Roasted Fennel Black Garlic Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This roasted fennel black garlic soup is a cozy and delicious treat. It’s a velvety-soft, flavorful soup topped with a drizzle of black garlic. You’ll love it!
This soup is all about layered flavor. Roasted fennel turns sweet and slightly caramelized, with just a hint of that signature licorice note. The ginger is roasted, too, which mellows its sharpness and gives it a deeper, more rounded flavor. And then there’s the black garlic—rich, slightly sweet, and full of umami—it brings everything together in the most delicious way.
Even though it tastes a little fancy, it’s actually very simple to make. I roast fennel, carrots, onion, garlic, and ginger until they’re deeply golden, then blend them with a bit of stock and black garlic until smooth. After that, it all goes into a pot with a splash of Pernod and a bit of cream to finish.
For the black garlic drizzle, I just mash a few cloves with a little water until smooth. The result is a soup that’s creamy and velvety, with a texture that feels both cozy and a little luxe.
You might also be interested in my roasted garlic soup with mini croutons!
To make the best black garlic soup…
You need to start with the best stock. The options here are either to spend a small fortune on store-bought bone broth, or make your own.
Don’t be intimidated by making your own stock; It’s really easy! You basically throw a few things (onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and chicken or beef bones) into a big pot and cover it with water. You can check out these recipes to see how it’s done:
What is black garlic?
Black garlic … delicious, wrinkly, paste-y, weird-looking, sticky, yummy black garlic.
Black garlic (according to our good friend, Mr. Wiki) is “a type of caramelized garlic … made by heating whole bulbs of garlic over the course of several weeks, a process that results in black cloves.” They taste sweet, a little like balsamic vinegar, and a little fermented like soy sauce or miso.
Black garlic is often available at farmers’ markets, specialty grocers, or you can buy it online.
Roasted Fennel Black Garlic Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large fennel bulbs (chopped – save the fronds to garnish)
- 2 medium carrots (chopped)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 3 inch piece ginger (cut into t few pieces)
- 4 cloves garlic (smashed with the side of your knife)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 2 black garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ cup Pernod (an anise-flavored liqueur)
- 2 cups half and half cream
Black Garlic Drizzle
- 3 black garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the fennel, carrots, onion, ginger, and garlic on a baking sheet. Add the oil, salt, and pepper and mix so that the veggies are coated in the oil. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until they're well-browned.2 large fennel bulbs, 2 medium carrots, 1 medium onion, 3 inch piece ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- While the veggies are roasting, make the black garlic drizzle. Mash the black garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon of the water, until it forms a paste. Add the remaining tablespoon of water (or more, if needed) and mix until it is pourable.3 black garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons water
- Place the roasted veggies into your blender. Add the black garlic, fennel seeds, and the stock and blend until smooth.
- Add the Pernod to a soup pot over medium-high heat. Let it simmer until it reduces to about ¼ cup. Pour the soup from your blender into the pot. Add the half and half and let the soup warm. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if you'd like.½ cup Pernod, 2 cups half and half cream
- Pour the soup into bowls, spoon some of the black garlic drizzle over the top, then garnish with a few fennel fronds.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
If you love soup as much as we do, make sure to check out all of our soup recipes!
Can we leave out the pernod?
You can, but you’ll miss out on the lovely anise flavor. If you have some ground fennel in your pantry, try adding that when you blend the soup.
This turned out great. The drizzle made it. Don’t skip it!