Exploring Your Options: What Is the Best Way to Eat Celery?

October 1, 2025 •

4 min read

Made up of nearly 95% water and loaded with antioxidants, celery is a low-calorie vegetable with significant nutritional benefits. So, what is the best way to eat celery to get the most out of this crunchy and versatile vegetable? Your perfect method depends on your health goals and culinary preferences.

Quick Summary

Celery can be enjoyed in many ways, from crunchy raw snacks and vibrant salads to adding depth to cooked dishes. The best method depends on personal taste, desired texture, and how you want to incorporate its flavor into meals or beverages.

Key Points

Raw Snacking: Celery is a low-calorie, high-fiber snack best served crunchy with dips like hummus or peanut butter to enhance flavor and satiety.
Cooked Flavor Base: Diced celery forms a key aromatic base, known as mirepoix, for soups, stews, and sauces, adding depth and savory flavor.
Don't Discard the Leaves: Celery leaves are edible and more concentrated in nutrients than the stalks; they can be used as a garnish or in pesto to reduce food waste.
Juice for a Nutrient Kick: Juicing celery provides a concentrated dose of vitamins and minerals for hydration and anti-inflammatory benefits, though much of the fiber is lost.
Braise for a Mellow Flavor: Braising softens celery and gives it a sweeter, more tender flavor profile, making it an excellent side dish.
Use in Salads: Chopped celery adds a refreshing crunch to classic salads like Waldorf, tuna, or chicken salad.

Savoring Celery Raw: The Classic Crunchy Snack

For many, eating celery raw is the most familiar method. This approach preserves the celery's signature crisp texture and keeps all its nutrients intact, including temperature-sensitive antioxidants. Preparing raw celery is simple and requires minimal effort, making it an excellent go-to for a healthy, quick snack.

Simple Snack Sticks and Dips

Cut celery stalks into 3-inch or 4-inch sticks and pair them with a healthy dip. This is a great way to make snacking more satisfying and flavorful.

Hummus: A classic pairing that adds protein and healthy fats.
Nut Butters: Filling the natural groove of the celery stalk with peanut butter, almond butter, or other nut butters creates a delicious and energizing snack. Add raisins for the nostalgic "ants on a log" experience.
Cream Cheese or Cottage Cheese: A creamy, savory filling can be elevated with herbs, spices, or everything bagel seasoning.
Blue Cheese Dip: For a bolder flavor, blue cheese dressing or a dip made with crumbled blue cheese is an excellent choice.

Celery in Salads

Chopped or sliced celery adds a refreshing crunch and a mild, savory flavor to a variety of salads.

Classic Waldorf Salad: A timeless recipe featuring chopped celery, apples, grapes, and walnuts in a mayonnaise-based dressing.
Tuna or Chicken Salad: Diced celery is a key ingredient, providing texture and balancing the richness of the mayonnaise.
Green Salads: Thinly sliced celery, along with its delicate leaves, can be tossed into any green salad for added flavor and texture.

Cooking with Celery: Infusing Depth and Flavor

Cooking celery transforms its texture and mellows its assertive flavor, making it a background hero in many recipes. The classic French mirepoix (celery, onion, and carrots) or Cajun holy trinity (celery, onion, and bell peppers) are fundamental examples of celery's role as an aromatic base.

Soups, Stews, and Stocks

Celery adds an earthy, savory flavor to slow-cooked dishes. Both the stalks and leaves can be used to add depth, and you can even save the end trimmings for a flavorful vegetable stock.

Creamy Celery Soup: Sautéing celery and onion before simmering with potatoes and stock creates a rich, smooth soup when puréed.
Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup: Diced celery is a non-negotiable ingredient, providing a classic, comforting flavor profile.

Braised and Sautéed Celery

Cooking celery as a side dish is an underrated way to enjoy it. Braising mellows its flavor and creates a tender, elegant side.

Julia Child's Braised Celery: This classic recipe involves simmering celery in butter and broth until tender and glazed, bringing out a sweeter, richer taste.
Stir-Fries: Sliced celery adds a pleasant, crisp-tender texture and a subtle flavor to any stir-fry, pairing well with soy sauce and other Asian-inspired ingredients.

