Spotted a pale, knobby or long white root at the market and can't put a name to it? You're in the right place. This guide covers 14 white root vegetables, from daikon and parsnips to jicama, taro and lotus root, with photos, the quickest ways to tell look-alikes apart, what each one tastes like, and the best ways to cook it.
Start with the comparison table if you just need a fast ID, then jump to the vegetable that matches what you saw. Near the end there are quick sections for the three things people search for most: long white root vegetables, big white root vegetables, and vegetables that look like radishes.
White Root Vegetables at a Glance
| Vegetable | What it looks like | Taste | How to cook it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daikon | Long, smooth, white, carrot-shaped but much thicker; often green near the top | Crisp, juicy, mildly peppery raw; sweet and mellow cooked | Raw in salads, pickled, simmered in soups, stir-fried |
| Parsnip | Carrot-shaped, cream to tan, wide shoulders, ringed skin | Sweet, nutty, a little spicy | Roasted, in soups and stews, mashed |
| Turnip | Round, white with a purple top, 2 to 4 inches across | Peppery raw; mild and sweet cooked | Roasted, mashed, sautéed, pickled |
| Rutabaga | Larger than a turnip, purple top, yellowish bottom, often waxed | Sweet, buttery, earthy | Mashed, roasted, in stews |
| Celeriac (celery root) | Round, gnarly, beige-brown, hairy rootlets at the base | Celery and parsley with a nutty edge | Soups, mash, roasted, grated raw |
| Jicama | Round, flat-topped, thin tan-brown skin | Crisp, juicy, lightly sweet, like apple meets water chestnut | Raw sticks, slaws, salads, quick stir-fries |
| Kohlrabi | Pale green or purple bulb with stems sticking out | Like a sweet broccoli stem | Raw slaw, roasted, sautéed, soups |
| White sweet potato | Sweet potato shape, tan or purple-red skin, white flesh | Mildly sweet, chestnut-like, fluffy | Baked, roasted, mashed, fries |
| Taro | Round to barrel-shaped, shaggy brown skin with rings | Nutty, starchy, creamy when cooked | Always cooked: boiled, braised, fried, in curries |
| Cassava (yuca) | Long club shape, thick bark-like brown skin, often waxed | Mild, starchy, slightly sweet | Always cooked: boiled, fried, mashed |
| Horseradish | Long, thick, rough and gnarled, tan-brown | Fiercely hot and pungent when grated | Grated raw into sauces and condiments |
| Salsify | Long, thin, stick-like; tan and hairy or black | Delicate, nutty, like artichoke hearts | Sautéed, braised, in soups and gratins |
| Lotus root | Linked tan sections like sausages; lacy holes inside | Crisp, mild, lightly sweet | Stir-fried, braised, in soups, as chips |
| White carrot | Exactly like a carrot, but ivory white | Mild, sweet, less carrot-y | Raw, roasted, glazed, in soups |
The 14 White Root Vegetables, One by One
1. Daikon
How to spot it: Daikon is the vegetable most people mean when they search for a "long white root vegetable." It's smooth, bright white and cylindrical, usually 8 to 20 inches long and 2 to 4 inches thick, and often pale green near the top where it pushed out of the soil. Korean radish (mu) is the same family but shorter and stouter, with more green on the shoulders. Its name means "big root" in Japanese, and it's sold in Chinese markets as white radish or lo bok.
How to tell it from look-alikes: A parsnip is cream to tan, tapers to a point and has a wide, flat crown with ringed skin; daikon is whiter, thicker and nearly the same width from top to bottom. Horseradish is also long, but its skin is rough, brown and gnarled.
Taste: Raw daikon is crisp, juicy and mildly peppery, gentler than a red radish. Cooked, it turns tender, sweet and mellow and soaks up whatever broth it's simmered in.
How to cook it: Grate or julienne it raw into salads and noodle bowls, like these Cold Japanese Noodles with Daikon and Carrots or Veggie Sushi Rice Bowls or even this Daikon Noodle Soup. Or cut it into half-moons and simmer it in a brothy soup such as Miso Soup with Winter Vegetables. It also makes excellent quick pickles!
