Celery is a popular vegetable that's used in both hot soups, stews and sides, and cold smoothies and salads as a fresh and light addition to your plate. Yet perhaps you head to the fridge, realise you're out, and you need some celery substitutes to make your meals!
Here I share 10 tasty and healthy celery replacements that will work so well in your meals and snacks. All are easy to find in the produce aisle in the store!
This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or dietetic advice in any way.
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What is Celery?
Celery (Apium graveolens) has long light green stalks and slightly darker feathery green leaves. Its stalks are crispy and crunchy and have a high water content.
A marshland plant, celery is part of the Apiaceae family and so related to carrot, fennel and parsnip. It's typically available year-round in stores and is a staple vegetable to use a base for soups and stews, in salads or as a side dish.
In their overview of the health benefits of celery, Healthline describes that celery is a good source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, including vitamin C, beta carotene and flavonoids.
Why May You Wish to Substitute Celery?
There are many reasons you may wish to find a replacement for celery to make your meals.
Perhaps you do not like the taste of celery, it's sold-out at the store or you go to the fridge to grab some and discover that you're out!
It's also the case that you may have an allergy to celery. As Allergy UK describes, it is now mandatory to include celery on food labels as part of the 14 main allergens.
How is Celery Used?
Celery is such a versatile vegetable and can be used in both hot and cold dishes. Here are just a few ways to enjoy celery:
- Cut the stalks and enjoy as a crudite to scoop up dips and hummus.
- Use as the base of a soup or stew to add flavor.
- Make a tasty soup for lunch, such as my celery and leek soup, carrot celery soup and vegan celery soup.
- Blend up my celery cucumber smoothie or my celery cucumber juice for a dose of healthy vitamins!
- Dice for a fresh and healthy salad, such as in my pak choi salad and my pear and fennel salad.
10 Celery Substitutes
Find so many alternatives to celery to make your tasty meals and snacks! Whether it's for a smoothie, soup, salad or side dish, these celery substitutes will help you out.
Celery Seed
While we tend to only think about the stalks and leaves of celery, we can also use celery seeds to flavor our dishes!
Celery seeds are small and brown in color. They have a slightly bitter taste, much like celery stalks. Celery seeds can be used as a warming spice and can be used as a rub for meats or vegetables, as a spice for stews, soups and sauces, or sprinkled onto salads. Use sparingly as it's pungent!
In their overview of the benefits of celery seeds, Healthline describes that they are a good source of calcium, manganese, magnesium and iron.
Have a peek at my post on Italian seasoning substitutes for more ideas for herbs and spices to use!
Celeriac
Celeriac (also known as celery root) is the round knobbly vegetable that arguably could be called the most ugly vegetable in the store! While related to celery, it is not actually the root of celery stalks.
Celeriac has a similar flavor to celery, and makes a good replacement for celery in soups, stews and other hot dishes. It can also be used to make celeriac mash or used as the star ingredient of my vegan celeriac soup!
If using celeriac as a celery alternative in salads, you would want to very finely dice or grate it as it is quite tough when uncooked. Celeriac remoulade is a classic, and very easy salad to make.
In terms of nutrition, celeriac is a good source of vitamin C, K, B6, potassium, phosphorous and fiber (Medical News Today).
As described by Allergy UK, celeriac should also be avoided if you have a celery allergy.
Carrots
If you're looking for a celery substitute in soup, carrots is one of the best alternatives. Carrots are very easy to find in the store, and you can also grow your own!
Using carrots in soups is very common. Simply dice your carrots into small pieces and saute along with onion, garlic and herbs for a flavorful base to your soup. You can similarly use carrots as a substitute for celery in stews.
Carrots are a very healthy vegetable, with Healthline's overview of carrots describing that they are a good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium and antioxidants.
My carrot ginger turmeric juice will give you a good dose of those vitamins I think!
Fennel
In terms of appearance, fennel has a round white bulb with light green stalks and fronds. All parts of the fennel can be consumed, but you may wish to slice the very end of the tough bulb off before use.
Fennel is a very good replacement for celery as it has a similar crunchy texture and flavor. Raw fennel has a slightly more pungent anise-like flavor than celery, but this intensity reduces when it is cooked.
We can substitute fennel for celery in soups, stews or in salads such as my pear fennel salad and quinoa fennel salad. Make sure to dice or slice quite finely when using it raw!
In terms of nutrition, Healthline's overview of the benefits of fennel describe that it may provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
My fennel risotto also makes the most of this healthy vegetable!
Bok Choy
As celery substitutes go, bok choy is an excellent option! Also know as pak choi, this vegetable has a small white bulb with rounded long green leaves. It's typically used in Asian cooking and can be enjoyed as a side dish, such as in my steamed pak choi, in a stir-fry or added to soups.
Bok choy works well as a replacement for celery in salads as it has the same light crispy texture and similar taste. Simply dice the bulb finely to add to your meal.
In terms of nutrition, Medical News Today describes that bok choy is a good source of folate, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6, amongst other nutrients.
Cucumber
Similarly to celery, cucumber has a high water content and is fresh and hydrating. It's very easy to find in the store and relatively inexpensive.
As an alternative to celery, cucumber can be used in salads or in healthy smoothies. If you are using an English cucumber you can simply dice without having to peel first, but you may wish to peel other varieties to preference.
In their overview of the health benefits of cucumber, Healthline describes that cucumber contains antioxidants, including flavonoids and tannins as well as soluble fiber.
Why not try my apple cucumber smoothie for a refreshing addition to your breakfast or as a snack!
Apple
There are so many varieties of apples, from more tart green apples such as Granny smith apples to sweeter red varieties. Apples are very easy to find in the store, or perhaps you have an apple tree in your back yard!
While apples don't have a similar taste to celery, they do have a good crunch and have a high water content too. Apples are a good replacement for celery in salads, giving a light and fresh flavor with a touch of sweetness. You can also use apples in smoothies such as my apple pear smoothie and mango apple smoothie.
In their overview of the benefits of apples, BBC Good Food describes that apples are a good source of pectin, a natural fiber found in plants are low on the glycaemic index. For those looking to make low histamine recipes, you may be interested to know that apples are a source of quercetin, which may be effective in inhibiting histamine release.*
Green Bell Pepper
Green bell pepper is a common vegetable, that is essentially an unripe bell pepper (unlike red, orange or yellow bell peppers).
This type of pepper has a slightly bitter taste in similarity to celery. It can easily be used as a substitute for celery in salads, but also finely diced to use in soups and stews. Green bell pepper is also a good swap for celery in a stir-fry.
In their overview of green bell peppers, Healthline note that this fruit is a good source of vitamin C and B6 as well as fiber.
Radishes
There are many different types of radish, from pink and white French breakfast radishes to Daikon long white radishes and many more.
Radishes can have a spicy, almost peppery taste and can be used in salads to add a kick of flavor. They can also be used as a replacement for celery as a side dish, whether roasted or air fried as a hot dish.
BBC Good Food describes that radishes are a good source of antioxidants, vitamin C and may have anti-fungal properties.
Check out my apple radish salad for a tasty lunch or side dish!
Leeks
If you are looking for a vegetable to replace celery in soup, you may like to use leeks. They have a rather different flavor to celery, but will still add a little kick of heat to your meal.
Leeks can also be used as a celery substitute as a side dish, or in stews.
In their overview of the benefits of leeks, Healthline describes that this vegetable is a good source of magnesium and vitamins A, C and K.
Frequently Asked Questions
Carrots, fennel and bok choy all work well as substitutes for celery in soup. Celery seed can also be used to flavor soup, and offers a slightly bitter taste.
For fresh and light salads, good alternatives to celery include radishes, cucumber, apple and green bell pepper.
Fennel and bok choy are the closest in taste to celery.
*Weng, Z. et al. (2012) 'Quercetin is more effective than cromolyn in blocking human mast cell cytokine release and inhibits dermatitis and photosensitivity in humans', PloS One, 7(3): e33805.
Related Posts
Looking for some easy ingredient substitutes? Perhaps you will find my posts on substitutes for Italian seasoning, substitutes for herbes de Provence and spinach substitutes helpful, as well as these recent posts:
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