VEGETABLES

Vegetables that contain R

67 vegetables containing the letter R — each with origin, classification, and notes.

List of Vegetables That Contain R

    1

    Artichoke

    Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus

    The unopened flower bud of a giant Mediterranean thistle, eaten by stripping leaves dipped in butter or vinaigrette and arriving at the prized tender heart.

    2

    Arugula

    Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa

    A peppery, slightly bitter salad leaf with a distinctive mustardy heat that intensifies as the plant ages — also called rocket in Britain and Australia; a Mediterranean staple increasingly consumed worldwide.

    3

    Asparagus

    Asparagus officinalis

    A spring shoot of a perennial lily relative, prized for its grassy flavor and tender tips, eaten green, white, or purple.

    4

    Beetroot

    Beta vulgaris

    A deep crimson taproot with an earthy, sweet flavor, rich in nitrates and folate; the same plant gives us chard from its leaves.

    5

    Bell Pepper

    Capsicum annuum

    A large, mild, hollow nightshade fruit grown in green, red, yellow, and orange — the same plant changes color with ripeness, the green ones being immature versions of the others.

    6

    Bitter Melon

    Momordica charantia

    A tropical vine vegetable with intensely bitter flesh — the most bitter of all commonly eaten vegetables; used across Asia and the Caribbean for its medicinal properties and its role as a flavour counterpoint to rich, fatty dishes.

    7

    Broad Beans

    Vicia faba

    Ancient beans from the Mediterranean and Middle East — large, flat, pale green beans in thick pods; eaten fresh in spring as a delicacy; dried as dried fava beans, the basis of ful medames, bissara, and dozens of traditional dishes.

    8

    Broccoli

    Brassica oleracea var. italica

    A green flowering brassica with tightly clustered florets, descended from wild Mediterranean cabbage and prized for its fiber and vitamin C.

    9

    Brussels Sprouts

    Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera

    Tiny cabbage-like buds growing along a tall stalk — the most-divisive vegetable of the 20th century, transformed in the 21st through high-heat roasting and dramatic genetic improvement.

    10

    Butternut Squash

    Cucurbita moschata

    A winter squash with smooth tan skin and dense, sweet orange flesh — one of the most versatile and widely eaten squash varieties; roasts to a caramelised sweetness and blends to a silky soup.

    11

    Caper

    Capparis spinosa

    The unopened flower bud of the caper bush, pickled or salt-cured to develop its sharp, briny, faintly lemony flavor — an indispensable accent in Mediterranean cooking and classic sauces from piccata to tapenade.

    12

    Cardoon

    Cynara cardunculus

    A wild ancestor of the artichoke — its fleshy leaf stalks are eaten like celery, central to Italian and Spanish winter cuisine, while the artichoke we know is bred from the same species' flower buds.

    13

    Carrot

    Daucus carota subsp. sativus

    A crunchy orange root vegetable rich in beta-carotene, descended from wild purple ancestors and now grown on every continent except Antarctica.

    14

    Catsear

    Hypochaeris radicata

    A common dandelion-lookalike weed often called "false dandelion" — its leaves are edible like dandelion (with a milder flavor) and its roots have been roasted as a coffee substitute in foraging traditions.

    15

    Cauliflower

    Brassica oleracea var. botrytis

    A pale, dense flower-bud cluster of the same species as broccoli, marketed in recent years as a low-carb stand-in for grains and starches.

    16

    Cavolo Nero

    Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia

    Black Tuscan kale — the darkest, most robustly flavoured of all kale varieties, with long, deeply crinkled, almost black-green leaves that become sweeter after the first frost; the essential leaf in ribollita and other Tuscan winter soups; more tender and less bitter than curly kale, it is now a staple of artisan cuisine worldwide.

    17

    Celeriac

    Apium graveolens var. rapaceum

    An ugly knobby celery root with creamy off-white flesh — a hidden European winter staple, eaten roasted, mashed, or grated raw into the French classic *céleri rémoulade*.

    18

    Celery

    Apium graveolens

    A pale-green, fibrous, intensely aromatic stalk used as both vegetable and aromatic base — a key member of French *mirepoix* and the *holy trinity* of Cajun cooking.

