23 Best Fall Vegetables

Pumpkin, often called squash, is a popular fall vegetable known for its versatility. This round, ribbed vegetable usually appears in deep orange but also in white, yellow, green, and blue.

Its dense, sweet flesh has a smooth yet slightly fibrous texture, thriving in the cool weather from late September through November. Pumpkins are a culinary staple, featured in soups, stews, roasted dishes, and purees for pies, muffins, and breads. The seeds, when roasted, make a crunchy snack.

Sweet potato is a beloved root vegetable with elongated shape and various skin colors like coppery brown, purple, and red, with flesh ranging from creamy white to vibrant orange and deep purple. Sweet potatoes peak in flavor and availability during the cooler months of fall.

In the kitchen, sweet potatoes shine in both savory and sweet dishes. They can be baked, mashed, roasted, or fried, featuring in casseroles, soups, and roasted vegetable medleys.

Broccoli is a green vegetable from the cruciferous family, known for its tree-like structure with dense, dark green florets on a thick stalk. Raw broccoli has a mildly earthy, slightly bitter taste, which turns sweet and tender when cooked.

Broccoli can be steamed, roasted, or stir-fried, it pairs well with various sauces and is a staple in many Western and Asian dishes. The florets are perfect for dipping in hummus, while the stalks can be used in slaws and soups.

Cauliflower, another cruciferous vegetable, is recognized by its compact white head surrounded by green leaves. With its slightly nutty flavor, this vegetable is best harvested in the fall.

Raw cauliflower is firm and crunchy, great for salads or dips, while cooking transforms it into a tender, creamy consistency. This vegetable can be roasted, mashed, or pureed, serving as a low-carb alternative in various dishes.

Cauliflower rice is a popular gluten-free substitute, and it can be used in recipes ranging from pizza crusts to creamy soups. Its mild taste allows it to adapt to both savory and slightly sweet preparations.

Carrots are a popular root vegetable. They come in various colors, including orange, purple, red, yellow, and white, and have a conical shape. Raw carrots are mildly sweet and earthy, with a crisp texture that becomes sweeter and softer when cooked.

Carrots are versatile and can be enjoyed in salads, soups, stews, and desserts like carrot cake. They can be spiralized, grated, diced, or juiced, pairing well with spices like cumin and herbs like rosemary. This vegetable thrives in cooler weather, making fall the ideal season for harvesting.

Potatoes are a tuberous crop from the nightshade family. They vary in shape, skin color, and flesh color, with textures ranging from waxy to starchy. Potatoes have a neutral, earthy taste that different cooking methods enhance.

Widely used in many cuisines, potatoes can be boiled, baked, roasted, or fried. They are essential in mashed potatoes, French fries, and soups. Their flavor-absorbing quality makes them perfect for various seasonings, making them a staple in comfort foods.

Brussels sprouts are small green buds resembling tiny cabbages. They grow along tall stalks and are usually 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. Their distinctive flavor is slightly bitter with nutty, earthy undertones, which becomes sweet when roasted or sautéed.

These vegetables thrive in cool weather and are best harvested from late summer through early winter. Brussels sprouts are perfect for roasting with olive oil, adding to soups, or shredding raw into salads.

Butternut squash is a winter squash with a bell-like shape and pale, creamy orange skin. Inside, the flesh is vibrant orange, dense, and smooth, offering a sweet, nutty taste with a creamy texture when cooked.

Best enjoyed in the fall but storable through winter, butternut squash can be roasted, added to salads, soups, or pureed for creamy dishes. It pairs well with flavors like sage, thyme, and maple syrup, making it a comforting addition to fall and winter meals.

Acorn squash is a vegetable named for its acorn-like shape with deep ridges and a pointed end. It typically has dark green skin with patches of orange, and its flesh is a vibrant orange-yellow. The taste is mildly sweet and nutty, transforming into a buttery flavor when cooked.

This squash is available from fall through early winter and is versatile in the kitchen. It can be roasted, baked, steamed, or sautéed, and pairs well with both savory and sweet preparations.

Spaghetti squash has unique stringy flesh that resembles spaghetti noodles when cooked. It has an oblong shape with a hard rind, ranging from pale yellow to deep orange, and light yellow to golden flesh.

The taste is mild and slightly sweet, and it becomes tender yet retains a slight crunch when cooked. Harvested in the fall and storable for several months, spaghetti squash is a low-carb pasta alternative.

It can be roasted, baked, or microwaved, and the cooked flesh easily separates into noodle-like strands. It’s often served with pasta sauces or used in casseroles, taking on the flavors of accompanying ingredients.

Lettuce is a leafy vegetable in various shapes, colors, and textures, perfect for many dishes. Key types include romaine with its crisp, slightly bitter leaves, iceberg known for its mild, crunchy texture, butterhead with sweet, delicate leaves, and tender leaf lettuce.

Grown in cooler seasons, it thrives in mild temperatures and can be harvested multiple times. Lettuce is a staple for fresh salads, providing a crisp base for toppings and dressings.

Romaine is popular in Caesar salads, iceberg in wedge salads and sandwiches, butterhead for wraps, and leaf lettuce for garnishes.

Cabbage, a biennial plant grown annually, features dense, round heads of leaves ranging from pale green to deep purple. It has a crisp texture and a slightly peppery taste when raw, which sweetens when cooked.

