✔ Updated · 87 vegetables, sorted by category
Vegetables that start with D include daikon, dandelion greens, dill, delicata squash, dasheen, daylily, drumstick pods and dabberlocks seaweed.
D vegetables are a varied bunch of herbs, roots, algae, leaves, beans and squash, and this list gathers 87 of them, from everyday dinosaur kale and Detroit beets to rare finds like doraji and deodeok. Each entry explains the taste, the texture and how the vegetable is cooked, and a quick A-to-Z list at the end is handy for games and quizzes.
Vegetables that start with D, from everyday favorites to rare finds. The most popular:
Leafy Greens That Start With D
Greens, salad leaves and wild leaves that begin with D. My mum foraged dandelion greens in spring.
Dandelion
Jagged leaves with a sharp, bitter taste and tender bite when young, eaten raw in salads or sautéed like spinach; the flowers make fritters.
Dandelion Chicory
Also called catalogna, long, toothed chicory leaves with crunchy ribs and a bold bitterness, braised with garlic and olive oil.
Dock Greens
Young leaves of curly or patience dock with a lemony, sorrel-like sourness and soft texture, cooked like spinach or into soups.
Deer Tongue Lettuce
A loose-leaf heirloom with pointed, tongue-shaped leaves, a crisp-tender bite and mild, nutty flavor, served raw in salads.
Devil's Ear Lettuce
A red-tinged French heirloom butterhead with soft, buttery leaves and a sweet, mild taste, eaten fresh in salads.
Drunken Woman Lettuce
A frilly heirloom loose-leaf lettuce with red-tipped, crisp leaves and a sweet, slightly bitter taste, used raw in mixed salads.
Dragon's Tongue Arugula
A wild-type arugula with purple-veined, deeply cut leaves and a hot, peppery, nutty bite, eaten raw or tossed onto pizza.
Double Purple Orach
A deep purple orach with soft, slightly salty, spinach-like leaves, eaten raw when young or wilted and stir-fried.
Duckweed
Tiny aquatic Wolffia, eaten in Thailand as khai nam, with a mild, fresh taste and soft, beady texture, cooked into curries and omelets.
Root Vegetables That Start With D
Radishes, taro, potatoes, carrots, beets and other roots. I slice daikon into my stir-fries.
Daikon
A large white radish with crisp, juicy flesh and a mild, slightly sweet and peppery taste, grated raw, pickled, braised or simmered in soups.
Dasheen
A type of taro with purple-flecked corms that cook up soft and starchy with a sweet, nutty flavor, boiled, roasted or added to soups.
De 18 Jours Radish
A French heirloom radish ready in about 18 days, with crisp, juicy, mild red-and-white roots, eaten raw with butter and salt.
Danvers Carrot
A classic American carrot with thick, tapered roots, crunchy flesh and a sweet, earthy flavor, eaten raw, roasted or in stews.
Dragon Carrot
A purple-skinned carrot with orange flesh, a crisp texture and a spicy-sweet flavor, roasted or sliced raw to show its color.
Detroit Dark Red Beet
A popular round beet with deep red, tender flesh and a sweet, earthy flavor, roasted, boiled, pickled or grated raw.
Desiree Potato
A red-skinned potato with yellow, firm, creamy flesh and a rich flavor, versatile for roasting, wedges, mash and salads.
Duke of York Potato
An old British first-early potato with yellow, waxy flesh and a sweet, nutty taste, boiled as new potatoes or roasted.
Dark Red Norland Potato
An early red-skinned potato with white, waxy, moist flesh and a mild taste, boiled, roasted or used in potato salad.
Diamant Potato
A Dutch potato with pale yellow, floury flesh and a mild flavor, prized for crisp French fries and fluffy baked potatoes.
Dutch Yellow Potato
Small, thin-skinned yellow potatoes with creamy, buttery flesh, roasted whole, smashed or boiled without peeling.
Dakota Pearl Potato
A round white American potato with bright white, dry, starchy flesh and mild flavor, bred for frying into potato chips.
Duck Potato
Also called wapato, the tuber of Sagittaria, with a potato-and-chestnut flavor and firm texture, roasted or boiled by Native Americans.
Dahlia Tubers
Edible roots of the dahlia, eaten by the Aztecs, with a crisp texture and a flavor ranging from celery to radish, roasted or boiled.
Doraji
Korean bellflower root with a crunchy, fibrous texture and bitter, earthy taste, salted to soften it, then seasoned as namul or pickled.
Deodeok
A Korean mountain root with a chewy, meaty texture and an aromatic, slightly bitter flavor, pounded flat and grilled with gochujang.
Alliums That Start With D
Onions and garlic varieties that start with D. I never have too many onions.
Dorata di Parma Onion
A golden Italian onion from Parma with firm, juicy flesh and a sweet, mildly pungent flavor, roasted, braised or caramelized.
