✔ Updated · 54 vegetables, sorted by category
Vegetables that start with N include navy beans, napa cabbage, new potatoes, nettles, nopales, nori, neeps and New Zealand spinach.
N is not an easy letter, so this list sticks to 54 real culinary vegetables rather than padding it with nuts or nectarines. You will find everyday staples, named varieties of carrots, potatoes and peppers, and international vegetables like nanohana, nagaimo and nira, each with notes on its taste, its texture and how it is cooked.
Vegetables that start with N, from everyday favorites to rare finds. The most popular:
Leafy Greens That Start With N
Greens and salad leaves that start with N. Napa cabbage is my go-to for slaws.
Nettles
Stinging nettle tops with a deep green, earthy, spinach-like flavor and soft texture once cooked, blanched for soup, pesto and risotto.
New Zealand Spinach
A heat-loving, spreading green with thick, fleshy leaves and a mild, slightly salty spinach taste, blanched then sautéed or steamed.
Nevada Lettuce
A Batavian summer crisp lettuce with thick, crunchy, juicy leaves and a sweet, mild taste, eaten raw in salads and sandwiches.
Nancy Lettuce
A butterhead lettuce with soft, glossy green leaves and a sweet, buttery flavor, served raw in salads and wraps.
Neptune Lettuce
A heat-tolerant red loose-leaf lettuce with crisp, wavy leaves and a mild, sweet taste, eaten raw in mixed salads.
Noble Giant Spinach
A large-leaved spinach with thick, tender leaves and a sweet, mineral flavor, eaten raw, wilted, creamed or sautéed.
Nai Bai
A small Chinese milk cabbage with pale, juicy stems and tender green leaves with a mild, sweet taste, steamed or stir-fried whole.
Nalta Jute
Corchorus leaves called nalta in Bengal, with a slightly bitter, earthy taste and silky texture, fried into crisp fritters or cooked as saag.
Root Vegetables That Start With N
Turnips, potatoes, carrots, radishes and yams. I roast new potatoes most weeks.
Neeps
The Scots name for swede or rutabaga, a yellow-fleshed root with a sweet, peppery flavor and dense texture, boiled and mashed with butter.
New Potato
Young potatoes harvested early, with thin, papery skin, waxy flesh and a sweet, fresh flavor, boiled whole with butter and mint.
Nantes Carrot
A cylindrical, blunt-tipped carrot with crisp, juicy, nearly coreless flesh and a very sweet taste, eaten raw or lightly cooked.
Napoli Carrot
An early Nantes-type carrot with smooth, crunchy orange flesh and a sweet flavor, eaten raw, roasted or glazed.
Nelson Carrot
A short, early Nantes carrot with tender, crisp flesh and a sweet, juicy taste, ideal raw as baby carrots or steamed.
Nicola Potato
A yellow-fleshed salad potato with a firm, waxy texture and buttery, nutty flavor, boiled, roasted or sliced into salads.
Norland Potato
An early red-skinned potato with white, waxy, moist flesh and a mild taste, boiled, roasted or used in potato salad.
Nadine Potato
A smooth, white-skinned potato with firm, waxy, creamy flesh and a mild flavor, boiled, steamed or used in salads.
Nagaimo
A long, pale Japanese yam with crisp, mucilaginous flesh and a mild, slightly sweet taste, grated raw over rice or pan-fried.
New Zealand Yam
The Kiwi name for oca, small, waxy, colorful tubers with a tangy, lemony taste when fresh that sweetens in the sun, roasted or boiled.
Nabo
The Spanish word for turnip, a white root with crisp flesh and a peppery-sweet flavor, simmered in cocido and Galician caldo.
Navet
The French word for turnip, often small, tender spring turnips with a sweet, mild flavor, glazed in butter or added to stews.
Nero Tondo Radish
An Italian black-skinned round radish with crisp, white flesh and a strong, pungent bite, sliced thin, salted or grated raw.
Alliums That Start With N
Onions and chives that start with N. I always keep a few onions in my pantry.
Negi
Japanese long onion with thick white stems, a crisp texture and mild, sweet onion flavor, grilled as yakitori or sliced into soups.