2. Parsnip
How to spot it: Parsnips look like cream-colored carrots with broad shoulders. The top is wide and slightly sunken where the leaves were trimmed, the skin has faint rings, and the root tapers to a thin tail. Most are 6 to 10 inches long.
How to tell it from look-alikes: White carrots are smoother and slimmer at the top, without a parsnip's wide, dished crown. Parsley root is similar but smaller and usually sold with its leaves attached. Snap a small piece of parsnip and you'll notice a sweet, almost spicy aroma that carrots don't have.
Taste: Sweet, nutty and earthy, with a hint of spice. Parsnips get even sweeter after a frost, and large ones can have a woody core that's best cut out.
How to cook it: Roasting is the classic: toss chunks with olive oil and roast until the edges caramelize, as in Garlicky Roasted Root Vegetables. Parsnips also give soups a gentle sweetness. Try this cozy Vegan Parsnip Chowder or Creole Creamy Carrot Soup.
3. Turnip
How to spot it: Turnips are round or slightly flattened globes, usually 2 to 4 inches across, white on the bottom with a purple or pinkish blush on top where the sun reached them. Baby Japanese turnips (Hakurei or Tokyo turnips) are smaller, all white and often sold in bunches with their greens.
How to tell it from look-alikes: A rutabaga is bigger, yellowish below the purple and usually waxed. A white radish is smaller and smoother, with a sharper bite. Kohlrabi looks similar from a distance, but its bulb sprouts stems from its sides, not just the top.
Taste: Raw turnips are crisp and a little peppery, somewhere between a radish and a cabbage. Cooking makes them mild and sweet. Small, young turnips are the most tender and least bitter.
How to cook it: Roast or mash them alongside potatoes, sauté them in a quick side like Sautéed Turnips and Peppers, or simmer them in a North African stew such as Vegetables Tajine. Thin raw slices of baby turnips are lovely in salads.
4. Rutabaga
How to spot it: Rutabagas (called swedes in the UK) are a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. They're larger than turnips, often the size of a softball or bigger, with a purple top, a creamy yellow bottom and a thick neck with ridged leaf scars. Supermarket rutabagas are usually coated in wax to keep them fresh.
How to tell it from look-alikes: Cut it open: turnip flesh is white, while rutabaga flesh is pale yellow to golden. Rutabagas are also denser and heavier for their size.
Taste: Sweeter and more buttery than turnips, with a gentle earthy, cabbage-like note.
How to cook it: Peel away the wax and skin with a sharp knife, then mash it with potatoes, roast it in cubes, or add it to hearty stews like Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice. Our roasted vegetables guide has timing tips for rutabaga and other roots.
5. Celeriac (Celery Root)
How to spot it: Celeriac is the knobbly, rough-skinned, beige-brown ball that looks a bit alarming the first time you see it. It's roughly 3 to 5 inches across, with a tangle of hairy rootlets at the bottom and sometimes celery-like stalks on top. Inside, the flesh is creamy white.
How to tell it from look-alikes: Its gnarly, tangled base is unlike anything else here. Taro is also brown and rough, but it has neat rings and shaggy fibers instead of a mass of rootlets.
Taste: Like celery and parsley combined, with a nutty, slightly sweet finish. It's milder once cooked.
How to cook it: Cut off the skin with a knife (a peeler won't get through the crevices). Grate it raw for a crunchy slaw with a mustardy vegan mayo, simmer it into silky soups, mash it with potatoes, or roast it in wedges. Drop cut pieces into lemony water so they don't brown.
6. Jicama
How to spot it: Jicama (HEE-kah-mah) is round with a flattened top and bottom, a bit like a big turnip, with thin, matte, tan-brown skin. They range from the size of a fist to several pounds. The flesh is bright white, crisp and very juicy.
How to tell it from look-alikes: It can be mistaken for a turnip or a potato, but jicama's skin is papery and dull brown all over, with no purple, and it feels heavy and hard. Cut it, and the watery crunch is unmistakable.
Taste: Mildly sweet and nutty, like a cross between an apple, a pear and a water chestnut.
How to cook it: Jicama is usually eaten raw. Peel it well (the skin isn't edible), then cut it into sticks with lime and chili, or shred it into a Vegan Jicama Coleslaw. It's also great in Jicama Salad with Oranges and Watercress and stays crunchy in quick stir-fries. For more ideas, see 10 Easy Jícama Recipes You'll Love.