Juicing and Smoothies: A Nutrient-Dense Boost

For a concentrated dose of vitamins and minerals, celery can be blended into a smoothie or juiced. Celery juice, in particular, gained popularity for its purported health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and supporting gut health, though juicing does remove much of the beneficial fiber.

Green Smoothie with Celery

To make a nutrient-packed smoothie, blend celery stalks and leaves with other ingredients.

Ingredients:

1-2 celery stalks, chopped
A handful of spinach
Half a green apple
Water or coconut water
A squeeze of lemon juice

Blend all ingredients until smooth for a refreshing and hydrating drink. Including the fiber from the whole stalks is more beneficial than just drinking the juice.

Don't Waste the Leaves: The Flavorful Secret

Many people discard celery leaves, but they are a culinary asset and are packed with even more calcium, potassium, and vitamin C than the stalks. Don't throw them away!

Uses for Celery Leaves

Herbal Garnish: Finely chop the tender inner leaves and sprinkle over salads, soups, or roasted vegetables.
Pesto: Substitute parsley with celery leaves to create a unique, flavorful pesto.
Stock Flavoring: Add the more robust outer leaves to your vegetable or chicken stock for extra depth.
Celery Leaf Salad: Create a simple, flavorful salad by tossing the leaves with olive oil, lemon juice, and shaved Parmesan.

Choosing the Right Celery Method for You

To help decide the best way to enjoy celery, consider this comparison based on common priorities:


Feature	Raw Celery	Cooked Celery (e.g., braised, sautéed)	Celery Juice/Smoothie	Whole Celery (leaves & stalks)
Texture	Crunchy, crisp, fibrous	Soft, tender, mellow	Liquid, smooth	Crisp stalks, delicate leaves
Flavor	Strong, slightly peppery	Mild, earthy, sweet	Concentrated, earthy	Combined fresh, earthy flavors
Nutritional Retention	Max retention (especially Vitamin C)	Reduced water-soluble nutrients, but enhances digestion	High concentration of vitamins and minerals, but low fiber	Excellent, full-spectrum nutrition
Preparation Effort	Low (washing, cutting)	Medium (cooking, seasoning)	High (juicing machine)	Medium (prep for varied uses)
Best for...	Snacks, salads, dipping	Soups, stews, side dishes	Quick nutrient boost, hydration	Versatile, zero-waste cooking

Conclusion: Versatility is Key

There is no single "best" way to eat celery; the optimal method depends on your taste and nutritional goals. For a satisfying, crunchy snack, enjoy it raw with a tasty dip. To add a savory, earthy dimension to your cooking, use it as a foundational aromatic in soups and stews. If you're looking for a quick vitamin and mineral boost, a freshly made juice or smoothie is the answer. And for the most nutrient-dense option, remember to incorporate the often-overlooked celery leaves, ensuring a zero-waste approach to your cooking. The true secret to enjoying celery is to embrace its versatility and experiment with both raw and cooked preparations to find what you like best.

An excellent source for further nutritional information is the Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Raw celery tends to retain more of its water-soluble nutrients, such as Vitamin C, which can be lost during cooking. However, both forms are highly nutritious, and cooked celery can make certain nutrients more bioavailable.

Yes, celery leaves are edible and are actually more concentrated in calcium, potassium, and Vitamin C than the stalks. The inner leaves are tender enough for salads, while the more robust outer leaves are best in soups or stocks.

If you find the outer stalks too fibrous, you can easily remove the strings. Simply snap off the end of a celery rib and pull the strings downwards to peel them off. You can also use a vegetable peeler to shave them away.

No, the claim that celery is a "negative calorie" food is a myth. While it is very low in calories (around 10 per rib), it does contain more calories than your body expends chewing and digesting it.

To keep celery crisp for up to several weeks, wrap the whole bunch tightly in aluminum foil and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. The foil allows ethylene gas to escape while keeping moisture in.

Yes, blending celery into a smoothie or juicing it is a popular way to consume it. For smoothies, use the whole stalks and leaves to maximize fiber. For juicing, you get a concentrated nutrient dose but lose the fiber.

Try preparing celery in different ways to appeal to different tastes and textures. For those who dislike the strong, raw flavor, try cooking it in a soup or stir-fry to mellow the taste. For texture, pair crunchy raw sticks with a favorite dip, or hide diced celery in dishes like tuna or chicken salad.