How to actually eat your veggies? Here are all the best vegetables to get into a healthy diet, and loads of recipes for including each one!
We’ve all heard the refrain: Eat more fruits and vegetables! But what does that really look like? And what are the healthiest vegetables to eat? Well, we’ve got answers. Alex and I are cookbook authors of a vegetarian cookbook and our website has over 1,000 recipes for how to make plants taste delicious. But today, we wanted to delve into this question: What are the best vegetables to include in a healthy diet?
After lots of research, we’ve compiled a list of the 20 best vegetables to include in your everyday. The great news? There are so many ways to make them taste delicious. With each vegetable, we’ve included our top recipes for making it taste good. (And you can click the “Get Recipes” button to get even more recipes.) Ready to get started?
And now…the best vegetables to eat in a healthy diet!
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Everyone says to eat more spinach and luckily, there are lots of tasty ways to do it! It's got a mild flavor and is easy to eat in salads, melt into soups and curries, and blend in smoothies.
Spinach nutrition: It's full of calcium and iron, and very high in vitamin K and vitamin A.
Best ways to eat spinach
Sauteed Spinach (That Tastes Amazing)
Spinach Apple Salad
Chickpea Curry with Spinach
Glowing Green Smoothie
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Broccoli used to be a hated vegetable, but there are so many delicious ways to use it! It's got great texture that is perfect as a side dish or sauteed in grain bowls.
Broccoli nutrition: It's low calorie and high in vitamins C, A, and K. It may also reduce the risk of cancer.
Best ways to eat broccoli
Roasted Broccoli or Perfect Roasted Broccolini
Best Steamed Broccoli (or Sauteed)
Broccoli Slaw
Broccoli Salad
Broccoli Stir Fry
Yellow Rice Bowls with Broccoli
Broccoli Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Why it's one of the best vegetables:This root vegetable pops a serious nutritional punch! With their sweet flavor and fluffy texture, sweet potatoes are perfect baked and topped, or in soups and stews.
Sweet potatoes nutrition: They're high in beta-carotene and very high in Vitamin A.
Best ways to eat sweet potatoes
Quick Baked Sweet Potato (or Instant Pot)
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Best Sweet Potato Chili
Mexican Sweet Potatoes
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Cauliflower has become the veggie of the moment: and for good reason! It's seriously tasty and totally versatile: use it in soups, tacos, breaded, buffalo-style: you name it!
Cauliflower nutrition: It's high in vitamin C, potassium and omega 3's. It's also is high in fiber (1 cup has about 10% of your daily needs).
Best ways to eat cauliflower
Perfect Roasted Cauliflower
Lemon Herb Steamed Cauliflower
BBQ Grilled Cauliflower
Cauliflower Soup
Cauliflower Tacos with Yum Yum Sauce
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Leafy green kale is totally versatile! Though its raw flavor can be bitter, it becomes sweet when marinated with vinaigrette or massaged in a salad, and it takes on the flavor of broth when wilted into soups and stews. Look for Tuscan Kale, has a mild flavor and is easiest to work with.
Kale nutrition: Kale is packed with beta carotene and Vitamin K. It contains 10% of your daily vitamin C.
Best ways to eat kale
Sauteed Kale or Roasted Kale
The BEST Kale Salad
Tuscan Lentil Stew with Kale
Massaged Kale Pomegranate Salad
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Ruby red beets are a beautiful and tasty vegetable to infuse health into your diet! They're sweet and earthy when roasted, or you can use them raw in salads.
What's great about beets: They're high in potassium and heart-healthy nitrates. You can even eat the greens.
Best ways to eat beets
Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese (oven roasted or Instant Pot)
Beet Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Creamy Beet Hummus
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Lentils are a plant-based protein that makes filling, affordable meals! They're fantastic in soups, salads, curries, and tacos.
Lentils nutrition: They're full of protein, fiber and iron. 1 cup cooked lentils has about 18 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber.
Best ways to eat lentils
Best Damn Lentil Soup or Curry Lentil Soup
Quick Coconut Lentil Curry
Lentil Sloppy Joes
Easy Lentil Tacos
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Who doesn't love carrots? They're crisp and crunchy raw, and tender and sweet when cooked. You can use them in everything from salads to sides to snacks dipped in ranch.
Carrots nutrition: They're very high in Vitamin A in the form of beta carotene, and may have cancer fighting properties.
Best ways to eat carrots
Perfect Sauteed Carrots
Roasted Carrots
Simple Carrot Salad
Sticks with Healthy Ranch Dressing
Curried Carrot Soup
Carrot Cake Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal
Why it's one of the best vegetables: With their signature crunch and mild flavor, green beans are perfect for side dishes and in grain bowls.
Green beans nutrition: They're high in Vitamin A, C, K and fiber.
Best ways to eat green beans
Lemony Steamed Green Beans (or Instant Pot)
Grilled Green Beans
Green Bean Dill Potato Salad
Nicoise Salad
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Bell peppers are actually fruits! They're crunchy and mild when raw, and sweet and tender when roasted. They're perfect for stuffing!
