Very fine strips of carrot in a salad. Courgette strips on an elegant plate. A handful of leek as garnish. It looks polished, and it is less complicated than it seems. That cut is called julienne.
Julienne is one of the classic French cutting techniques: thin, straight sticks with a square cross-section, about as thin as a matchstick. The classic size is about 3 × 3 millimetres and 5 to 6 centimetres long. An even finer version, of 1 to 2 millimetres, is often called fine julienne.
The exact size can differ slightly between culinary schools and uses. What matters more is that all the strips are equally thick.
What is julienne?
With julienne you cut a firm vegetable into long, thin sticks.
The classic shape has:
- about 3 mm width;
- about 3 mm height;
- about 5 to 6 cm length.
Julienne is about half as thick as batonnet and is mainly used for carrot, courgette, leek, celery, pepper, pumpkin, cucumber and ginger.
Why do you cut so thin?
Thin strips have a lot of surface compared to their volume. As a result they cook quickly, absorb flavour quickly and need hardly any chewing.
If all the strips are equally thick, they are also done at the same time. If thick and thin are mixed, some are already soft while others are still firm.
Better all about 4 mm than one perfect 3 mm strip among ten other sizes.
How to cut julienne
You don’t start with thin strips right away. First you make a regular block, and then you work step by step towards the fine sticks.
Step 1 – Choose a firm vegetable
Carrot, courgette, cucumber, celeriac, radish and pumpkin are good candidates. Soft products such as tomato are much harder.
Step 2 – Cut a flat side
Cut off the ends and give a round vegetable a stable flat side. That way it doesn’t roll away.
Step 3 – Make it a rectangular block
Cut away the rounded sides until you have a regular block about 5 to 6 cm long. Use the trimmings for soup or stock.
Step 4 – Cut thin slices
Cut the block into slices of about 3 mm. Try to keep them as even as possible.
Step 5 – Stack the slices
Lay a few slices neatly on top of each other with the edges aligned. The tighter the stack, the more even the strips.
Step 6 – Cut the strips
Cut the stack lengthwise into strips of 3 mm. Keep your fingers curled and use your knuckles as a guide. Those are your julienne strips.
The secret is in the start
Anyone who tries to julienne a round carrot straight away gets strips that taper. Without a stable base the cuts become uneven.
First make it straight, then slices, then strips.
Julienne of leek
You cut leek differently. Take a piece of the white and light green part, halve it lengthwise, rinse it clean and slice the layers into thin strips with a sharp knife. For garnish you can put them briefly in iced water, and they curl nicely.
What do you use julienne for?
Salads and raw vegetables
Strips of carrot, cucumber or radish give a salad bite without big pieces to chew. A dressing also clings to them better.
Stir-fries
Julienne cooks in a few minutes. Perfect for stir-frying, where you have no time to wait for a big piece to cook.
Garnish and side dishes
Steamed or briefly sautéed julienne of carrot and courgette makes a plate look more polished right away. Citrus zest and ginger are also often cut into julienne.
Julienne versus batonnet and brunoise
| Cut | Shape | Classic size |
|---|---|---|
| Julienne | thin sticks | approx. 3 × 3 mm |
| Batonnet | thicker sticks | approx. 6 × 6 mm |
| Brunoise | small cubes | approx. 3 × 3 × 3 mm |
If you cut julienne across, you get brunoise. That is how cuts are connected: slice → strip → cube.
Julienne of different vegetables
You don’t cut every vegetable the same way. A few points to watch:
Carrot
Peel the carrot and cut it into pieces of 5 to 6 cm. Then follow the steps above. Thanks to its firm structure, carrot is the best vegetable to practise with.
Courgette and cucumber
These vegetables have a soft, watery centre with seeds. So only cut the firm outer part into julienne and keep the core for soup or a smoothie. That gives you strips that keep their shape.
Pepper
Halve the pepper, remove the seed core and lay the halves skin side down on the board. Cut them into strips and remove the white membrane. That way they lie steady.
Ginger and citrus zest
You cut ginger into julienne for stir-fries and citrus peel for garnish or dessert. Cut the zest of a lime or orange without the white pith, roll it up and cut it into thin strips.
With a mandoline or julienne peeler
Do you want to do it faster? There are tools, such as a mandoline and a julienne peeler. They give equal strips with less effort, but you learn less from them. With a mandoline always use the guard, because the blades are extremely sharp.
Storing julienne
Cut vegetables dry out and discolour. Keep julienne of carrot or radish in cold water for a few hours and drain it well before use. Cut courgette just before use, because it quickly turns watery.
