✔ Updated · 50 vegetables, sorted by category
Vegetables that start with I include iceberg lettuce, Italian red onions, Idaho potatoes, Indian corn, ivy gourd, ice plant, Italian eggplant and Irish moss.
I is a tricky letter, so many lists pad it with fruits like the Indian fig or Indian prune. This list sticks to 50 real culinary vegetables, mostly named varieties and regional vegetables, sorted by type, with a note on how each one tastes, its texture and how it is cooked.
Vegetables that start with I, from everyday favorites to rare finds. The most popular:
Leafy Greens That Start With I
Lettuces, chicories and greens that begin with I. Iceberg wedge salad is my steakhouse-night side.
Iceberg Lettuce
A tight, pale green head with very crisp, watery leaves and a mild, clean taste, shredded into tacos, burgers and wedge salads.
Ice Plant
A succulent with glittering, bead-covered leaves, a juicy crunch and naturally salty, lemony taste, eaten raw in salads or as a garnish.
Ice Queen Lettuce
Reine des Glaces, a French crisphead with jagged, frilly leaves, a crunchy texture and sweet, mild taste, eaten raw.
Ithaca Lettuce
A crisphead lettuce bred at Cornell, with firm, crunchy, pale leaves and a mild, sweet flavor, used raw in salads and sandwiches.
Italian Dandelion
A chicory with long, toothed leaves, crunchy ribs and a strong bitterness, sautéed with garlic, chili and olive oil.
Indian Lettuce
An old name for miner's lettuce, with round, juicy, tender leaves and a mild, fresh taste, eaten raw in spring salads.
Indian Spinach
Another name for Malabar spinach, thick, glossy leaves with a mild, peppery taste and slightly slippery texture, sautéed or curried.
Root Vegetables That Start With I
Potatoes, carrots, radishes and wild roots. I grab named potato varieties whenever I see them.
Idaho Potato
Russet potatoes grown in Idaho, with dry, floury flesh and a mild, earthy flavor, ideal for baking, mashing and French fries.
Irish Cobbler Potato
A 19th-century American heirloom with creamy white, floury flesh and a rich, earthy taste, great baked, mashed or boiled.
International Kidney Potato
The variety behind Jersey Royal new potatoes, with thin skin, waxy flesh and a sweet, nutty flavor, boiled and buttered.
Imperator Carrot
The long, slender carrot type found in most supermarkets, with crunchy flesh and a sweet, earthy flavor, eaten raw or roasted.
Icicle Radish
A long, white radish with crisp, juicy flesh and a mild-to-medium peppery bite, sliced raw into salads or quick-pickled.
Indian Breadroot
The prairie turnip, a starchy wild root with a mild, sweet, slightly turnip-like taste, dried and ground or boiled in stews by Plains peoples.
Indian Cucumber Root
A small white wild root from eastern North America with a crisp texture and fresh cucumber-like taste, eaten raw in salads.
Inhame
The Brazilian and Portuguese name for taro, cooked until soft and creamy with a mild, nutty flavor, boiled, mashed or made into soups.
Alliums That Start With I
Onions and garlic varieties starting with I. I go through onions faster than anything else.
Italian Red Onion
A mild, sweet red onion with crisp, juicy layers, sliced raw into salads and sandwiches or grilled and roasted.
Ishikura Onion
A Japanese bunching onion with long, white stems, a crisp texture and mild onion flavor, grilled as negi or sliced into miso soup.
Inchelium Red Garlic
A softneck garlic found on Washington's Colville reservation, with large cloves and a mild, rich flavor, roasted or used raw.
Italian Late Garlic
A long-storing softneck garlic with firm cloves and a hot, robust flavor that turns sweet when roasted or slow-cooked.
Italian Purple Garlic
A purple-skinned softneck garlic with juicy cloves and a strong, spicy flavor, used raw in pesto or sautéed in sauces.
Brassicas That Start With I
Broccoli, cauliflower, kale and mustard greens.
Indian Mustard
Brassica juncea greens, or sarson, with a sharp, peppery bite and tender-firm leaves, slow-cooked into Punjabi sarson ka saag.
