16 Creative Ways To Use Scallions
Scallions have long, hollow green stalks with white bulbs at the end. You can use the entire vegetable, so you don't have to waste much if any at all. Leave the root ends in some water and allow them to regrow on your windowsill. It's the little green gift that keeps on giving. Scallions are adaptable in how you use them, but we'll cover some creative ways to use scallions if you're on the hunt for options other than chopping them into cream cheese or stir fry.
Before we get into it, let's start by talking about the difference between scallions and green onions. They are not the same, but they are the same species, making them pretty interchangeable in recipes calling for one or the other. Scallions are long and slender, whereas green onions have a more bulbous end. If something calls for green onion, feel free to substitute it for scallions for a similar taste. Whether you eat them cooked, raw, charred, or dehydrated, you can sprinkle them in pasta, salads, waffles, scones, and much more.
Make a scallion compound butter
Butter makes a delicious addition to many meals and dishes from a plain old piece of sourdough bread to your favorite pasta dish. When you're seeking something other than your standard stick of butter, try making scallion compound butter. It's a pretty easy process that only involves butter, scallions, and potentially salt. Start by taking out your butter, so it reaches room temperature and becomes easy to work with. Then finely chop your fresh scallions, both the green and white portions. Place the butter in a bowl with your chopped scallions onion and mix it together.
Once it's evenly distributed throughout your butter, roll it into a log shape using plastic wrap or parchment paper. Refrigerate it to keep its shape and allow it to harden. You can leave it at that or you can add other ingredients like minced garlic or a sprinkle of flaky salt if you use unsalted butter. This is a simple way to elevate your scallions to look like something from a gourmet eatery.
Add scallions to waffles
There are plenty of incredible sweet and savory waffle recipes to follow when you're on the hunt for something other than a basic buttermilk waffle. These sesame scallion waffles are savory, crispy, and absolutely jammed with flavor from five spice powder, sesame seeds, scallions, and sesame oil. This combination works to create a rich waffle to have for brunch or lunch with a bonus factor that you can make a larger batch of these to store in the fridge.
The textures of sesame seeds and scallions are perfect, not too crunchy, but not too soft. If you have leftovers, keep them for a couple of days in the refrigerator or freeze them to toast when you're ready to eat them. This recipe takes inspiration from Chinese and Korean cuisine for when you're in the mood for something other than a sweet waffle. Top it with additional sesame seeds and scallions.
Freshen up your pesto
A bright and fresh pesto is filled with flavor from basil, pine nuts, garlic, and all the standard additions. You can stray away from the classic pesto recipe and try something with additional herbal components, such as a cilantro pesto or a scallion pesto. Scallions blend in perfectly amongst the classic pesto ingredients to provide a peppery bite that complements the other rich and green ingredients. It also helps that it blends in thanks to its green hue.
This versatile sauce can be spread on a sandwich, used as the main sauce component for pasta, or a marinade for meat. There's nothing you can't do with it that you would do with the standard pesto, except this has a mild onion flavor added to the mix. Sprinkle in some dried red chili pepper flakes or finely chop a jalapeño to integrate a little bit of heat. Include more scallions to make it even more onion flavor or just have it be a subtle addition with one stalk.
Fry them up as a French fry-esque appetizer
Scallions are usually used to give flavor to a dish, but it's rarely a dish itself. Fried spring onions with a crispy cornmeal coating can completely switch up how you think about scallions. While the recipe calls for spring onions, you can easily switch them for scallions. This dish makes onions the star, the main attraction. This scallion appetizer can be a twist on the Bloomin' Onion from Outback Steakhouse, which is usually made with a white onion.
Scallions deserve a bit of attention when it comes to being the lead ingredient in a dish. To make your dish, you need to prepare the cornmeal coating that you'll ultimately dip and then fry your scallions into. Pair with the Calabrian chili aioli for a mix of creamy and spicy, but you could easily eat these by themselves, with ranch, or any dip that you want. The crunchy fried cornmeal and soft but substantial onion make a scrumptious dish.
Bake them into scones
Savory scones are a delight to eat when you're not in the mood for the sweet version. There is an array of savory scones out there, but these ham, cheese, and scallion scones are a tasty way to mix up how you see these baked goods as a morning treat. Dig into these with a cup of coffee or tea and it's a delicious way to start your day or serve as an afternoon snack.
These scallion scones are ideal to bake in a batch and then store leftovers in the fridge or freezer. These are a standalone snack or if you want something more significant, pair it with something like a side salad. Swap the sharp cheddar cheese for a mild version, white cheddar, Parmesan, or a Gruyere. Use chopped bacon, pepperoni, or prosciutto instead of ham or a mixture of a couple. You could also choose to lean further into the onion flavor with shallots, caramelized onions, or chives.