Duganski Garlic
A purple-striped hardneck garlic with fiery, rich cloves that mellow to a sweet, nutty taste when roasted or slow-cooked.
Dutch Red Shallot
A small, red-brown shallot with fine, crisp layers and a sweet, gentle onion bite, minced raw into dressings or roasted whole.
Brassicas That Start With D
Kale, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli and mustard greens.
Dinosaur Kale
Also called lacinato or cavolo nero, dark, bumpy leaves with a deep, earthy, slightly sweet flavor and firm texture, for soups, sautés and chips.
Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale
A compact, frilly blue-green kale with crisp, sturdy leaves and a sweet, cabbage-like taste after frost, steamed, sautéed or baked.
Dwarf Siberian Kale
A tender, flat-leaved kale with ruffled edges, soft texture and a mild, sweet flavor, eaten raw in salads or lightly wilted.
Dwarf Green Curled Kale
A tightly curled, bright green kale with crunchy leaves and a robust, peppery cabbage flavor, braised, roasted or blended into soups.
Dazzling Blue Kale
A lacinato-type kale with blue-green leaves, purple ribs and a sweet, nutty taste, tender enough for salads or quick sautés.
Delicacy White Kohlrabi
A pale green kohlrabi with crisp, juicy flesh and a sweet, broccoli-stem flavor, sliced raw, grated into slaw or roasted.
Delicacy Purple Kohlrabi
A purple-skinned kohlrabi with crunchy white flesh and a sweet, mild cabbage-turnip flavor, eaten raw or stir-fried.
Di Cicco Broccoli
An Italian heirloom broccoli with a small central head, many side shoots and tender, sweet flesh, steamed, roasted or sautéed.
Danish Ballhead Cabbage
A hardy heirloom cabbage with firm, round heads, crisp leaves and a sweet, peppery flavor, used for sauerkraut, slaw and braising.
Drumhead Cabbage
A flat-topped, densely packed cabbage type with crunchy, mild, sweet leaves, shredded raw, pickled or cooked into stews.
Dai Gai Choy
Chinese big mustard greens with thick, juicy stems and a sharp, bitter, peppery taste, simmered in soups or pickled as suan cai.
Squash & Gourds That Start With D
Winter squash, pumpkins, zucchini varieties and gourds.
Delicata Squash
A cream-and-green striped winter squash with thin, edible skin and sweet, tender flesh that tastes like sweet potato, roasted in rings.
Dickinson Pumpkin
A tan, oblong heirloom pumpkin with dense, deep orange flesh and a sweet, mild flavor, used for most canned pumpkin and pies.
Dumpling Squash
Sweet dumpling is a small, round, cream-and-green squash with tender, sweet, chestnut-like flesh, halved and roasted or stuffed.
Delica Squash
A Japanese kabocha variety with dark green skin and dry, fluffy orange flesh with a sweet, nutty flavor, steamed, simmered or made into tempura.
Dill's Atlantic Giant
The full name of the record-breaking giant pumpkin bred by Howard Dill, with pale, watery, mild flesh, grown mostly for contests.
Doodhi
The Indian name for bottle gourd, a pale green gourd with soft, juicy, mild flesh, cooked into curries, dal, kofta and halwa.
Diamond Zucchini
A dark green zucchini with tender, creamy-white flesh and a mild, slightly sweet flavor, grilled, sautéed or spiralized.
Dunja Zucchini
A glossy, dark green zucchini with firm, smooth flesh and a delicate, buttery flavor, sliced and grilled, roasted or baked.
Dark Green Zucchini
A classic open-pollinated zucchini with tender, pale flesh and a fresh, mild taste, fried, baked into bread or stirred into pasta.
Legumes & Pods That Start With D
Beans, peas and shoots starting with D.
Dragon Tongue Bean
A Dutch heirloom flat bean with cream pods streaked purple, a juicy, crisp texture and sweet flavor, eaten raw or lightly sautéed.
Dolichos Bean
Also called hyacinth or lablab bean, flat pods with a nutty, slightly bitter flavor and firm bite, always cooked, usually in curries.
Double Beans
The South Indian name for large fresh lima beans, with a buttery, starchy texture and mild, sweet taste, cooked into kurma and sambar.
Dixie Speckled Butterpea
A small, red-speckled Southern lima bean with a rich, buttery flavor and creamy texture, simmered with ham hock or butter.
Dutch Brown Beans
Bruine bonen, light brown dried beans with a creamy, mealy texture and mild, earthy flavor, cooked into Dutch soup and stews.
Desi Chickpeas
Small, dark brown chickpeas with a firm, nutty texture and earthy flavor, cooked into Indian curries or split to make chana dal.
Dark Red Kidney Beans
Large, deep red beans with a firm skin, creamy interior and full, savory flavor, simmered in chili, rajma and red beans and rice.
Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea
An heirloom snow pea with flat, tender pods and a sweet, fresh flavor, eaten raw, stir-fried or steamed; its shoots are also eaten.
Dou Miao
Chinese pea shoots, tender tendrils and leaves with a sweet, fresh pea flavor and delicate crunch, stir-fried quickly with garlic.
Dwarf French Bean
A bush green bean with slim, stringless pods, a crisp, juicy texture and fresh, grassy flavor, steamed, blanched or sautéed.
Fruiting Vegetables That Start With D
Peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers and corn, cooked as vegetables.
Datil Pepper
A small, yellow-orange chile from St. Augustine, Florida, with fierce heat and a sweet, fruity flavor, used in hot sauces and relishes.
Dorset Naga
A super-hot chile selected in England from the Bangladeshi naga, with intense heat and a fruity, floral taste, used sparingly in sauces.
Diamond Bell Pepper
A white-to-cream bell pepper with thick, crunchy walls and a mild, sweet flavor, eaten raw in salads or stuffed and roasted.
Death Spiral Pepper
A wrinkled, super-hot red chile with brutal heat and a fruity flavor, used in tiny amounts for hot sauces and chili flakes.
Diamond Eggplant
A Ukrainian heirloom eggplant with dark purple fruit and firm, creamy flesh that is never bitter, grilled, fried or roasted.
Dusky Eggplant
An early, glossy black eggplant with tender, creamy flesh and a mild, savory flavor, sliced and grilled, fried or baked into parmigiana.
Dancer Eggplant
A long, lavender-pink eggplant with thin skin and mild, creamy, non-bitter flesh, sautéed, grilled or roasted whole.
Delicious Tomato
A giant red beefsteak heirloom with meaty, juicy flesh and a rich, balanced flavor, sliced thick for burgers and sandwiches.
Druzba Tomato
A Bulgarian heirloom tomato whose name means friendship, with smooth, juicy red flesh and a sweet-tart flavor, sliced or cooked.
Dr. Wyche's Yellow Tomato
A large golden-orange heirloom tomato with meaty, smooth flesh and a sweet, tropical, low-acid flavor, eaten raw.
Dent Corn
Field corn with a dimple in each kernel, starchy and mildly sweet, dried and ground for cornmeal, grits and masa for tortillas.
Double Standard Corn
An open-pollinated bicolor sweet corn with tender yellow and white kernels and an old-fashioned sweet flavor, boiled or grilled.
Diva Cucumber
A seedless, thin-skinned cucumber with crisp, juicy flesh and a sweet, never-bitter taste, sliced raw into salads or eaten whole.
Dragon's Egg Cucumber
A Croatian heirloom with small, egg-shaped, cream-colored fruit, crisp juicy flesh and a mild, sweet taste, eaten raw like an apple.
Dasher Cucumber
A dark green slicing cucumber with crunchy, juicy flesh and a clean, mild taste, eaten raw in salads and sandwiches.
Stalks, Shoots & Flowers That Start With D
Edible buds, flowers, pods and shoots.
Daylily
Buds, flowers and young shoots with a sweet, slightly tangy, green-bean-like flavor and crisp texture, stir-fried, added to soups or dried as golden needles.
Drumstick
The long, ridged pods of the moringa tree with soft, jelly-like inner flesh and a sweet, asparagus-like taste, simmered in sambar and curries.
Dandelion Flowers
Bright yellow blossoms with a sweet, honey-like, slightly bitter taste and soft texture, dipped in batter and fried as fritters.
Sea Vegetables That Start With D
Edible algae from the Atlantic coast.
Dabberlocks
Also called winged kelp, a brown seaweed with a mild, sea-salty flavor and silky texture, eaten raw in salads or cooked in soups.
Dulse
A red seaweed, called dillisk in Ireland, with a salty, smoky flavor and chewy texture, eaten dried as a snack, pan-fried or in soups.
Mushrooms & Fungi That Start With D
Mushrooms are fungi rather than plants, but they are cooked as culinary vegetables. Only eat wild mushrooms identified by an expert.
Dryad's Saddle
A large, scaly bracket mushroom with a fresh cucumber-like smell and tender edges when young, sliced thin and sautéed or fried.
Deer Mushroom
A brown wood-rot mushroom with soft, delicate flesh and a mild, slightly radish-like flavor, sautéed in butter or added to soups.
Herbs Used as Vegetables That Start With D
Herbs that are used by the handful in cooking.
Dill
Feathery leaves with a sweet, grassy, slightly anise flavor and soft texture, stirred into potatoes, salmon, pickles and yogurt sauces.
Dhania
The Hindi name for fresh cilantro, with soft, fragrant leaves and a bright, citrusy taste, used by the bunch in chutneys and curries.
