The Right Way to Store Celery So It Stays Fresh and Crisp

It starts off fresh and crisp—but celery won't stay that way if you don't know how to store it properly at home. To avoid finding that your stalks have become limp and lack their characteristic crunch, follow our expert advice for storing celery. There are several useful methods that we'll explore. Plus, we cover how not to store celery—unless, of course, you want it to be soft in your tuna salad sandwich or floppy in your Bloody Mary. 

What Is Celery?

Crisp and crunchy when raw, tender when cooked, celery is infinitely versatile.

It's a Relation of Parsley

Botanically speaking, celery, or Apium graveolens, is a member of the Apiaceae family, including carrots, parsley, parsnips, fennel, celeriac, and, surprise, cumin. The most common celery is the green variety called Pascal, but you might also encounter its relation, red celery, or subtly-flavored golden celery. Celery is high in fiber, comprised primarily of water, and a good source of vitamin K, folate, and potassium. Its slightly grassy flavor lends itself to various salads and green juice recipes. As every party host knows, it's ideal for crudités and dips, and the perfect garnish for Bloody Marys. When cooked, it becomes tender, adding earthy depth to soups, stir-fries, and stews.

How to Store Celery

When you bring your head of celery—or smaller-sized celery hearts—home from the grocery store, don't let it linger on the kitchen counter. "The best way to store celery is not to break the cold chain and make sure the temperature is maintained," says Donald Russo, senior category manager at Baldor Specialty Foods. “The two main things to focus on are moisture and temperature—a damp, cold celery stalk will stay fresh much longer than if it were warm or if it were dry," says Riley Davies, produce category manager for online grocer Misfits Market.

Where to Store: "Storing celery in the crisper is a great start and will help maintain the moisture of the celery," says Brian Riordan, vegetable director at Taylor Farms. If your fridge has a dual-zone crisper drawer, Davies suggests placing the celery in the high-humidity zone. "That limits airflow and is ideal for green vegetables," she says.

The Foil Method

Once you open the bag, you have a few choices. "You can wrap the celery in tin foil or a damp paper towel, if the celery is already cut, to enjoy the crunchiest celery," says Riordan. If you prefer foil, wrap the vegetable tightly without sealing the ends.  

The Paper Towel Method

Wrap the celery in a damp paper towel; a single layer will suffice, says Nichole Towell, senior director of marketing at Duda Farm Fresh Foods. Note the paper towel should be damp, not soaking wet.

Before the wrapping stage, Towell rinses and cuts off the ends of the stalks. "Give it all another good wash to ensure any dust or dirt has been completely removed, then pat dry. Next, separate the celery stalk and the leaves and wrap them in a clean, damp paper towel," she says. Then, tuck it in a zipper storage bag and seal it partially, allowing the celery to breathe.

How Long Will Celery Last?

Protected with a paper towel or foil, you can expect celery to last from two weeks to one month

Other Storage Methods

Also, try these tactics for keeping celery crisp:

Glass: "Any method that helps retain moisture will work, but I like to treat stalks of celery as you would cut flowers," says Davies. With that in mind, she trims the cut ends of the stalks and stores them in a glass of water, root side down, in the fridge.

Jar: A similar method calls for cutting the celery into pieces and swapping the glass for a jar, ensuring that the cut ends have moisture access. The stalks can be sliced or cut any way you please, depending on how you plan to incorporate them into a dish. "The larger you leave them initially, the more versatile the end use," says Davies.

What Not to Do

It may be handy to store celery in the plastic bag it is sold in, but that isn't optimal. The plastic traps ethylene, a gaseous hormone that celery (and other plant life) naturally produces, which hastens its ripening. Leaving it out of the fridge for too long can also catapult celery into flaccid territory. "When celery gets warm, it becomes flabby and rubbery," says Russo. In addition, says Towell, it can dry out. "When celery isn't stored correctly, the ends typically are the first to dry and become bitter," she explains.

Freezing Celery

Whether you chopped too much celery for your bread stuffing or need to empty your fridge before vacation, there may come a time when it makes sense to put the extra green in the freezer to use later. Don't freeze raw celery, here's how to prep it for freezing:

Blanching: Blanching chopped celery or celery pieces before the deep freeze can help it retain its texture, color, and flavor.

To blanch celery:

1. Place it in boiling water for a few minutes
2. Remove to an ice bath for 2-3 minutes.
3. Let cool before freezing.

Using Frozen Celery

When you're ready to cook with the frozen celery, add the unthawed pieces to your recipe since defrosting it can lead to subpar results. Still, that's not everyone's solution. For Russo, freezing celery is a hard no. He says it becomes a mush once it's thawed.