Integrate them into scallion pancakes
If you're wondering how to make scallion pancakes, we've got a couple of recipes for you. Flaky scallion pancakes are unbelievable. Each pancake is coiled, flattened, and then fried to create a flaky and crispy exterior. Think of the flaky layers of a croissant, and this has a similar, but flat, vibe. Add a scoop of lentil salad or chicken salad to the pancakes to make it a hearty meal. Whatever you end up eating them with, make sure to eat the pancakes right away; you don't want the delicate exterior to turn into a floppy, soggy mess.
Crispy kimchi and scallion pancakes hit various parts of your taste buds to create an epic way to eat your pancakes. These have kimchi, scallions, chili pepper, and rice flour to make it a bit different than your average pancakes. They're perfect for a savory breakfast or brunch with a hint of kimchi in every bite. Any scallion pancakes are best served with a sauce to dip or pour onto them, such as soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, scallions, and red pepper flakes, or your preferred dried chili pepper.
Blend them in your guasacaca
This Venezuelan sauce is a fantastic choice when you want to make something flavorsome with scallions. Guasacaca is similar to a salsa and guacamole mixture. It's made with avocado, onion, jalapeños, cilantro, vinegar, and lime juice, as well as other ingredients; although you'll find some recipes use scallions instead of onion. Once you have all your ingredients, blend until it is creamy and smooth. For extra onion essence, use a mix of chopped onion and scallion.
This Venezuelan-inspired avocado salsa is blended so it's completely smooth while the oil and avocado help it reach a creamy consistency. This condiment can be served with something like tortilla chips, added to steak quesadillas, or eaten with your empanadas, arepas, or whenever you want. This is a cold salsa so you can refrigerate it after making it, but you might have to mix it up to ensure nothing separates. You can also add green bell pepper into the mix for extra greens and veggies. This is fresh and herby, with a nice mixture of tangy vinegar and zesty lime juice.
Pickle them to transform your next dish
Pickled foods are so tangy and delicious. It's something people either love or hate. However, if you're weary of making pickled foods because of the sugar, you can always do a sugar-free pickled recipe. Follow the instructions and use scallions, instead. These pickled scallions are perfect to add to salads, avocado toast, or anywhere where you want to break up something rich with the tartness of pickled food.
When pickling, you don't have to leave it at just the scallions, you could include red onion, radishes, cucumbers, or a blend of veggies. You need garlic, vinegar, salt, and peppercorns, and then you could put in bonus ingredients, like a bay leaf, thyme, tarragon, chopped jalapeños, coriander seeds, cider vinegar, etc. It's really up to you what additional flavor profiles you want to taste in your pickles. This tangy condiment can give your dish a burst of flavor, but you could easily eat the pickled scallions alone. Drop some on tacos, put them in sandwiches, or just eat them alone.
Infuse olive oil with scallions
From garlic olive oil to a truffled version, there are so many scrumptious ways to infuse olive oil. While you can buy it at the store at a price markup, why not make something yourself at home? Luckily, it's not too hard to infuse olive oil to give it extra flavor for your next meal. Chop your scallions and let them infuse with the oil in the refrigerator. Blend the concoction with something like dried chili pepper flakes to integrate into pasta or salads.
The oil is fragrant and filled with rich flavor, so you can use only a few drops or load it up on your food. We recommend the cold infusion method rather than heating it on the stove since this can change how the scallions taste. If you do want to do a stovetop method, choose a low-heat option to avoid frying the scallions. You want to heat it enough that the oil is warm, turn off the heat, and let it sit in the mixture to steep. Let it cool and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Amp up your quiche with scallions
We love quiche because you can have a lot of fun with the ingredients you put into it. You could make broccoli and artichoke quiche, ham and cheese quiche, or a loaded vegetarian quiche with mushrooms, red bell pepper, and zucchini. You can get creative with the combinations and whatever you want to put in it. Scallions are a no-brainer to add some color, flavor, and texture to your eggy delight.
For convenience, use a store-bought pie crust, but by all means, feel free to make it from scratch. Scallions work beautifully with leeks, white onion, garlic, or herbs, such as rosemary or chives. Quiches can be made for breakfast, brunch, dinner, or any meal any day. For something more brunch or breakfast adjacent use bacon, goat cheese, and scallions. For dinner, try smoked salmon or cooked chicken with your choice of veggies. Make mini quiches for a smaller, more portable version by cutting the pie crust to fit in muffin tins, then adding your ingredients into each cup.
Scallions can pass on flavor to your pasta
Whenever something calls for onion, you can easily replace it with scallions. It does have the onion taste, but it brings its own spin. Plus it has a green hue that the average white or yellow onion can't contribute. You can include scallions as a garnish or mix them into any pasta dish since they can add a freshness that cuts down the richness from a creamy element like Alfredo sauce or butter.
Make a scallion pappardelle with goat ragù for a restaurant-quality meal that will appeal to all your senses. This stunning dish takes a bit of time to prep and cook, but once you see it and taste it, you'll want to eat it again and again. It has a delightful range of flavors from ingredients such as scallions, juniper berries, and grapefruit, among other ingredients. Scallions are integrated into the pasta dough itself so they aren't an afterthought or a garnish, they are part of the main ingredients that bring this dish together.
Char scallions to use as a garnish
You'll often see scallions topped on anything from soups to tacos, but you might change the way you look at it as a garnish when you char them. Charring scallions have an umami flavor that can be perfect on most meals. In particular, charred scallions give fried eggs a tantalizing boost, which you can eat by itself, put on ramen, or on a piece of avocado toast. The charred element turns scallions into something new, something you don't usually see.
When you're in a rush, this transformation doesn't take long to create. Chop the scallions into small pieces and add to a pan with oil to char, or leave them whole and place on your grill to roast. You don't want to chop it up, otherwise it will fall through and likely disintegrate upon hitting the flames. The whole stalk allows it to get flavor while you can use some tongs to move it around and ensure all sides of it get a touch of flavor. Once charred, it's time to chop it. This smoky version could easily be eaten alone but you can sprinkle it onto tacos, sandwiches, pasta, ramen, and more.
Put a spin on salsa verde
Salsas come in quite a range of colors, ingredients, and consistencies. Whether you make it at home or have it at a restaurant, it seems like each version contains something a little different. Some people boil their tomatoes or tomatillos while others grill them to get a nice char. Some people pick different types of chiles over others or add more garlic or onion. There's a lot of room for creativity when it comes to making salsa.
Make a gorgeous green creamy salsa verde, with tomatillos, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, and scallions. It's bright and bold with the spiciness coming from your chilies while the avocado is a creamy element. For a smoother version, blend in a blender or food processor, or for something with a bit more texture, you can hand chop all the ingredients or grind it in a molcajete. Enjoy with chips, add it to a taco or burrito, or slather it all over your eggs.
Don't forget to add scallions to salad
Fresh onions are a huge component of salad; they're in many recipes and they provide a distinctive taste. You can easily integrate scallions to replace the called-for onions in the salad or simply include them in the mix. There's no wrong way to make a salad since it can include various types of leafy greens, vegetables, cheeses, proteins, and dressings. You can pull inspiration from your favorite recipes, such as a Napa cabbage salad with chopped scallions or a simple bagged leafy green salad with scallions.
Whip up a crunchy bok choy salad filled with fresh produce, such as baby bok choy, celery, red bell pepper, shredded carrots, scallions, and more. This is crunchy and full of nature's range of colors, which is alluring enough, but the flavor brings it all together. It helps that this can get made and dressed and on the table within 10 minutes. That's the type of salad we love to have in our salad-making rotation.
Dehydrate them to use as a dried herb
If you have a bit of extra time on your hands or you have one of those days when you're bored out of your mind, try dehydrating your scallions to use as you would any dried herb. Not only is it possible to make your own dried green onions with a dehydrator to dry out the liquid, but it's also a cool addition to the spice cabinet. If you don't have a dehydrator the oven will work at a low temperature. This is a low and slow type of game so don't start this if you have somewhere to be.
You'll have to wash and dry your scallions and then mince them into even sizing so they will dehydrate at an even rate. Chopping them up in uneven pieces can really mess up the results leaving you with crunchy bits and then slightly soggy bits that aren't quite ready. Once they are completely dried, crush them in a mortar and pestle or food processor, so you can easily be sprinkled on your food. Allow to cool completely and then store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use within three months for maximum flavor.
Add scallions to your favorite dip
Scallions belong in your next dip since they offer everything from color to sharp flavor. Dips work with anything from potato chips to tortilla chips to carrot sticks. Use scallions to give a pop to a buffalo chicken dip made with cream cheese, buffalo sauce, ranch, and cheddar. The scallions add a pleasing hue while breaking apart the richness of the cream cheese and ranch. Finely chop scallions to include in your store-bought dip for a hint of freshness that can bring it all together.
It makes a particularly good choice for cream-based tips, so it can cut the richness while not being as potent as getting a bite of white or red onion in your mouth. Sometimes a bite of onion kind of lingers there, even after you're done eating, and nothing but brushing your teeth can get the taste out of your mouth. On the other hand, dive headfirst into an onion-loaded dip like a caramelized onion dip and sprinkle in some scallions for good measure.