7. Kohlrabi
How to spot it: Kohlrabi is technically a swollen stem, not a root. It grows just above the ground, so it looks like a pale green (or purple) ball with long leaf stems sprouting from its sides and top, a bit like a small alien spaceship. Inside, it's crisp and white.
How to tell it from look-alikes: Those stems coming out of the sides are the giveaway; turnips and radishes only have leaves on top. Once the stems are trimmed, look for the little scars they leave around the bulb.
Taste: Mild, sweet and juicy, like a broccoli stem or the heart of a cabbage, with a slight peppery note.
How to cook it: Peel off the fibrous outer layer, then cut it into sticks for dipping, shred it into slaw, or cut it into matchsticks for salads. It also roasts beautifully and can be sautéed or added to soups in place of potatoes.
8. White Sweet Potato
How to spot it: White sweet potatoes have the familiar tapered sweet-potato shape but pale flesh. Some, like Hannah and O'Henry, have tan or cream skin; Japanese sweet potatoes (satsuma-imo) have purple-red skin and creamy white flesh. The Caribbean boniato has pinkish, patchy skin and white flesh.
How to tell it from look-alikes: Regular potatoes are rounder and have "eyes" rather than tapered ends. True yams have rough, bark-like skin and are rarely sold in ordinary supermarkets. Cut a white sweet potato and the flesh turns faintly yellow once cooked.
Taste: Less sugary than orange sweet potatoes, with a drier, fluffier texture. Japanese sweet potatoes are especially sweet and chestnut-like.
How to cook it: Use them in any sweet potato recipe: bake them whole, roast wedges as in Simple Garlic-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, or swap them into a holiday Sweet Potato Tzimmes. Browse more ideas in our vegan sweet potato recipes.
9. Taro
How to spot it: Taro is a brown, hairy, bark-like root with concentric rings around it. Small ones (eddoes) are about the size of an egg; larger ones (dasheen) can be the size of a small coconut. Cut it open and the flesh is white or cream, often speckled with purple-gray flecks.
How to tell it from look-alikes: Its rings and shaggy fibers set it apart from celeriac and jicama. Cassava is much longer and has smoother, bark-like skin with no rings.
Taste: Nutty, starchy and slightly sweet, like a potato crossed with a chestnut, with a creamy, sometimes slightly sticky texture when cooked.
How to cook it: Never eat taro raw; it contains compounds that irritate the mouth and throat until they're cooked. Wear gloves when peeling, then boil, steam or braise it, add it to coconut curries and stews, or slice and bake it into chips.
10. Cassava (Yuca)
How to spot it: Cassava, also called yuca or manioc, is a long, club-shaped root, usually 8 to 16 inches long and 2 to 3 inches thick, with thick, dark brown, bark-like skin. It's usually sold coated in wax. The flesh is bright white with a fibrous string running down the center. (Yuca isn't the same as yucca, the spiky ornamental plant.)
How to tell it from look-alikes: It's thicker and woodier-looking than a parsnip or daikon, and its skin looks like tree bark. Snap off the end, and you'll see very white, dense flesh.
Taste: Mild, starchy and slightly sweet, denser and more satisfying than potato.
How to cook it: Cassava must always be peeled and cooked, since raw cassava contains natural compounds that cooking removes. Peel it with a knife, cut out the woody center, then boil until tender and toss with garlic, lime and olive oil, or boil and then fry it into crispy yuca fries. Cassava is also the source of tapioca and cassava flour.
11. Horseradish
How to spot it: Fresh horseradish is a long, thick, gnarly root, usually 8 to 12 inches long, with rough tan-brown skin and a knobby top. Inside, it's white and hard.
How to tell it from look-alikes: It's the same general shape as a parsnip or daikon, but the skin is rougher and darker. The surest test: grate a little. Horseradish releases an eye-watering, sinus-clearing aroma within seconds.
Taste: Intensely hot and pungent when freshly grated, with a clean bite similar to wasabi. The heat fades quickly after grating unless you add vinegar.
