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These delicious roasted turnips are a simple, flavorful side dish that's easy to make.
Turnips are a fantastic root vegetable that can be served as a side or added to salads, grain bowls, or soups. Turnips, like most root vegetables, are available year-round but are at their peak from October to February.
This turnip recipe is a great way to enjoy this slightly more unusual vegetable - if you like roast potatoes, you will like this, too!
Roasted turnips are a perfect side dish for a weeknight meal or a special occasion like a holiday dinner. You can use them like any other root vegetable in a grain bowl or salad.
This will be your new favorite way to enjoy turnips - roasting them really brings out the delicate flavor and natural sweetness of the turnips. Roasting also removes any bitter flavor from turnips that you might experience when they're raw.
You might find turnips at the grocery store that come with greens; you can use them to make this spicy skillet turnip greens recipe that's delicious!
Turnips are rich in vitamin C and A and low in calories and fat (source).
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- Ingredients
- Instructions
- More Great Side Dishes
- Storage
- Tips for Making this Recipe
- Roasted Turnips
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this roasted turnips recipe into an easy side dish.
- Fresh turnips - I used purple top turnips, but any kind will work for this recipe, although I do recommend using smaller turnips (about 2 inches across) as they will have better flavor than large turnips, which tend to be older and less sweet.
- Olive Oil (you don't need to use extra virgin olive oil; the regular stuff will work!)
- Sea Salt
- Paprika
- Ground Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Optional - chopped herbs like parsley or oregano for topping
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
You don't need to remove the outer peel of the turnips (turnip skin is edible), but if you'd prefer to remove it, peel the turnips with a vegetable peeler.
Using a sharp knife, slice the tops and bases off the turnips and chop them into ½-inch pieces.
Place the diced turnips on a parchment or aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan.
Pour the olive oil over the turnips and sprinkle with the salt, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss to coat the turnips.
Spread the turnips out in a single layer, leaving a little space between each piece.
Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place in a serving bowl or large serving platter. Top with optional chopped herbs.
More Great Side Dishes
If you love roasted vegetables and root veggies, try some of these fantastic recipes.
- Smashed Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Radishes
- Oven Roasted Root Vegetable Recipe
- Roasted Golden Beets
Substitutions & Variations
Want to make a few swaps or changes to the ingredients? Here are some options.
- Oil - you can substitute the olive oil for avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Seasonings - feel free to add fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, or rosemary to the seasoning blend or if you like a little spice, add ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- Optional Toppings - if you want to add a bit of sweetness give the roasted turnips a drizzle of honey or if you'd like some acid give them a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.
Storage
You can save roasted turnips for up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
For best results when reheating, I suggest heating them in an oven or toaster oven and not the microwave. This will keep them crispy.
Tips for Making this Recipe
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Cooking Tips - Make sure to cut your turnips to similar sizes. This helps them roast evenly. Don't crowd the turnips on a baking sheet - they need a little space in between them to get a crispy exterior. Use two baking sheets if they don't fit onto one.
Ingredient Notes - 1 ½ pounds of turnips was 4 medium turnips for me. I used purple top turnips. If you use larger turnips like regular white turnips, you may only need 3. And if you use smaller hakurei turnips or baby turnips, you'll probably need 5 or 6.
Recommended Tools - I like using parchment paper that's the same size as my sheet pans - this is the ready-to-use parchment paper I use, and here are the sheet pans I recommend.
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Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds turnips
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- optional - chopped herbs like parsley or oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the tops and bases off the turnips and chop them into ½ inch pieces.
- Place the diced turnips on a parchment or aluminum foil-lined sheet pan.
- Pour the olive oil over the turnips and sprinkle with the salt, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss to coat the turnips.
- Spread the turnips out in a single layer, leaving a little space between each piece.
- Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately with optional chopped herbs.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 71Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 293mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g
FAQs
A variety of herbs and spices can be added to the mashed turnips. Try a tablespoon of finely chopped sage or rosemary, a clove or two of roasted or sautéed garlic, or a pinch of paprika or ground ginger. If your turnips came with the greens, don't throw them away.
Do you have to peel turnips before you roast them? ›
It's not essential to peel turnips before cooking. If this skin appears to be thin enough you can leave it on and cook as is. However if the skin feels thick and leathery, you can peel it off with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. Both the roots and leaves, also known as turnip greens, are safe to eat.