    19

    Chard

    Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla

    A leafy green relative of beets — eaten for its tender leaves and crunchy stems, with rainbow chard varieties bringing dramatic red, yellow, pink, and orange stem colors to plates.

    20

    Cilantro

    Coriandrum sativum

    A polarizing fresh herb that's central to Mexican, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Middle Eastern cuisines — and tastes like soap to people with specific olfactory genetics.

    21

    Collard Greens

    Brassica oleracea var. viridis

    Large, flat, dark green brassica leaves with a mild-bitter flavour — slow-braised for hours in the American South with smoked pork until silky; also eaten across Africa, Brazil, and Portugal.

    22

    Cucumber

    Cucumis sativus

    A crisp, watery fruit (botanically) eaten as a vegetable — sliced fresh, pickled, or blended into cold soups, with cooling associations everywhere it grows.

    23

    Dabberlocks

    Alaria esculenta

    A long brown-olive Atlantic seaweed (also called winged kelp or badderlocks) — a traditional Scottish and Icelandic food eaten as a salad green, soup ingredient, or chewy snack.

    24

    Drumstick

    Moringa oleifera

    The long pod of the moringa tree (also called moringa pods) — eaten across South Asian and African cuisines as a vegetable, while the leaves of the same tree are a renowned superfood.

    25

    Garlic

    Allium sativum

    A pungent bulbous member of the allium family, used worldwide for its sharp aromatic warmth, and one of humanity's oldest cultivated medicinal foods.

    26

    Ginger

    Zingiber officinale

    A pungent, peppery rhizome from a tropical Asian plant — used fresh, dried, candied, or pickled in nearly every cuisine, with strong digestive and anti-nausea uses in folk and modern medicine.

    27

    Green Bean

    Phaseolus vulgaris

    The immature pod of common bean — harvested before the seeds inside develop, eaten whole as a crisp, mild vegetable; one of the most widely grown and versatile vegetables in the world.

    28

    Horseradish

    Armoracia rusticana

    A sharp, eye-watering root in the brassica family — the active ingredient in prepared horseradish and wasabi-style condiments, with chemistry similar to mustard.

    29

    Iceberg Lettuce

    Lactuca sativa var. capitata

    A tightly headed crisphead lettuce with cool, watery, mild leaves — the wedge-salad workhorse, the burger-topping standard, and the most-shipped lettuce in the U.S.

    30

    Jerusalem Artichoke

    Helianthus tuberosus

    A knobby, nutty tuber unrelated to artichokes and not from Jerusalem — a North American sunflower relative producing crisp, sweet roots eaten roasted, raw, or in soup.

    31

    Kohlrabi

    Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes

    A swollen-stem cabbage relative — a bulb of crisp white-green flesh that tastes like a sweeter, milder broccoli stem, eaten raw or cooked across Northern European, Indian, and Vietnamese cuisines.

    32

    Lemongrass

    Cymbopogon citratus

    A tropical grass with an intensely citrus-lemony fragrance from its stalks — essential in Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Malaysian cooking; the bottom white section is finely sliced or pounded into pastes, while the whole stalk is used to infuse soups and curries.

    33

    Lotus Root

    Nelumbo nucifera

    The starchy underwater rhizome of the sacred lotus plant — when sliced, each round reveals a beautiful symmetrical pattern of hollow tunnels that allows the plant to transport oxygen to its submerged roots; crispy when stir-fried, chewy when simmered, and prized across East and Southeast Asian cuisines.

    34

    Mushroom

    Agaricus bisporus (button, cremini, portobello)

    The edible fruiting body of fungi (not technically a vegetable, but treated as one), with hundreds of cultivated and wild species ranging from mild button to umami-rich porcini.

    35

    Okra

    Abelmoschus esculentus

    A long, ridged green pod with sticky seed-filled interior — central to gumbo, Indian curries, and Levantine stews, with the love-it-or-hate-it characteristic mucilage.

    36

    Oregano

    Origanum vulgare

    A pungent Mediterranean herb essential to Italian, Greek, and Mexican cooking — closely related to marjoram but more assertive, with the dried form actually more intense than fresh.

