What Are Celery leaves and How Can I Use Them?
Celery leaves is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 55 recipes to get you started.
Key Points
- The leafy tops of celery, with a more concentrated, herb-like celery flavor than the stalks.
- Pale inner leaves are mild for raw use; darker outer leaves are stronger, better cooked.
- Use them in soups, stocks, salads, and as a fresh garnish; don't toss them.
- Flavor is concentrated, so a handful goes a long way.
- Store like a tender herb for 4 to 7 days, or freeze and dry them.
What are celery leaves?
Celery leaves are the feathery green tops that grow from the stalks, the part most people lop off and throw away. That's a waste. They carry a more concentrated celery flavor than the stalks themselves, closer to an herb than a vegetable.
The leaves come in two shades. The pale, tender inner leaves from the heart are mild and good raw, while the darker outer leaves are stronger and a touch bitter, better cooked into something. Both taste distinctly of celery, with a green, peppery edge.
Using Celery Leaves
Treat them like a soft herb, somewhere between parsley and lovage. The tender inner leaves go raw into salads and on top of finished dishes as a garnish, bringing a fresh celery hit that the stalks can't.
They're a workhorse in the pot, too. Whole sprigs go into stocks and broths along with the trimmings, and chopped leaves stir into soups for a savory lift.
You'll find them used that way in Chicken Soup with Tiny Meatballs and Beefy Italian Minestrone Soup, and even baked into a savory loaf like Celery-Celery-Celery Bread.
For salads they add body and flavor rather than just decoration. The Celery, Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad with Vinaigrette and the Leftover Turkey Waldorf Salad both put the leaves to work alongside the crunch.
Pairing and Mistakes to Avoid
Celery leaves go with the same things celery does: onion, carrot, potato, tomato, chicken, and seafood. They lift egg salad and potato salad, and a small handful chopped over a finished bowl or soup wakes the whole thing up.
The main mistake is treating the strong outer leaves like the mild inner ones. Pile the dark outer leaves raw into a salad and they can taste bitter and aggressive, so save those for cooking and keep the pale heart leaves for raw use.
The other slip is overdoing it. Their flavor is concentrated, so a handful goes a long way; too many and the celery note takes over the whole dish. Start small and taste.
What to Use Instead
Flat-leaf parsley is the everyday stand-in for raw use, similar in texture though without the celery punch. Add a pinch of celery seed if you want that flavor back.
Lovage is the truest match, an herb that tastes like intense celery, but it's hard to find.
Celery seed or a little chopped fennel frond can echo the flavor in cooked dishes. And if a recipe just wants the celery note in a soup or stock, a chopped celery stalk covers it, though you lose the herbal freshness the leaves bring to a finished plate.
Keeping Them Fresh
The leaves wilt faster than the stalks, so the heads with the most lush, perky tops are worth grabbing for the leaves alone. Avoid any that are yellowing, slimy, or limp.
Store them like a tender herb. Pluck the leaves from the stalks, wrap them loosely in a barely damp paper towel inside a container or bag, and keep them in the crisper, where they hold 4 to 7 days.
For longer storage, chop and freeze them in an ice cube tray with a little water or oil, then drop a cube straight into soups and stews.
You can also dry them: spread on a tray in a low oven or air-dry, then crumble into a homemade celery-leaf seasoning that keeps for months.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 芹菜叶
- British (UK) term
- Celery leaves
- en français
- feuilles de céleri
- en español
- hojas de apio
Recipes using celery leaves
There are 55 recipes that contain this ingredient.
New Potato Salad with Dried Tomatoes
This creamy and flavorful new potato salad is a great side dish with any summer BBQs.
Italian Meatballs-Pasta Machine
Classic Italian meatballs with beef, herbs, and breadcrumbs. Freezer-friendly meatballs that bake or pan-fry until browned, perfect for pasta night or meal prep.
Olive & White Mushroom Soup with 3-colors Fusilli
Once upon a time I was reading a magazine article about good cooking. The journalist tried to convince me not to use some combinations of ingredients. One of the "banned" combinations mentioned was green and black olives. And so this soup was born to enjoy me.
Cucumber Soup with Spring Vegetables
All veggies are young, fresh and full of spring garden aroma. Is there anything more lovely?
Chicken Soup with Tiny Meatballs
Italian-style chicken soup with tiny beef meatballs (polpettine), tender chicken pulled from the bone, carrots, and basil. Two proteins in one bowl: shredded poached chicken plus pinky-fingertip-sized meatballs.
Celery & Celery Root Soup
I created this super comfort food soup after discovering celery root (celeriac) thanks to my European husband. I combine typical American green celery stalks and leaves with celeriac, which extra enhances the soup's flavor and makes it even creamier with just milk. No real cream needed. I top mine with croutons and extra celery leaves. Can easily be made vegetarian.
Spring Cabbage with Mushrooms, Frankfurters & Shrimps
for fans of spring cabbage and untypical combinations..
Celery, Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad with Vinaigrette
These crunchy vegetables make a refreshing and delicious salad. If you have your own vegetable garden, they are the easiest vegetables to grow. Or find them in the grocery store.
Poule-Au-Pot (Chicken Pot Pie)
Poule-au-pot is the French farmhouse chicken pot pie: poached chicken in aromatic broth, layered with paper-thin potatoes under a rustic parsley pinwheel biscuit topping. Sunday comfort with a French twist.
Vegetable Stew with Nut Dumplings
Hearty vegetarian stew with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and turnips topped with homemade walnut dumplings. Slow-simmered for deep, rustic flavor.
Chilled Cream of Vegetable Soup
Chilled cream of vegetable soup with spinach, carrots, celery, and green pepper, pureed and enriched with egg yolks and half-and-half. Served cold with sour cream and fresh herbs.
Salmon Corncakes
Salmon corncakes flake poached salmon with sweet corn, shallots, peppers, and cilantro into pan-fried cracker-crumbed patties. Pacific Northwest meets Southwestern in one crispy bite.
John's Potato Salad
Blue cheese potato salad with red-skinned potatoes, sour cream, scallions, and celery salt. A tangy, creamy potato salad with no mayo, skins on, and bold peppery flavor.
Lemon Herbed Chicken
Lemon herbed chicken made in a pressure cooker with parsley, oregano, basil, celery leaves, and black olives. Tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken in just 8 minutes under pressure.
Cold Glazed Salmon
Whole cold glazed salmon baked in wine with fresh herbs, chilled overnight and finished with fish aspic and turnip flower decorations. A stunning centerpiece for buffets and celebrations.
Reino's Kalamoiika
Finnish fish chowder layered with salmon, clams, shrimp, bacon, potatoes, and red cabbage in a milk broth. A hearty Nordic soup that freezes beautifully.
Butter Balls Chicken Soup
Homemade chicken soup simmered with celery, bay leaf, and peppercorns, finished with tiny butter dumplings dropped right into the broth. Old-fashioned comfort in every spoonful.
Mageritsa (Easter Lamb Soup)
Mageritsa is the traditional Greek Easter lamb soup served after midnight Resurrection Mass. Lamb offal, rice, dill and scallions in a tart avgolemono broth thickened with egg and lemon.
Polynesian Pork Centennial
Polynesian pork chops braised with pineapple, prunes, soy sauce, and marjoram, served over ginger rice. Retro sweet-savory tropical dinner from the 1950s tiki era.
Gumbo File'
Cajun seafood gumbo with shrimp, lump crab, ham, and okra built on a dark cocoa-colored roux. Finished with file powder for authentic Louisiana flavor and body.
Buttermilk Beet Soup
Cold buttermilk beet soup with julienned beets, celery, dill, and a splash of hot sauce simmered in chicken broth then chilled. A tangy, vibrant pink summer soup similar to cold borscht.
Spinach Salad with Moroccan Lemon
Moroccan wilted spinach salad with preserved lemon, cilantro, parsley, and a reduced garlic-paprika dressing. A warm North African salad unlike any spinach dish you know.
Turkey Gravy
Homemade turkey gravy built from simmered giblets and neck, pan drippings, half and half, and a finishing splash of brandy. Rich, properly thickened, and worth the extra step on Thanksgiving day.
Sauerbraten with Sweet & Sour Cabbage
Traditional German sauerbraten with bottom round beef marinated 3-4 days in vinegar, then braised with red wine, beef stock, and tomato puree. A tangy, fork-tender roast with rich gravy.
Spicy Lentil-Potato Stew
Spicy lentil-potato stew simmered in tomato juice with carrots, celery, chili powder, and garlic. A vegan one-pot meal that takes 5 minutes to prep and cooks in under an hour.
Orjaleves (Orja Soup)
Orjaleves is a traditional Hungarian wedding soup made with beef bones, pork, saffron broth, root vegetables, and handmade spiral egg noodles. A rich, celebratory first course.
