25 Recipes That Highlight Celery's Versatility
Eat to your (celery) heart's content.
What is there even to say about celery? It’s one of those ingredients, like onions and carrots, that's a silent building block of so many dishes, so much so that it doesn’t really get its due. We’re here to change that and shine a light on this delightful vegetable. It's great for adding crunch, depth of flavor, and color to everything from stir-fries to salads to comfort food staples. We bet you’ve already got some in your fridge right now, so what are you waiting for? Check out these 25 celery recipes for ideas; we know you’ll (celery) heart them.
Let’s start with some basics. Celery is, of course, great in a variety of salads, adding much needed crunch, texture, and freshness to both mayo- and greens-based options. We’ve included a number here, like our crunch salad, our macaroni salad, our tuna salad, our egg salad, and more. While it’s more obvious in these applications, celery is also super-important in a more hidden capacity in things like soups, stews, and braised meats, usually in the form of a mirepoix or a soffrito.
If you’re unfamiliar, a mirepoix (French) or soffritto (Italian) is a mixture of diced celery, onion, and carrot sautéed in fat (olive oil, butter, etc.) that sweetens and deepens the flavors of a dish. Though the ratios of each ingredient vary from culture to culture, everyone can agree–these veggies are THE thing that takes recipes from good to great. Take our classic Bolognese. Though on the surface, you might not think celery belongs in there, trust us (and hundreds of Italians)—it’s one of the things that makes homemade taste so much better than store-bought.
We think it’s also important to note all the times celery isn’t so much in a recipe as it is a necessary accompaniment to it. We’re of the opinion that classics like Buffalo wings (and related offshoots like Buffalo tempeh “wings” and Buffalo cauliflower) just wouldn't be the same without cooling, crunchy celery. Ditto certain cocktails, like a bloody Mary or a St. Germain spritz—though the celery is technically just a garnish, we know we wouldn’t enjoy them as much without it.
Best-Ever Bolognese Sauce
Starting out with a mirepoix—i.e., onion, carrot, and celery—is the foundation for a great Bolognese. Finely chop your vegetables, “sweat them” in olive oil, and they’ll basically disappear into the sauce, leaving their sweet and savory flavors behind. MMM. Check out our full recipe below for even more tips (spoiler: add milk).
Get the Best-Ever Bolognese Sauce recipe.
Bloody Mary
Bloodies always start with a mix of tomato juice and vodka, but from there it can go anywhere. We love ours with a little hot sauce, horseradish, and pickle juice, but you do you. The only thing you've gotta stick with is that celery stick garnish—it's classic!
Get the Bloody Mary recipe.
Black Pepper Chicken
This savory, spicy, and saucy Chinese-American-inspired stir-fry features super-tender chicken, thanks to a technique called velveting. Velveting is the process of marinating protein in a cornstarch slurry before frying or boiling to keep it moist and tender. The bit of downtime while the chicken marinates is great for dicing veggies (like celery and bell peppers here) and for making the stir-fry sauce.
Get the Black Pepper Chicken recipe.
Crunch Salad
We created this kale salad as an homage to crunch. Every ingredient has been chosen to amplify texture while also adding bold flavors. We included green apple, roasted peanuts, and celery, but go ahead and add any ingredient with crunch that you like!
Get the Crunch Salad recipe.
Chicken Noodle Soup
When we're sick, there's only one thing we crave: this chicken soup. If you wanna pack it with even more veggies than just classic carrots and celery, throw in some peppers with the onions, or stir in some spinach or kale when it's almost done cooking.
Get the Chicken Noodle Soup recipe.
Buffalo Wings
At your Super Bowl party or game day tailgate, chicken wings are an absolute must. But frying wings can be messy and involved, taking up time when you could be watching the game. To save time (and avoid a messy kitchen), skip the fried wings this year and make these baked ones instead. Just don't skip the celery to cut that heat!
Get the Buffalo Wings recipe.
Tempeh Buffalo “Wings”
Quicker to make and easier to eat than their inspiration, Buffalo chicken wings, this plant-based version swaps chicken for snackable triangles of tempeh to mimic this crowd-pleasing appetizer. Don't worry, they still pair perfectly with celery and (vegan) ranch dressing.
