How to Freeze Green Onions or Scallions
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Green onions are a versatile vegetable. Their vibrant green hue and mild onion flavor can elevate a dish from ordinary to extraordinary. But what happens when you have more green onions than you can use immediately? Fear not, freezing green onions is a simple and effective way to preserve their freshness and flavor for future use. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to freeze green onions like a pro.
Can you freeze green onions?
Yes, you can freeze and save green onions for later use. This same method works for chives and scallions as well!
Freezing green onions is an easy cooking hack that allows you to enjoy their fresh flavor long after their peak season has passed. By following these simple steps for preparation, chopping, packaging, and storage, you can ensure your green onions retain their vibrancy and taste for months to come.
So next time you find yourself with an abundance of green onions (like I did with last year’s garden!), don’t let them go to waste—freeze them and savor the flavor of freshness year-round!
How to Freeze Green Onions
STEP 1: Wash your onions
Begin by rinsing them thoroughly under cold water to remove any dirt or debris.
Next, pat them dry with paper towels to ensure they are free of excess moisture. Now, you’re ready to move on to the chopping phase.
STEP 2: Chop up your onions.
Start by trimming off the root ends of the onions and any wilted or discolored tops. Then, using a sharp knife, finely chop the remaining green and white parts of the onions to your desired size. Some prefer a coarse chop, while others opt for a finer mince.
STEP 3: Flash Freeze
To prevent onions from clumping together, I recommend flash freezing them.
Lay some parchment paper down (to make for easier clean up) and spread them out. Place in the freezer uncovered.
After they had been in there for a few hours, move to a Ziploc bag or storage container.
How to Use Green Onions that Have Been Frozen & Thawed
Since freezing onions will cause them to lose their crisp texture, they are best used in cooked dishes. Here are some of our delicious recipes that use green onions:
- Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Chicken
- Asian Lettuce Wraps
- Salmon and Sweet Potato Cakes
- Freezer Breakfast Burritos
- Egg Fried Rice with Sweet Soy Sauce
More Resources on Freezer Cooking
We have a wealth of information on freezer cooking that you might find helpful. Make sure you start with all of the freezer meals in our recipe index.
Here are a few more ideas:
FAQs
No, blanching is not necessary for freezing green onions. Unlike some other vegetables, green onions retain their flavor and texture well without blanching.
Green onions can be frozen for up to six months without significant loss of quality. However, for the best flavor and texture, it’s advisable to use them within three to four months.
Yes, green onions will lose their firmness after freezing and thawing. However, they won’t lose their taste. This is why we advise using them in cooked dishes after freezing.
Very Helpful. I only cook a couple of nights per week and so often I’ve bought a bunch of green onions and they are limp and useless in the vegetable drawer of the fridge by the time I want to use them in cooking.
Next time I’m freezing them.
My garden is packed and I don’t want to have them grow too big to use. Great idea, thanks Dad
You’re quite welcome, Helen. Hope it’s helpful!
Would you please explain why the vinegar is needed? Seems like it would affect the flavor.
Hi, Lisa. Great question. It won’t affect the flavor since it’s pretty diluted and rinsed off. It’s just an extra measure taken to kill germs.
If the onions will be cooked, vinegar isn’t necessary.
Thank you for posting this information. I have a crisper drawer of scallions I picked and cleaned for farmer’s market. Market now cancelled due to the weather – we may get 2-4 inches of snow later today. Too early
Snow?? Wow! It’s 85 degrees in Missouri today. I’m glad this is helpful.
Hi, my partners family of 10 children, always made Green Onion Pie. It’s basically a 2-crust form of Quiche. First you fill your unbaked bottom crust with washed and cut up 1/2 to 1″ pieces of green onion, which I cut with my kitchen scissors, a bunch at a time. Then pour any quiche recipe onto the onions and put the top crust onto this and score and seal the crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the top crust is a beautiful medium brown. This pie is delicious and can have cooked bacon in it as well, but not necessary Hope you enjoy this!! <3
Thank you, Marie!
Should the bulb and green of the onion be frozen in separate baggies?
I guess it depends on how you’re going to use them later. I usually use the green and white parts in most recipes myself.
This is great! I came across your post because I was Google searching if I could freeze green onions. Like you, I have an abundance in my backyard and would like to save it all. Mine have flowered and are about two feet high right now HAHA
What do you use the bulbs for?
If they are in the ground, they will continue to grow or put them in about two inches of water in a little bowl or cup and they will also continue to sprout. I put my bulbs in a 6″ vase. I had about 4″ stems left on them and in about two days they were growing out of the vase.
Thanks for the tip!
rinse the vinegar and water from the scallions right?
Yes! Good catch!
Just what might be an interesting comment from a scientist:
In my history of cell biology I and many other lab workers used this method of freezing biological specimens .. BUT our goal is NOT to kill the cells or tissues we’re freezing!
So, these are the basic concepts:
1) Freeze VERY VERY SLOWLY .. i mean , put in a normal freezer but specimen inside a thick-walled styrofoam container!! This tremendously slows the freezing process! .. Then after several days, transfer to a liquid nitrogen freezer, still in the styrofoam box ..
Now, that 2nd step is just irrelevent here, but the 3rd step MIGHT be relevant! …
3) When needed, THAW VERY QUICKLY!!!
Seems counter-intuitive, , but when done with human ‘HELA’ cells, for example, the cells are still ALIVE!!! and can be further treated/cloned/ etcetc
So, it’s pretty obvious that this sequence of events can not possibly alter the ‘nature ‘ of the specimens (green onions??) enough to kill them!!!
Without going to the trouble of the liquid nitrogen step, it seems to me that mere VERY SLOW freezing might be the key to a result of very fresh scallions!!!
Please, if anyone wishes to do this ‘experiment’, kindly msg me with your results, at:
tkjtkj@gmail.com !!!
Maybe a Nobel prize is lurking somewhere!!!?
This is great! I just started working with Asian ingredients and wondered about access to green onions this winter for some of the recipes…..No problem know…Have my first batch in the freezer now! Thanks
Sweet!!!
I am a month away from 70. I’ve done a lot of cooking & canning. Thank you for this step-by-step, easy to understand communication about freezing onions! I always tell my friends when asking directions, a craft or a recipe, ” talk to me like a 4-yr old!” Glad you explained in easy-to-understand steps! THANKS!
I am headed to the garden!!! ?
Ha, ha! I’m the same way! Glad we can help.
Thank you so much!! I’ve grown a pretty nice crop this year and all your information has been so helpful! You’re wonderful for taking the time to do all this!
No problem! Glad we can help!
Thank you I put big onions in my pantry and have taken regular onions dice and put in baggies, but the onions are frozen together when you put under water to unfreeze they are water logged I’ll use the cookie sheet method from now on. I did not know I could use the tops of green onions let the bulb continue to grow. We love the green parts in salads but green onions we wanted away to save as we eat lots of soups and hash brown potato soup is one we eat once a week. You use all of the green onions for it with green part as garnish. So thank you my daughter will be so excited to know how to save and what we don’t eat fast enough will not go back. Thank you again.
So if I don’t freeze them how long in the re fridge can I keep them I been putting them in a bowl of water cool
Thank you for this! I love green onions, and would love to be able to just have them on hand when I need them!
It’s pretty handy! I’ve also seen that people are freezing them in mason jars. Just a thought!