✔ Updated · 86 vegetables, sorted by category
Vegetables that start with F include fennel, fava beans, French beans, frisee, fiddlehead ferns, fenugreek, fingerling potatoes and French sorrel.
This list covers 86 real culinary vegetables that begin with the letter F, sorted into groups from leafy greens and roots to peppers, squash, mushrooms and international finds like fuki and foo gwa. Fruits such as figs and feijoas are left out, so every item is a true kitchen vegetable, with notes on its taste, texture and how it is cooked.
Vegetables that start with F, from everyday favorites to rare finds. The most popular:
Leafy Greens That Start With F
Salad leaves, cooking greens and wild greens beginning with F. I love a little frisée in my salads.
Frisee
Curly endive with frizzy, pale leaves, a crisp texture and pleasantly bitter taste, served raw in salade lyonnaise with bacon and egg. That bitterness also makes it a good side for duck breast.
French Sorrel
Soft, arrow-shaped leaves with a bright, lemony sourness, eaten raw in salads or melted into sauces and soups for fish.
Fat Hen
A wild goosefoot, also called lamb's quarters, with soft, mild, spinach-like leaves, eaten raw when young or cooked like spinach.
Field Sow Thistle
A wild green with tender young leaves and a mildly bitter, lettuce-like taste, eaten raw or boiled and dressed with oil.
French Purslane
A cultivated, upright purslane with fleshy, crunchy leaves and a lemony, slightly salty flavor, eaten raw or lightly sautéed.
Fordhook Giant Chard
A heavy-yielding Swiss chard with thick white ribs and crinkled, earthy green leaves, sautéed, braised or baked in gratins.
Five Color Silverbeet
A chard mix with red, pink, orange, yellow and white stems, tender, earthy leaves and juicy ribs, sautéed or added to stir-fries.
Forellenschluss Lettuce
An Austrian heirloom romaine with green leaves splashed in maroon, a crisp, juicy texture and a sweet, buttery taste, eaten raw.
Freckles Lettuce
A speckled romaine-type lettuce with red-spotted leaves, a crunchy texture and mild, sweet flavor, used raw in salads.
Flame Lettuce
A deep red loose-leaf lettuce with crisp, frilly leaves and a mild, slightly sweet flavor, eaten raw in mixed salads.
Four Seasons Lettuce
Merveille des Quatre Saisons, a French red butterhead with soft, buttery leaves and a sweet, mild taste, served raw.
Fava Greens
The tender top leaves of fava bean plants, with a sweet, fresh bean flavor and soft texture, eaten raw or wilted with garlic.
Fireweed Shoots
Young spring shoots of fireweed with a mild, slightly bitter, asparagus-like taste and tender bite, steamed or sautéed.
Root Vegetables That Start With F
Potatoes, radishes, beets, carrots and rhizomes. Fingerling potatoes are my favorite to roast.
Fingerling Potato
Small, finger-shaped potatoes with thin skin, firm, waxy flesh and a buttery, nutty taste, roasted whole or halved and pan-fried.
French Fingerling Potato
A rosy-skinned fingerling with yellow flesh streaked pink, a waxy texture and rich, nutty flavor, roasted or boiled in salads.
Fianna Potato
A Dutch white potato with dry, floury flesh and a mild flavor, ideal for fluffy mash, baked potatoes and chips.
Fontane Potato
A large, yellow-fleshed potato with a firm, slightly floury texture and mild taste, widely grown for French fries.
French Breakfast Radish
An oblong red radish with a white tip, crisp, juicy flesh and mild peppery bite, eaten raw with butter, salt and bread.
Formanova Beet
A cylindrical red beet with tender, deep red flesh and a sweet, earthy flavor, sliced into even rounds for roasting or pickling.
Forono Beet
An Italian cylinder beet with smooth, sweet, tender flesh, easy to slice for roasting, boiling, pickling or salads.
Flyaway Carrot
A stump-rooted carrot with crisp, juicy orange flesh and a very sweet flavor, eaten raw, roasted or steamed.
Fuseau Sunchoke
A smooth, spindle-shaped Jerusalem artichoke with crisp white flesh and a sweet, nutty, artichoke-like taste, roasted or made into soup.
Fingerroot
Krachai, a Thai rhizome with thin, finger-like roots, a crunchy texture and peppery, citrusy flavor, shredded into curries and fish dishes.
Alliums That Start With F
Onions, shallots and chives that start with F. I snip fresh chives over almost everything.
Florence Red Onion
Rossa di Firenze, a long, torpedo-shaped red onion with sweet, mild, juicy flesh, sliced raw in salads or grilled.
Flat Italian Onions
Small, flattened onions such as Borettane, with sweet, firm flesh that turns silky and caramelized when roasted or glazed in balsamic.