Rare & International Vegetables That Start With D
Less familiar vegetables from kitchens around the world.
Dasheen Bush
The Caribbean name for young dasheen leaves, which cook down soft and silky with an earthy, spinach-like taste, the base of callaloo.
Drumstick Leaves
Small moringa leaves with a mild, slightly bitter, peppery taste and tender texture, stir-fried with coconut or cooked into dal.
Daun Singkong
Indonesian cassava leaves with a mild, earthy flavor, pounded and boiled until soft, then cooked in coconut milk as gulai daun singkong.
Daun Pepaya
Young papaya leaves, eaten in Indonesia and Malaysia, with a strong bitter taste and soft texture after boiling, stir-fried with chili.
Dhekia
The Assamese name for fiddlehead fern, with crunchy, coiled tips and a grassy, asparagus-like taste, stir-fried with garlic or curried.
Did You Know?
- A single daikon radish can grow longer than 2 feet, and the giant Sakurajima variety from Japan can weigh over 40 pounds.
- Dried daylily buds are sold in Chinese markets as golden needles and are a classic ingredient in hot and sour soup.
- Delicata squash skin is thin enough to eat, so it can be sliced and roasted without peeling, unlike most winter squash.
- Dulse, called dillisk in Ireland, has been gathered from Atlantic shores for more than a thousand years and is still eaten dried as a salty snack.
Quick List: All 87 Vegetables That Start With D
Handy for alphabet games, quizzes and Scattergories. The full list, A to Z:
Dabberlocks, Dahlia Tubers, Dai Gai Choy, Daikon, Dakota Pearl Potato, Dancer Eggplant, Dandelion, Dandelion Chicory, Dandelion Flowers, Danish Ballhead Cabbage, Danvers Carrot, Dark Green Zucchini, Dark Red Kidney Beans, Dark Red Norland Potato, Dasheen, Dasheen Bush, Dasher Cucumber, Datil Pepper, Daun Pepaya, Daun Singkong, Daylily, Dazzling Blue Kale, De 18 Jours Radish, Death Spiral Pepper, Deer Mushroom, Deer Tongue Lettuce, Delica Squash, Delicacy Purple Kohlrabi, Delicacy White Kohlrabi, Delicata Squash, Delicious Tomato, Dent Corn, Deodeok, Desi Chickpeas, Desiree Potato, Detroit Dark Red Beet, Devil's Ear Lettuce, Dhania, Dhekia, Di Cicco Broccoli, Diamant Potato, Diamond Bell Pepper, Diamond Eggplant, Diamond Zucchini, Dickinson Pumpkin, Dill, Dill's Atlantic Giant, Dinosaur Kale, Diva Cucumber, Dixie Speckled Butterpea, Dock Greens, Dolichos Bean, Doodhi, Doraji, Dorata di Parma Onion, Dorset Naga, Dou Miao, Double Beans, Double Purple Orach, Double Standard Corn, Dr. Wyche's Yellow Tomato, Dragon Carrot, Dragon Tongue Bean, Dragon's Egg Cucumber, Dragon's Tongue Arugula, Drumhead Cabbage, Drumstick, Drumstick Leaves, Drunken Woman Lettuce, Druzba Tomato, Dryad's Saddle, Duck Potato, Duckweed, Duganski Garlic, Duke of York Potato, Dulse, Dumpling Squash, Dunja Zucchini, Dusky Eggplant, Dutch Brown Beans, Dutch Red Shallot, Dutch Yellow Potato, Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale, Dwarf French Bean, Dwarf Green Curled Kale, Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea, Dwarf Siberian Kale
Frequently Asked Questions
What vegetable starts with D?
Daikon, a large white radish, is the most common vegetable that starts with D. Dandelion greens, dill, delicata squash, dinosaur kale, dasheen, daylily, drumstick pods and dulse seaweed also begin with D.
What is a green vegetable that starts with D?
Green vegetables that start with D include dandelion greens, dinosaur kale, dill, dock greens, Diamond zucchini, Dragon's Tongue arugula, Dou Miao pea shoots and drumstick pods from the moringa tree.
What root vegetables start with D?
Root vegetables that start with D include daikon radish, dasheen (a type of taro), doraji and deodeok from Korea, duck potato, dahlia tubers, Danvers carrots, Detroit Dark Red beets and Desiree potatoes.
Can you eat daylilies?
Yes, the common orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) is a traditional vegetable in East Asia. Its buds, flowers and young shoots are stir-fried or added to soups, and dried buds are sold as golden needles. Eat only a little at first, and never confuse daylilies with true lilies.
What is drumstick vegetable?
Drumstick is the long, ridged seed pod of the moringa tree, popular in South India and Southeast Asia. The pods are cut into pieces and simmered in sambar or curries, and the soft inner flesh is scooped out with the teeth.
More vegetables by letter:
