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Here are all the best green onion recipes for using up a bunch! There are so many ways to use this fresh and tasty onion.
The green onion might be small, but this mighty onion is one of the most powerful of the culinary world. Green onions (aka scallions, their alter ego) are a member of the onion family. Their fresh flavor is milder than a yellow onion or red onion, with a hint of garlic and chive. Green onions are used in cuisines all over the world, from Mexican to Japanese to Southeast Asian. There’s almost nothing a green onion doesn’t make a little tastier.
Got a bunch of green onions? Here are all the best ways to use them! Try them as a pizza topping, in Green Goddess dressing, throw them into stir fries, and even use them for the perfect egg salad or potato salad. Let’s get cooking!
And now…the best green onion recipes!
First up in our green onion recipes: use it as a pizza topping! This one's a white pizza, so there's no tomato-based sauce. Just a thin brush of olive oil, topped with mozzarella and sharp Pecorino Romano cheese. Top it green onions that are charred until they're tender, and two eggs: when you break the yolk, it covers the entire pie in a savory sauce. A total winner!
Green onions are great in dressings and sauces. This healthy green goddess dressing is one of our favorite green onion recipes of all! It takes less than 5 minutes to make and is great on salads or as a vegetable dip. Greek yogurt makes it lighter but just as flavorful as the standard counterpart. Add lime, cilantro, and jalapeño pepper for a Mexican-inspired flair!
Got a green onion handy? Slice it up and throw into sauteed vegetables! This sauteed broccoli might sound basic, but you’ll be surprised at the amount of flavor it’s possible to get from perfectly cooking this healthy veggie with green onion. Broccoli is often overcooked, leaving it soggy and without flavor. Here it’s lightly browned, perfectly crisp tender and flavorful!
An easy way to add green onion in recipes? Throw it into egg salad! Bookmark this egg salad recipe and make on repeat. It’s ultra creamy and savory, made with mayo and Greek yogurt to up the creaminess factor. It’s got just the right balance of flavors with fresh green onion and savory Dijon mustard.
Here's a great green onion recipe: a stir fry! Green onions are a common player in Asian-style recipes. Throw them in within the last two minutes of cooking, and they add fantastic flavor to the dish. These stir fry vegetables are colorful and taste so delicious, you won’t want to stop eating them.
Also try: Go-To Tofu Stir Fry or Cauliflower Stir Fry
Green onion is fantastic in dip recipes to add right the right complex flavor. And what’s better for parties than a good spinach dip? This one is so easy to make: it’s the kind that’s served cold, perfect for dipping pita chips or serving in a bread bowl. The recipe is a little healthier than most, relying on Greek yogurt for much of the creaminess. And because it’s not baked, it’s quick to put together: just 10 minutes!
Did you know you can throw green onion into hummus recipes? This Green Hummus is a bright, fun twist on good old hummus. The green onion brings just the right savory notes. Use it as a lunch recipe or snack with veggies or pretzels.
Green onion is equally at home in Mexican-style and Tex Mex recipes. Cowboy caviar, as it’s also known, was invented in Texas and has now spread all over the US. This combo of black eyed peas, green onions, peppers, corn and a vinaigrette dressing is equal parts zesty and comforting: and you can use it as a dip or healthy side dish!
Green onions are essential to this recipe: classic creamy potato salad! This one tastes just like your Grandma's recipe or what you'll find at the deli counter at the grocery. it's creamy and tangy, and the two key elements: chopped pickles and crunchy sliced green onions.
Here's one of our favorite green onion recipes of all: fried rice! What's a good fried rice recipe without sliced green onions? There’s something about the chewy clumps of eggs and the savory onion and ginger and soy-infused bites that feels positively life giving. Usually we make fried rice on the fly without a recipe. But after years of tinkering, here's our master method.
