How to Cook Fennel: Cut, Sauté, Roast and Store It

Hello lovelies,

fennel is one of those vegetables people either love or avoid, and I understand both sides. Raw, it is crunchy and fresh; in a skillet or in the oven it takes on color and tastes completely different. That is exactly what makes it so interesting to me.

In this guide I show you which parts of fennel you can eat, how to pick, store and cut it, how long it takes in the oven, whether you can freeze it, and which of my recipes suit which way of cooking it.

What is fennel, and what parts can you eat?

The fennel you buy as a vegetable is Florence fennel, grown for its bulb, which is made of swollen leaf bases. According to Purdue University Extension, all parts of the plant are edible: the bulb, the stalks and the feathery fronds.

The Purdue Extension FoodLink page on fennel lists finocchio and sweet anise as other names and notes that wild fennel is edible too. It also asks you not to throw the stalks and fronds away, because both can be used for cooking. One cup of sliced fennel (87 g) has 27 calories and 3 g of fiber, according to the same page, which also lists fennel as available from January to December.

Utah State University Extension points out that Florence fennel is sometimes mislabeled as anise. Florence fennel is used in cooking as a vegetable, while common fennel is used more often as an herb or spice. If you grow your own, Utah State says to harvest the bulb while it is firm and less than 10 cm (4 inches) across.

The bulb and the seeds come together in one of my recipes. My vegetarian cauliflower soup with fennel and fennel seeds is made with fennel bulb and fennel seeds, along with cauliflower, onion and garlic, and it takes 50 minutes.

How do you pick and store fennel?

Purdue University Extension recommends white bulbs that are heavy for their size, without soft spots or discoloration. At home, loosely wrap fennel in a plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

The Purdue Extension fennel handout adds that if the stems and fronds are still attached, you should look for firm, long stems with green color. Washington State University Extension notes that the fronds can wilt as fennel sits, so they are sometimes cut off at the market.

How do you cut fennel?

Rinse the bulb in cool water, trim off the bottom and cut the stalks off the bulb, as Purdue University Extension describes. Then cut the bulb into wedges for cooking, or slice it thinly for eating raw.

Even after trimming the bottom, a piece of the hard core sits in the middle of the bulb. For salads I cut it out in a wedge shape; for wedges I leave it in, because it holds them together while they cook.

The thick stalks can be eaten raw or cooked, according to the Utah State University fennel fact sheet, and the leaves work as a seasoning or garnish. Washington State University Extension notes that the fronds can be chopped and used as an herb in salad dressing and other dishes.

In my fennel arugula salad, the mandoline is the most important tool: the salad stands or falls with thin fennel slices.

Can you eat fennel raw?

Yes. Slice raw fennel thinly for salads, which Purdue University Extension says is easiest with a mandoline.

My vegetarian fennel arugula salad with pear and feta takes 20 minutes. If you toss the fennel with half the dressing 10 minutes before serving, it turns more tender and soaks up the flavor, and the arugula goes in just before you eat. You can prepare the fennel, onion and dressing up to 1 day ahead and keep them separately in the fridge.

In my vegan kale salad with orange and fennel, I slice the fennel paper-thin on a mandoline so it stays extra tender. Knead the kale firmly for 2 to 3 minutes until it darkens and turns soft, which takes away the bitterness. Dressed and stored in a sealed container, the salad keeps for 1 to 2 days in the fridge, which makes it great for meal prep or on the go.

Two recipes with raw fennel:

Fennel Arugula Salad with Pear and Feta

Kale salad with orange and fennel

How to cook fennel in a skillet

In a skillet, fennel wedges brown and soften. Purdue University Extension sautés the wedges in butter over high heat for about 2 minutes, then sprinkles them with salt and sugar until they are brown on both sides.

My vegetarian caramelized fennel with almonds and lemon goes on top of whipped lemon ricotta. Give the fennel room in the pan: if the wedges lie on top of each other, they steam instead of browning, so fry them in 2 batches if needed. The sugar goes in only once the fennel has taken on color, otherwise it burns before the vegetable is soft.

The whole dish takes 35 minutes. Let the ricotta sit for 15 minutes after it comes out of the fridge; cold, it whips less well. You can caramelize the fennel up to 1 day ahead and keep it cold in the fridge, then warm it briefly in the pan before serving. The fronds are not just decoration, they belong on top.

How long does fennel take to roast?

Fennel wedges roast until fork-tender in about 45 minutes at 190 °C (375 °F), according to Purdue University Extension. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, drizzle them with olive oil, and Purdue sprinkles Parmesan on top as well.