How to cook it: Horseradish is almost always used raw as a condiment- and you can make your own homemade vegan horseradish sauce! Peel a small section and grate it on a fine rasp such as a Microplane grater, then stir in vinegar and a pinch of salt. Use it in dips, dressings and sauces, like the Horseradish-Dill Mayonnaise for tempeh fries, or on the Seder plate (see our vegan Passover Seder recipes).
12. Salsify
How to spot it: Salsify is a long, thin taproot about the size of a skinny carrot. White salsify has tan, slightly hairy skin; black salsify (scorzonera) has dark brown-black skin. Both have white flesh and a milky sap when cut.
How to tell it from look-alikes: It's much thinner and more stick-like than a parsnip or daikon, and the sticky white sap is a telltale sign.
Taste: Delicate, nutty and a little like artichoke hearts. It's nicknamed the "oyster plant" because some people taste a faint oyster-like note.
How to cook it: Scrub it, peel it and drop the pieces straight into lemony water, as it browns fast. Simmer until tender and then sauté in olive oil with garlic and herbs, braise it, or add it to soups and gratins.
13. Lotus Root
How to spot it: Lotus root is the underwater stem of the lotus plant. It grows in linked sections that look like fat, tan sausages, each 4 to 8 inches long. Slice it crosswise and you'll see its famous lacy pattern of holes.
How to tell it from look-alikes: Nothing else on this list has those holes. Whole, the linked, smooth, light brown segments are a giveaway.
Taste: Crisp, mild and lightly sweet, with a starchy crunch that holds up even after cooking.
How to cook it: Peel it, slice it thin and soak the slices in water with a splash of vinegar to keep them white. Stir-fry it with garlic and chili, braise it in soy and sugar, add it to soups, or fry thin slices into chips. It's generally cooked rather than eaten raw. You can check out some more creative lotus root ideas here.
14. White Carrots
How to spot it: White carrots look exactly like orange carrots, just ivory or cream colored. Varieties such as White Satin and Lunar White are showing up at farmers' markets and in rainbow carrot bunches.
How to tell it from look-alikes: This is the one most often confused with parsnips. White carrots are smoother, slimmer at the top, without a parsnip's wide sunken crown, and they smell like carrots rather than the spicier parsnip scent. They're also crisp and snappy raw, while parsnips are firmer and more fibrous.
Taste: Mild and sweet, less earthy and "carroty" than orange carrots.
How to cook it: Use them anywhere you'd use regular carrots: raw in salads and slaws, roasted, glazed or simmered in soups. Mixed with orange and purple carrots, they make a gorgeous tray of roasted vegetables. I especially love these Vegan Honey Glazed Carrots.
Long White Root Vegetables
If the vegetable you saw was long and white, it's most likely one of these:
- Daikon. The most common answer. Smooth, bright white, thick and even from end to end, often with a green top.
- Parsnip. Cream to tan, with wide shoulders tapering to a point and ringed skin.
- White carrot. Carrot-shaped and smooth, but ivory instead of orange.
- Horseradish. Long, thick and rough, with gnarled tan-brown skin.
- Cassava (yuca). Long and club-shaped with bark-like brown skin; white only on the inside.
- Salsify. Long, very thin and stick-like, with tan or black skin.
- Burdock root (gobo). Not in our main list, but worth knowing: a very long, skinny, brown-skinned root with white flesh, popular in Japanese cooking.
Big White Root Vegetables
Some white roots get surprisingly large. If yours was big and heavy, consider these:
- Daikon. Regular daikon can reach 2 feet long and several pounds, and the round Sakurajima variety grows to the size of a basketball.
- Jicama. Large ones can weigh 4 or 5 pounds, round with flat tops and tan skin.
- Rutabaga. Often the size of a softball or bigger, purple on top and yellowish below.
- Celeriac. A big, gnarly, beige-brown ball with a hairy base.
- Taro. Large dasheen taro can be as big as a coconut, with ringed, shaggy skin.
- Kohlrabi. Most are tennis-ball sized, but giant varieties can grow as big as a cantaloupe.
By the way, if you've heard of a "big white vegetable" in Chinese cooking, that's the literal name of napa cabbage (da bai cai), not a root at all. Daikon is known as white radish (bai luo bo).
Vegetables That Look Like Radishes
Many roots in the same plant family share a radish's round shape and smooth skin. If it looked like a radish but not quite, it may be one of these:
- Turnips. The closest look-alike: round, white and purple-topped, but larger than most radishes and milder once cooked. Baby Hakurei turnips look almost exactly like white radishes.
- White radishes. Icicle radishes are long and white, and white globe radishes look like small turnips. Both have a radish's peppery bite.
- Daikon and Korean radish. Radishes too, just much bigger.
- Kohlrabi. Round and green or purple, with stems sticking out of the sides.
- Rutabaga. Like a large, yellow-bottomed turnip.
- Beets. A red or golden root with a radish-like shape, but earthy and sweet, not peppery.
Need a radish substitute in a salad? Thinly sliced young turnips, jicama or kohlrabi give you the same crunch, and daikon brings a similar peppery kick.
Helpful Tools for Prepping Root Vegetables
Firm white roots can be tough to cut, and a few simple tools make prep much faster:
- Julienne peeler. Turns daikon, jicama, kohlrabi and white carrots into thin matchsticks for slaws, salads and spring rolls.
- Mandoline slicer. Makes paper-thin, even slices of turnip, lotus root or celeriac for salads, gratins and chips. Always use the hand guard.
- Microplane grater. The best way to grate fresh horseradish and finely grated daikon.
- Spiralizer. Turns daikon, kohlrabi and jicama into noodle-like spirals.
How to Store White Root Vegetables
Most firm white roots, including daikon, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, celeriac, kohlrabi and white carrots, keep for one to three weeks in a bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Trim off any leafy greens first, since they draw moisture out of the root (turnip and radish greens are edible, so cook them separately). Once cut, wrap the pieces tightly and use them within a few days.
Jicama, taro, cassava, sweet potatoes and lotus root are the exceptions. Keep whole jicama, taro, cassava and sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, dark spot rather than the fridge, and use cassava within a few days, since it spoils quickly. Refrigerate lotus root and peeled or cut pieces of any of them, covered in water if they're prone to browning.
White Root Vegetable FAQ
What's the long white vegetable that looks like a carrot?
It's most likely a parsnip: cream colored, carrot-shaped, with wide shoulders and ringed skin. If it was perfectly smooth and shaped just like a carrot, it may be a white carrot. If it was much thicker and bright white, it's probably daikon.
What's the difference between daikon and parsnip?
Daikon is a radish: bright white, smooth, thick and fairly even in width, with a crisp, juicy, peppery bite that's great raw. A parsnip is a relative of the carrot: tan to cream, tapering, with sweet, nutty flesh that's best cooked.
Is it a turnip or a radish?
Size and flavor are the best clues. Radishes are usually smaller, with smooth, thin skin and a sharp, peppery bite. Turnips are larger, often purple on top, and milder and sweeter once cooked. Both are related, so they can often be swapped in recipes.
Which white root vegetables can you eat raw?
Daikon, jicama, kohlrabi, turnips, white carrots, celeriac and parsnips can all be eaten raw, usually grated or thinly sliced. Horseradish is used raw as a condiment. Taro and cassava must always be cooked, and lotus root and salsify are generally cooked too.
What white root vegetable looks like a potato?
Jicama is the most common one; it's round, tan-skinned and potato-like on the outside, but crisp and juicy inside. White sweet potatoes, taro and Jerusalem artichokes (knobby, ginger-shaped tubers) are also often mistaken for potatoes. See our Jerusalem Artichoke Salad for a way to use those.
Are white root vegetables healthy?
Yes. Even without the bright colors of carrots and beets, white roots are good sources of fiber, vitamin C and potassium, and they're low in fat. Daikon, kohlrabi, turnips and jicama are especially low in calories and high in vitamin C, while cassava, taro and sweet potatoes are more filling, starchy energy sources.
More Root Vegetable Recipes
Ready to cook with your white root vegetables? Here are a few favorites to start with:
Keara says
Great article! I'm especially grateful for the photos and info about each of the vegetables mentioned. I see some of these recipes in my future. Thank you!
Pregnancy Breakfast says
Thank for the article, I have bookmark it and tomorrow I will try the Jícama Salad with Oranges and Watercress recipes. Thanks again!