Celery has been a staple vegetable for some time. It is commonly used in cooking and is on just about every veggie tray at the grocery store. Recently though, celery has gone from rather boring to pretty popular.
In my practice, lots of patients are asking about the health benefits of celery juice and if they should be incorporating this into their daily routines. Even though there are a lot of celery benefits, it is not a food that everybody can eat.
If you can’t eat celery (or don’t want to eat celery), keep reading to find out about finding a good celery substitute. Even if you like celery, but ran out and need a celery substitution, the information in this post can help.
You’ll learn what celery is, how it is used in cooking and meals, and how to find a good substitution for whatever food you are preparing.
What Is Celery?
Celery is a vegetable that grows in marshlands. It has been cultivated in many countries and used as a food, seasoning, and in herbal medicine. Celery grows in bunches of straight stalks topped with leaves.
In America, we are most familiar with the Pascal variety of celery. Celeriac is more common in Europe. While similar to celery, the root is the main edible part. Other types of celery, such as wild celery, are common in other regions.
Celery is a member of the Parsley (Umbelliferae) food family. Other members of this food family include anise, caraway, carrot, celeriac, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, parsley, cilantro, chervil, and lovage.
Celery In Cooking
Celery leaves, celery stalks, celery spice, and celery seeds are used in cooking in many ways including:
- As a main ingredient (such as cream of celery soup).
- As a side dish (such as with chicken wings).
- To give crunch (such as chopped up in tuna salad).
- To give color (such as in a pale chicken salad).
- As a snack (on veggie trays or with a topping such as peanut butter or cream cheese
- As a source of flavor and texture (when it is cooked in soups, stews, and main dishes – think classic Chicken Noodle).
- As a seasoning (celery seed, celery salt)
- As part of the “Holy Trinity” of Louisiana Cajun cooking (celery, onion, bell pepper. Examples of Cajun meals are Jambalaya, Gumbo, and Etouffee.
- As part of the French base Mirepoix (celery, onion, carrot. An example is Chicken and Dumplings,)
- As part of the Italian base Battuto/Soffritto (celery, onion, carrots with herbs, which may be cooked in lard, olive oil, or butter).
- As a garnish (doesn’t that celery look fancy in a Bloody Mary?).
- As part of the Polish base Wloszczyzna (celery, parsley, leek, cabbage) which roughly translates to “Italian stuff.”
- As a seasoning in the form on celery seed and celery salt (popular in Bloody Mary’s and Old Bay seasoning).
Can You Be Allergic to Celery?
The short answer is definitely yes. It is possible to be allergic to any food. Celery is not considered as a common allergen in the US. Celery allergy is associated with birch pollen allergy and mugwort pollen allergy.
Symptoms of celery (and celeriac) allergy include tingling of the mouth, difficulty breathing, digestive symptoms, and anaphylactic shock. Because celery and celeriac are so closely related, strict avoidance of both foods is recommended if an allergy is known or suspected.
(If you have or suspect you have any food allergy, you should definitely talk to your healthcare provider to see if allergy testing is needed and to discuss a safety plan including an epi-pen.)
Celery may also need to be avoided for other reasons. Some people have a food sensitivity to celery. (A food sensitivity involves the immune system but not IgE cells as in classic food allergies. Generally speaking, food sensitivity reactions involve white blood cells.)
Also, some people have a food intolerance to celery. (Food intolerances can be caused by digestive problems and generally don’t involve the immune system.)
Common and Hidden Sources of Celery
In the European Union, food labels must clearly identify if celery is present. However, it may not be clearly identified on American labels and menus.
If celery makes you sick, please be careful with these foods that may contain hidden sources of celery:
- Canned Soups
- Vegetable juices including celery juice and V8
- Broths
- Stocks
- Salads such as tuna salad, chicken salad, seafood salad, macaroni salad
- Cajun / Creole cuisine
- European cuisine
- Asian cuisines
- Soups, Stews
- Salads and Salad dressings
- Cured bacon & other cured meats
- Bloody Mary (This mixed drink may contain celery seed even if you don’t see fresh celery in the drink.)
- Chicago style hot dog (Celery Salt may be used as a topping.)
- Fish & Seafood dishes (Old Bay is a common seasoning and contains celery seed.
How To Find a Celery Substitute – Substitution Based on Characteristics
Because celery is used in a variety of ways, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all substitution. To find the best option, think about the characteristics of celery and how it is used in a recipe.
If you like foods that contain celery, you can make them celery free. Read on to learn more about selecting a suitable celery substitute.
Four main characteristics of celery:
- Crunch – Celery adds crunch to tuna salad and is a crunchy side when served with chicken wings.
- Color – Celery adds color to salads, stir-fries, and other dishes.
- Flavor and Texture – Celery is prominent in many bases of many foods such as soups, stews and sauces.
- Seasoning – Celery seeds add a pleasant flavor to many dishes.
So, when looking at a recipe that includes celery, thinking about why the celery is included will give us an indication of what will be a good substitute.
If you need crunch, you can try these for a raw celery substitute.
- Arugula
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Chopped Almonds or Pecans
- Chopped Red or Green Cabbage
- Chopped Kale or Collard Greens
- Diced Apple
- Jicama
- Sunflower Seeds
- Radish – this will give a little heat as well.
- Raw Onion
- Water Chestnuts
If you need color, you can try these for a colorful celery substitute.
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Green beans
- Collard Greens, Kale, Mustard Greens
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Beet Greens
- Arugula
- Zucchini
- Okra
- Lettuce
- Brussels Sprouts
If you need flavor and texture, you can try these as a celery substitute.
- Fennel (Fennel stalks and fennel bulbs can be used.)
- Red, yellow, or white onion
- Scallions or green onions
- Carrots
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Fresh chives
- Leek
- Bell peppers (Green bell peppers can be a tasty and unexpected celery substitute in stuffing.)
If you need seasoning you can try these as a celery seed and/or celery salt substitute.
- Dill Seed
- Caraway Seed
- Lemon
- Black Pepper
- White Pepper
- Garlic & Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Cayenne Pepper
- Paprika, Smoked Paprika, Hot Paprika (If you can’t have paprika be sure to learn about alternatives to paprika.)
Final Thoughts
When you’re considering what to use as an alternative to celery, also ask yourself these questions:
What do you like?
What do you have at home?
What have you used before?
And, please share your tips in the comments below.
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When a smoothie calls for celery what could be substituted or should it just be left out? I am severely allergic. Thanks,
Shanon
You could probably just leave it out. Or try some mild frozen vegetables like green beans or carrots if you want to increase your vegetable intake. I’m not sure if the flavor would be a match based on the recipe you are using, but canned pumpkin is also a nice smoothie base.
Hi Lisa
What could I use as a substitute for celery in Pea & Ham soup. It already has carrot & potato in it .
Thank you
Hi Sue, Maybe a combination of a few types of onion (onion powder, minced onion, shallots, white onion, yellow onion) and garlic, along with the carrot and potato. Bay leaf, parsley and thyme can also add to the flavor profile.
Hi. My daughter is living overseas and wants to make a Thanksgiving dinner as close to the original as possible. However she doesn’t have celery. In a stuffing recipe would you use celery seed for flavoring and something else for texture? What would you recommend?
Hi Denise
She could use a bit of celery seed and then add vegetables she likes in to the stuffing for more flavor and texture. Maybe celery root, carrot, mushroom, parsnip, a small amount of bell peppers, shallots, onion, or even a little diced and sauteed egg plant. Or, could she order dehydrated celery / celery powder / freeze dried celery online? Amazon sells a lot of these products.
Depending on where she is, thinly sliced kohlrabi could be an option, or turnip/swedes/rutabaga.
Ooh that’s a good idea!
Gastroparesis diet says not to eat I high fiber or seeds. In tuna or pasta salad I love celery. But vegetables have to be cooked , what to do
Hi Kathleen
For flavor I would maybe try ground celery seed, black pepper and dill.
The recipe I am going to make calls for 2 celery ribs for turkey breast done in an Instant Pot. Would it be okay to substitute celery leaves, which I have on hand. I don’t have any celery. If so, how much of the celery leaves should I use? If not, how much celery seed should I use?
Hi Ellen
I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your message sooner. I’m guessing this meal has already been enjoyed but wanted to share some information with you. Overall, the leaves will probably have a more bitter flavor so probably wouldn’t work great as a substitute. But you might chop them up and add to the finished meal for color, flavor and texture. Here’s some more information as well: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/8241-substituting-celery-leaves-for-stalks
For celery seed as a substitute, it looks like one tablespoon of celery seed is equivalent to 6 tablespoons of chopped celery stalks + leaves (about 1/3 cup). https://www.spiceography.com/celery-seed-substitute
Personally, if I was cooking this recipe I would use less celery seed than calculated, maybe about 1 teaspoon, and then adjust the seasoning after the meal is finished cooking. Using too much might make the flavor too strong or too bitter.
I’d love to know if you tried this, if it worked and if you determined the right ratio!
Help! I cannot use fresh celery in my homemade stuffing this year…family thing. Bought celery salt..salt! Do I just stick with just leaving out celery? Or do I need that flavor out of a substitute. I cannot drive to a store…is 25 miles and I can no longer drive. Any suggestions?
Hi Ann! I’m sorry I missed this message before Thanksgiving. I hope your meal turned out well. What did you decide? And how did it turn out? But to answer your question, yes you could use the celery salt and then don’t add any salt to the recipe.
Thank you so much!