Celery is a versatile vegetable, perfect for everything from fresh snacks, salads to hearty soups, stir-fries, and so much more. Knowing how to cut celery in different ways can elevate your dishes, adding texture, uniformity, and style.

How to Cut Celery is sponsored by Duda Farm Fresh Foods.

In this post, we’ll explore seven unique ways to cut celery, each with a different technique and purpose. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced cook, these cutting methods will help you prepare celery like a pro.

Related: How to Select & Store Celery

When cutting celery, there are a few additional tips and details that readers may find helpful for achieving the best results in terms of texture, presentation, and ease of use. Here are some essential things to consider:

Choosing the Right Celery

• Freshness: Choose celery with firm, crisp stalks and vibrant green leaves. Also, look in the value add section of your grocery to look for pre-cut stalks or sticks to help save time.
• Size: For cutting, smaller to medium-sized stalks are easier to handle and tend to have a better texture than very large stalks, which can sometimes be more fibrous.

Cleaning and Preparing Celery

• Rinse Thoroughly: Rinse the entire stalk under cold running water to remove any dirt or pesticides.
• Trim the Ends: Before cutting, trim off both the root end (base) and any tough, stringy parts at the top of the stalk. Removing the leaves is optional, but they can be saved for soups or as garnishes.

Related: How to Properly Wash Produce

Tools for Cutting Celery

• Sharp Knife: Always use a sharp chef’s knife or a paring knife to ensure clean, smooth cuts. A dull knife can crush or tear the celery, making it harder to get uniform pieces.
• Cutting Board: Use a stable cutting board to avoid accidents. A rubberized non-slip cutting board is ideal, as it helps prevent sliding.
• Mandoline (Optional): For very thin cuts like shaved celery or julienne, a mandoline slicer can provide consistent thickness and speed up the process.

Cutting Techniques and Consistency

• Uniformity: When cutting celery for a dish, aim for uniform pieces to ensure even cooking or presentation. This is especially important for dicing, julienning, or slicing celery for a salad.
• Pressure: When slicing celery into thin pieces (like for shaving), apply gentle pressure to avoid bruising the celery and to keep the slices even.
• Cutting with the Grain: Celery has a stringy texture due to its fibers. For the most tender cut, try cutting crosswise to minimize the stringiness that can be present in longer cuts.

Storing Cut Celery

• For Freshness: If you’ve cut more celery than you need, store any leftovers by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and placing them in a sealed container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. They should stay fresh for 1-2 days.
• For Longer Storage: Celery can be stored in the fridge uncut, where it will last up to a week. For longer storage, you can freeze celery (though its texture will change) by blanching and then freezing the pieces in an airtight container.

Creative Uses Beyond Cutting

• Celery Leaves: The leaves of celery are often discarded, but they can be an excellent addition to salads, soups, or as a garnish. They have a more intense celery flavor, so use them sparingly.
• Celery Hearts: The inner, tender stalks (often referred to as the “hearts”) are great for eating raw or adding to salads. They’re milder in flavor and less fibrous than the outer stalks.

Related: Celery Benefits for Skin & Hair

Safety Tips

• Be Careful with a Sharp Knife: Always cut celery with a sharp knife and keep your fingers tucked in to avoid accidents. Make sure the celery is stable on your cutting board before slicing.
• Use the Right Cutting Technique: When cutting with a chef’s knife, use a rocking motion rather than straight down cuts. This provides better control and minimizes the risk of accidents.

Celery in Different Dishes

• For Soups and Stews: If you’re using celery as part of a flavor base, such as in a mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery), dicing or chopping it finely works best.
• For Salads or Raw Dishes: If the celery is being eaten raw, consider cutting it into sticks or julienne for a crisp texture that adds a refreshing crunch.
• For Stir-Fries or Sautéing: Bias cuts or thin julienne slices work well because they cook quickly and retain their crunch. Strips also provide a more pleasing texture when stir-fried.

Flavor Considerations

• Celery can range from mild to strong in flavor depending on the variety, freshness, and the part of the stalk you’re using. The inner stalks (the “hearts”) are typically the most tender and flavorful, while the outer stalks can be more fibrous and bitter. Cutting methods that retain these parts’ crispness are ideal for dishes that highlight celery’s freshness.

Cut One: Ribs/Boats

What It Is: Cutting celery into “ribs” or “boats” involves splitting the celery stalks lengthwise, creating a wide, curved shape.

How to Cut It:

• Take a stalk of celery and remove the leafy end.
• Slice the stalk lengthwise, from top to bottom, into 2 or 3 pieces depending on the size of the stalk.
• For a boat shape, continue to cut each piece into thinner strips by slicing each rib vertically.

Uses:
Ribs are great for stuffing with spreads, dips, or cheeses, making them perfect for appetizers or snacks. You can also use them in soups or stews where you want larger, crunchy pieces that hold up during cooking.

You can even make Ants on a Log, Fruit & Vegetable Cars using Celery Boats! By allowing kids to “play” with fruits and vegetables they are more willing to try new foods.

Cut Two: Strips/Sticks

What It Is: Celery strips or sticks are cut lengthwise into thin, uniform pieces.

How to Cut It:

• Start with a whole celery stalk and slice it into 3 to 4-inch pieces.
• Lay each piece flat on your cutting board, then slice it lengthwise into thin strips (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide).

Uses:
Celery strips are commonly used for snacking or dipping, as they provide a satisfying crunch. They’re also perfect for adding texture to salads, wraps, or crudité platters. Celery sticks are perfect to serve along side our Homemade Ranch Dressing for dipping!

Cut Three: Bias (Diagonal) Cuts

What It Is: Bias cutting refers to slicing celery at an angle rather than straight across, creating a longer, more decorative piece.

How to Cut It:

• Cut each stalk of celery at a 45-degree angle to create a diagonal slice.
• The angle of the cut will give each piece an elongated, oval shape, rather than the typical round disc shape you get with straight cuts.

Uses:
Bias cuts are ideal when you want a more refined, elegant presentation, such as in stir-fries or garnishes. The diagonal slices also make the celery easier to eat, as the angle provides a larger surface area and more texture.

Cut Four: Julienned (Matchstick)

What It Is: Julienned celery refers to very thin, uniform strips, similar to matchsticks.

How to Cut It:

• Start by cutting the celery stalks into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
• Slice the pieces lengthwise into thin, even strips (about 1/8 inch wide).
• You can stack a few pieces together and cut them all at once for efficiency.

Uses:
Julienned celery is perfect for salads, slaws, and garnishes, where you want a delicate, crisp texture. It’s also a great addition to stir-fries, where the small pieces cook quickly while still maintaining crunch.

Cut Five: Diced

What It Is: Dicing celery means cutting it into small, even cubes, perfect for incorporating into soups, stews, or sauces.

How to Cut It:

• Cut your celery stalks into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
• Slice each piece lengthwise into strips (about 1/4 inch wide).
• Rotate the strips and cut them crosswise to form small, uniform cubes.

Uses:
Diced celery is essential for cooking, often used in mirepoix (a flavor base for soups and sauces), stuffing, and casseroles. It blends well into dishes where you want the flavor and texture of celery without large, noticeable pieces.

Cut Six: C’s

What It Is: Cutting celery into “C’s” is a technique where the stalk is cut into semi-circular pieces, resembling the shape of the letter “C.”

How to Cut It:

• Take a stalk of celery and cut it into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
• Slice each piece crosswise into semi-circular shapes, creating crescent-like slices.

Uses:
C-shaped cuts are often used for garnishing salads or as a base in recipes that require smaller, semi-circular pieces. This cut also works well for adding texture to dishes like soups and stews.

Cut Seven: Shaved

What It Is: Shaving celery means cutting it into very thin slices, almost paper-thin, creating a delicate, soft texture.

How to Cut It:

• Start with a stalk of celery and place it flat on your cutting board.
• Use a sharp knife or mandoline slicer to shave the celery into paper-thin slices.
• Shaved celery is typically done with a bit of pressure to achieve thin, even slices.

Uses:
Shaved celery is commonly used in fresh salads, as a garnish, or in raw dishes where you want a mild, crunchy texture without large pieces. It’s also a great addition to sandwiches, tacos, or wraps where the delicate texture complements other fillings.

These seven ways to cut celery—ribs/boats, strips/sticks, bias, julienned, diced, C’s, and shaved—each serve a unique purpose in different dishes. Whether you’re creating an elegant garnish, a crunchy snack, or a flavorful base for soups and stews, knowing how to cut celery properly will elevate your cooking and make your meals look as good as they taste. Experiment with these techniques to find the perfect cut for your next culinary creation!

About Duda Farm Fresh Foods

Nearly a century ago, Andrew Duda brought his first crop of celery to market. His idea was to grow a plant that was completely usable, and celery was just the right plant! Six generations later, his family is still passionate about bringing this versatile vegetable to your local grocer through the Dandy® brand.

To grow the freshest, safest produce around, experts at Duda Farm Fresh Foods use traditional breeding practices to grow high-quality and GMO-free veggies. Growing their produce and harvesting it in the best possible conditions ensures that their customers get the freshest fruits and veggies. With expert care to back it up, you can be sure that Dandy® celery is the crunchiest available!

Dandy® Celery is a year-round staple ingredient for many of your favorite dishes. Celery is packed with flavor and low in calories, making it a smart choice for snacking, cooking or for health benefits.

Celery Recipes We Love

• Thai Celery Bowls
• Crab Cakes with Celery
• Celery Fennel Salad
• Celery Pesto Pasta
• Buffalo Celery & Chicken Wontons