18 Unmissable Belgian Endive Recipes You’ve Got To Try!

It’s far too easy for us to dismiss greens as something only our pet bunnies would eat, although we know that greens are incredibly healthy for us.

So if you would like to incorporate more greens into your diet, why not start with Belgian endives? 

18 Unmissable Belgian Endive Recipes You’ve Got To Try!

Belgian endives come from the chicory family and are not only healthy but delicious too. You can even enjoy Belgian endives raw, and they have a crisp texture and a bitter flavor. But when they are cooked, they can be smoky or nutty in flavor.

So without further ado let’s get into 18 Belgian endive recipes you just have to try!

1. Endive Salad With Parmesan And Orange

Featuring almonds, endives, oranges, Parmesan cheese, this endive salad is sure to become a midweek staple with its bold and fresh flavor and crisp texture.

The endive does make this salad bitter, but this bitterness is balanced out by sweet orange and salty Parmesan cheese and tied together by red wine vinaigrette.

2. Endive Roquefort Salad

This salad is an explosion of texture and flavor! This salad also has a slightly bitter flavor due to the endive and watercress, but this is complemented by the candied walnuts, the fresh grapes, and the strong blue cheese.

Plus, it has a honey Dijon vinaigrette that is divine! 

If you like your salads to be on the milder side, then this one isn’t for you. However, if you love big, bold flavors then you’re going to adore this salad.

3. Braised Belgian Endives

If you would like to serve an elegant dish that’s easy to make then these braised Belgian endives could be the answer. These endives are bitter, rich, a little sweet, and super savory. 

These endives are braised in chicken stock, white wine or both, and caramelized in butter. What you get are delicious endives that are exquisitely tender. They make an excellent side dish with chicken, ham, or roast beef.

4. Endive, Citrus, And Avocado Salad

When it comes to flavor and texture, this is a perfectly balanced salad. It has raw endives, a range of citrus fruits, avocado slices, and is gently dressed in balsamic vinegar, oil, and seasonings.

What you get is a salad that is both soft and crunchy, salty and sweet, and creamy and tart.

5. Belgian Endive Soup

We all need to curl up with a bowl of creamy, warm soup sometimes and this Belgian endive soup is the very definition of comforting. Made with endives, onions, potatoes, vegetable broth, and of course, cream, it is gluten-free and vegan. 

You can substitute the vegan ingredients for non-vegan ingredients if you’d like, but either way you’ll get a soup that is simply delicious.

6. Belgian Endive And Ham Gratin (Endives Au Jambon)

This dish is irresistibly delicious, as it is cheesy, creamy, meaty and rich. What’s not to love? If you’re a fan of potatoes au gratin, you’re sure to love this version that is a bit lighter than usual but – dare we say it – tastier too! 

While the endives are boiling until they’re soft, you can get to work on the creamy cheese sauce. Once the endives are ready you can wrap them in ham before smothering them in cheese sauce.

Finally, you just bake and broil the gratin until it’s brown, bubbly, and gooey. Delicious!

7. Roasted Endive With Walnut Vinaigrette

Who doesn’t love roasted vegetables? They become so tasty and sweet after spending some time in the oven, and endives are no exception.

When they’re roasted, endives get super caramelized, tender, super sweet, and a bit nutty. In short, they’re delicious! With some tangy walnut vinaigrette, they get taken to another level!

8. Black Bean Salad Stuffed Endive

These stuffed endives are ideal barbecue food. Not only are they fresh and crisp but they are beautifully colorful too. 

Every endive leaf is stuffed with a corn and black bean salsa that also contains bell peppers and garlic. The salad is dressed in cilantro, lime juice, and red wine vinegar. 

These stuffed endives are not just delicious but pretty healthy too, with every bite giving plenty of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins.

9. Roasted Lettuce, Radicchio And Endive

This beautiful warm salad tastes as good as it looks, and is healthy and delicious. We recommend enjoying it with a side of crusty bread! It’s also a nice change from your standard cold salad. 

We also recommend serving it on the side of an omelet for a healthy and filling brunch. You can also easily re-heat this salad if you would like to enjoy the salad the next day!

10. Endive Boats With Apple, Blue Cheese, And Hazelnuts

These endive boats are super creative and super simple, all you need to do is mix together apples, blue cheese, celery, lemon juice and mayonnaise into a mixture before spooning it into Belgian endive leaves.

To finish, sprinkle some toasted hazelnuts on top!

11. Warm Belgian Endive And Pine Nut Salad

This salad is inspired by French cuisine, and is not only healthy, delicious, and simple to prepare, but also goes with anything.

