What Are Shallots, and How Do They Differ From Onions?

Small but mighty, shallots are an unassuming ingredient known for their versatility. You may wonder what you can do with them, but the real question is, what can’t you do with them? In savory recipes, you can enjoy shallots raw, pickled, sautéed, roasted, fried, and even powdered.

As an aromatic ingredient, you’ll typically reach for shallots like you would onions or garlic. This is why the three flavor-building ingredients are often mixed up. They’re easy to get confused because they can look and taste similar, but they each have their own place in your kitchen. Still, you’re most likely to find them next to the garlic and onions at the grocery store.

When shopping for shallots, avoid those that feel soft. Fresh shallots should feel firm to the touch, and though they’re on the smaller side, they should have a substantial weight for their size. Bypass any shallots with bruises or discoloration, as they may not be fresh. Instead, look for a purple or red exterior, similar to red onions.

The underappreciated allium may not be the most popular, but you may view shallots in a new light once you get to know them more. Here’s what you need to know about shallots so you can incorporate them into your day-to-day cooking.

What Are Shallots?

Shallots look like a cross between a bulb of garlic and a red onion, but what are they exactly? Shallots are part of the allium family, which also includes onions, garlic, leeks, chives, and scallions. They’re sometimes used like herbs, seasonings, or garnishes, but shallots are technically vegetables. Like cloves of garlic, bulbs of shallots grow in clusters.

Here’s where things get interesting—shallots, while often treated as their own species, are actually a subtype of onion. This discovery was made in 2010, when researchers determined shallots have more similarities to onions than differences. So, shallots now exist as a botanical variety (aka a cultivar group) of onions.

Curious what shallots taste like? If you enjoy cooking with onions and garlic, you’ll find that shallots have a familiar taste. Onions have a stronger and punchier flavor, but shallots bring a pleasant mild flavor. The taste of shallots is best described as a more delicate version of onion, with a touch of garlic.

Nutritional Benefits of Shallots

If you aspire to eat more vegetables, don’t be afraid to lump shallots in with your broccoli, carrots, and potatoes. As vegetables, they’re a source of complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, which can help you meet your nutritional needs and support your health goals.

You may not eat shallots in large quantities like other vegetables, however, so a spoonful of shallots isn’t exactly like a serving of veggies. Still, an ounce of raw shallots provides small amounts of B vitamins, manganese, fiber, vitamin C, and copper, according to the USDA.

Shallots vs. Onions

Shallots are technically a type of onion, but they’re not exactly the same as your yellow, white, or sweet onions. Their characteristics can overlap, but here’s how they differ.

Shallots are much smaller than regular onions (though some outliers are comically large), and they have a bulb-like shape similar to a clove of garlic. Since shallots are smaller, you’d need to use several of them in place of one onion. Both onions and shallots have a thin, papery skin that’s peeled back, and the hue of the most common type of shallot in the United States—pink or “Jersey” shallots—is a pale purple with white flesh, much like red onions.

Shallots and onions also taste differently, but not significantly so. Onions and shallots both have that signature allium sharpness with a hint of sweetness, but at different degrees. Shallots are more mild, as though the taste of onions had been dialed down a bit. Some also detect a garlic-like taste in shallots.

Given their similarities, shallots and onions can be substituted for each other in cooking, but there are a few key things to remember. They both caramelize when sautéed, but shallots can become bitter if cooked over high heat, while onions will not. In this way, shallots are similar to garlic. 

One area where they also overlap—cutting onions and shallots is known to make you tear up.

Shallot Substitutes

The best substitute for shallots is another member of the allium family. So, if you don’t have shallots on hand, try subbing in one of these other alliums.

Onions

Onions are the best substitute for shallots in recipes where they’re cooked. There are hundreds of different onion species, but the most common ones are yellow, white, sweet, red, and green. Of them, some make better shallot substitutes than others. Sweet onions can be too sweet and red onions are often too strong, making mild onions like yellow and white varieties your best options for replacing shallots in a recipe. These onions will have a similar (though stronger) taste and won’t become bitter if cooked over higher heat. Generally, you can substitute onions at a 1:1 ratio, though some choose to use slightly less onion since it can have a punchier taste.

Scallions

In recipes where shallots are served raw, such as salad dressings or toppings for garnish, scallions (aka green onions) can work instead. Unlike regular onions, which are aged after being harvested, scallions are young, making them sweeter and milder. Sound familiar? For the best results, stick to the white bulbs at the bottom of the scallions, since the stalks can have a more earthy taste.

Leeks

When shallots are cooked down, they release a sweet flavor. Since leeks are naturally sweeter than many other alliums, this could work in your favor. You can cook with both the white and green part of a leek in lieu of a shallot, though the white part tends to be a better substitute for textural reasons. This is an especially flavorful substitute in soup recipes. 

How to Cook With Shallots

Cooking with any new ingredient can be intimidating at first, but shallots are nothing to be afraid of. Start by peeling back the outer layer of the dry, papery skin. The protective layer keeps the vegetable moist and safe from the outside, but you don’t cook with it. Cut the shallot in half lengthwise, and slice, dice, or mince it similar to how you would cut an onion. 

There’s a lot you can do with raw shallots, such as add them to salads, dressings, sauces, and garnishes. With a few extra steps, you can make pickled shallots to elevate your salads, sandwiches, tacos, and other dishes. 

Cooking with shallots adds another layer of versatility to the bulbous vegetable. They get sweeter as you roast, sauté, caramelize, or fry ‘em. For beginners, roasting shallots along with your sheet pan vegetables, as in this Sheet Pan Pierogies recipe, couldn’t be simpler. You can also embrace shallots in a recipe where they are the star, such as this Caramelized Shallot Dip. Once you’ve converted your whole family into shallot lovers, Shallot Gravy will be the new go-to at family gatherings.

And, of course, crispy shallots are always a hit, and they’re easy to make. Simply sauté or fry thinly sliced shallots in a pan or wok until they have a crunchy texture, making them the perfect topping on noodle, meat, and vegetable dishes.