Cream of Pecan Soup
Cream of pecan soup simmers finely ground pecans with onion, celery leaves, vegetable broth, and half-and-half for a silky Southern-style nut soup. Garnished with fresh mint.
Classic Cream of Corn Soup
Cream of corn soup builds a classic milk-based bechamel with butter, flour, and minced onion, then folds in sweet corn and celery leaves. A simple, vegetarian comfort soup ready in 40 minutes.
Hearty Celery Soup(Dupree)
Creamy pureed celery soup with bacon drippings, chicken stock, celery seeds, and thyme, topped with crumbled bacon, cheddar, and fresh celery leaves. Hearty and deeply savory.
Cornish Hens with Raisin-Rice Pilaf
Skinless Cornish hen halves basted with brandy, apple juice, and paprika, served over a cinnamon-scented wild rice pilaf with brandy-soaked raisins. Light, elegant, and feeds eight.
Yankee Pheasants Jubilee
Bacon-wrapped roasted pheasant stuffed with apples and onions, served with a glossy cherry-wine jubilee sauce. An elegant game bird dinner that brings the hunter's harvest to the holiday table.
Spring Vegetable Soup with Matzo Balls
Spring vegetable soup with matzo balls: a vegetarian Passover-friendly soup brimming with carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, and tender peas, finished with fluffy matzo dumplings and fresh dill.
Stuffed Eggplant Pickles
Stuffed eggplant pickles filled with minced cabbage, red bell pepper, garlic, and dill, tied with softened celery ribs and fermented in vinegar brine. A traditional Middle Eastern style pickle ready in 2 to 3 weeks.
Herb-Infused Oyster Milk Soup
Rustic oyster milk soup infused with bay leaf, parsley, and celery. This comforting recipe feeds 4-6 with simple ingredients and a touch of cayenne heat. Budget-friendly using canned or fresh oysters.
Celery, Potato & Chicken Skillet Stew
Quick chicken skillet stew loaded with red potatoes, celery, bell pepper, and a rosemary tomato broth. A one-pan weeknight dinner ready in 30 minutes.
Anissabo(Pea Soup -- Cree Style)
Traditional Cree pea soup with soaked green peas, celery leaves, and savory herbs, thickened with hominy grits for a hearty Indigenous comfort soup.
Dutch Green Split Pea Soup
Dutch green split pea soup (erwtensoep) with kielbasa, leeks, celeriac, potatoes, and Canadian bacon. A thick, hearty traditional Dutch pea soup simmered low and slow.
Vegetable Juice Cocktail
Homemade vegetable juice cocktail with carrots, beets, radishes, watercress, and scallions blended and strained. A fresh, earthy alternative to store-bought V8.
Brazilian Chicken Rice Soup
A delicious and flavorful soup that's made from chicken and lots of vegetables. It's light and tasty.
Old Munich Sauerbraten(Clay-Pot)
Old Munich sauerbraten: beef marinated for days in a spiced vinegar bath, then clay-pot braised until fork-tender in a sweet-sour gravy thickened with gingersnaps. Authentic Bavarian pot roast for potato pancakes.
Celery-Rice Casserole
Simple celery-rice casserole baked in chicken broth with onion and marjoram. An easy, budget-friendly side dish that practically makes itself in the oven.
Baked Stuffed Trout
Turn on the oven for this succulent dish that will have you licking your lips and your fingers!
Sauteed Tempeh, Leeks & Wild Mushroom
Sautéed tempeh, leeks, and wild mushroom stew braises crisped tempeh with four kinds of mushrooms, sweet leeks, garlic, and herbs in a wine-broth gravy. A hearty plant-based main with deep umami flavor.
Vegan Celery Rice Casserole
Rice, thick-sliced celery, and onion baked together in herbed vegetable broth until tender and fragrant with marjoram. Five ingredients, one dish, 40 minutes. A vegan side or light main that proves simple can be seriously satisfying.
Habitant Pea Soup
Traditional Quebec habitant pea soup with yellow split peas, smoked ham hocks, savory, and thyme simmered three hours until thick and creamy. A French-Canadian classic.
Beefy Italian Minestrone Soup
Beefy Italian minestrone soup builds a full-bodied broth from chuck roast simmered with vegetables, then loads it with kidney beans, macaroni, bacon, zucchini, and a quirky splash of cola for caramel depth. Sunday simmer at its best.
Chicken Mulligatawny (Sri Lanka)
A fragrant Sri Lankan chicken soup simmered with coriander, cumin, fennel, turmeric, and coconut milk, finished with fried curry leaves and fresh lemon juice.
