When to Use Chives vs. Green Onions in Your Cooking—and How to Tell These Alliums Apart

Some vegetables are as different as night and day in taste and appearance, while others are easily confused or lumped together, like chives and green onions. Though these perennials are both members of the onion family and bear more than a passing resemblance, chives are an herb and green onions are a vegetable. We connected with culinary experts to learn more about their defining characteristics and the best ways to enjoy them.

What Are Chives?

Chives, Allium schoenoprasum, are part of the Allium genus, or onion family, which also includes garlic, green onions (aka scallions), leeks, and shallots. They're also members of the lily family (Liliaceae) and thanks to their subtle onion flavor, have been cultivated for culinary use since the Middle Ages.

When plucked from the garden, the herb boasts an orb of densely packed pink and purple flowers, and bulbs at the bottom, but at your local market, you'll usually find bunches of just the long, grass-like, edible leaves. Chives are much thinner and more delicate in appearance and overall feel than green onions, says Matt Alexander, executive chef of Cingari Family Markets.

What Are Garlic Chives?

Chives are also related to garlic chives, which have larger bulbs and pack a bigger garlic punch. "Garlic chives are a flat leaf chive and are a bit heartier than traditional onion chives," says Emma Hearst, author of Flavors From the Farm, a cookbook celebrating the bounty of sustainable, culinary-focused vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs grown at Forts Ferry Farm, a 60-acre farmstead she founded in the capital region of New York state.

What Are Green Onions?

A green onion is a generic term for young onions harvested before they are fully mature, usually in spring, summer, and early fall. Almost any immature onion can be categorized as a green onion. "Basically, if given more time in the ground, it would become an onion," says Alexander.

Mild in flavor, they lack an official plant name, which is also the case for its aliases. "Scallions, aka green onion or spring onion, in some cases, have an edible bulb," points out Alexander. Those bulbs are small and white, with dark green leaves, and long stems. 

Chives vs. Green Onions

Flavor Profiles

On the flavor front, here's how chives vs. green onions compare.

Chives are slightly oniony with garlic and grassy notes.

Green onions are more pungent than chives, and the texture more sturdy. "Green onions tend to be magnified chives," says Hearst. Though stronger than chives, green onions are less assertive than onions.

Culinary Uses

Chives

Chives lose their oomph when cooked, so they're typically eaten raw. Alexander uses chives as a finisher, tossing them into salads, chicken meat, and seafood dishes. "It's a great way to add depth and the brightness of a fresh herb," he says. And while he prefers to slice chives and fold small pieces into recipes, sometimes he breaks the mold. "A chive baton can be really nice over an hors d'oeuvre," says Alexander.

Hearst also uses chives to add a touch of green and refined flavor to savory dishes. "Chives should be treated as the more elegant sister to the green onion," she says. "My preferred uses are with caviar service, a tuna or beef tartare, or sprinkled over a simple preparation like a steamed fish with a beurre blanc for garnish." She also fuses both to perk up salad dressings or leafy green salads.

Green Onions

More robust, green onions have staying power and can be cooked at higher temperatures without wilting. "Green onions are fantastic used as a flurry of garnish on a hearty dip, soup, or bowl of chili, and superb used as in a salsa," says Hearst. "Scallions can be a nice easy garnish over rice and other sides like baked potato, which honestly, would be great with either," adds Alexander.

Both pros also make the most of this vegetable during the outdoor cooking season, charring or grilling green onions with olive oil and salt, and serving them as an accompaniment to steak, chicken, or fish.

Shopping for Chives and Green Onions

When purchasing chives and green onions, here's what Hearst and Alexander suggest looking for:

• Healthy chives and green onions should be vibrant green.
• Green onions should have firm bases that are white or purple in hue.
• Both should be dry, and neither slimy nor soggy. "There is literally nothing worse than trying to mince wet chives!" says Hearst.

How to Store Chives and Green Onions

Chives last a day or two, while scallions can retain their sprightliness for over a week if stored correctly in the refrigerator. Hearst suggests wrapping chives and green onions in a slightly damp paper towel. Once tucked into an airtight bag, they should be kept in the crisper drawer. "With green onions, if they still have their root bases attached, they can be left poking out of the towel to keep air flowing into their roots," she says. When cut, both are best stored in a dry airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.