Is it safe to eat sprouted onions?

Question

I opened my onion rack lately to find onions that had sprouted several-inch-long green roots... It made me extremely queasy and I threw them out. But I was wondering - would it be safe to eat them / cook with them?

Answer 1

Sure, but the rest of the onion gets mushy and unpalatable after they've grown for a bit. Some people eat the sprouts; they have a lot of protein, so they're popular with vegans and other protein challenged groups.

Answer 2

The roots aren't usually very green- they're white.

The part of the sprouts that is green is call... wait for it... Green onions.

You can just eat the sprouts and don't bother with the spent bulb.

Answer 3

Absolutely! They can be quite strong though. I would recommend cutting them thinly. I just used some as a garnish on my miso soup. They add just enough onion flavor and it looks nice.

Answer 4

When I lived in Belarus in the '90's, all the women had an onion sitting on top of a jar that had green sprouts, or "green" onions, and they cut from them continually. What I can't remember is how much water there was. I am trying it myself today as I found an onion had sprouted.

Answer 5

I love onion sprouts. They do not have as wild of a taste as the onion. Sometimes I only use the bulb to make sprouts.