Should you peel celery before eating it? A nutritional and textural guide

October 3, 2025 •

3 min read

Composed of nearly 95% water, celery is a hydrating and nutrient-rich vegetable, but its fibrous "strings" often spark debate. Many people ask: Should you peel celery before eating it? The simple answer is that peeling is a matter of personal preference, influenced by both texture and nutritional goals.

Quick Summary

Deciding whether to peel celery depends on your preference for a smoother texture versus retaining all its dietary fiber. The fibrous strings are harmless but can be chewy, while for cooked applications or finely diced uses, peeling is often unnecessary.

Key Points

The Strings are Fiber: The tough fibers in celery are edible collenchyma cells, which contain beneficial dietary fiber.
Peeling is a Matter of Taste: Whether or not to peel is a personal choice based on texture preference; it is not necessary for safety.
Don't Peel for Cooked Dishes: When cooked in soups or stews, the strings soften significantly, making peeling unnecessary.
Retain More Nutrients: Eating unpeeled celery preserves all of its fiber and other nutrients, maximizing the health benefits.
De-string for Raw Snacks: For a smoother raw snack, use a paring knife or peeler to quickly remove the toughest outer fibers.
Consider the Application: Your cooking method and the final texture you desire should dictate whether or not you peel your celery.

What Are the Celery Strings and What Do They Contain?

Those tough, stringy fibers that often get stuck in your teeth are called collenchyma cells. They are essentially water-filled tissue that provide the stalk with its characteristic crunch and structure. While a nuisance for some, these strings are a significant source of dietary fiber, a crucial component for digestive health. Fiber helps regulate bowel movements, can aid in weight management by promoting feelings of fullness, and feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Therefore, peeling celery removes this valuable, gut-friendly fiber along with the strings.

The Case for Peeling: Texture Over Nutrients

For many, the primary reason to peel celery is to achieve a smoother, less chewy texture, especially when consuming it raw in dishes like salads or as a snack. The fibrous strings can be particularly bothersome and unpleasant to chew, and peeling can make the celery more palatable, especially for children. The outer stalks tend to be tougher and more stringy than the inner, more tender stalks, making them prime candidates for peeling. Removing the strings can also be beneficial when juicing celery to prevent the fibers from clogging your juicer.

The Case Against Peeling: Maximizing Nutrition and Reducing Waste

Conversely, choosing not to peel offers several benefits. The main advantage is retaining all the celery's fiber and nutrients. The skin and outer layers of many fruits and vegetables contain concentrated levels of beneficial compounds, and celery is no exception. Eating the whole stalk, strings and all, ensures you get the maximum nutritional value from your celery. Additionally, for many cooked applications, such as soups, stews, and sauces, the strings soften considerably during cooking, making peeling unnecessary. Dicing celery into very small pieces for dishes like mirepoix also minimizes the stringy texture. Finally, not peeling reduces food waste.

Techniques for Handling Celery Strings

If you prefer the taste of raw celery but dislike the strings, you don't have to choose between a smooth texture and nutritional content. There are techniques to minimize the stringy-ness without a full peel.

To de-string celery with a paring knife:

Wash the celery thoroughly and trim the ends.
With a small, sharp paring knife, make a shallow cut into the base of the stalk, just under the fibers.
Gently pull the strings up the length of the celery stalk to remove them.
Repeat this process as needed until the desired texture is achieved.

Alternatively, use a vegetable peeler:

Lightly run a vegetable peeler along the outer, curved side of the celery stalk.
This method can remove more of the celery flesh but is effective at stripping away the toughest fibers.

Peeled vs. Unpeeled Celery


Feature	Peeled Celery	Unpeeled Celery
Fiber Content	Lower (some is removed with the strings)	Higher (all fiber is retained)
Texture	Smoother, less fibrous, more palatable when raw	Crunchier, but with chewy, stringy fibers, especially in raw applications
Prep Time	Longer (requires extra steps to remove strings)	Shorter (just wash and chop)
Food Waste	Higher (the strings and some flesh are discarded)	Lower (the entire stalk is consumed)
Best For	Raw snacks, salads, juicing	Cooked dishes like soups and stews, finely diced ingredients

The Final Word on Peeling Celery

Your decision to peel celery should be based on your intended use and personal preferences. If you are eating celery raw and a smooth texture is your priority, peeling or de-stringing is a good option. However, if you're using it in a cooked dish or finely dicing it, peeling is usually an unnecessary step that sacrifices some of the vegetable's valuable fiber. For those seeking maximum nutritional intake, leaving the strings intact is the most beneficial approach. The good news is that no matter your choice, celery remains a healthy, low-calorie addition to any diet.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, it is perfectly safe to eat the fibrous strings on celery. They are a natural and edible part of the vegetable, composed of collenchyma cells, and are a source of dietary fiber.

Yes, peeling celery removes some of the dietary fiber that is concentrated in the strings. For maximum nutrient retention, it is best to eat celery unpeeled after thoroughly washing it.

The main reason to peel celery is to achieve a smoother, less chewy texture. This is most often desired when eating celery raw in salads or as a snack where the tough strings are noticeable and unpleasant.

You can use a sharp paring knife to make a shallow cut into the base of the stalk and pull the strings upwards. Alternatively, a vegetable peeler can quickly strip away the outer, more fibrous layers.

For soup and other cooked dishes, peeling celery is generally not necessary. The cooking process softens the fibrous strings, making their texture less prominent.

Yes, unpeeled celery contains more dietary fiber than peeled celery. However, the difference in overall vitamin and mineral content is generally not significant enough to outweigh personal preference.

While celery is very low in calories, the idea of it being a "negative calorie" food is a myth. Your body does expend energy to digest it due to its fiber content, but the energy burned doesn't exceed the calories it provides.