Root vegetables are edible plants that grow underground. Some of the most common examples of these vegetables include carrots, parsnips, and turnips.
Beyond their versatility in the kitchen, root vegetables typically offer a broad range of essential vitamins and minerals. This article lists seventeen healthy root vegetables alongside their picture, calorie and fiber content, key vitamin or mineral, and potential nutritional benefits.
The source of all nutritional data is the USDA’s FoodData Central database, and percent daily values (% DV) have been calculated using the FDA’s published daily values. Cooked weights are used where available.
1) Beets
Beets have a distinct reddish-purple color and contain interesting compounds such as betalains and nitrate, with the latter linked to benefits for exercise performance.
Interestingly, some types of beets are not the typical red color. For example, golden beets have a golden-yellow color due to yellow-pigmented compounds they contain called vulgaxanthins.
Key nutritional values per two cooked beets, weighing approximately 100g:
Carrots are typically an orange root vegetable, and they are exceptionally high in provitamin A carotenoids (like beta-carotene). They also contain other carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, that may help support healthy vision.
While not as globally common as root vegetables like carrots and potatoes, it is a staple food in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisine, where it is consumed both fresh and fermented.
If you can’t find it in your usual grocery store, shops specializing in East Asian cuisine should stock it.
Key nutritional values of raw daikon radish per 115g cup:
Calories: 18 kcal
Carbohydrate: 3.91 g
Fiber: 1.84 g
Vitamin C: 17 mg (19% DV)
Source: USDA – Radish (note: While this USDA entry is for daikon radish, as confirmed in the USDA’s ‘other information‘ tab. The USDA does not have nutritional data for cooked daikon radish).
Lotus root is another root vegetable that primarily enjoys popularity in East Asia.
It has a crunchy texture that progressively softens with a longer cooking time. Since lotus root has a mild flavor, it is often marinated or used in dishes where it can absorb flavors, such as soups, stews and stir-fries.
Key nutritional values per 125g cup of cooked lotus root:
Garlic may also have some potential health benefits. For example, a 2025 meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that garlic may help to reduce blood pressure in certain populations. These included older adults, people with obesity, and those with high diastolic blood pressure.
Also known by the names ‘Mexican yam bean’ and ‘Mexican turnip,’ jicama is an edible root vegetable that is particularly popular in Mexico.
It has a crunchy texture and works well both raw (salads) and cooked (stir-fries).
Key nutritional values per 130g cup of raw jicama
Calories: 49 kcal
Carbohydrate: 11.5 g
Fiber: 6.37 g
Vitamin C: 26.3 mg (29% DV)
Source: USDA – Yambean (jicama), raw (Note: The USDA did not have fiber data for cooked jicama, so we used the raw USDA entry. Fiber is retained throughout the cooking process.)
9) Parsnip
Parsnips are among the more common root vegetables and they have a mildly sweet and nutty flavor.
While they may look like white carrots, both their flavor and nutritional properties are quite distinctive.
Parsnips are highly versatile and they can be boiled, mashed, roasted, steamed, or used to make chips and soups.
In contrast to the East-Asian daikon radish, the common radish is much smaller and has colorful shades of red, pink, and purple.
Radishes have a spicy and peppery taste, which comes from their glucosinolate and isothiocyanate content. Isothiocyanates are a type of bioactive compound known as phytonutrients.
They’re low in calories and make a flavorful addition to salads.
Key nutritional values per 1/2 cup (58g) of raw radish slices:
Sweet potatoes are an underground tuber with a sweet taste. Like regular potatoes, they are highly versatile and can be prepared by boiling, frying, mashing, roasting, or steaming.
Like carrots, sweet potatoes are a significant source of carotenoids like beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is fat-soluble, so eating sweet potatoes alongside a source of fat helps to increase vitamin A absorption.
Key nutritional values of a large (180g) baked sweet potato:
Cassava is a tuber root vegetable with a mildly sweet and nutty flavor once properly cooked. Like other roots, it is quite versatile and can be roasted, boiled, mashed, and prepared in many different ways.
Notably, the cassava root is also used to make tapioca.
It is worth noting that cassava should be thoroughly cooked before consumption. This is because raw cassava contains toxic cyanogenic glycosides, such as linamarin.
Key nutritional values per 160g cup of cooked cassava:
Ginger root has a unique appearance and a very distinctive warm and peppery flavor.
It’s most often used as a spice, adding warm, slightly spicy, and earthy notes to food. Ginger is also a very versatile spice, featuring in foods as diverse as curries, kimchi, and even cakes and cookies.
A 2020 systematic review looked at the effect of ginger on health across 109 studies. This review found that ginger may have several beneficial effects, which included supporting digestive function. However, many of the included studies were small in size, and further research is necessary to provide greater confidence.
Key nutritional values per 5-slice (11g) serving of raw ginger:
Root vegetables typically offer versatile properties and are suitable for a broad range of culinary preparations.
Nutritionally, root vegetables are an excellent way to increase dietary fiber intake, and they typically provide a good concentration of vitamins and minerals.
Michael works as a nutritionist in a community setting and holds a Master's degree in Clinical Nutrition. He is a Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr) with the Association for Nutrition (AfN), and has published peer-reviewed research.
