julienne

American  

[joo-lee-en, zhy-lyen] / ˌdʒu liˈɛn, ʒüˈljɛn /

adjective

1. (of food, especially vegetables) cut into thin strips or small, matchlike pieces.

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noun

1. a clear soup garnished, before serving, with julienne vegetables.

verb (used with object)

julienned, julienning

1. to cut (something, especially a vegetable) into thin strips or small, matchlike pieces.

   I spent a half hour julienning the carrots.

julienne British  

/ ˌdʒuːlɪˈɛn /

adjective

1. (of vegetables) cut into thin shreds

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noun

1. a clear consommé to which a mixture of such vegetables has been added

Etymology

Origin of julienne

1835–45; < French, generic use of Julienne woman's name

Explanation

A chef makes a julienne when she cuts vegetables into thin strips. A recipe might call for a julienne of six carrots. To make a neat, even julienne, you need a very sharp knife, a cutting board, and some vegetables. When you chop vegetables this way, you julienne them. The word comes from a soup of the same name, which is prepared with thin strips of vegetables garnishing it — in French a potage julienne.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

julienne julienned julienning

Dice, julienne, brunoise, chiffonade — not to impress anyone, but to move with more ease and less hesitation.

From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025

Scoops of the creamy, crunchy bistro staple, elevated with smoked trout in the julienne mix, showed up in a trio of chive-flecked Belgian endive “boats,” a clever mode of transport.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2023

The mac and cheese came with a trio of sides: spinach soufflé, julienne carrots and a tossed green salad.

From New York Times ● Nov. 4, 2021

Olia Hercules, cookbook author, @oliahercules Roughly grate or julienne a handful of carrots.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 15, 2020

And there he had fried chicken, julienne potatoes, hot biscuits and honey, and a piece of pineapple pie and blue cheese.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Among four kinds of noodles, the classic pancit canton looks exceptionally pretty, like large-scale confetti with peppery purple radish rounds, strips of long bean and julienned carrot, strewn with delicate cilantro sprouts.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2023

The Japanese dish typically is served as a cone of chilled ramen noodles covered with julienned strips of several ingredients, including cucumber, ham, omelet, ginger and carrot.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 18, 2023

Hands jostled around a large metal basin, plastic gloves crinkling as they massaged pounds of julienned radish, green onion and a spicy, fragrant paste of red pepper flakes, brined shrimp, ginger and garlic.

From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2023

Make sure you've got heaps of chopped fresh green onions and cilantro, plus extra julienned fresh ginger.

From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2022

For success, choose thinly sliced or julienned vegetables, such as zucchini and carrots as I did here.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 16, 2021

It’s shenaniganing, combobulating, julienning, hullaballooing, whatchamacalliting, flibbertigibbeting—even Clauding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

What’s worse, julienning these disparate plots saps them of their natural drama, and no amount of grandiose narration can pump that tension back in.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 27, 2021

After months of julienning root vegetables, preparing omelets in nonstick skillets and earning the approval of her employer, she reaches a tempting epiphany, the “conviction that her life was going to be possible after all.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2020

As with chefs, becoming a tax lawyer means learning by doing, experimenting with ingredients, julienning deductions, broiling credits, trying depreciation flambé.

From Forbes ● May 20, 2012