Regrowing Scallions on Your Windowsill

You can regrow an infinite, endless supply of fresh green onions on your windowsill using just a glass of water and the root ends you were about to throw away. Every bunch of scallions you buy from the grocery store is actually two purchases: the green tops you use immediately, and the root ends that will grow you another full bunch within seven days.

This is the easiest, fastest, no-maintenance kitchen hack available to any cook at any skill level.

The Exact Regrowth Process

Cut your green onions about one inch above the root base, leaving the white bulb and roots completely intact. This cut end is what you are going to regrow. The green tops are what you cook with.

Stand your root ends upright in a clean glass or mason jar. Add enough room-temperature water to just cover the roots without submerging the white bulb entirely.

Place the glass in a bright, sunny window. A south-facing kitchen windowsill is ideal. Within 24 hours you will see green shoots beginning to emerge from the tips of the white bulb.

Pro-Tip from the Chef: At a busy sushi restaurant where I consulted on their kitchen layout, we had four glasses of regrowing scallions running permanently on the prep station windowsill. The prep cooks snipped fresh green onion tops throughout the entire service without ever opening a new bunch. Over a year, we calculated it saved roughly $600 in scallion costs alone.

Maintenance and Harvesting

Changing the Water

Replace the water every two days to prevent bacterial buildup and keep the roots healthy. Tap water is perfectly fine. You do not need filtered or distilled water.

Harvesting Without Killing the Plant

Always snip from the top of the green shoot, never cut down into the white bulb. Leave at least one inch of green growth above the bulb after every harvest. The plant will continuously regenerate from this growth point.

How Long Do They Last?

A single set of scallion roots will actively regrow for approximately three to four weeks before the regrowth becomes thin and slow. At that point, buy a new bunch, use the tops, and start the process again.

More Kitchen Window Hacks

The same water-glass regrowth method works with the base of romaine lettuce hearts, celery bases, and bok choy stems. They won't produce full vegetables, but they will generate fresh leaf growth for salads and garnishes.

Once you have your fresh scallion supply established, plug them into our free Fridge-to-Feast Recipe Generator tool alongside whatever proteins and vegetables you have, and we'll build you the perfect recipe.