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Green onions, spring onions and scallions – you might have used them in a couple of recipes before, but are you familiar with the difference between them?
In Australia, you’ll most often see them labelled as spring onions or green onions at the supermarket, but recipes from the US often call for scallions. So what’s the difference? Green onions and scallions are the same thing, while spring onions are a close relative with one key distinction. Here’s how to tell them apart.
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Know your alliums
Scallions, green onions, and spring onions are all classified as alliums. This includes all species of onions, such as salad onions, pearl onions, and Chinese onions, as well as garlic, leeks, and chives. Don’t think they’re just cooking ingredients either: ornamental alliums also exist, like the gorgeous Purple Sensation and the hardy Yellow allium. All in all, there are over 700 different varieties of allium plants.
Are spring onions and green onions the same thing?
In Australia, the terms spring onion and green onion are often used interchangeably at the supermarket, and for most recipes, the difference won’t matter. But technically, they are two slightly different vegetables.
What are scallions?
Scallions are harvested from the tops of growing young onions, or are grown from onions that never develop into bulbs at all. They have long green stalks that fade into a soft white at the ends and can be grown year-round.
The entire plant is edible, though in Australia we often just use the white ends for the most flavour. In Asian countries, they often use the entire plant, chopping and dividing it by the different shades. Scallions have a tangy, oniony bite that, while noticeable, is not as strong as that of regular onions.
What are green onions?
Green onions are just another name for scallions. Aside from the name (which is changed because some supermarkets bunch them with other kinds of onions for clarity), they’re the same as any scallion you can find.
What are spring onions?
Spring onions look identical to scallions, except with a noticeable bulb at the end. They’re harvested from bulb-growing onion varieties or as scallions left to mature. Planted in the late fall and harvested the following spring, they come in either red or white.
Like scallions, all of the spring onion is edible. They’re sweeter and mellower than scallions, but the green parts are much more intense in flavour. They have a strong and sweet flavour that makes them perfect for recipes that require roasting.
Storage and usage
If you ever go overboard with the groceries, you can store them like so:
- Spring onions: keep them in the fridge’s crisper drawer, sealed in a plastic bag. They’ll stay fresh for two weeks before they wilt and spoil.
- Scallions: Put the scallions in a jar filled with an inch or two of water to give them extra moisture. Cover with a plastic bag and place inside the fridge. They’ll last for up to a week this way.
Since green onions and spring onions are highly sensitive to ambient moisture, never put them in the freezer. That can cause them to become slimy or limp due to the abundance of water in the freezing air.
Using either allium is simple, as most recipes will generally instruct you on the best ways to incorporate your spring onion or green onion. Here’s a handy link on how to cut your green onions, and another one detailing how to prep your spring onions.
Scallion and green onion substitutes
But what if you don’t have either on hand? Well, luckily, you have all their cousins to choose from! You should always try to substitute part for part (bulbs for bulbs, greens for greens, and so on) for each allium. This has several benefits, the most important one being the versatility of the ingredients available to you.
The only time you should be particular about the substitutes is if you’re eating them raw. Most alliums equalise in flavour after they’re done cooking, so it’s possible to substitute a different onion species for another one in a pinch.
If you want to upgrade your kitchen experience, understanding the subtle differences between onions is a great place to start! You can use them interchangeably if you want to, but knowing the ideal allium for the job can be the difference between a good meal and a great one.
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Spring onion green onion FAQs
Not exactly. In Australia, the terms are often used interchangeably, but technically green onions (also called scallions) are harvested before a bulb forms, while spring onions are left to mature slightly longer, developing a small, round bulb at the base.
In Australia, scallions are most commonly sold as spring onions or green onions. The term scallion is more commonly used in the US, but it refers to the same vegetable that Australians call a green onion.
Yes, in most cooked recipes, they can be used interchangeably. The main difference is that spring onions have a slightly stronger, sweeter flavour due to the bulb.
Yes, scallions and green onions are the same vegetable, just different names for it. Scallion is the term most commonly used in the US, while green onion is more common in Australia.
A scallion (green onion) has a slim, straight white base with no bulb. A spring onion has a small, round bulb at the base and a slightly stronger, sweeter flavour, particularly when cooked.
In the UK, scallions are most commonly called spring onions, the same as in Australia.
