When I brought in a bunch of garlic chives from the garden to make Garlic Chives with Chili Garlic Sauce, my daughter asked me:  What’s the difference between chives and garlic chives?

At the moment, my answer to her was that chives are round and hollow and taste of mild onion, whereas garlic chives are flat and taste of mild garlic.

Later I thought I’d elaborate a bit on the differences, as well as similarities between the two plants.  And added my cooking notes for these mildly flavoured alliums 🍴

First, let’s botanically clarify which plants I’m talking about:

Chives:  Allium schoenoprasum
(sometimes referred to as onion chives)

Garlic Chives:  Allium tuberosum
(also referred to as Chinese chives)

Let’s start with the similarities between chives and garlic chives:

☀️Both chives and garlic chives grow in low clumps that are attractive in herb gardens, vegetable gardens, and ornamental borders.  They both make lovely ornamental perennials in any garden.

☀️Both are low maintenance, and easy to grow.

☀️Chives and garlic chives are cold hardy perennials (Zones 3 – 9)  that can be divided or grown from seed.

☀️The leaves and flowers of both chives and garlic chives are edible.

Now for the differences between chives and garlic chives:

☀️chives grow tubular hollow leaves that smell and taste mildly oniony, whereas garlic chives grow wider flat leaves that taste mildly garlicy.

☀️Although flower color can vary among varieties, the chive flowers are usually a pale purple, whereas garlic chive flowers are usually white.

☀️Chives bloom early summer (June in my garden), whereas garlic chives bloom in late summer/early fall (August/September in my garden)

☀️If you want to save seeds from your plants, chives and garlic chives don’t cross with each other so you can grow them near each other and save away 😌

Cooking Notes:

☀️I like the flavour of chives best in spring and early summer.  The chive leaves are more tender, and more oniony early in the season.

☀️Chives are best used fresh, or added at the very end of cooking to retain their delicate flavour.

☀️A touch of heat really brings out the flavour of garlic chives, making them ideal for quick stir-fries.

☀️Once the weather gets hot, the chives in my garden get tougher and less flavourful, at which time I will tend to use garlic chives more.

☀️Chives and garlic chives are interchangeable and delicious in most recipes, especially when adding to eggs, marinades, dips, stir-fries.  Swap one for the other, or use both 🙂

☀️Chive and garlic chive flowers taste really good added to a tossed salad, or in a grilled cheese.

Enjoy 🙂
Barb

PS – Check out my super easy recipe for Garlic Chives with Chili Garlic Sauce…Click here.

References:
Richters Herbs Chives
The Seed Garden:  The Art and Practice of Seed Saving