    37

    Padrón Pepper

    Capsicum annuum 'Padrón'

    Small, thin-skinned Spanish peppers from Galicia that are blistered whole in olive oil and served with sea salt — mild and grassy in flavour, but with one famous quirk — roughly one in ten is unexpectedly hot; a classic Spanish tapas dish requiring almost no preparation.

    38

    Parsnip

    Pastinaca sativa

    A pale, sweet, carrot-relative root with a complex herbal flavor — improves dramatically after frost, central to British and Eastern European winter cooking, and unfairly overshadowed by carrots.

    39

    Perilla

    Perilla frutescens

    An aromatic herb-leaf with a complex, distinctive flavour somewhere between basil, mint, and anise — red and green varieties are central to Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cuisines; the green variety (*shiso*) wraps sashimi and flavours rice; the red variety colours pickled plums and sesame oil in Japanese cooking.

    40

    Radicchio

    Cichorium intybus var. foliosum

    A bitter Italian red-leafed chicory eaten in salads, grilled, or roasted — northern Italy's prized winter vegetable, with several distinctive regional varieties protected under European DOP designation.

    41

    Radish

    Raphanus sativus

    A small, crisp, peppery root vegetable in the brassica family, eaten raw with salt and butter, sliced into salads, or roasted to mellow its bite.

    42

    Ramp

    Allium tricoccum

    A wild garlic-onion forest vegetable native to eastern North America — a brief spring season, intense aromatic flavor, and a passionate Appalachian foraging tradition that's gone viral with chef-driven demand.

    43

    Rapini

    Brassica rapa subsp. rapa

    A bitter Italian leafy green with small broccoli-like florets (also called broccoli rabe) — a defining ingredient of southern Italian cuisine, Italian-American sausage sandwiches, and Mediterranean winter cooking.

    44

    Red Leaf Lettuce

    Lactuca sativa var. crispa

    A loose-leaf lettuce variety with deep red-purple leaf tips — used widely in mixed salads, sandwich layers, and decorative plates for its visual contrast against green lettuces.

    45

    Ricebean

    Vigna umbellata

    A small olive-green Indian Himalayan bean — once a major food crop in the Eastern Himalayas, now a "lost crop" being revived for its drought-resilience and unique nutritional profile.

    46

    Romanesco

    Brassica oleracea (Botrytis Group)

    The mathematically perfect vegetable — romanesco broccoli (or Roman cauliflower) forms a head of tightly packed, spiralling chartreuse-green florets that arrange themselves in a precise Fibonacci spiral; each smaller cone is a perfect miniature of the whole, making the vegetable a textbook example of a natural fractal; milder and nuttier in flavour than broccoli or cauliflower, it has become a favourite of chefs for its visual impact.

    47

    Rosemary

    Salvia rosmarinus (formerly Rosmarinus officinalis)

    A pine-scented woody Mediterranean shrub that's beloved in roast meats, breads, and Mediterranean grilling — extraordinarily long-lived and traditionally associated with remembrance.

    48

    Runner Bean

    Phaseolus coccineus

    A long-podded climbing bean from the Mexican highlands — grown across British and Eastern European gardens for its prolific harvest, eaten as fresh long pods rather than dried beans.

    49

    Rutabaga

    Brassica napus subsp. rapifera

    A large yellow-fleshed Scandinavian root vegetable — a hybrid of cabbage and turnip, known as "swede" in Britain and central to Scandinavian, British, and Nordic-influenced cooking.

    50

    Samphire

    Salicornia europaea (marsh samphire / glasswort); Crithmum maritimum (rock samphire)

    A distinctive sea vegetable with an intense salty, maritime flavour — marsh samphire (glasswort) is a bright green succulent harvested from tidal mudflats in summer, blanched briefly and served with butter and fish; rock samphire has a more pungent, aromatic taste and grows on coastal cliffs.

    51

    Sorrel

    Rumex acetosa (common sorrel); Rumex scutatus (French sorrel)

    A sharp, lemony herb-leaf vegetable with one of the most intensely sour tastes in the vegetable garden — its oxalic acid content gives it a flavour like lemon juice with green leafy notes; used in French sorrel soup, as a sauce with fish, wilted with cream, or raw in salads where it cuts through richness.