In my vegan oven vegetables with fennel and beetroot, the fennel shares the tray with other vegetables. Pumpkin, fennel, eggplant, carrots, parsnips and beetroot all roast beautifully, but you can use whatever you have in the fridge. I roast them at 200 °C (about 400 °F) for about 30 to 40 minutes, until tender and nicely browned. If you like the kale extra crispy, add it a little later so it doesn't burn. Leftovers reheat easily the next day or can be enjoyed cold as a salad with a simple dressing.

Thinly sliced fennel also goes onto my vegetarian potato and fennel tarte flambée. Slice the potatoes and fennel really thinly, that is the whole secret: then they cook without precooking and turn slightly crispy at the edges. The rye dough is firmer than pizza dough, so roll it out on plenty of flour and a little thinner than you think. Wrapped in plastic wrap, the dough keeps for 1 day in the fridge; let it come to room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling it out.

How to cook fennel in soup and risotto

Cooked fennel works well in soup, risotto, minestrone and bulgur. For my minestrone, sweat the vegetables for a few minutes before the broth goes in: it brings noticeably more flavor.

My vegan minestrone with girasoli and peas is ready in 30 minutes. Fennel goes into it along with peas, carrots and cabbage. I always add the girasoli at the very end and just let them steep so they don't burst. If you like the soup heartier, add white beans or chickpeas.

Fennel also goes into my vegan coconut bulgur with vegetables and cashews, together with onion, garlic, ginger and carrots. Covered, it keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge and is lovely cold as a bowl. To reheat it, stir in a splash of coconut milk or water. For a gluten-free version, I swap the bulgur for quinoa, millet or buckwheat and cook it the same way in the coconut milk.

The cauliflower fennel soup with tofu croutons is wonderful to make ahead, too. Press the tofu well before cubing it, then it turns crispy faster in the pan. In a tightly closed container, the soup keeps for about 3 days. What to watch for, and how long soup keeps in the freezer, is all in my soup freezing guide. Toasted pumpkin seeds also taste great as a topping instead of bread.

In my vegan risotto with fennel and pear, I always fold the pear in right at the end, so it stays tender and keeps its shape instead of turning to mush. Save the feathery fronds to garnish, they look pretty and taste lightly of anise. Leftovers reheat beautifully the next day with a small splash of bouillon over gentle heat.

Parmesan goes into my vegetarian mushroom fennel risotto with smoked tofu. The stock has to be hot when it goes into the pot: cold stock stops the cooking every time, and the rice ends up gluey instead of creamy. Stir regularly but not constantly, and leave the rice a touch too al dente; it keeps cooking on the plate.

Can you freeze fennel?

Yes. Fennel stalks and fronds freeze well, according to Purdue University Extension: rinse them in cool water and put them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freezing the bulb changes its texture because of its high water content.

If you want to freeze the bulb anyway, the fennel guide from Washington State University Extension says to blanch it in boiling water for 3 minutes or steam blanch it for 5 minutes, then cool it in ice water for the same amount of time. Wash the bulb and remove the stalks and leaves first.

Three of my cooked fennel dishes freeze well. The cauliflower fennel soup keeps for about 3 months, best frozen without the cream, which you stir in when you reheat it. The minestrone freezes for 2 to 3 months without the pasta, and the sweet potato fennel soup with orange freezes well. For other vegetables, my guide shows which vegetables to blanch and for how long.

What can you cook with fennel?

Fennel ends up in salads, caramelized fennel from the skillet, roasted vegetables, tarte flambée, soups, risotto and bulgur in my kitchen. The table shows 9 of my recipes from this post, with the way the fennel is cooked and one tip from each recipe.

If you are new to fennel, start with a cooked dish such as the caramelized fennel (35 minutes). Then try the raw fennel arugula salad (20 minutes).

So what goes with fennel? In my recipes it often meets fruit: pear in the risotto and the arugula salad, orange in the kale salad and the sweet potato soup. It turns savory with potatoes and rosemary on the tarte flambée, with mushrooms and smoked tofu in the mushroom risotto, or with cauliflower in the soup. The caramelized fennel comes with lemon ricotta and almonds.

Raw fennel and cooked fennel are almost two different vegetables, so give both a try. For more seasonal ideas, have a look at my guide to vegetables that are in season in fall. Now it's your turn: how do you like fennel best, raw in a salad, from the skillet or roasted in the oven?

Yours, Verena

Recipes to try

Mushroom Fennel Risotto with Smoked Tofu

Sweet potato fennel soup with orange

Autumn salad with roasted brussels sprouts and pumpkin

Millet risotto with leek