How to Cut Green Onions

5 from 20 votes

Follow my step-by-step method for how to cut green onions for salads, stir-frys and garnish - tutorial includes storage guidelines and tips!

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Learn how to cut green onions, often labeled as scallions. You will find these slender stalks of flavor minced raw in salads, salsas, and Lebanese dishes like tabbouleh. They are also often the onion of choice in cooked dishes like Asian dumplings and stir-fries.

Chopping green onions on cutting board

Tiny but nutritionally dense, green onions contain vitamin K for healthy bones and blot clotting: vitamin C, which protects cells; folate for healthy red blood cells, plus a bunch of phytonutrients which have cancer-fighting properties. It is also what gives you onion breath.

How to wash green onions

Place green onions in a colander and rinse under cold running water, swishing them around so all parts get clean.

Washing green onions in colander with water in sink

Pat dry with paper towels or kitchen towel.

Green onions on paper towel to dry before chopping

How to cut green onions

Stack 2 -3 green onions. Start at the green end. While keeping your fingers curled with the tips holding the green stalks, run your knife in an up and down rocking motions across the green onions.

In between each slice, move your fingers and knife down the onion toward the bulb end. Repeat until you are at the end.

Chef's knife cutting green onions

Reserve the white part for a later use. (Or vice versa if your recipe calls for the white part!)

Chopped green onions - greens separated from whites

How to store green onions

For chopped green onions

To get your cut green onions to last longer,  place them in a paper towel and run water through them until the water runs clear.  Squeeze the excess water out of the onions and place them on a dry paper towel. Squeeze again to remove as much moisture as possible. Let air dry for 10-15 minutes.

Two image collage of washing the green onions after cut and drying them

You can then store them in an airtight container with a dry paper towel underneath to absorb any excess moisture.

Stored in glass tupperware with blue lid

For whole green onions

For whole green onions that have not been chopped, try one of these two storage methods:

  1. Storage Method 1: Place like a bunch of flowers in a glass jar covered by a plastic or silicon bag. You can trim the bottom of the sticks and be sure to change out the water every 3-5 days.
  2. Storage Method 2: Roll the green onions in a clean, damp (not wet!) paper towel, then roll the whole bundle into a plastic or silicon bag.

Recipes with green onions

Frequently asked questions

What can I do with the white parts of the green onions?

Place the whites, root side down, in a glass of water and watch them grow! They can also be planted outdoors. You can also chop them up up until the roots and use as you would regular white onions.

What is the difference between scallions, green onions, and spring onions? They all look the same.

While scallions and green onions are interchangeable in recipes, as a plant, a true scallion will never grow into a full-blown onion and a green onion has that potential. True scallions will have a flat bulb and a mild taste. Of the three, Spring onions possess the most pronounced bulb at the end.

How long do uncut green onions last in the fridge

They are good for about five days.

How do I get cut green onions to last longer?

To get your cut green onions to last longer,  place them in a paper towel and run water through it until the water runs clear.  Squeeze the excess water out of the onions and place

For more cutting skills tutorials:

If you’ve found this cooking resource for How to Cut Green Onions helpful or if you’ve tried any recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience with this technique. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

How to Cut Green Onions

Follow my step-by-step method for how to cut green onions for salads, stir-frys and garnish – tutorial includes storage guidelines and tips!
5 from 20 votes
Servings 6 servings
Course Ingredient
Calories 6
Prep Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bunch green onions rinsed and dried

Instructions

  • Stack 2-3 green onions, starting at the green end, keep your fingers curled with the tips holding the green onions, run your knife in an up and down rocking motion across the green onion, in between each slice move your fingers and knife down the onion and repeat until you are at the white end.
  • Reserve the white for a later use.
  • Place the sliced green onions in a paper towel and rinse under cool water
  • Transfer them to a dry paper towel and store in the fridge in a lidded container.

Notes

Storage: To get your cut green onions to last longer, place them in a paper towel and run water through it until the water runs clear. Squeeze the excess water out of the onions and place on a dry paper towel and squeeze again to remove as much moisture as possible, let air dry for 10-15 minutes. Then store in a Tupperware lined with paper towel
For whole green onions that has not been chopped, try one of these two storage methods:
  1. Storage Method 1: Place like a bunch of flowers in a glass jar covered by a plastic or silicon bag. You can trim the bottom of the sticks and be sure to change out the water every 3-5 days.
  2. Storage Method 2: Roll the green onions in a clean, damp (not wet!) paper towel, then roll the whole bundle into a plastic or silicon bag.
Photo Credit: Erin Jensen

Nutrition

Calories: 6kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 3mg, Potassium: 48mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 174IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Cuisine American
Course: Ingredient

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