French Grey Shallot
Griselle, the true French shallot with grey-brown skin, firm purple-tinged flesh and an intense, garlicky sweetness, minced into sauces.
French Red Shallot
A copper-skinned shallot with pinkish, crisp layers and a mild, sweet onion flavor, used raw in vinaigrettes or roasted whole.
Flowering Chives
Garlic chive stalks topped with buds, with a crisp, juicy bite and mild garlic flavor, stir-fried with pork, shrimp or eggs.
Brassicas That Start With F
Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and mustard varieties.
Flat Dutch Cabbage
A heirloom cabbage with large, flattened heads, crisp leaves and a mild, sweet taste, shredded for slaw and sauerkraut or braised.
Fioretto Cauliflower
A loose, long-stemmed cauliflower with tender, sweet florets and a crisp, juicy stem, roasted, grilled or stir-fried.
Flower Sprouts
The UK name for kalettes, a kale and Brussels sprout cross with frilly rosettes, a nutty-sweet taste and tender bite, roasted or sautéed.
Florida Broadleaf Mustard
A Southern mustard green with large, smooth leaves, a tender texture and peppery bite, simmered with ham hock or sautéed.
Fiesta Broccoli
A broccoli variety with domed, blue-green heads, crisp stems and a sweet, grassy flavor, steamed, roasted or eaten raw.
Freedom Cauliflower
A white cauliflower with dense, crunchy curds and a mild, nutty flavor, roasted, steamed, mashed or riced.
Squash & Gourds That Start With F
Pumpkins, squash, zucchini and gourds.
Fairytale Pumpkin
Musquée de Provence, a deeply ribbed, tan-orange French pumpkin with thick, sweet, creamy flesh, roasted, puréed or baked into pies.
Futsu Squash
A small Japanese heirloom squash with warty dark skin and dense, sweet, nutty flesh that tastes like chestnut, roasted or steamed.
Festival Squash
A striped, acorn-shaped winter squash with tender, sweet, mildly nutty flesh, halved and roasted or stuffed.
Flat White Boer Pumpkin
A flattened white South African pumpkin with thick, sweet, dry orange flesh, roasted, baked into pies or made into soup.
Fordhook Zucchini
A dark green heirloom zucchini with tender, creamy flesh and a mild, fresh flavor, grilled, fried, sautéed or baked into bread.
Fig-Leaf Gourd
Cucurbita ficifolia, a melon-like squash with stringy white flesh and mild, sweet taste, cooked young or made into candy and sweet drinks.
Fuzzy Melon
Also called mo qua, a hairy green gourd with soft, juicy flesh and a mild, cucumber-like taste, peeled and stir-fried or simmered in soup.
Foo Gwa
The Cantonese name for bitter melon, a ridged gourd with crisp flesh and a sharp bitterness, stir-fried with beef and black beans or stuffed.
Legumes & Pods That Start With F
Fresh and dried beans and peas starting with F.
Fava Bean
Also called broad bean, large green beans with a buttery, nutty, slightly bitter flavor and creamy texture, blanched, peeled and sautéed or mashed.
French Bean
Slim green beans with crisp, juicy pods and a fresh, grassy taste, steamed, blanched for salade niçoise or sautéed with garlic.
Flat Beans
Romano or Italian flat beans, broad green pods with a meaty, juicy texture and rich bean flavor, braised with tomato or sautéed.
Filet Beans
Haricots verts, extra-thin French green beans with a tender snap and delicate, sweet flavor, blanched briefly and dressed with butter.
Flageolet Beans
Small, pale green French beans with a creamy, delicate texture and mild, fresh flavor, simmered and served with roast lamb.
Fordhook Lima Bean
A large-seeded lima with plump, starchy beans and a rich, buttery flavor, boiled, added to succotash or creamed.
Florida Speckled Butterbean
A pole lima with buff seeds splashed maroon, a creamy texture and nutty, buttery taste, simmered Southern-style with pork.
Fin de Bagnols Bean
A French heirloom filet bean with very slender, tender pods and a delicate, sweet flavor, steamed whole and buttered.
Fortex Pole Bean
A stringless pole bean with long, round pods, a crisp, juicy snap and nutty-sweet flavor, steamed, sautéed or eaten raw.
Field Peas
Southern cowpeas such as crowders and lady peas, with a creamy texture and earthy, savory taste, simmered with smoked pork.
Fruiting Vegetables That Start With F
Peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and corn cooked as vegetables.
Fresno Pepper
A red chile like a jalapeño with thinner walls, crisp flesh and a fruity, smoky, medium heat, sliced raw onto tacos or pickled.
Fish Pepper
A variegated heirloom chile from Baltimore with crisp, hot fruit and a bright flavor, traditionally used in oyster and crab dishes.
