Green onions have a reputation for going bad faster than other vegetables. After just a couple days in the fridge, they can turn limp, slimy, and unsuitable for any recipe.
The solution? Making sure that they retain their moisture instead of drying out in the fridge. Here’s how to store green onions for maximum freshness.
How to Store Green Onions in the Fridge
There are two tried and true methods here, depending on how much effort you want to put in.
Method 1: Paper Towel Plus Container
The easy method is to rinse the green onions before patting them dry and wrapping them in a damp paper towel. Place them into a resealable bag or container and store in the fridge. This will keep them fresh for around a week.
Method 2: Water Plus Plastic Bag
The better method, and the one worth the extra two minutes, is to fill a glass jar with an inch or two of water and place the green onions upright in it. Drape a plastic bag loosely over the top and place the jar in the fridge. Change the water every couple of days.
Stored this way, the green onions stay crisp for up to two weeks, and they’ll even keep growing while they sit.
How to Store Green Onions in Water
If you want to take the second method a step further, move the jar from the fridge to a sunny windowsill. Trim off the green tops and leave the white root ends with just about an inch of stalk attached, then stand them root-down in the jar with just enough water to cover the roots.
If you keep the jar in a sunny spot and chage the water out every one to two days, the white ends will regrow fresh green shoots within about a week.
Snip off what you need for cooking and leave the rest to keep growing back. As long as you never cut into the white base or root itself, a single bunch of green onions can keep regrowing for months.
If you cook with green onions a lot or if you’re looking for a cost-effective garnish to elevate your homemade queso, chicken bulgogi or other dishes, give this method a try.
How to Store Chopped Green Onions
Once green onions are cut, they lose their moisture much faster than they do when they’re whole. If you have to store them, first make sure you rinse and thoroughly pat them dry first, since any excess moisture speeds up how quickly they go bad.
Store the chopped green onions in an airtight container lined with paper towels and place another paper towel loosely on top. Stored correctly, chopped green onions can keep well for three to four days in the fridge.
How to Freeze Green Onions
Freezing is a good option if you have more green onions than you’ll use in the next week or two.
Rinse, dry thoroughly, and slice them as you normally would for cooking. Spread the pieces in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze them until they’re solid, about one to two hours. This step keeps them from clumping into one solid mass in the bag.
Once frozen, transfer the pieces to a freezer bag or airtight container, pressing out as much air as possible, and label with the date. These green onions hold their quality for up to six months.
Don’t Expect the Texture to Hold up
One thing to note is that frozen and thawed green onions go limp and lose their crisp bite, so they’re best used in cooked dishes like soups, stir-fries, and sauces rather than as a raw garnish. You can also add them directly from frozen straight into whatever you’re cooking, such as chicken fried rice, no need to thaw first.
How Long Do Green Onions Last?
If kept loose on the counter at room temperature, green onions wilt within a day or two. Wrapped in a damp paper towel in the fridge, expect them to last about a week. Standing in a jar of water in the fridge, they can last around two weeks, but if you move the jar to a sunny windowsill they’ll keep regrowing as long as you maintain them.
The longest lasting option is storing them in the freezer, where they’ll last up to six months, with the trade-off that they’re best reserved for cooked dishes after that point.
How to Know Whether They’ve Gone Bad
Whichever method you use, it’s always a good idea to check periodically for sliminess, significant yellowing, or a sour smell. These are all signs that your green onions are either bad or getting close to the point where you’ll need to toss them.