10 Best Green Onion Substitutes to Use in Your Meals

These green onion substitutes come in handy when you’re out of scallions!

Green onions provide a subtle hint of onion flavors and a great crunch.

Their flavors are so mild that you can use them in cooked or raw dishes. 

They go great in salads, soups, casseroles, and toppings for pizza.

However, if you’re out of green onions or can’t find them at your local market, these substitutes work in a pinch. 

You likely have at least one of these green onion alternatives hanging out in your fridge! 

Check out these simple green onion substitutes below!

Best Green Onion Substitutes

1. Chives

I don’t know about you, but chives are always the runaway hit in my herb garden.

While they have a similar color and flavor profile to green onions, their flavor is milder and more delicate.

Chives are primarily used as a garnish for a hint of flavor after cooking. You’ll need a lot of chives to replicate the taste of green onions, 

In most dishes, chives can be used in a 1.5:1 ratio, adding more as needed.

Add two tablespoons to your plate if a recipe calls for a tablespoon of chives.

You can also garnish your finished recipe with raw chives with more oniony flavors. 

2. Leeks

Leeks look like green onions that hit the gym. They’re thicker, tougher, and slightly sweeter than green onions.

Remember that their tough exterior will affect the texture of your dish.

However, be careful not to cook leeks too long because overcooked leeks lose their sweet onion flavors and turn sour. 

When using leeks as a replacement for green onions, use them in a 1:1 swap.

It’s also important to note that leeks won’t provide the same delicate texture as green onions.

Fight the urge to overcook leeks until they’re tender, though!

3. Ramps

Ramps are a great option if you need green onions in cooked recipes.

While they look a little like leeks, they have a milder onion flavor with just a hint of garlic.

They’re a perfect swap, but they can sometimes be hard to find at most supermarkets.

Be sure to use them in cooked dishes because they’re too intense when consumed raw.

Even though the flavors of ramps are more garlicky than oniony, you can easily use them as a 1:1 swap in replacement for green onions. 

4. Yellow Onion

Even though a yellow onion isn’t green (and therefore won’t add a green pop of color), its flavor makes a perfect 1:1 swap.

Yellow onions are easy to find in the supermarket and much more affordable than green onions. 

The flavor of yellow onions is sharp. If you use them in a cooked dish, cut them very thinly for a subtle hint of onion flavors.

You won’t want to alter the texture of your recipe.

Green onions are much more expensive than yellow onions, so this swap is perfect if you’re on a budget!

5. Red Onion

Despite their polar opposite color, red onions have a near-identical flavor profile to green onions.

They offer subtle onion flavors with just a touch of sweetness.

The taste is so mild that you can also use them in uncooked dishes. 

When using red onions, a simple 1:1 swap works in a pinch.

If the recipe calls for one tablespoon of green onions, use one tablespoon of red onion. Like yellow onions, be sure you cut them thinly.

6. Garlic

No one ever added extra garlic to their dish and regretted it.

Garlic provides wonderful flavors to any dish and has a spicy bite similar to green onions.

While the tastes differ slightly, it has a similar texture and cooks almost the same as green onions. 

When using garlic, you can add it in a 1:1 ratio to your dish.

To avoid mushy or overcooked garlic, try to cut fresh garlic into larger pieces that cook similarly to green onions. 

7. Green Bell Peppers

Ok, so green peppers don’t exactly taste like onions.

However, they provide a near-identical crunch (and color) to your dish and subtle flavors.

Ideally, green peppers can be used in recipes such as salad and soups where texture is essential or as a garnish.

The flavors of green peppers are incredibly mild, so they work well as a 1:1 swap.

Green peppers are a great option if you need a little extra crunch or you just don’t care for the onion flavor of green onions. 

8. Spring Onions

Spring onions aren’t some fancy breed of onion. They’re yellow onions harvested before they reach full maturity.

Because they are young onions, their bright flavors haven’t fully developed, lending a mild flavor similar to green onions. 

When using spring onions in recipes such as soups or casseroles, you can easily swap them in at a 1:1 ratio.

They taste almost identical to green onions and are such as simple swap.

The only downside, however, is that they don’t often show up in the supermarket. 

9. Wild Garlic

Wild garlic is related to chives and offers a blend of mild garlic and onion flavors.

It has a flavor profile similar to garlic but is much milder and sweet.

Its gentle flavors are a perfect substitution for green onions, and you may even love the flavors better than green onions!

Wild garlic flavors are mild, making a simple 1:1 swap in cooked or raw dishes. 

10. Celery

Much like green peppers, celery doesn’t have the same onion flavors as green onions.

Celery is an excellent alternative if you want that patented green crunch without the extra bite of green onion.

You can use the stalks for an added crunch in cooked dishes and use thinly sliced celery leaves as a garnish. 

Due to its milk flavor, you can use celery as a 1:1 swap in replacement of green onions.

Add more if you want more crunch without affecting the flavor profile of your dish too much.