Ramps substitutes
Ramps substitutes — 7 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called wild leeks, wood leeks, wild ramps
Use Scallions + garlic
Per 1 cup ramps
1 cup chopped scallions + 1 small garlic clove
Use scallions plus fresh garlic: 1 cup chopped scallions and 1 small minced garlic clove for each cup of chopped ramps. The scallion covers the mild onion and the green color, and the garlic covers the half of the flavor scallions do not have. The result is sharper and less sweet than ramps, and the greens are hollow tubes instead of broad leaves. When the leaves are the point, as in a pesto or wilted greens, wild garlic leaves or garlic chives are the closer match.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Cook the sliced whites and the minced garlic for 1 to 2 minutes first, then add the greens for the last 30 seconds, the same order you would cook ramp bulbs and leaves.
- Best for —
- scrambled eggs, pasta and sautes
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what are the ramps doing?
Pick your caseWhich part of the ramp is the recipe using, and is it cooked?
Scallions plus a small clove of garlic per cup covers it. Use leeks plus garlic instead when the dish cooks long enough to soften them, 5 minutes or more.
Notes on scallions + garlic or leeks + garlic
1 cup chopped scallions + 1 small garlic clove per 1 cup
Wild garlic leaves are the closest thing. Without them, use garlic scapes for pesto, or scallion greens and a little garlic stretched with an equal amount of spinach or parsley so the result is not too sharp raw.
Notes on wild garlic leaves (ramsons), garlic scapes or scallions + garlic
Same amount
You need something with a bulb and a stem that holds its shape. Bulbed spring onions are closest in shape; garlic scapes and green garlic also grill and pickle well.
Notes on bulb spring onions + garlic, garlic scapes or green garlic
Same amount
Use garlic chives, or thinly sliced scallion greens. Skip the added raw garlic here or use very little; it is much harsher raw than ramp leaves are.
Notes on garlic chives or scallions + garlic
Same amount
Ramps do two jobs at once. The bulb and stem cook like a small sweet onion with a strong garlic edge, and the leaves wilt like a tender green that carries the same flavor. Most recipes use both parts, added at different times, and a few use only one: pesto and ramp butter lean on the leaves, pickles on the bulbs. No single supermarket vegetable has both the garlic and the leaf, which is why most swaps are a pair.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 cup ramps| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup ramps | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scallions + garlicscrambled eggs, pasta and sautes | 1 cup chopped scallions + 1 small garlic cloveTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Leeks + garlicsoups, risotto and braises | 1 cup sliced leeks + 1 small garlic cloveTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Wild garlic leaves (ramsons)pesto | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 4 | Garlic scapespesto | ¾ cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Green garlicsautes and pasta | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Garlic chiveseggs and dumpling fillings | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 7 | Bulb spring onions + garlicgrilling or roasting whole | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| Not a swap | Garlic powder or onion powder | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Scallions + garlic
sharper, less sweet, garlic sits apart from the onion
The standard stand-in. Scallions give the mild onion and the green, and one small clove of garlic adds the garlic note ramps carry on their own.
- Best for
- scrambled eggs, pasta and sautes, ramp butter, soups and risotto, biscuits and savory baking
- Texture
- tubular greens instead of soft leaves
- Prep
- Cook the sliced whites and the minced garlic for 1 to 2 minutes first, then add the greens for the last 30 seconds, the same order you would cook ramp bulbs and leaves.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Scallion greens are hollow and stay a little squeaky; ramp leaves are flat and wilt like spinach. Go easy on the garlic. One small clove per cup is a starting amount, and raw in a butter or dressing half a clove is enough.
Leeks + garlic
sweeter and milder, garlic added separately
Leeks are sweeter and milder than scallions, which is closer to how cooked ramp bulbs taste. They only work cooked.
- Best for
- soups, risotto and braises, quiche and tarts, potato dishes, cream sauces
- Texture
- soft and silky once cooked, no leaf
- Prep
- Use the white and light green parts only, wash out the grit between the layers, and cook 5 to 8 minutes until soft before adding the garlic for the last minute.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Leeks need several times the cooking ramps do and are tough and fibrous raw, so they are no use in a pesto, a compound butter or a garnish. There is no leafy green part to wilt in at the end; add a handful of spinach if the dish wants it.
Wild garlic leaves (ramsons)
very close, a little more garlic
The European cousin of ramps (Allium ursinum). The leaves look and cook almost the same and smell just as strongly of garlic.
- Best for
- pesto, wilted greens, soups, folding into eggs or pasta
- Texture
- the same soft leaf
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Sold and foraged as leaves only, so there is no bulb to pickle or grill. The flavor leans more to garlic and less to onion than ramps. Like ramps it has a short spring season and is rarely in an ordinary supermarket.
Garlic scapes
more garlic, no onion sweetness
The curly green flower stalks of hardneck garlic, sold in late spring and early summer. They are green, garlicky and mild enough to eat in quantity.