The most common mistakes
Your strips taper
You didn’t make the vegetable straight first.
Solution: first make a rectangular block.
The strips vary in thickness
That comes from rushing and a stack that shifts.
Solution: first cut a few slices of the same thickness and keep the stack steady.
Your knife is blunt
A blunt knife slips and squashes the vegetable.
Solution: sharpen your knife or use a sharper one.
You go too fast
Speed without control gives messy strips and cuts.
Solution: start slowly, speed will come by itself.
Practise with one carrot
- Cut the carrot into pieces of 5 to 6 cm.
- Make one piece a rectangular block.
- Cut slices of 3 mm.
- Stack the slices.
- Cut strips.
- Lay them side by side and see where they still differ.
You don’t have to cut perfectly straight away. The aim is to learn to see what even means.
The right posture and the right knife
Julienne is precision work, and precision starts with how you stand and how you hold the knife. Stand firmly, with your feet about hip-width apart, and keep the board at elbow height. Preferably hold the knife in a pinch grip: thumb and index finger clamp the blade just in front of the handle, the other fingers close around the handle. That gives you more control than holding the knife only by the handle.
With your other hand you make the claw: fingertips curled inward, thumb tucked behind. Your knuckles form the guide for the blade, and your fingertips stay out of reach of the knife. Move the claw back a little after each cut.
A chef’s knife of 18 to 20 cm is ideal for julienne. A smaller paring knife is handy for smaller vegetables, such as a radish or a piece of ginger. Make sure the knife is sharp: a blunt knife slips on the smooth skin of a carrot, a sharp knife bites in straight away.
The family of classic cuts
Julienne doesn’t stand alone. Classical cuisine knows a whole family of cuts that build on each other. Below you can see how they relate to each other.
| Cut | Shape | Approx. | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bâton | thick stick | 12 × 12 mm | oven chips, roasted vegetables |
| Batonnet | small stick | 6 × 6 mm | chips, crudités |
| Julienne | thin strip | 3 × 3 mm | salad, stir-fry, garnish |
| Brunoise | small cube | 3 × 3 × 3 mm | soup, filling, sauce |
| Chiffonade | thin ribbon | 1 to 3 mm wide | basil, lettuce, spinach |
| Paysanne | rustic slices | about 1 cm, irregular | stew, soup |
The handy thing is that with one basic technique, first make it straight, then slices, then sticks, you make almost all cuts. Whoever masters julienne can therefore also do batonnet and brunoise.
Dishes with julienne
Carrot salad
Mix julienne of carrot with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, a little honey and salt. Add parsley or coriander. The thin strips absorb the dressing quickly and still stay crisp.
Vegetable soup with strips
Add julienne of carrot, leek and celery to a clear stock in the last 5 minutes. They cook quickly and stay recognisable. That is a classic: julienne soup.
Stir-fry with ginger
Stir-fry julienne of carrot, pepper and courgette in a hot wok, together with strips of ginger and garlic, and season with soy sauce. Within 3 minutes the stir-fry is done.
Garnish on a plate
A small pile of julienne of citrus peel or leek gives a dish colour and a fresh accent. Place the strips on the dish with tweezers and use little.
Cutting safely
- Put the board down firmly, with a damp cloth underneath.
- Keep your fingers in the claw and work away from yourself.
- Never cut in the air with your hand under the knife.
- Put the knife down when you do something else, with the cutting edge facing away from you.
- Always use the guard with a mandoline.
Frequently asked questions about julienne
How thin is julienne exactly?
The classic size is about 3 × 3 mm. Some schools call 3 mm allumette and use julienne for 1 to 2 mm. In practice the names are often used interchangeably.
Which knife do I need?
A sharp chef’s knife or a smaller paring knife. More important than the type is that the knife is sharp.
Can I use a peeler?
Yes, for a quick version. With a julienne peeler or ordinary peeler you pull thin strips of carrot or courgette. They are not as even as with a knife.
Which vegetable is difficult?
Soft vegetables such as tomato or aubergine are difficult, because they fall apart. Start with carrot.
What do you do with the trimmings?
Use them for soup, stock or a stir-fry. That way you throw nothing away.
Julienne at a glance
- Julienne is about 3 × 3 mm and 5 to 6 cm long.
- Fine julienne is 1 to 2 mm.
- First make a stable block.
- Cut slices, stack them and cut strips.
- Equal strips cook at the same time.
- Julienne is thinner than batonnet.
- Cutting across gives brunoise.
- Use the trimmings for soup or stock.
Remember this
Julienne isn’t about exactly 3 millimetres. It is about control: first make it stable, then cut thinner step by step.