Is Celery Good for You?

Written by Hirania Luzardo
Medically Reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh, MD on October 23, 2025
9 min read

Celery is good for you — it's low in calories and full of water, helping you stay hydrated. It's also a good source of fiber, which helps with digestion. It also gives you vitamins and minerals that support your heart and immune system. You can enjoy it raw as a snack or cook it in soups and other dishes for extra flavor and crunch.

It's an aromatic vegetable that belongs to the Apiaceae family, which also includes carrots, parsnips, fennel, parsley, and cumin. Celery was first grown in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and it's been used as both food and medicine for centuries.

Celery stalks add crunch to raw salads and dips and mild flavor to soups and smoothies. It's also packed with antioxidants that help fight cellular damage.

Celery is refreshing, low in calories, and full of nutrients that help your body work its best. But it isn't a magic food on its own. "Benefits come from an eating pattern rich in fiber and antioxidants, so just one food won't necessarily give us those benefits," says Diana Mesa, RDN, media dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist in Miami.

Here are some ways celery supports your health:

It helps calm inflammation. Celery has antioxidants that protect your cells from damage. Keeping inflammation low may help protect your heart and blood vessels over time.

It boosts blood and bone strength. Celery gives you vitamin K, which helps your blood clot and keeps bones strong. It also contains folate, a B vitamin that helps your body make healthy red blood cells, especially important during pregnancy.

It supports heart health. Celery is low in sodium and has nutrients that can help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range. It offers potassium and magnesium, which help your heart beat normally. It also has natural plant compounds that help blood flow better.

It helps with digestion. Celery doesn't have a lot of fiber in one stalk, but the fiber it does contain helps keep things moving to prevent constipation. The plant also has natural carbs that feed the good bacteria in your gut.

It helps keep your mouth healthy. Crunchy celery can help clear food stuck between teeth and boost saliva, which protects against cavities. Vitamins A and C help keep your gums strong and healthy. Celery can't replace brushing or flossing, but it can help until you do.

Like most vegetables, celery is mostly water — about 95%. It also offers some carbohydrates, a small amount of protein, and just a trace of fat.

Celery is a good source of:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin K
  • Potassium
  • Folate
  • Calcium

Nutrients per serving

A cup of chopped celery has:

  • Calories: 14
  • Protein: Less than 1 gram
  • Fat: Less than 1 gram
  • Carbohydrates: 3 grams
  • Fiber: 1.6 grams
  • Sugar: 1 gram

Things to look out for

If you eat too much celery, it can cause bloating or gas. That may be because celery has high levels of the compound mannitol, which can cause dehydration, disrupt the balance of sodium levels in your body, and create other problems.

You can find celery year-round in most stores.

Pick tightly packed stalks that look pale green, feel crisp, and snap easily. Darker stalks taste stronger.

Store celery in a loose plastic bag (unsealed) in your refrigerator's crisper drawer. It can stay fresh for about two weeks. If you want to keep it longer, you can freeze it.

To freeze celery:

  • Wash and trim it.
  • Cut it to the size you want.
  • Freeze the pieces in a single layer on a tray.
  • Move them to an airtight container after they're frozen.

It can last up to 18 months this way. You can also blanch celery (dip briefly in boiling water and then cold water) to help preserve its color and flavor. Frozen celery softens, so it works best for soups, stews, and cooked dishes.

Celery is a key part of mirepoix — a mix of celery, carrots, and onions used as the base of many soups and sauces. It also pairs well with dill, apples, mushrooms, potatoes, and lentils.

Try these options for including celery in your diet:

  • Dip celery sticks into hummus.
  • Add chopped celery to tuna salad or chicken salad.
  • Stir-fry celery slices with red chiles for extra spice.
  • Simmer diced celery with carrots and onion in homemade chicken noodle soup.
  • Blend celery into a green smoothie with spinach, banana, and apple.
  • Stuff celery stalks with pimento cheese or peanut butter with raisins.
  • Add chopped celery, tomatoes, carrots, ginger, and garlic to a slow-cooker roast.

Is it better to eat celery raw or cooked?

Both are good for you, and eating a variety is best. "Most Americans don't eat enough fruits and veggies as it is, so I'm just happy to see you eating celery," Mesa says.

Raw celery may have slightly more antioxidants. Cooking it can make other nutrients easier to absorb and may also help with digestion if raw veggies upset your stomach.

Mesa says steaming is a great option because it keeps more nutrients while making celery easier on your gut. "If you can, enjoy celery both ways to get a good mix of benefits."

Also called celeriac or knob celery, celery root is the knobby, ball-like end of the plant. It's a root vegetable like turnips, parsnips, and water chestnuts.

