How To Cook With Green Onions – Ultimate Guide

With summer just around the corner it’s the perfect time to enjoy the bounty of spring.

One of the most delicious and versatile vegetables on the menu is green onions. You may also see them referred to as scallions in some recipes, but they are the same thing. 

If you’re looking to add color, crunch, and a fresh onion flavor to your meals, green onions are a perfect choice since they are easy to cook with, easy to store, and taste delicious without being too strong. 

So, how do you cook with green onions? You can thinly slice them to use raw in salads, soups, wraps, and baked potatoes. You can also add them as a garnish to dips, deviled eggs, and salsas, or stir them into your scrambled eggs and omelets, stir-fries, pad Thai, or your favorite meat dishes.

Read on for all the tips on how to prep, store, and regrow your green onions like a kitchen pro. 

What’s The Difference Between Green Onions And Other Onions?

Before we get into the details about how to cook with green onions, you might be wondering how they’re different from red, yellow, sweet, or white onions.

Most onions you’ll find at the store have a papery peel and all the green tops removed for better storage. 

Green onions have a smaller, less round bulb and are purchased with the greens still attached.

They don’t generally have a peel you need to remove, and they have a milder flavor than most other types of onion. They are also easier to chop and prep, which makes them a perfect choice in the kitchen.

When comparing them to chives, green onions tend to have a thicker green stalk with the white bulb still attached.

Chives are much thinner, don’t have the bulb, and have a milder flavor than green onions. They also are best eaten raw, while green onions can be enjoyed cooked or raw. 

You might have seen leeks at the grocery store near the green onions and wondered if they 

What Part Of The Green Onion Do You Use?

When cooking with a green onion, you might think that you should only use the green part and throw away the white end. However, both parts of the onion have slightly different, but tasty, flavors. 

If you’re looking for a milder onion taste, then you will want to focus on the green stalk. This part of the onion is great to use in salads and raw preparations, since it won’t be too overpowering. 

The white part near the root tastes stronger and is a little more powerful. I still like to use this part in raw preparations, but a little goes a long way. This part of the onion is great in stir-fries since the flavor holds up well to cooking. 

Whatever you do, don’t throw the white part of the onion away. It is packed with delicate onion flavor or if you want to get creative you can regrow your own green onions from the bulb. Keep reading below for step-by-step instructions. 

How To Cut Green Onions 

When it comes to cutting green onions, the method will depend on what you want to use them for. In general, if you’re enjoying the green onion raw you will want to slice it more thinly than if you’re planning on cooking with it. 

Before you get chopping, make sure you rinse your green onions under cold water. If there are any wilted greens, slimy or papery skins on the white bulb, remove them and toss them out. 

How To Cut Green Onions For Salads, Garnishes, or Other Raw Preparations

1. Peel off any dry outer parts from the white part of the bulb. 
2. Hold the bulb (or bulbs if you’re cutting more than one onion) in one hand with your fingers curled in to protect the tips from getting cut. 
3. Holding your knife in the other hand trim about half a centimeter from the top of the green onion and throw it away. 
4. Keeping the tip of your knife on the cutting board, start to slowly cut down the green part of the onion to make 1/4 centimeter thick pieces. 
5. If you want to use the bulb slice down to the bottom of the green onion. You might want to cut the white parts in half since the flavor can be more intense.
6. Add to your dish and enjoy. 

Notes: 

• If you want to slice your green onions to look a little fancy, try cutting on a 45 degree angle. 
• You can also make the slices thicker or thinner depending on your preference.

How To Cut Green Onions For Stir-Fries or to Cook

When you are cooking with green onions, you’ll want them to keep their flavor. Cutting them into larger pieces is the best way to do this. 

1. Check your green onion for any dry parts on the bulb and peel them off. 
2. Using one hand, hold the bulb end of the green onion (or onions if you’re cutting more than one) with your fingers curled in to protect them from cuts. 
3. Trim off about half a centimeter from the green end of the onion and discard it. 
4. Cut the green onion into 1 inch strips all the way down to the white bulb. If you want to use the bulb, you can cut it into half inch pieces since it is stronger in flavor. 
5. Use as directed in your favorite recipe. 

Notes: 

• Feel free to get a little fancy and cut your green onions on a diagonal of about 45 degrees for a prettier presentation.
• Add your green onions nearer the end of your cook time so they don’t lose too much flavor. 

How To Use Green Onions

There are so many ways to use green onions in your kitchen, but some of my favorites include:

• Use them raw to top salads, baked potatoes, soups, stews, potato salad, scrambled eggs, deviled eggs, omelets, flatbreads, pizzas, tacos, salsas, and dips. 
• Add them raw to wraps, spring rolls, and sushi rolls.
• Add finely chopped raw green onion to egg salad or tuna salad. 
• Use them to replace chives in your favorite dishes. 
• Add them to stir-fries, Pad Thai, meat dishes, curries, and other cooked preparations. Remember that they cook a lot faster than other ingredients, so you can add them near the end to preserve their flavor. 

How To Store Green Onions

Green onions typically come in a bundle of about 4-6 stalks.

Often recipes will call for one or two green onions, which means you might have a few leftover onions you will want to preserve for future use.

There are a couple ways you can keep your green onions looking fresh for future use.

Storing Green Onions For A Couple Of Days

If you are planning on storing your green onions for a couple of days, keeping them in the plastic baggie from the grocery store should do the trick. 

You want to make sure they are wrapped up though, since putting them in the fridge without the plastic can make them wilt and lose their fresh crunchy texture.

If you store them in the plastic baggie the outer edge of the white bulb may dry out. Just give it a quick peel and you’re ready to go! 

Storing Green Onions Longer Than 2 Days

If you want to keep your green onions crisp and fresh for longer, you can try this trick.

Fill a small cup or jar with about an inch of water. Place the green onions in the jar then cover the top with the plastic produce bag from the grocery store. 

Place the cup with the green onions in the fridge and use within 7-9 days. 

Can You Regrow Green Onions?

Can you regrow green onions? Yes, you can! If you want to try regrowing your green onions follow these steps:

1. Slice the green onion down to the bulb, leaving the roots and the white bulb intact.
2. Place the ends of the green onions into a small mason jar or cup with the root side down. 
3. Add enough water to the container to cover the roots but leave the top of the bulb above the water. 
4. Place your jar or cup in a windowsill. Keep the roots submerged in water and replace it with fresh water every five days.
5. After a few days, the green stalks will start to grow again. If you want, you can let them grow a few inches and snip right from the cup. Eventually though, the bulb will stop producing.
6. If you want to keep the onion producing, you can transplant it to a small pot or your garden once the stalks are about four inches long. 
7. You can cut the green onion all the way down to the ground and it will continue to grow. 
8. Enjoy the bounty of your home-grown green onions. 

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