Can You Freeze Scallions (Green Onions)?

Chopped scallions freeze reasonably (6-8 months), though like most alliums on this site, the texture softens considerably, making frozen scallions a better fit for a stir-fry or a soup stirred in while hot than a fresh, raw topping. Storing fresh scallions upright in a small cup of water, rather than bagging them flat, genuinely extends their pre-freezer fridge life to 1-2 weeks, and regrowing new green growth from the root ends in water is a well-known bonus trick worth knowing.

Freezing the white and green portions of scallions separately, rather than mixed together, gives more flexibility later, since the milder green tops are often used differently from the sharper white bulbs — a cook can grab just the portion a given recipe calls for instead of thawing a mixed bag.

Scallions regrown from root ends kept in a glass of water on a windowsill provide an ongoing fresh supply that sidesteps the freezing question somewhat, since a household growing its own replacement greens this way may find it needs the freezer less often than one relying entirely on store-bought bunches.

A scallion's hollow, tubular green tops collapse a bit more dramatically when frozen than its more solid white bulb does, which is part of why frozen scallion greens work best stirred into something already cooking rather than sprinkled as a garnish, similar to how frozen chives are typically used.

See Scallions (Green Onions)'s full storage & shelf-life guide →