Replacing Potatoes – Nutrition and Food Safety (2024)

The potato might be the most popular root vegetable, but it isn’t the only one. If you’ve run out of potatoes or just want a change of pace, some other vegetables can replace potatoes but still have a similar consistency and will allow you to enjoy some potato themed dishes. I have compiled a list of some potato alternatives.

Carrots

Carrots are not always thought of for a potato sub, but they also work in many of the ways we love potatoes. They can be mashed, turned into chips or fries, roasted, and scalloped. Give them a try!

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is probably the most common substitute for potatoes. Many people singing the praises of cauliflower mash and even cauliflower rice. It’s easy to fry and roast cauliflower or throw into soups and stews. And it’s the one vegetable that’s most likely to pass as potatoes.

Celery Root

Celery root (also known as celeriac) is the root of a particular variety of celery. Its rough exterior hides flavorful, delicate flesh with a subtle celery-like flavor and a starchy, potato-like texture. The root needs to be peeled to reveal the flesh inside.

Celery root can be eaten raw, boiled, and mashed as a mashed potato substitute, roasted, fried into French fries, or made into a serving of homemade “potato” chips.

Daikon

Daikon is a variety of radish popular in southeast Asia. Daikon is most comparable to potatoes when steamed, boiled, or fried. Daikon’s flavor is considered milder and less peppery than other radishes. Served raw, it is subtle and tangy with a crisp and juicy texture. When cooked, it takes on very potato-like qualities and tastes similar to cooked turnips.

Jicama (HEE-kah-ma)

Jicama resembles a large light-brown colored turnip. It has a starchy, sweet, nutty flavor that complements the flavors of many foods. Many people enjoy jicama raw, cut into sticks, used in slaws, and on salads. Jicama can be prepared in the same ways as a potato by baking, boiling, frying, roasting, or stewing. One thing to keep in mind when cooking with this vegetable is that it’ll never get as soft as a potato

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a vegetable that’s related to the cabbage family. It has a long leafy stem and a round bulb that’s usually purple, pale green, or white. It’s always white-yellow on the inside. Kohlrabi tastes like a cross between a broccoli stem and a radish. The texture is crisp, much like a radish, with a slight peppery bite when eaten raw. When cooked, the peppery flavor disappears, and it becomes mild. Try it boiled, fried, or steamed.

Parsnips

Parsnips are a cream-colored, carrot-shaped root vegetable. Parsnips have a complex taste. It is similar to carrots; they’re sweet and have an earthy, nutty taste. The smaller roots are sweeter and more tender. Most of the flavor in parsnips is right below the skin, so it’s best just to give them a good scrubbing rather than peel too much of the outer layer. Parsnips are often boiled, roasted, or sautéed.

Rutabaga

The rutabaga is a root vegetable that is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. It’s also known as a ‘swede’ in Europe. Rutabagas have a potato-like texture. They are great in soups and stews and side dishes. They’re fantastic baked, boiled, and roasted.

Turnips

Turnips taste more like a cross between cabbage and radish with a sweet and slightly peppery flavor with a crisp white inner. Turnips are an ideal potato replacement as they have a similar texture. Turnips can be prepared n several different ways, including baking, boiling, roasting, or steaming.

Winter Squash

Winter squash have thick, tough shells that protect the sweet, rich flesh inside. Some common varieties are acorn, buttercup, butternut, delicata, or sugar pumpkins. They can also be an excellent substitute for other starches such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, or even rice and noodles. Winter squash is prepared by baking, boiling, frying, steaming, stewing, roasting. Grate squash in place of potatoes for a new take on hash browns.

If you cannot find or afford fresh vegetables, frozen and canned are good for you too! Cook two different types of vegetables for your meal and use one as a substitute for your potato. Fortunately, there are lots of tasty ways to replace potatoes in your diet. Variety is the key to a well-balanced diet, so try a new side dish as an occasional replacement for potatoes with your meals.

Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator

Sources:

• www.canr.msu.edu,www.choosemyplate.gov, fruitsandveggies.org, www.livestrong.com

Contact Our Expert!

Email: nfs@uwyo.edu

Extension Educator:
Vicki Hayman – (307) 746-3531

Issued in furtherance of extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Kelly Crane, Director, University of Wyoming Extension, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming Extension, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071.

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