Bell peppers nutrition: They're very high in vitamin C, and have double your daily need. They also have Vitamin B and beta carotene.
Best ways to eat peppers
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Best Roasted Vegetables
Best Healthy Pizza
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Eggplant takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked with, from traditional Italian recipes to fresh dips!
Eggplant nutrition: It has cardioprotective compounds that make for a healthier heart.
Best ways to eat eggplant
Perfect Roasted Eggplant
Roasted Eggplant Pasta
Grilled Eggplant with Herbed Quinoa
Eggplant Sandwich with Pesto
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Seen to be bitter by some, asparagus can be beautifully tender and nuanced in flavor when cooked correctly! It's great for simple side dishes.
Asparagus nutrition: It's loaded with fiber and vitamins C, A and K.
Best ways to eat asparagus
Easy Baked Asparagus (or Roasted or Sauteed)
Asparagus Salad with Feta
Pasta with Lemon Asparagus
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Onions provide essential savory flavor in countless recipes. Soups, stews, pasta, sauces: we couldn't live without it!
Onions nutrition: They've got vitamins and compounds that may protect against cancer.
Best ways to eat onions
1-Hour Quick Pickled Onions
Three Onion Fried Rice
Homemade Vegetable Soup
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Well, it's really a fungus! But mushrooms have incredible savory flavor and texture that's perfect for adding to vegetarian and plant based recipes.
Mushrooms nutrition: They help with heart health and disease prevention.
Best ways to eat mushrooms
Best Ever Sauteed Mushrooms
Roasted Mushrooms
Mushroom Barley Soup
Farro with Mushrooms & Parmesan
Pesto Portobello Mushroom Burger
Why it's one of the best vegetables: We know, it's a fruit! Tomatoes are incredibly versatile. Eat them juicy and sweet raw in salads or salsa, and canned in pizza sauce and marinara sauce.
Tomatoes nutrition: They've got lycopene, which may play a role in cancer prevention. They also may protect vision.
Best ways to eat tomatoes
Tomato Basil Pasta
Mozzarella Tomato Basil Salad
Greek Salad
Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Peas are sweet and add a tender pop to pasta, risotto, and more! Plus, they're full of plant based protein.
Peas nutrition: They're high in fiber, protein, and vitamins, and may have cancer fighting benefits.
Best ways to eat peas
Peas with Lemon
Green Pea Dip
Split Pea Soup (or Instant Pot)
Farfalle Pasta with Peas & Dill
Vibrant Spring Soup
Why it's one of the best vegetables: This underdog veggie has had a major comeback! Brussels sprouts are sweet and crispy roasted, and tender and leafy raw. They're perfect as a side or raw in salads.
Brussels sprouts nutrition: They're high in fiber, vitamins and antioxidants.
Best ways to eat Brussels sprouts
Best Brussels Sprouts Recipe (or Instant Pot)
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate
Farro & Brussels Sprouts Soup
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Winter squashes are so versatile, from the cozy sweet butternut to the long, luxurious spaghetti squash noodles. There's so much to do with them: soups, stuffed, risotto, pasta, and more!
Squash nutrition: They're full of beta carotene, protein, Vitamin C & B6, potassium, and fiber.
Best ways to eat squash
Stuffed Acorn Squash (or Instant Pot)
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Creamy Butternut Squash Risotto
Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Crunchy and lightly sweet, cabbage is a tasty addition to salads (coleslaw!) and stir fries. Look for different types outside of red and green: Napa cabbage has a fluffy texture and mild flavor.
Cabbage nutrition: It's high in fiber and Vitamin C. It may have some heart health benefits.
Best ways to eat cabbage
Best Creamy Coleslaw
Easy Cabbage Salad
Red Cabbage Slaw
How to Make Sauerkraut
Peanut Noodles with Napa Cabbage
Why it's one of the best vegetables: Yes, we know it's a fruit! But it's often treated as a vegetable. Avocado is everyone's favorite, and we love it for its rich, savory flavor. It's perfect on toast, in salads, or even grilled!
Avocado nutrition: Avocado is full of healthy fats and helps stabilize blood sugar.
Best ways to eat avocados
Grilled Avocado
Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Creamy Avocado Dressing
Avocado Toast with Egg
Want more ideas? Cruciferous Vegetables Guide & How to Cook Vegetables
More resources
Need more resources on how to eat more veggies? There are so many delicious recipes out there: it’s just a matter of finding them! Here are a few more of our favorite resources for getting lots of veggies into your diet, including meal plans with a weekly planning spreadsheet:
- Plant Based Diet for Beginners A resource for eating lots of plant based (vegan) meals.
- Whole Food Plant Based Diet: Guide & Recipes A comprehensive guide for eating whole food plant based (WFPB) meals on the regular
- 28 Day Plant Based Diet Meal Plan Veggie-heavy recipes organized as a meal plan.
- 28 Day Vegan Meal Plan Includes a downloadable meal planning spreadsheet!
- Guide to Plant Based Protein All you need to know about plant based protein and why it’s important!
- Healthiest Vegetables Here’s a bit more information on nutrients behind these tasty plants!
Last updated: June 2020