How do you get the bitterness out of turnips? ›
If you want to try a different cooking method, I tend to like turnip boiled and mashed. If the turnip is old (and likely bitter) you can add an apple. I've also read that you can stir in baking soda after the turnips have boiled to remove the bitterness.
What does baking soda do to turnips? ›
Wash greens and roots well. Some suggest soaking the greens in a little salty water. One turnip website from the United Kingdom notes that if you boil them, add a little sugar to tame the scent and add baking soda to reduce bitterness. Look for fresh turnips.
How do you make roasted turnips less bitter? ›
Roasting brings out their natural sweetness. Another secret is how you peel them. Bitter notes lie just under the surface of the skin, but you can eliminate this if you go a little deeper when peeling them. I use a paring knife instead of vegetable peeler to remove the thick outer later.
What is the best season for turnips? ›
Early turnips – sow March to June, for harvesting throughout summer. Some early varieties, such as 'Atlantic' and 'Purple Top Milan', can also be sown under cloches in February. Maincrop turnips – sow July to mid-August, for harvesting in autumn.
Are roasted turnips bitter? ›
Turnips have a slightly bitter taste to them, so cooking the onions in this recipe will be the key to getting more of a sweet taste out of the dish! The bigger a turnip is, the more bitter it tastes so aim to choose ones from the market that are about the size of a tennis ball.
What is the appropriate method of cooking turnips? ›
Place the turnips in a pot and cover with about 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer until the turnips are tender when pierced with a toothpick or the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 30 minutes. Step three: Season and serve. Drain the turnips and season with salt and pepper.
What does roasted turnip taste like? ›
In the hands of an able cook, a well-cooked turnip tastes heavenly. When roasted, the natural sugars are allowed to caramelize, resulting in a crispy-tender side dish that tastes like a cross between a potato and a carrot.
Why do my turnips taste bad? ›
Turnips can sometimes taste bitter due to the presence of certain compounds, such as glucosinolates and phenolic compounds. These compounds are natural defense mechanisms that some plants use to deter animals from eating them, as they can be toxic or unpalatable.
Roasting mellows the flavor of turnips and concentrates their texture into a tender, melting vegetable. Serve these easy roasted turnips with other roasted vegetables (the sweetness of carrots is a good complement) alongside roasted meats or with a simple roasted chicken.
Why are my turnips tough? ›
Any root crop (potatoes, carrots, radishes, parsnips, turnips) needs a fine- textured, well-drained soil to grow properly. If the soil is too heavy, the crop will rot. If the soil is too lumpy or rocky, the roots will be tough, fibrous and misshapen.
What is a rutabaga vs turnip? ›
Rutabagas are also generally much larger than turnips. So for a quick rule of thumb, the brownish-yellowish ones are rutabagas, and the smaller white and purple ones are turnips. In terms of their flavor, rutabagas are slightly sweeter-tasting than turnips whereas turnips have a slightly more radishy flavor.
Why should baking soda not be added to cooked vegetables? ›
This is a bad practice, however, and you should avoid adding baking soda when boiling any type of vegetable. It has various unwelcome effects, such as softening the vegetable, altering the vegetable's flavor, destroying thiamine content, and hastening the loss of vitamin C.
Can you eat turnips raw? ›
Though they are most commonly cooked, turnips can be enjoyed raw as well. If you plan to eat them raw, simply peel and slice the turnip like an apple to eat with dips or add to the top of your salad. Be sure to slice off the root end and remove the greens – which can be saved for cooking as well.
Does baking soda remove bitterness from turnips? ›
Add baking soda.
Salt is one of my favorite ways to cut the bitterness in turnip greens. I then add about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the broth and simmer for the last 20 minutes. Works like a charm!
How do you prepare turnips for eating? ›
Place the turnips in a pot and cover with about 2 inches of salted water. Bring to a boil, adjust the heat and simmer until the turnips are tender when pierced with a toothpick or the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 30 minutes. Step three: Season and serve. Drain the turnips and season with salt and pepper.
What is the healthiest way to eat turnips? ›
Boil or steam turnips and add them to mashed potatoes for extra vitamins and minerals. Grate them raw into salads or slaws. Roast them with other root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, and bring out their natural sweetness.
Are turnips good or bad for you? ›
Turnips have an excellent nutritional profile. Like other cruciferous vegetables, they're low in calories but pack plenty of vitamins and minerals. A 1-cup (130-gram) serving of cubed raw turnips contains ( 3 ): Calories: 36.