You can also easily modify this recipe, so you can serve it no matter how many people are around your dinner table.

12. Endive Pear Salad Bites With Maple Vinaigrette

This appetizer is perfect to serve at a party, making the most of Fall produce such as pears and, of course, Belgian endives. It also has a hint of sweetness thanks to the maple syrup. This would be a great starter for a holiday celebration too!

13. Spaghetti With Endive And Bacon

This is an easy pasta dish that is totally delicious and not as stodgy as some other pasta dishes. We recommend enjoying it with a crisp garden salad! This recipe also has a generous amount of black pepper to give it a great kick. 

14. Roasted Endive With Garlic And Orange

Cooking endive with garlic, olive oil, and orange is a wonderful thing, and when served with creamy pasta and crispy garlic bread it’s the ultimate comfort food. This recipe couldn’t be simpler to make.

You just need a couple of ingredients such as garlic cloves, herbs and spices, and an orange, and this dish can be ready in 20 minutes. 

15. Stuffed Endive Appetizer With Blue Cheese And Apple

Endive combined with apple, blue cheese and pistachios is absolutely gorgeous, and when the endive is drizzled with the dressing it’s even more beautiful.  

This is a no cook recipe that uses chunks of blue cheese, Granny Smith apples, an orange honey dressing, and pistachios and only takes 15 minutes to prepare. But it gets better from there.

Not only is this dish simple to prepare, but the blue cheese melts in your mouth and complements the Granny Smith apples and earthy, rich pistachios perfectly.

This dish is hard to resist, and is a great recipe for when you need to whip up something quick.


16. Sautéed Endive With Balsamic Butter

Searing endives helps to make them crispy, while slathering them in balsamic butter really takes them to the next level.

You’ll probably find yourself with more balsamic butter than you need, meaning you can easily modify the recipe to prepare more endives if you’d like.

However, you can also use the leftover balsamic butter for fish or roasted vegetables. The butter will hold up well in the fridge but you should use the butter at room temperature.

17. Braised Belgian Endives With Bacon And Creamy Cheese Sauce

The distinctive bitter and sweet flavor of braised Belgian endives paired with salty bacon and cheese is divine. Plus, you can make this dish in under half an hour which makes it an excellent midweek meal.

18. Fall Abundance Endive Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

This is the ultimate salad! It’s gluten-free, vegan, and delicious, so even those who are not on a gluten-free or vegan diet will enjoy it! It has a beautiful multicolor look that perfectly combines summer and fall.

It has sweet pomegranate seeds, chickpeas, crisp apples, spinach, and some almonds.

Although there is no meat in this salad, it’s still packed with protein thanks to the chickpeas, endive, and almonds. It’s also drizzled with tangy mustard vinaigrette. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Store Belgian Endives?

The ideal storage method for endives is to wrap them in a paper towel and put them in a plastic storage bag before putting the bag in the fridge.

Are Belgian Endives Healthy?

Belgian endive is an excellent source of minerals and vitamins, in particular vitamins B6, C and K, calcium, copper, magnesium, and potassium. 

A Belgian endive head has about 87 calories, and is full of phytonutrients and fiber. But what exactly are phytonutrients? They are compounds found in the immune systems of plants that can also help the human body to fight disease. 

How Do You Prepare Belgian Endives?

You don’t need to soak or wash your endives as it can make them too bitter. When you do need to clean your endives, just wipe them with a damp cloth.

You can then remove the outer leaves and cut out a portion of the bitter core that is shaped as a cone.

Where Can You Buy Belgian Endives?

You can buy whole individual endives that are not in bags. You should be able to find endives easily as they have a distinctive shape, color, and texture.

They usually have crispy, white or pale yellow leaves. If the leaves are dropping off and they’re brown around the edge then that means they’re no good.

Like other chicories, they come into season in fall and winter so you’re more likely to find them when the weather is cooler. Still, endives are normally available to buy all year round, and you can often find it in bags of mixed salads.

Final Thoughts

We hope that our 18 unmissable Belgian endive recipes have inspired you to incorporate endive into your meals!

Not only is it a unique vegetable, but it’s full of nutrients and delicious too, especially when combined with citrus fruits and strong cheese.

As endives are usually grown in fall or winter, you can even incorporate them into Thanksgiving entrées. 

18 Unmissable Belgian Endive Recipes You’ve Got To Try!

18 Unmissable Belgian Endive Recipes You’ve Got To Try!

Recipe by Jenna

Belgian endive is a delicious vegetable from the chicory family that many overlook, which we think is a shame! Read on to discover 18 unmissable endive recipes.

Course: Side Dishes
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