Get the Tempeh Buffalo “Wings” recipe.
Green Goddess Soup
It’s not always easy eating your greens, especially in winter. Enter: a soup inspired by one of our favorite salad dressings, green goddess. The creamy green dressing is wholesome, herbaceous, and can improve even the most lackluster of salads, so we knew it had potential to be an incredible soup.
Get the Green Goddess Soup recipe.
St. Germain Spritz
If you're a fan of refreshing, low-alcohol cocktails like the ever-popular Aperol Spritz, we have a sneaking suspicion you're gonna love this cocktail. St. Germain, a sweet and floral French liqueur made from elderflowers, is the perfect complement to a dry sparkling wine and some cucumber and celery for garnish.
Get the St. Germain Spritz recipe.
Chicken Pot Pie
Truly comfort food at its finest, chicken pot pie represents the delicious marriage of a flaky, buttery crust with diced chicken, onions, carrots, and peas in a creamy sauce. While it's a dish that you can easily find pre-made in almost any grocery freezer aisle, we strongly believe that making your own is worth it.
Get the Chicken Pot Pie recipe.
Chicken Salad Sandwich
There's definitely more than one way to make a chicken salad sandwich, but this is our favorite—green apple, red onion, and celery add crunch, while mustard, mayo, and red wine vinegar add creaminess with the perfect amount of tang.
Get the Chicken Salad Sandwich recipe.
Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad works well with almost anything you want to add in. We love adding broccoli, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, and/or bacon!
Get the Macaroni Salad recipe.
Buffalo Chicken Celery Boats
These are like a whole plate of Buffalo wings, in one convenient bite. Thanks celery! Use rotisserie chicken to make these come together extra fast too.
Get the Buffalo Chicken Celery Boats recipe.
Braised Short Ribs with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Does anything impress quite the way braised short ribs do? They feel truly restaurant-fancy, but here's a secret: Short ribs are pretty easy to make at home. This is the ideal dish to make for company when the weather's cold and you want to stay inside. Pair it with polenta or mashed potatoes for something extra cozy.
Chickpea "Tuna" Salad
This vegan "tuna" salad is proof that when it comes to mayo-based salads, the magic is in the fixin's. When we say you won't miss the tuna, we mean it; this creamy, zingy, crunchy salad will satisfy all your canned fish cravings.
Get the Chickpea "Tuna" Salad recipe.
Egg Salad
It's good to have a classic egg salad recipe up your sleeve. You can get creative with mix-ins and seasonings (lookin' at you, Cobb egg salad), but this recipe is the perfect base with just 6 core ingredients—hard-boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, celery, and chives.
Get the Egg Salad recipe.
Classic Stuffing
At its simplest, stuffing is a seasoned bread cube mixture of onions and herbs. The first step of making stuffing is simply sautéing celery and onion in plenty of butter (which just might be the most incredible smell ever). Then you combine those sautéed aromatics with your dried bread, chicken broth, and beaten eggs and toss until everything's coated and moist before baking. Yum!
Get the Classic Stuffing recipe.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Not to be mistaken for jambalaya or shrimp étouffée, gumbo comes in many forms, but it always absolutely must be thickened by a dark brown roux, be served over rice (or with potato salad if you’re extra Southern), and feature the holy trinity of Creole cooking: onion, celery, and green bell pepper.
Get the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo recipe.
Osso Buco
Literally translated to “off the bone,” osso buco is a traditional northern Italian stew that celebrates the impossible tenderness of crosscut veal shank. It’s true, this recipe does take a bit of time, but we promise, it’s worth it. Lucky for you, this is the epitome of a make-ahead dish—it tastes even better the next day!
Get the Osso Buco recipe.
Chicken Matzo Ball Soup
True Jewish food-philes know that matzo ball soup isn’t just for your Passover feast. (If you’ve ever been to a Jewish deli or a diner in New York City, you see it on menus all year round.) For many who love it, it’s the taste of warmth and comfort, perfect for the winter holiday.
Get the Chicken Matzo Ball Soup recipe.
