Roasted Fennel Black Garlic Soup
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My roasted fennel soup blends sweet, caramelized fennel with roasted carrots and ginger, and rich, umami-packed black garlic for a bowl that tastes far fancier than it is. A splash of Pernod and a little cream make it creamy, velvety, and just a little luxe.
This soup is all about layered flavor. Roasted fennel turns sweet and lightly caramelized, with just a hint of that signature licorice note. The ginger gets roasted too, which mellows its sharpness into something deeper and more rounded. And then there’s the black garlic, rich, slightly sweet, and full of umami, bringing everything together with a deep, savory backbone.
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 the black garlic until smooth. From there, it all goes into a pot with a splash of Pernod and a little cream to finish.
For the black garlic drizzle, I just mash a few cloves with a little water until smooth. The result is a creamy, velvety soup with a cozy, slightly luxe texture.
You’ll also like my roasted garlic soup with mini croutons!
What is black garlic?
If you haven’t cooked with black garlic before, you’re in for a treat. It’s regular garlic that’s been slowly aged with gentle heat over several weeks, transforming the cloves into something completely different: soft, sticky, and deep, glossy black. The flavor mellows and sweetens as it ages, becoming rich and almost jammy, with a little tang like balsamic and the savory, fermented depth of soy sauce or miso. None of the sharp bite of raw garlic remains.
You can find black garlic at some farmers’ markets and specialty grocers, or buy it online.
To make the best black garlic soup
You’ll want to start with the best stock you can, and you’ve got two options: spend a small fortune on store-bought bone broth, or make your own. Don’t let homemade stock intimidate you, it’s genuinely easy. You throw a few simple things into a big pot, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and chicken or beef bones, cover it all with water, and let it do its thing. If you want to see exactly how it’s done, I’ve got recipes for both beef bone broth and chicken stock.
Roasted Fennel Black Garlic Soup
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 a 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 (10% 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
- Pour the soup into bowls, spoon some of the black garlic drizzle over the top, then garnish with a few fennel fronds.
Nutrition
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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!