Friggitello
An Italian sweet frying pepper with thin, tender walls and a sweet, slightly tangy taste, blistered whole in olive oil.
Feher Ozon Pepper
A Hungarian paprika-type pepper that ripens from ivory to orange-red, with thick, sweet flesh, fried, stuffed or roasted.
Filius Blue Pepper
A small ornamental-looking chile that turns purple-blue to red, with thin flesh and sharp heat, used fresh in salsas or dried.
Fatalii Pepper
A Central African chile with wrinkled yellow fruit, very hot heat and a citrusy, fruity flavor, blended into hot sauces.
Facing Heaven Pepper
Chao tian jiao, a Sichuan chile that grows pointing up, with thin, dry skin and fragrant, medium heat, fried whole in mala dishes.
Fooled You Jalapeno
A heatless jalapeño with thick, crunchy walls and full green-chile flavor, stuffed, grilled, roasted or sliced raw.
Fiorentino Tomato
Costoluto Fiorentino, a deeply ribbed Italian heirloom with meaty, juicy flesh and a rich, tangy flavor, sliced or cooked into sauce.
Fourth of July Tomato
An early red cherry-size tomato with juicy, tender flesh and a sweet-tart flavor, eaten raw in salads or roasted.
Federle Tomato
A long, pepper-shaped paste heirloom with dense, meaty, dry flesh and rich flavor, ideal for sauces, paste and canning.
Flamme Tomato
A French heirloom apricot-sized tomato with orange skin, juicy flesh and a sweet, fruity, tangy taste, eaten raw or dried.
Fairy Tale Eggplant
Miniature purple-and-white striped eggplants with thin skin and sweet, creamy, seedless-tasting flesh, grilled or roasted whole.
Florida High Bush Eggplant
A Southern heirloom with large, dark purple fruit and firm, mild, creamy flesh, fried, baked into parmigiana or stewed.
Flint Corn
A hard-kerneled corn in many colors with a nutty, earthy flavor, dried and ground for polenta, cornmeal and hominy.
Fisher's Earliest Corn
An heirloom sweet corn from Montana with tender kernels and a rich, old-fashioned corn flavor, boiled or roasted on the cob.
Fanfare Cucumber
A compact slicing cucumber with crisp, juicy flesh and a mild, sweet, non-bitter taste, sliced raw into salads.
Stalks, Shoots & Flowers That Start With F
Bulbs, stalks, fern fronds and edible flowers.
Fennel
Florence fennel, or finocchio, a crisp, juicy bulb with a sweet anise flavor, shaved raw into salads or roasted until soft.
Fiddlehead Fern
Coiled young fern fronds with a crunchy, grassy, asparagus-like taste, always boiled or steamed well before sautéing in butter.
Fuki
Japanese butterbur stalks with a crisp, celery-like texture and a bitter, fresh flavor, blanched, peeled and simmered in dashi.
Fukinoto
The spring flower buds of Japanese butterbur, with a pleasant bitterness and tender, leafy texture, fried as tempura or mixed into miso.
Flor de Calabaza
Squash blossoms in Mexican cooking, soft and delicate with a mild, sweet squash flavor, cooked into quesadillas and soups.
Flor de Izote
Yucca flowers, El Salvador's national flower, with a crisp texture and slightly bitter, artichoke-like taste, scrambled with eggs and tomato.
Mushrooms & Fungi That Start With F
Mushrooms are fungi, not plants, but they are cooked as culinary vegetables. Only eat wild mushrooms identified by an expert.
Field Mushroom
Agaricus campestris, the wild cousin of the button mushroom, with tender white caps and a rich, earthy flavor, fried in butter.
Fairy Ring Mushroom
Small tan mushrooms that grow in circles on lawns, with chewy caps and a sweet, nutty flavor, sautéed or dried for soups.
Field Blewit
A wild mushroom with a lilac stem and firm, meaty flesh with a mild, perfumed flavor, always cooked, often in stews or with onions.
Funnel Chanterelle
Also called yellowfoot, a small trumpet mushroom with a chewy texture and fruity, earthy flavor, sautéed or dried.
Fried Chicken Mushroom
Lyophyllum decastes, a clustered brown mushroom with firm, meaty flesh and a mild, savory taste, sautéed or breaded and fried.
French Horn Mushroom
Another name for king oyster mushroom, with a thick white stem, meaty texture and savory, umami flavor, seared or grilled.
Herbs Used as Vegetables That Start With F
Herbs and aromatic leaves cooked by the bunch.
Fenugreek
Fresh fenugreek leaves, or methi, with a bitter, maple-like aroma and soft texture, cooked with potatoes in aloo methi or into flatbreads.
Flat-Leaf Parsley
Italian parsley with flat, tender leaves and a bright, peppery, grassy flavor, used by the handful in tabbouleh and gremolata.
Fish Mint
Houttuynia, a heart-shaped leaf with a sour, fishy, citrusy taste and soft texture, eaten raw with Vietnamese dishes or its roots in Sichuan salads.
Rare & International Vegetables That Start With F
Less familiar vegetables from kitchens around the world.
Fluted Pumpkin
Ugu, a West African vine whose large leaves have a mild, earthy flavor and soft texture, cooked into Nigerian edikang ikong and egusi soup.
Funori
A red Japanese seaweed with thin, branching fronds, a crunchy-tender texture and mild sea flavor, rehydrated for miso soup and salads.
Did You Know?
- Fiddleheads are the tightly coiled young fronds of ferns such as the ostrich fern; they must be cooked thoroughly before eating.
- Fava beans are among the oldest cultivated crops, grown in the Mediterranean and Middle East for thousands of years.
- Florence fennel is the same species as the herb fennel, but it has been bred for its swollen, crunchy leaf bases, called the bulb.
- Fenugreek is eaten two ways in India: the fresh leaves, called methi, are cooked as a vegetable, and the dried seeds are used as a spice.
Quick List: All 86 Vegetables That Start With F
Handy for alphabet games, quizzes and Scattergories. The full list, A to Z:
Facing Heaven Pepper, Fairy Ring Mushroom, Fairy Tale Eggplant, Fairytale Pumpkin, Fanfare Cucumber, Fat Hen, Fatalii Pepper, Fava Bean, Fava Greens, Federle Tomato, Feher Ozon Pepper, Fennel, Fenugreek, Festival Squash, Fianna Potato, Fiddlehead Fern, Field Blewit, Field Mushroom, Field Peas, Field Sow Thistle, Fiesta Broccoli, Fig-Leaf Gourd, Filet Beans, Filius Blue Pepper, Fin de Bagnols Bean, Fingerling Potato, Fingerroot, Fiorentino Tomato, Fioretto Cauliflower, Fireweed Shoots, Fish Mint, Fish Pepper, Fisher's Earliest Corn, Five Color Silverbeet, Flageolet Beans, Flame Lettuce, Flamme Tomato, Flat Beans, Flat Dutch Cabbage, Flat Italian Onions, Flat White Boer Pumpkin, Flat-Leaf Parsley, Flint Corn, Flor de Calabaza, Flor de Izote, Florence Red Onion, Florida Broadleaf Mustard, Florida High Bush Eggplant, Florida Speckled Butterbean, Flower Sprouts, Flowering Chives, Fluted Pumpkin, Flyaway Carrot, Fontane Potato, Foo Gwa, Fooled You Jalapeno, Fordhook Giant Chard, Fordhook Lima Bean, Fordhook Zucchini, Forellenschluss Lettuce, Formanova Beet, Forono Beet, Fortex Pole Bean, Four Seasons Lettuce, Fourth of July Tomato, Freckles Lettuce, Freedom Cauliflower, French Bean, French Breakfast Radish, French Fingerling Potato, French Grey Shallot, French Horn Mushroom, French Purslane, French Red Shallot, French Sorrel, Fresno Pepper, Fried Chicken Mushroom, Friggitello, Frisee, Fuki, Fukinoto, Funnel Chanterelle, Funori, Fuseau Sunchoke, Futsu Squash, Fuzzy Melon
Frequently Asked Questions
What vegetable starts with F?
Fennel is the best-known vegetable that starts with F. Fava beans, French beans, frisee, fiddlehead ferns, fenugreek leaves, fingerling potatoes, French sorrel and flat Romano beans are other common F vegetables.
What is a green vegetable that starts with F?
Green vegetables that start with F include fava beans, French beans, flat beans, frisee, fiddlehead ferns, French sorrel, fenugreek leaves, flat-leaf parsley, Fordhook zucchini and the fronds and stalks of fennel.
Is fennel a vegetable or a herb?
Fennel is both. Florence fennel is grown as a vegetable for its crisp, anise-flavored bulb, which is eaten raw or roasted. The feathery fronds and seeds of fennel are used as a herb and spice.
Are fiddlehead ferns safe to eat?
Fiddleheads from the ostrich fern are a popular spring vegetable, but they should never be eaten raw. Clean them well, then boil or steam them thoroughly before sautéing, as undercooked fiddleheads have been linked to food poisoning.
Is fig a vegetable that starts with F?
No. Figs are fruits, as are feijoas and finger limes, so they are not on this list. Vegetables that start with F include fennel, fava beans, French beans, frisee, fiddleheads, fenugreek and fingerling potatoes.
More vegetables by letter:
