How to Keep Green Onions Fresh

Last Updated: February 13, 2022 References Approved

Green onions, also called scallions, can be a great addition to a wide variety of dishes. They can be fresh and delightful, but they do tend to go bad if they are not stored properly. Green onions can be stored in your refrigerator or on a windowsill. However, to keep your green onions fresh for a long time in either place, they need to be given the right conditions.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Putting Green Onions in Water in the Refrigerator

1
Fill a glass or tall jar with 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) of water. Use a glass or jar that is heavy on the bottom so that it easily stays upright. The water should be cold or room temperature, but not warm.^{[1]
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- The glass or jar should be tall enough so that it can keep the green onions upright. For example, a pint glass or a large canning jar works well.
2
Put the root end of the onions in the water. Since green onions are typically sold with roots still attached, these roots can be used to help keep the onions fresh. By submerging the roots in water, you allow the onions to keep taking in water, which helps the onions stay firm and fresh.^{[2]
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- Even if the roots themselves have been trimmed off your green onions, but the root end remains, the plant will grow new roots in water.
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3
Cover the onions and the top of the container in a plastic bag. In order to keep the right level of humidity around your green onions in a refrigerator, you need to tent them with a plastic bag. This can be a produce bag or a zip-lock bag, whatever you have available. ^{[3]
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- It may be easiest to use the produce bag that you brought the green onions home in.
4
Cinch the plastic bag around the top of the container. If you have tented your green onions with a produce bag, then you can use a rubber band or string to cinch the plastic bag around the container. If you have used a zip-lock bag, you can simply close the zip-lock edge as much as possible toward the sides of the container.
- The plastic bag does not need to be totally sealed so that it is airtight. You simply want to keep some of the humidity from the water around the onions. If the plastic bag was not there, the refrigerator would remove all of it.
5
Put the glass in your refrigerator. Place the glass with the onions in it on a tall shelf of your refrigerator. Put it in a spot where it won't get bumped a lot and where it will be stable so that it doesn't fall over and spill water all over the fridge.
- When you want to use your onions, just take the container out, remove the bag, remove an onion, place the plastic bag back on, and put it back in the fridge.
6
Change the water every few days. To keep the onions fresh, you will need to refresh the water regularly. If you don't, mold can accumulate on the surface of the water and can begin to decay the onions.^{[4]
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- When you change out the water, you can also rinse off the green onion root sections. This will help to remove any bacteria or mold that might be starting to grow on them.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Placing Green Onions on Your Windowsill

1
Pick out a container. Green onions can be kept in water or soil at room temperature and they will continue to grow. If you want to keep them in water, you will need to find a glass or jar that is tall enough and heavy enough to keep them upright. If you want to keep the onions in soil, you will need a flower pot that will fit on your windowsill and that is at least 6 inches (15 cm) deep.^{[5]
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- Green onions will last a long time stored in either water or soil on your windowsill. Deciding between the two is based mostly on personal preference.
2
Prepare your container. If you are using a glass, put 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) of water in it. Like the refrigerator method, this allows the roots of the green onions to absorb water up into the plant. If you are using a pot, put at least 5 inches (13 cm) of potting soil in it. This will allow the green onions to be planted deep enough to stand up on their own.^{[6]
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3
Place your onions in the water or soil. Stick the root end of your green onions into your container of water. If you are keeping your onions in soil, stick the root end into the soil and then press the soil down around them to help the onions stand up.
- Green onions should be placed 2 inches (5.1 cm) apart when planted in soil.^{[7]
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4
Place the container on your windowsill or in another sunny spot. In order for your green onions to continue growing, they need to be exposed to sunlight. Place the container or pot in a sunny spot that gets 6 to 7 hours of light every day.^{[8]
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- Having your green onions continue growing is a perk of storing them in the sunlight, as opposed to in the fridge. Green onions stored in the fridge will not continue growing.
- Typically, a sunny windowsill in your kitchen is a great place to store green onions or scallions. This makes it easy for you to remember to use them when you are cooking a meal.
5
Change out the water in the glass or water the soil every few days. The green onions that you store outside of the refrigerator will need a bit of care. For green onions stored in water, be sure to switch out the water every few days. This will ensure that mold doesn't accumulate on the surface of the water. If your green onions are stored in soil, you should be sure to water the soil when it begins to dry out.^{[9]
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- Green onions should be kept in moist, but not overly wet, soil.
6
Use the green onion tops and but keep the roots intact. Green onions that are stored outside of the refrigerator will continue growing. Clip off the new growth with scissors and keep the white root section intact. If you do this, the onions will continue to regrow indefinitely.
- If there are sections of the green part of the onion that go brown and shrivel, simply trim those off or leave them. Once you trim the greens the tips tend to brown and the onion will grow a whole new green sprout.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Wrapping Green Onions in a Damp Paper Towel

1
Remove any packaging from the green onions. Green onions often come in plastic bags or are held together in bundles with rubber bands. Take all of the packaging off of the onions so that they are loose.
- Removing the packaging will allow the green onions to be removed from the bundle more easily and will minimize the chance of the onions being damaged by the rubber bands.
2
Wrap the onions in a damp paper towel. In order to keep the green onions firm, they need to be kept in humid conditions.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Andrea Lawson Gray
Private Chef
Expert Interview. 10 February 2022.} Wrapping them in a slightly damp paper towel will provide the humidity they need without adding so much moisture that they begin to rot.^{[11]
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- To make sure that the paper towel is not too wet, you can wrap the onions in a dry paper towel and then sprinkle a bit of water over the top of the towel.
3
Place the towel-wrapped onions in a plastic bag. To keep the moisture around the green onions, the bundle should be placed in a plastic bag. This will ensure that the humidity created by the damp paper towel is not removed by the refrigerator.
- The plastic bag can be placed loosely around the bundle of onions. It does not need to be completely airtight.
4
Put the bag in your refrigerator. The vegetable bin is a good place to keep your green onions.^{[12]
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Expert Source

Andrea Lawson Gray
Private Chef
Expert Interview. 10 February 2022.} However, because the green onions are in a plastic bag, they can be kept anywhere in your refrigerator.
- When you use some of your green onions, be sure to re-moisten the paper towel if it has dried out. Then place the bundle back in its plastic bag and put it all back in the fridge.

References

More References (3)

↑ Andrea Lawson Gray. Private Chef. Expert Interview. 10 February 2022.
↑ https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-store-green-onions-scallions-1389341
↑ Andrea Lawson Gray. Private Chef. Expert Interview. 10 February 2022.

Community Q&A

Question

Which method keeps them the longest?

Amaiyah Ward

Community Answer

If you put them in the freezer then they will probably last way longer than if you were to put them in the fridge. Just make sure to thaw them before re-cooking them.
Question

What about the strong smell of green onions in the fridge?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Keep them wrapped in a plastic bag.