    52

    Sprouting Broccoli

    Brassica oleracea (Italica Group)

    The traditional British winter brassica — purple or white sprouting broccoli produces a mass of small, tender florets on long stems throughout late winter and early spring, bridging the hungry gap between root vegetables and summer crops; unlike head broccoli, it is harvested by picking individual spears, which encourages further production; the purple variety is sweeter and more tender than supermarket broccoli.

    53

    Sweet Corn

    Zea mays var. saccharata

    A grain crop bred for high-sugar kernels eaten as a vegetable — derived from teosinte over 9,000 years ago in Mexico, now the staple summer barbecue side dish across the Americas.

    54

    Taro

    Colocasia esculenta

    A starchy tropical corm eaten across Pacific, Asian, and African cuisines — fundamental to Hawaiian poi, West African fufu, Japanese satoimo, and Filipino ginataang halo-halo.

    55

    Tarwi

    Lupinus mutabilis

    An Andean lupin bean with extraordinarily high protein content (over 40%) — a traditional Peruvian and Bolivian staple that requires extensive water-soaking to remove bitter alkaloids before eating.

    56

    Tepary Bean

    Phaseolus acutifolius

    A small ancient bean cultivated by indigenous peoples of the Sonoran Desert for over 5,000 years — extreme drought-tolerance, distinctive flavor, and a major comeback in Native American food sovereignty movements.

    57

    Tigernut

    Cyperus esculentus

    A wrinkled brown tuber (not actually a nut) eaten as a snack across Africa and the Mediterranean — and the foundation of Spain's beloved horchata de chufa, dating back to Moorish-era Valencia.

    58

    Tree Onion

    Allium × proliferum

    A perennial onion variety (also called walking onion or topset onion) that produces small bulbs at the top of its flower stalks — drooping under their own weight to plant new bulbs nearby, "walking" across the garden.

    59

    Turmeric

    Curcuma longa

    A bright orange-yellow rhizome from a tropical Asian plant — fundamental to South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine, the source of curry's golden color, and the focus of an enormous global "anti-inflammatory" supplement industry.

    60

    Turnip

    Brassica rapa subsp. rapa

    A peppery, white-and-purple root vegetable common in Northern European cooking — predating potatoes as a staple, with leaves (turnip greens) eaten as a separate vegetable across the American South.

    61

    Urad Bean

    Vigna mungo

    A small black-skinned cream-fleshed lentil (also called black gram) — the foundation of South Indian cuisine, the protein in dosa and idli batters, and the dal in dal makhani.

    62

    Water Chestnut

    Eleocharis dulcis

    An aquatic vegetable grown in muddy ponds — a small, round corm with crisp, white flesh that retains its crunch even after cooking; a key ingredient in Chinese stir-fries, dumpling fillings, and Southeast Asian desserts.

    63

    Watercress

    Nasturtium officinale

    A peppery aquatic green growing wild in cold streams across Eurasia and the Americas, eaten in sandwiches, salads, and soups, and ranked the most nutrient-dense vegetable on Earth.

    64

    Wild Garlic

    Allium ursinum

    The woodland carpet of spring — wild garlic (*ramsons*) carpets British and European deciduous woodland floors from March to May, filling the air with garlic scent before the tree canopy closes; every part is edible, from the leaves and stems to the white star-shaped flowers; it is the most aromatic of Britain's edible wild plants and is now widely foraged for restaurant kitchens.

    65

    Yardlong Bean

    Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis

    A heat-tolerant pod bean reaching 30-50 cm long — beloved across Chinese, Thai, Filipino, and Indian cuisines, eaten quick-cooked rather than long-stewed for its distinctive crunch.

    66

    Yarrow

    Achillea millefolium

    A wild and cultivated medicinal herb — sometimes used as a salad green and bitter herb, more famously known for its 5,000-year history as a wound-healing plant and traditional flavoring agent in pre-hops beer.

    67

    Yuca Root

    Manihot esculenta

    The starchy tuberous root of the cassava plant — a global staple crop feeding over 800 million people under different names worldwide, from Latin America's yuca frita to Nigeria's fufu to Brazil's pão de queijo.

Other ways to filter

Try vegetables that start with R, or end with R. Or browse the full vegetables index.