Italian Broccoli
Calabrese broccoli, the familiar green-headed type, with tender florets and a sweet, grassy taste, steamed, roasted or stir-fried.
Italian Kale
Another name for cavolo nero, dark, bumpy leaves with a deep, earthy, sweet flavor, simmered in ribollita or sautéed.
Imperial Broccoli
A heat-tolerant broccoli with domed, dark green heads, crisp stems and a sweet, mild flavor, steamed or roasted.
Igloo Cauliflower
A compact white cauliflower with dense curds and a mild, nutty, slightly sweet taste, roasted, steamed or made into cauliflower cheese.
Ironman Broccoli
A broccoli with large, blue-green heads, firm florets and a fresh, sweet flavor, steamed, grilled or eaten raw with dips.
Squash & Gourds That Start With I
Gourds and summer squash.
Ivy Gourd
Tindora, small striped green gourds with a crunchy texture and mild, slightly tangy taste like cucumber, stir-fried or cooked into curries.
Indian Round Gourd
Tinda, a small, pale green gourd with soft, mild flesh, peeled and cooked into curries or stuffed with spices.
Italian Squash
A common US name for zucchini, with tender, pale flesh and a mild, slightly sweet taste, grilled, sautéed or baked.
Legumes & Pods That Start With I
Peas and beans that start with I.
Indian Pea
The grass pea, Lathyrus sativus, with small, angular seeds and an earthy, nutty taste, soaked and cooked into dal; eaten in moderation.
Indian Bean
A name for the hyacinth or lablab bean, flat pods with a firm bite and nutty, slightly bitter flavor, cooked into curries.
Ireland Creek Annie Bean
An English heirloom yellow bean with a creamy, smooth texture and mild, buttery flavor, simmered in soups and baked beans.
Indian Woman Yellow Bean
A small, mustard-yellow heirloom bean with a creamy texture and rich, mild flavor, cooked into chili, soups and stews.
Fruiting Vegetables That Start With I
Corn, peppers, eggplants and tomatoes cooked as vegetables.
Indian Corn
Multicolored flint corn with hard, starchy kernels and a nutty, earthy flavor, dried and ground for cornmeal, hominy and polenta.
Iroquois White Corn
A Haudenosaunee heirloom white flour corn with a sweet, nutty flavor, roasted and ground for corn soup, bread and mush.
Italian Sweet Pepper
Long, thin-walled peppers such as Cubanelle-style frying peppers, with a sweet, tender texture, fried, stuffed or roasted.
Italian Long Hot Pepper
A long, twisted green-to-red chile with thin walls and medium heat, blistered in olive oil with garlic and served on sandwiches.
Inferno Pepper
A hybrid hot banana pepper with thick, crisp walls and a moderate, tangy heat, pickled, stuffed or grilled.
Italian Eggplant
The classic teardrop eggplant with glossy purple skin and creamy, mild flesh, fried, grilled or baked into eggplant parmesan.
Indian Eggplant
Small, round purple brinjal with tender skin and creamy, mild flesh, stuffed with spices for bharwa baingan or curried.
Ichiban Eggplant
A long, slim Japanese eggplant with thin skin and sweet, custardy flesh, grilled, stir-fried or glazed with miso.
Indigo Rose Tomato
A tomato with purple-black shoulders and red flesh, a firm, juicy texture and sweet-tart, slightly plummy flavor, eaten raw.
Isis Candy Tomato
A gold-and-red marbled cherry tomato with juicy, tender flesh and a very sweet, fruity flavor, eaten raw or roasted.
Italian Heirloom Tomato
A large, red, slightly ribbed heirloom with meaty, juicy flesh and a rich, sweet flavor, sliced raw or cooked into sauce.
Stalks, Shoots & Flowers That Start With I
Buds and shoots cooked as vegetables.
Imperial Star Artichoke
A globe artichoke bred to crop in its first year, with tender, meaty hearts and a nutty, earthy taste, steamed or grilled.
Itadori
Young shoots of Japanese knotweed, with a crisp texture and tart, rhubarb-like sourness, blanched and pickled or simmered.
Sea Vegetables That Start With I
Edible seaweed from the North Atlantic.
Irish Moss
Carrageen, a red seaweed with a mild, briny taste and a jelly-like texture when simmered, used to set puddings and thicken soups.
Mushrooms & Fungi That Start With I
Mushrooms are fungi, but they are cooked as culinary vegetables. Only eat wild mushrooms identified by an expert.
Italian Brown Mushroom
Another name for cremini, a brown button mushroom with firm flesh and a deeper, earthy flavor, sautéed, roasted or stuffed.
Inky Cap
The shaggy ink cap, a tall white wild mushroom with soft flesh and a delicate, mild flavor, cooked fresh in butter before it turns inky.
Herbs Used as Vegetables That Start With I
Herbs used by the handful.
Italian Parsley
Flat-leaf parsley with tender, dark green leaves and a bright, peppery, grassy flavor, chopped by the bunch into tabbouleh and salsa verde.
Did You Know?
- Iceberg lettuce is said to get its name from the 1920s, when California growers shipped it across the US packed in crushed ice.
- Indian corn usually means multicolored flint corn, grown by Native Americans for centuries and now popular as a fall decoration.
- Ivy gourd, called tindora or kundru in India, grows on a fast-climbing vine and is picked while green and crunchy.
- Irish moss is not a moss but a red seaweed, Chondrus crispus, used for generations in Ireland to set milk puddings.
Quick List: All 50 Vegetables That Start With I
Handy for alphabet games, quizzes and Scattergories. The full list, A to Z:
Ice Plant, Ice Queen Lettuce, Iceberg Lettuce, Ichiban Eggplant, Icicle Radish, Idaho Potato, Igloo Cauliflower, Imperator Carrot, Imperial Broccoli, Imperial Star Artichoke, Inchelium Red Garlic, Indian Bean, Indian Breadroot, Indian Corn, Indian Cucumber Root, Indian Eggplant, Indian Lettuce, Indian Mustard, Indian Pea, Indian Round Gourd, Indian Spinach, Indian Woman Yellow Bean, Indigo Rose Tomato, Inferno Pepper, Inhame, Inky Cap, International Kidney Potato, Ireland Creek Annie Bean, Irish Cobbler Potato, Irish Moss, Ironman Broccoli, Iroquois White Corn, Ishikura Onion, Isis Candy Tomato, Itadori, Italian Broccoli, Italian Brown Mushroom, Italian Dandelion, Italian Eggplant, Italian Heirloom Tomato, Italian Kale, Italian Late Garlic, Italian Long Hot Pepper, Italian Parsley, Italian Purple Garlic, Italian Red Onion, Italian Squash, Italian Sweet Pepper, Ithaca Lettuce, Ivy Gourd
Frequently Asked Questions
What vegetable starts with I?
Iceberg lettuce is the most common vegetable that starts with I. Italian red onions, Idaho potatoes, Indian corn, ivy gourd, ice plant, Italian eggplant and Italian sweet peppers are other I vegetables.
Why are there so few vegetables that start with I?
Few common vegetable names start with I in English, so most I vegetables are named varieties, like Indigo Rose tomatoes, or regional names, like Indian mustard. Many lists fill the gap with fruits, which this list leaves out.
What is ivy gourd?
Ivy gourd is a small green gourd from a tropical vine, also called tindora, tondli or kundru in India. It tastes like a crunchy, slightly tangy cucumber and is usually sliced and stir-fried with spices or cooked into curries.
Is ice plant edible?
Yes, the common ice plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, is sold as a salad green in Japan, Europe and some US markets. Its fleshy leaves are covered in glistening bladder cells and have a juicy crunch and a naturally salty taste.
Is Irish moss a vegetable?
Irish moss is a sea vegetable, a red seaweed called carrageen in Ireland, rather than a true moss. It is simmered in milk to make a set pudding and is also used to thicken soups, smoothies and drinks.
More vegetables by letter:
