them to a plastic bag and store them in the crisper drawer. You can also freeze chives to keep them for longer.
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Chives Recipes
For something so small, there’s a lot you can do with chives. Here are some must-try chive recipes.
Pepper and Chive Biscuits
Victor Protasio
Chive biscuits are a classic way to make use of chives. These are like the biscuit version of sour cream and onion chips. They’re tangy from the buttermilk, but savory from the onion-like chives. Bite right into them, or smear them with a generous amount of softened butter for the perfect appetizer or dinner roll.
Cheesy Chive Waffles With Fried Eggs
Savory waffles are a thing, and chives can help make it happen. This waffle recipe showcases the multitude of ways you can cook with chives. The batter itself contains chives, but chives make another appearance as a garnish at the end. Gruyère cheese also makes an appearance, which is another reason to give this recipe a whirl.
Cauliflower Tacos al Pastor
Chives don’t just belong on eggs and potatoes—they also belong on tacos. Meatless tacos, to be exact. These cauliflower tacos call for a unique salsa made from avocado, lime juice, chives, water, and salt. Cauliflower is supposed to be the star of this recipe, but the chive salsa steals the spotlight.
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