Also try: Shrimp Fried Rice or Quinoa Fried Rice
One of the easy ways to use green onion in recipes: throw them into a salad! Here’s one of our favorite basic salad recipes: the perfect balance of textures, colors and flavors. It's complete with crunchy homemade croutons and a variety of salad dressings, and pairs with everything rom chili to pizza.
Another great way to use green onions in recipes? Thinly slice them and add them to noodles! Soba are a Japanese buckwheat noodle, and they’re perfect as a component for a fast and easy dinner. Done in about 15 minutes, they’re covered in a zingy sauce of soy, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and honey and sprinkled with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Throw them in a bowl and top with an egg or shrimp, and you’ve got dinner!
Green onions also natural with Mexican style cuisine. This Mexican pinwheel recipe is all about making a healthy lunch as fast as possible! The pinwheels are packed with black beans, bell peppers, and green onions rolled into a tortilla with a bit of hummus: and MAN, they are so tasty!
Back to Asian-style flavors! This Marinated Tofu is surprisingly tasty. It's packed with savory umami: toasted sesame oil and ginger and garlic and soy sauce. There’s a touch of maple to balance, and it’s mixed with green onion and sesame seeds. Oh: and you don’t have to cook it! All you have to do is throw in the fridge to marinate: so it’s almost totally hands off.
There's nothing better than a poke bowl, and the green onions are essential in this recipe! Poke is a Hawaiian-American food, but much of its flavor is influenced by Japanese cuisine: soy sauce, green onions, and sesame oil. You can make poke out of any raw fish, but the most common fish you’ll see is ahi tuna.
Also try: Vegan Poke Bowl or Ahi Poke
Another easy green onion recipe? Tacos! Slice them up and sprinkle them over tacos! You can also add them to a crunchy slaw that you use in the tacos. Here are a few recipes to choose from: Epic Fish Tacos, Crispy Avocado Tacos, Jackfruit Tacos, Shrimp Tacos, Quinoa Tacos or Easy Vegan Tacos.
Green onions add just the right umami to ramen broth! Authentic ramen from a Japanese restaurant is the absolute best. But the next best thing? Making it homemade. This one is quicker and easier than the rest, relying on miso paste for big flavor in a short cook time: just 30 minutes!
Also try: Tofu Ramen, Mushroom Ramen or Easy Vegetarian Ramen
Green onions are great for adding flavor to sauce recipes. This cilantro lime sauce is perfect for dolloping grain bowls, drizzling over tacos, and more. It’s a zingy version of ranch dressing meshed with the Mexican flavors of lime and cilantro. The best part: no blender required. Just mix it up in a bowl!
Green onions are great for salad recipes! Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad that’s made with fresh parsley, bulgur wheat, green onions, tomatoes, and seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil. You may have tried it at a Greek or Lebanese restaurant. This version uses quinoa for a gluten free spin!
Last up in our green onion recipes: a fan favorite sandwich recipe! This chickpea salad is a plant based spin on tuna salad, and green onion brings an integral flavor to the recipe. Smash chickpeas with lemon, mayo, green onion and celery, and it tastes remarkably like tuna salad. Throw it on bread and it's a fast and easy lunch!
How to cut green onions
The most important skill you need to know when working with green onions? How to cut them! It should take mere seconds to cut 4 to 5 onions at once. How to do it? Here’s our secret for how to cut green onions: and we’ve got a video to show you how!
- Remove bad leaves: Remove any outer layers of the green onions that look bad or wilted.
- Remove the roots and tops: Using a large chef’s knife, chop off the root end and the tough top part of the green end.
- Thinly slice with a circular motion: Line up the green onions and thinly slice them using a circular motion with your knife. If your recipe calls for green onions or scallions cut on the bias, place your knife at an angle and use the same slicing motion.
Chicken salad sandwich:
Filling of thinly sliced green onion tops, shredded chicken breast, mayonnaise, salt, pepper (cayenne if you feel like it). Better than tuna sandwiches.