Nira
Japanese garlic chives, flat, tender leaves with a garlicky, oniony flavor, stir-fried with liver, eggs or added to gyoza filling.
Nodding Onion
A North American wild onion with slender bulbs and leaves, a crisp texture and strong onion flavor, used raw or cooked like scallions.
Brassicas That Start With N
Cabbage, kale and flowering shoots.
Napa Cabbage
An oblong Chinese cabbage with crinkled, pale leaves, juicy, crunchy ribs and a sweet, mild flavor, used in kimchi, stir-fries and dumplings.
Nanohana
The flowering shoots of rapeseed, a Japanese spring vegetable with tender stems and a pleasant bitterness, blanched and dressed with mustard.
Nero di Toscana
Tuscan black kale with dark, bumpy leaves, a firm texture and a deep, earthy-sweet flavor, simmered in ribollita or sautéed.
Napini
Kale raab, the tender flower shoots of kale in early spring, with a sweet, nutty, broccoli-like taste, sautéed or grilled whole.
Nine Star Perennial Broccoli
A perennial broccoli that forms several small, cream-white heads with a mild, sweet, cauliflower-like taste, steamed or roasted.
Squash & Gourds That Start With N
Squash and pumpkins starting with N.
Neck Pumpkin
A Pennsylvania Dutch squash with a long, solid neck of sweet, dense orange flesh, used for pies, soups and roasting.
North Georgia Candy Roaster
A long Appalachian heirloom squash with pink skin, blue tip and sweet, fine-grained flesh, baked into pies or roasted.
Legumes & Pods That Start With N
Beans that start with N.
Navy Beans
Small white beans with a mild flavor and creamy, soft texture, slow-cooked into Boston baked beans and Senate bean soup.
Nuna Bean
Nuña, an Andean popping bean that bursts open when toasted, with a nutty flavor and soft, powdery interior like popcorn.
Neckargold Bean
A German yellow pole bean with long, stringless pods, a crisp, tender texture and buttery flavor, steamed or sautéed.
Nickel Bean
A French filet bean with very thin, tender pods and a delicate, sweet flavor, blanched briefly and tossed with butter.
Fruiting Vegetables That Start With N
Peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and cucumbers.
Naga Jolokia
The ghost pepper from Northeast India, a wrinkled red chile with extreme heat and a fruity, smoky flavor, used in tiny amounts in sauces.
Naga Morich
A Bangladeshi super-hot chile with bumpy red skin, intense heat and a floral, fruity aroma, used sparingly in curries and pickles.
NuMex Big Jim
A long New Mexico green chile with thick, meaty walls and a mild, earthy heat, roasted, peeled and stuffed for chiles rellenos.
New Mexico Chile
Hatch-style chiles with thick flesh and a smoky, earthy heat, roasted green for stews or dried red for chile sauce.
Napoli Tomato
An Italian plum tomato with meaty, low-moisture flesh and a sweet, rich flavor, cooked into sauces and passata.
Nebraska Wedding Tomato
An orange heirloom tomato with smooth, juicy flesh and a balanced sweet-tart flavor, sliced raw or cooked into sauce.
Nyagous Tomato
A dark mahogany heirloom tomato with firm, juicy flesh and a rich, smoky, sweet flavor, sliced raw for salads.
Neon Eggplant
A bright magenta-pink eggplant with tender skin and creamy, mild, non-bitter flesh, grilled, roasted or sautéed.
Nadia Eggplant
A glossy, black-purple Italian-type eggplant with firm, creamy flesh and a mild flavor, grilled, fried or roasted.
National Pickling Cucumber
A classic American pickling cucumber with blocky shape, firm, crunchy flesh and a fresh taste, ideal for dill pickles.
Northern Pickling Cucumber
An early pickling cucumber with crisp, firm flesh and a clean, mild taste, eaten fresh or packed into pickles.
Stalks, Shoots & Flowers That Start With N
Cactus pads and edible flowers.
Nopales
Prickly pear cactus pads with a tart, green-bean-like flavor and slightly slippery texture, grilled or diced and boiled for nopalitos salad.
Nasturtium
Round leaves and bright flowers with a hot, peppery, watercress-like bite and tender texture, eaten raw in salads or blended into pesto.
