Vegetables · Root vegetables
Parsnip
Cream-coloured carrot-like root with sweet, nutty, aromatic flesh; best roasted, mashed or in soups.
Photo: Goldlocki, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)
What it is
Parsnips are long, tapering roots with ivory skin and flesh, related to carrots. They are starchier, sweeter and more aromatic, with hints of spice. Large parsnips can have a woody core that is best cut out. They are not eaten raw much.
Pastinaca sativa
How it’s used
- Roasted, often with honey
- Puréed into soups or mash
- Added to stews and stocks
- Grated into cakes
Characteristics
- Taste
- Sweet, nutty and slightly spicy.
- Texture
- Firm raw; soft and fluffy when cooked.
- When cooked
- Caramelises and crisps at the edges when roasted; turns soft quickly when boiled.
- Sold as
- fresh
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Suitable for baking, Suitable for boiling, Suitable for grilling
Kinds in our pantry
Storage
Refrigerated. Refrigerate in a bag and use while firm; limp or spotted roots are past their best.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 75 kcal
- Protein
- 1.2 g
- Carbohydrate
- 17.99 g
- Fat
- 0.3 g
- Fibre
- 4.9 g
- Sugars
- 4.8 g
USDA FoodData Central: Parsnips, raw.
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
Related ingredients
Recipes with parsnip
Barszcz czerwony
Polish · 1 h 35 min · 104 kcal · Vegan
Begova čorba (Bey's soup)
Bosnian · 1 h 35 min · 456 kcal
Ciorbă de perișoare
Romanian · 1 h 20 min · 332 kcal
Gulyásleves (Hungarian goulash soup)
Hungarian · 2 h 20 min · 309 kcal
Krupnik
Polish · 1 h 45 min · 325 kcalMatzo ball soup
American · 2 h 50 min · 330 kcalPašticada
Croatian · 16 h 10 min · 516 kcal
Rosół
Polish · 3 h 20 min · 361 kcal
Svíčková na smetaně
Czech · 3 h · 536 kcal
Tafelspitz
Austrian · 3 h 20 min · 344 kcalZeamă
Moldovan · 1 h 50 min · 353 kcal
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