Celery root has a mild taste that pairs well with many foods, and it's often used as a substitute for potatoes. Simply swap in celeriac for potato (mashed celeriac instead of mashed potatoes), and season with things such as salt, pepper, and cheese. You can also eat it sautéed, boiled, or pureed.

Celery root has many health benefits, and unlike soy or wheat, celery root isn't known to cause food allergies. 

Keep these in mind if you'd like to add celery root to your diet:

Pros. Celery root is a versatile vegetable that works well in many recipes. You can season it with garlic, lemon, capers, parsley, and other choices. You can make it part of a healthy diet. It's also easy to find in the grocery store, inexpensive, and contains several vital nutrients.

Cons. Celery root is high in fiber, which can sometimes be tough on your stomach and cause gas. If you're not used to eating high-fiber foods, start with a small amount of celeriac before you serve it as a side dish or substitute it for potatoes. Celery root can also have too many carbohydrates for people with blood sugar issues.

Celery root is a good source of fiber, and it also contains many other essential vitamins and minerals you need to maintain a healthy diet.

One cup of celery root has:

Vitamin C. You need this antioxidant for a healthy immune system. Vitamin C can also help your body absorb iron from food or supplements.

Celery root includes about 12.5 milligrams of vitamin C per serving, which is a solid amount of the 75 milligrams (for women) or 90 milligrams (for men) that you should get from your diet every day.

Vitamin K. Vitamin K helps form blood clots and builds healthy bones. But if you take blood thinners, talk to your doctor about eating celery root before you add it to your diet. 

Magnesium. This mineral supports your muscles and nerves, and helps give you energy, but many Americans don't get enough in their diets. Low levels of magnesium can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. 

Celeriac includes 31.2 milligrams of magnesium per serving, which can help you reach the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for your age. 

Juicing is a popular way to get your vitamins and minerals by squeezing or pressing fresh fruits and vegetables. Celery juice is made from fresh celery stalks. 

How to make celery juice

The easiest way is with a juicer. Cut the tops and base off several stalks of celery, wash the ribs very carefully (even if they're organic), and then put them into your juicer. You can also add a fresh peeled lime or a few apples to pump up the flavor. Serve it right away or drink it within 24 hours. 

You can make it in a blender if you don't have a juicer. Just chop the celery finely and blend well. Add some water if needed. Then, strain it through cheesecloth and enjoy within 24 hours.

This seasoning is a mix of ground celery seeds and salt. It has a mild, salty flavor, and you can use it to season all kinds of savory foods and drinks. It tastes a lot like regular salt but has an earthy finish that can become bitter. 

You can use celery salt in place of regular salt in many savory dishes, especially those with onions or carrots. You can also add celery salt to dishes like egg salad and tuna salad, or sprinkle it atop a fresh lobster roll for a punch of flavor. It can also be used to rim a Bloody Mary glass.

Many people think celery is hard to grow because it has specific watering and soil quality requirements. But with proper care, you can grow it at home. Here's how.

Celery needs well-drained, organic sandy soil with lots of organic matter, such as compost or leaves. Test your soil to check what fertilizer it needs before you plant. Celery works best as a transplant, so look for plants with well-established roots. Depending on where you live, you can start planting in April or May. Space the plants about 12 inches apart to help force them to grow tall. 

Celery plants need plenty of water, about 1-2 inches every week while they're growing. Soak the soil thoroughly when you water because the root systems of the plants are small and shallow. Watering regularly will produce a crispier crop. Drip irrigation systems are ideal for celery plants.

Celery offers important nutrients that support your heart, bones, teeth, and gut. It also helps you stay hydrated. On its own, celery can't fix health problems, but it’s a great way to add more veggies to your day. Enjoy it raw as a snack, or cook it into meals to get the most benefits.

What happens if I eat celery every day?

If you eat celery every day, you'll add more vegetables and a little more fiber to your meals. Over time, that can help you stay regular and support overall health. Celery also gives you antioxidants that help protect your body.

What is the healthiest way to eat celery?

The healthiest way to eat celery is the way you enjoy and digest best. You can snack on celery sticks plain or pair them with foods such as peanut butter or hummus to add protein and healthy fats. Those fats help your body absorb vitamins A and K from the celery. If you don’t love the taste, you can cook celery into soups or stir-fries so you still get the nutrients in a way that's easy to enjoy. The most important thing is to include celery as part of a balanced diet with a variety of vegetables.

Is celery better than carrots?

Celery isn't better than carrots, and carrots aren't better than celery. Each gives your body different nutrients. Carrots have a lot more vitamin A, which supports your eyes and immune system. Celery gives you more vitamin K, which helps your blood clot and keeps bones strong. Eating both helps you get a wider variety of nutrients. Healthy eating is all about balance and variety.