Sea Vegetables That Start With N
Edible seaweed.
Nori
Red algae pressed into thin, crisp, dark green sheets with a toasty, briny, umami flavor, wrapped around sushi or crumbled over rice.
Mushrooms & Fungi That Start With N
Mushrooms are fungi, not plants, but they are cooked as culinary vegetables. Only eat wild mushrooms identified by an expert.
Nameko
Small, amber Japanese mushrooms with a slippery, gelatinous coating and a nutty, earthy flavor, simmered in miso soup and nabe.
Nebrodini Mushroom
The white elf mushroom from Sicily, an oyster relative with thick, firm, meaty flesh and a mild, sweet taste, grilled or seared.
Herbs Used as Vegetables That Start With N
Leafy herbs eaten by the handful.
Ngo Gai
Culantro, long serrated leaves with a strong cilantro-like flavor and firm texture, piled raw onto pho or chopped into Caribbean sofrito.
Ngo Om
Rice paddy herb, small tender leaves with a lemony, cumin-like aroma, eaten raw with Vietnamese sour soup and fish dishes.
Rare & International Vegetables That Start With N
Less familiar vegetables from around the world.
Neem Leaves
Tender young neem leaves with an intensely bitter taste and soft texture, fried with eggplant as neem begun at the start of Bengali meals.
Did You Know?
- Navy beans got their name because the US Navy served them to sailors from the 1800s; Senate bean soup is still made with them today.
- Neeps is the Scots word for the swede or rutabaga, served mashed alongside haggis and tatties on Burns Night.
- Stinging nettles lose their sting once they are blanched, cooked or dried, which is why they can be made into soup and pesto.
- Nopales are the pads of the prickly pear cactus; their spines are scraped off before they are grilled or boiled.
Quick List: All 54 Vegetables That Start With N
Handy for alphabet games, quizzes and Scattergories. The full list, A to Z:
Nabo, Nadia Eggplant, Nadine Potato, Naga Jolokia, Naga Morich, Nagaimo, Nai Bai, Nalta Jute, Nameko, Nancy Lettuce, Nanohana, Nantes Carrot, Napa Cabbage, Napini, Napoli Carrot, Napoli Tomato, Nasturtium, National Pickling Cucumber, Navet, Navy Beans, Nebraska Wedding Tomato, Nebrodini Mushroom, Neck Pumpkin, Neckargold Bean, Neem Leaves, Neeps, Negi, Nelson Carrot, Neon Eggplant, Neptune Lettuce, Nero di Toscana, Nero Tondo Radish, Nettles, Nevada Lettuce, New Mexico Chile, New Potato, New Zealand Spinach, New Zealand Yam, Ngo Gai, Ngo Om, Nickel Bean, Nicola Potato, Nine Star Perennial Broccoli, Nira, Noble Giant Spinach, Nodding Onion, Nopales, Nori, Norland Potato, North Georgia Candy Roaster, Northern Pickling Cucumber, NuMex Big Jim, Nuna Bean, Nyagous Tomato
Frequently Asked Questions
What vegetable starts with N?
Napa cabbage is the most common vegetable that starts with N. Navy beans, new potatoes, nettles, nopales, nori seaweed, neeps (rutabaga), Nantes carrots and New Zealand spinach also begin with N.
What are neeps?
Neeps is the Scottish word for swede, known as rutabaga in the US. The yellow-fleshed root is boiled and mashed with butter and pepper and served with haggis and tatties, or mashed potatoes, especially on Burns Night.
Are nopales a vegetable?
Yes. Nopales are the flat pads of the prickly pear cactus, eaten as a vegetable across Mexico. After the spines are removed, they are grilled whole or diced and boiled for nopalitos, tacos, eggs and salads.
Can you eat stinging nettles?
Yes, young nettle tops are a traditional spring green. Wear gloves to pick them, then blanch, cook or dry them, which removes the sting. They taste like earthy spinach and are used in soup, pesto and risotto.
What is a green vegetable that starts with N?
Green vegetables that start with N include napa cabbage, nettles, nopales, New Zealand spinach, nanohana, napini, Nero di Toscana kale, negi and nasturtium leaves, plus pickling cucumbers like National and Northern Pickling.
More vegetables by letter:
