Green Onion vs. Chives: Here's What Allium to Use, and When

You’re not the first to get them mixed up.

The little green garnish you see on baked potatoes and in savory biscuits may look like green onions, but they’re actually chives. The two are similar in their appearance, and they even have similar uses in cooking, so it’s understandable to get them mixed up. After all, they both belong to the allium family, which consists of hundreds of flowering plants. “Allium” is the Latin word for “garlic,” so the aromatic belongs to this group, too, as well as leeks, shallots, and more. Here’s when it makes sense to use green onion vs. chives, and vice versa.

What Is a Green Onion?

Green onions also go by the name scallions. They’re a type of vegetable belonging to the allium class, though they’re sometimes used like herbs in certain recipes. 

Like the name suggests, scallions are a type of onion—and they’re certainly green. They’re a young, immature onion similar to spring onions. You can distinguish them from other types of onions by their green hue, but this might not help you when telling them apart from chives since those are green, too. To spot green onions in the supermarket, look for a small, white bulb at the bottom, attached to long, green stems. The stems are hollow, and have a slightly crunchy consistency.

Related: 9 Healthiest Vegetables to Eat, According to RDs

Compared to other onions, green onions have a more mild taste, especially the thin, green stalks. The white bulbs have a vaguely onion-like flavor, but it’s less pungent, so they’re generally easy to tolerate if your taste buds are sensitive to strong notes of onion. The entire vegetable is edible, and is very versatile in the kitchen since you can serve them cooked or raw.

What Is a Chive?

Also part of the allium family—and also green in appearance—chives are a type of herb, though some people refer to them as vegetables. A chive plant looks similar to grass, since the long, green stems are very thin. 

If you grow (or see) a chive plant, you’ll notice a purple flower blooming at the top. This is what makes chives part of the allium family, since these plants have a flowering component. Chive flowers are edible—as is the rest of the plant—but they’re typically disregarded or used separately. When you cook with chives, you only use the green, hollow stems.

Chives are related to onions, garlic, and leeks, so they have a similar taste. Some say the taste is closest to leeks. Chives add a subtle flavor, but a noticeable freshness and pop of color to food, making them a popular garnish. While you can cook with chives, they’re best when used raw or only slightly cooked, since they wilt easily.

Green Onion vs. Chives

Green onions and chives have a lot in common, but they also have some important distinctions. Their main similarities include their color and appearance. They both consist of long, green stems. One difference to note, however, is that green onions are longer, thicker, and have a small, white bulb at the base. Chives are slightly shorter and much thinner. In terms of their culinary applications, green onions and chives can be used as an ingredient in cooking, or as a garnish. 

Some enjoy grilled or roasted green onions, or you can use them in salads, soups, stir fries, and even baked goods, like breads and biscuits. As a raw topping, mix-in, or garnish, green onions add a nice crunch and vibrancy to burrito bowls, tacos, egg salads, and salsas.

Related: How to Peel and Chop Garlic Like a Pro

Chives, on the other hand, almost exclusively come at the very end of a recipe, so you’ll mostly use them raw. Add them as a garnish to savory recipes, like omelets, baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, salads, deviled eggs, and seafood dishes. You can also mix them in dips, marinades, and salad dressings.

Can You Substitute Green Onions For Chives?

Yes, given their similar taste and appearance, you can substitute green onions for chives, and vice versa. When using green onions in place of chives, omit the white bulbs and just use the green stalks. Since chives are thinner than green onions, you can try to chop the green onions as thinly as possible to achieve a similar look. Otherwise, simply use green onions and chives at a 1:1 ratio when substituting them for each other.

Other Popular Alliums and How to Use Them

Green onions and chives are popular alliums, but they’re not the only ones to keep on hand. Here are some other common alliums, and how to cook with them.

Garlic

Garlic, a bulb-shaped vegetable, hardly needs an introduction since it’s a staple all over the world. White garlic is the most common type, but there’s also purple garlic, black garlic, and many others. Fresh, raw garlic has a strong flavor and smell. Many find it pleasant, but some think it’s too pungent. Raw garlic offers the most health benefits, but cooking garlic yields a more palatable flavor. It pairs well with herbs and roasted potatoes, as in this Garlicky Herb-Butter Layered Potatoes recipe, but garlic has many, many applications.

Onions

Onions, also bulb-shaped, are the most common type of allium. From yellow, to white, to red, there are many varieties, and they can all be used raw or cooked. Depending on the type, onions could have a sweet flavor, though some are sharp and pungent. Cooking onions tends to dial down the flavor. You can use raw onions on tacos and burgers, or cook them into a pasta sauce.

Leeks

Leeks look similar to green onions—only much larger. They’re popular in Indonesian and French cooking for their sweet, mild flavor and versatility. You can cook with them or serve them raw. Leeks aren’t a super common ingredient in American cooking, but if you’re curious about them, you can use them in place of onions in most recipes. Leek soup is one of the most common recipes using this allium.

Related: 10 Mouthwatering, Easy-to-Make Mushroom Recipes

Garlic Chives

Regular chives are super subtle, so if you want to turn up the flavor, try garlic chives. Yes—they have notes of garlic. You can use them exactly how you would use regular chives, and at the same 1:1 ratio. Just be sure you love the taste of garlic before making this swap. Sprinkle them on savory waffles, enjoy them on a Smoked Salmon Flatbread, or eat them in Fancy Tomato Sandwiches.

Shallots

Shallots look like small onions, but they’re not the same. If you find onions to have a spicy bite, you’ll enjoy the sweetness of shallots. They’re more mellow, so they’re great when eaten raw in salads and sandwiches, but you can cook with them, too. They get sweeter and milder as you cook them, so try them in recipes like dips, seafood dishes, and curry.

Ramps

Not common in traditional supermarkets, you may need to head to the farmer’s market to stumble upon ramps—a less common allium. Ramps are most similar to green onions, since they have a thin stalk with a white bulb at the bottom, but the stalk is a red-purple color and they have leaves at the top. The entire plant is edible, and you can enjoy them raw or cooked. You can swap out green onions or leeks for ramps in most recipes, such as in this creamy Scallion and Potato Soup, and seafood pasta dishes like this Shrimp and Spinach Pasta.

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