Shallots
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
Shallots taste like a cross between onion and garlic, and that sharp flavor comes with a real dose of antioxidants.
Stage by stage
- Chopped & Chewed (Mouth): Cutting or crushing shallot cells ruptures cell walls, letting the enzyme alliinase convert odorless sulfur compounds into allicin and related organosulfur compounds.
- Stomach (Stomach): Acidic gastric fluid breaks down the shallot's fiber matrix and releases quercetin bound to sugar molecules, along with its fructan fibres.
- Small Intestine (Small Intestine): Enzymes in the intestinal wall free the quercetin aglycone for absorption, while unabsorbed fructans travel to the colon where gut bacteria ferment them, which is why shallots can cause gas for FODMAP-sensitive people.
- Circulation (Bloodstream): Absorbed organosulfur compounds and quercetin metabolites circulate in the blood, where research links them to modest reductions in platelet clumping and support for healthy blood vessel function.
Timing
Eating shallots with a source of dietary fat improves absorption of their flavonoid compounds, and mincing them a few minutes before cooking lets more allicin form before heat inactivates the enzyme that makes it.
Time to effect
- Weeks: Cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory effects associated with regular intake of shallots and other alliums typically appear after weeks of consistent consumption rather than after a single serving.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 26 kcal per 100 g that is 938 g of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.
Environmental footprint
0.5 kg CO2e and 14 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Onions & leeks" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 25.6
- Protein: 1.5g
- Carbohydrate: 3.1g
- of which sugars: 3.1g
- Fat: 0.1g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 2.9g
- Sodium: 6mg
Food vs. supplement
Shallots deliver quercetin and organosulfur compounds alongside fiber, potassium, and vitamin B6 in one food matrix that isolated allicin or quercetin supplements don't replicate.
Kitchen tip
Mince or slice shallots a few minutes before cooking and let them sit at room temperature, this gives the enzyme alliinase time to form allicin before heat deactivates it.
Common myth
"Shallots are just small, immature onions." In reality: Shallots are a separate cultivar group of Allium cepa (var. aggregatum) that grows in garlic-like clusters, has a milder and sweeter flavor than yellow onions, and carries a notably higher quercetin content per 100 g, roughly two to three times that of common yellow onions in comparative analyses.
Recipes that use it
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