- Best for
- pesto, stir-fries and sautes, grilling whole, pickling
- Texture
- firm and snappy, not leafy
- Prep
- Trim off the tough tip above the bulge, cut into short lengths and cook 3 to 5 minutes; they are firmer than ramps and need the extra time.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
All garlic and almost no onion, and firm like a thin green bean instead of leafy. Start with three-quarters of the amount and taste, since the strength of scapes varies. Their season starts as ramp season ends.
Green garlic
mild garlic, less onion
Young garlic pulled before the bulb divides into cloves. It looks like a thick scallion and tastes like mild fresh garlic.
- Best for
- sautes and pasta, soups, grilling whole, ramp butter
- Texture
- like a scallion, with tougher tops
- Prep
- Use the white and pale green parts; the dark green tops are tough and are better simmered in a soup or stock than eaten.
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
A farmers' market item in spring, not a supermarket one. It has the garlic but less of the onion sweetness, and the tops are fibrous where ramp leaves are tender.
Garlic chives
garlicky and grassy, less sweet
Flat-leaved Asian chives (also sold as Chinese chives or nira) with a clear garlic flavor. They stand in for ramp leaves, not bulbs.
- Best for
- eggs and dumpling fillings, stir-fries, garnish, savory pancakes
- Texture
- thin flat blades
- Prep
- Cut into 1-inch lengths and add in the last minute of cooking; they turn stringy and lose flavor if cooked long.
- Pantry
- Special trip
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Thin, grassy leaves with no bulb and no broad leaf to wilt, so the dish looks different. Sold in Asian groceries. Ordinary chives are much milder and need a little garlic added.
Bulb spring onions + garlic
sharper onion, garlic added separately
Spring onions with a small round bulb at the base are the closest shape to a whole ramp, which matters when the ramps are grilled or pickled whole.
- Best for
- grilling or roasting whole, pickled ramps, serving alongside meat or fish
- Texture
- bigger bulb, hollow tops
- Prep
- Match by count or by weight when the recipe uses whole ramps, and add 1 small sliced garlic clove per bunch to the oil, the dressing or the pickling brine.
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
The bulbs are larger and sharper than ramp bulbs, so halve the thick ones lengthwise and give them a minute or two longer. The green tops are hollow and coarser than ramp leaves. Scallions do the same job when bulbed spring onions are not around.
Garlic powder or onion powder
flat and dried
Often suggested because ramps taste of garlic and onion, but ramps are a fresh vegetable in the dish, not a seasoning.
- Best for
- nothing on this page
- Texture
- none
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
A powder adds a flat, cooked flavor and none of the bulk, color or leaf. A dish built around ramps made with powder instead is the same dish with the main ingredient missing. Use a fresh allium from the rows above.
Don’t swap it here
2 cases- SafetyForaging your own replacement from a look-alike plant.Eat only leaves that smell clearly of garlic and onion when torn, from a plant you can identify with certainty. If in doubt, buy scallions.
- A dish served to show off ramps themselves, such as a plate of grilled whole ramps.Grill bulbed spring onions or scallions and serve them as what they are, or wait for the season.
Questions
5 questionsWhat is the best substitute for ramps?
Scallions plus fresh garlic. Use 1 cup chopped scallions and 1 small minced garlic clove for each cup of chopped ramps. Scallions bring the mild onion and the green, and the garlic fills in the rest. Leeks plus garlic work the same way in dishes that cook for 5 minutes or longer.
Are ramps the same as leeks or scallions?
No. All three are alliums, but ramps are a wild plant with broad flat leaves and a much stronger garlic flavor. They are often called wild leeks, which causes the confusion. Leeks are larger, milder and need longer cooking; scallions are sharper and have hollow green tops.
Can I use just garlic instead of ramps?
Not on its own. Garlic covers the flavor but ramps are also a vegetable that adds bulk, sweetness and green leaves. Pair a small amount of garlic with scallions, leeks or spring onions.
What can I use instead of ramps in pesto?
Wild garlic leaves at the same amount if you can get them, or garlic scapes at about three-quarters the amount. From an ordinary supermarket, use half scallion greens and half spinach or parsley with 1 small garlic clove per cup of greens, and taste before adding more garlic.
Are ramps and wild garlic the same thing?
They are close relatives, not the same plant. Ramps (Allium tricoccum) grow in eastern North America and are eaten bulb and leaf. Wild garlic or ramsons (Allium ursinum) grows in Europe and is mostly eaten as leaves. In cooking, the leaves swap 1:1.
Tips for substituting ramps
5 tips- Cook the two parts on different clocks. Ramp bulbs and stems take 2 to 3 minutes in a hot pan; the leaves wilt in about 30 seconds. Treat scallion whites and greens the same way.
- Add garlic in small steps. Start with 1 small clove per cup of scallions or leeks, cook it gently, and taste before adding more. Browned garlic tastes bitter and nothing like ramps.
- For a pesto without ramps, blanch scallion greens or garlic scapes in boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds and cool them in ice water. It softens the raw bite and keeps the color bright.
- A handful of baby spinach added with the scallion greens gives back the soft wilted leaf that ramps have and scallions do not.
- If you do find ramps, the season is short and they freeze well as compound butter: chop them, mash into softened butter, roll into a log and freeze.