Home › Home & Kitchen › Kitchen & Dining › Cutlery & Knife Accessories › Nakiri Knives How to Julienne Vegetables Published: July 9, 2026 · Updated: July 9, 2026
Photo: Michael Browning CC0 1.0 Source
To julienne, square off the vegetable, slice it into thin flat planks, stack a few of those planks, and cut the stack lengthwise into thin matchsticks — keeping every cut the same width so they cook evenly. A sharp, flat-bladed knife like a nakiri makes clean planks, and a mandoline with a julienne blade does it quickly.
Recommended Square off, slice into thin planks, stack, then cut into even matchsticks — nakiri or mandoline — Julienne means cutting food into uniform thin matchsticks (about 3mm, or finer for a 'fine julienne'), and even sticks cook evenly and look neat, which is the whole point. Start by squaring off the vegetable: cut a thin slice off one side so it sits flat and won't roll, and trim it to a manageable length of a few centimetres. Lay the flat side down and slice the vegetable into thin, even planks the thickness you want your sticks to be. Stack a few planks on top of each other — don't stack too many or they slip — then cut down through the stack into strips of the same thickness, and you have matchsticks. A flat-profiled knife like a nakiri or a chef's knife works well because its straight edge meets the board fully for clean, complete cuts; keep it sharp and use a claw grip on the food. For speed or lots of prep, a mandoline fitted with a julienne blade cuts them in seconds — always use its hand guard. Julienned carrot, daikon, courgette and peppers are ideal for stir-fries, salads, garnishes and slaws, and the offcuts go into stock or soup.