Cabbage thrives in cooler temperatures and is often harvested from late summer through early winter. Raw cabbage adds crunch to salads and coleslaws, while cooked cabbage can be steamed, sautéed, braised, or roasted.

It is key in dishes like sauerkraut, kimchi, and stuffed cabbage rolls. Cabbage absorbs flavors well, making it a versatile ingredient for various cuisines.

Green beans, also known as string beans or snap beans, are slender green pods typically 4-6 inches long. They have a crisp texture and a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Available year-round, they are particularly popular in the fall due to widespread cultivation.

Green beans can be steamed, boiled, stir-fried, roasted, or enjoyed raw. They are commonly used in casseroles, soups, and stews, with green bean casserole being a Thanksgiving favorite. Pickled green beans add a tangy crunch to appetizers and snacks.

Celery is a marshland plant with long, fibrous, pale green stalks. It has a slightly bitter, earthy flavor that mellows when cooked, and its feathery green leaves are also edible. Celery is mostly harvested in the fall but is available year-round.

It is commonly used as a base for soups, stews, and stocks, enhancing the overall flavor of dishes. Raw celery is popular in salads and as a snack, often paired with dips or spreads. Its leaves are used as herbs or garnishes.

Spinach is a leafy green vegetable from the amaranth family. Native to central and Western Asia, its edible leaves range in size and are enjoyed both fresh and cooked. Spinach has a mildly sweet taste with a hint of earthiness.

Harvested mainly in spring and fall, spinach thrives in cool weather but is available year-round. Its versatility is unmatched, as it can be eaten raw, blended into smoothies, or used as a garnish.

Cooked spinach pairs well with garlic, cheese, and cream, making it a staple in creamed spinach and spanakopita dishes.

Kale is a leafy green from the cabbage family with curly or flat leaves that vary in color. Its tough texture and earthy, slightly bitter flavor become sweeter after frost. Kale is typically harvested in fall and winter, adding robustness to salads, smoothies, and various cooked dishes.

Raw kale works well in salads and smoothies, often massaged with oil to soften. When cooked, it can be sautéed, steamed, or baked, making it a versatile ingredient for soups, stews, casseroles, and snacks like kale chips.

Beet, also known as beetroot, is a root vegetable with a round shape and dark red color, though it also comes in golden, white, and striped varieties. Its earthy, sweet flavor and firm texture, when raw, become tender when cooked.

Beets are harvested mainly from June through October and can be eaten raw, roasted, boiled, steamed, or pickled. Beet greens are edible, similar to Swiss chard, and often sautéed or added to soups.

Raw beets add crunch to salads, while roasting enhances their sweetness. They are key in dishes like borscht and beet juice, popular in detox drinks.

Radish is a small root vegetable in the Brassicaceae family, available in red, pink, white, and purple. Radishes have a crisp texture and a sharp, peppery flavor when raw, which mellows when cooked. Harvested in the fall, they are available year-round.

Radishes add a spicy crunch to salads and sandwiches, and their greens can be used in salads, soups, or sautéed. Cooking radishes by roasting or sautéing mellows their bite, making them versatile in various dishes. Pickled radishes provide a tangy, crunchy component to many meals.

Leek is a member of the onion family but lacks a bulb. It has a long, cylindrical shape with a white base and light to dark green leaves. The edible parts are mainly the white and light green sections, though the dark green leaves are used for stock.

When cooked, leeks have a mild, sweet onion-like flavor that becomes tender and creamy. They are popular in autumn and winter recipes.They can be sautéed, braised, roasted, or added to soups, stews, and casseroles.

Swiss chard, a leafy green vegetable related to beets, features large, crinkled leaves and colorful stems ranging from white to vibrant red, yellow, or orange. It has a slightly bitter, earthy flavor similar to spinach but more robust.

When cooked, its leaves become tender, and the bitterness mellows, while the stems retain a pleasant crunch. It can be used raw in salads or cooked in various ways, such as sautéed with garlic, braised, or added to soups and stews.

Arugula, also called rocket or roquette, is a leafy green vegetable from the Brassicaceae family. It has dark green, deeply lobed leaves and grows in a rosette shape, reaching 12 to 24 inches tall.

Arugula has a peppery, spicy flavor with a hint of bitterness, making it popular in salads and dishes for a bit of a kick. Its tender yet crisp texture is similar to spinach, and it mellows when cooked, retaining a slight spiciness.

Pea is a legume with varieties like garden peas, snow peas, and snap peas. Peas grow in pods that can be straight or curved, with the peas inside being green or yellow.

Peas taste sweet and fresh with a crisp texture when raw, becoming tender but slightly crunchy when cooked. They are versatile in the kitchen, used in salads, stir-fries, soups, and stews, and are harvested in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall.

Collard greens are leafy vegetables with large, dark green leaves in a rosette pattern. Part of the cruciferous family, they’re related to kale, cabbage, and broccoli. Their robust, slightly bitter flavor mellows when cooked, making them tender and palatable.

Collard greens are versatile, used in Southern U.S. cuisine with smoked meats, sautéed, steamed, or raw in salads. Internationally, they feature in Mediterranean pies, Portuguese caldo verde, and various African, Indian, and South American dishes.