Parsnips vs. Turnips: How Do the Root Vegetables Compare?

Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are a white root vegetable with an oblong, conical, pointed shape. In terms of taste, parsnips are richer and earthier than carrots and free of the overpowering bitter root vegetable flavor that radishes and raw turnips have. Parsnips are high in fiber, potassium, and vitamins C and E.

If you grow parsnips, leaving them in the ground to mature after it freezes can encourage the starches to convert to sugar, leading to a sweeter flavor. Diners can eat parsnips raw, but cooked ones tend to be more flavorful. Parsnip recipes often call for a medley of other root veggies and tubers, such as sweet potatoes, beets, rutabagas, and leeks.

Turnips (Brassica rapa) are rounded root vegetables that occasionally feature a purple top where the root was exposed to sunlight in its final stages of growth. This root vegetable belongs to the same family as cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Turnips have crunchy white flesh that tastes similar to cabbage when you eat them raw. Akin to mustard greens in flavor, braised turnip greens are rich in vitamins C and K.

While these bitter greens make a popular side dish in Southern cuisine, home cooks can also use them to enhance basic pesto recipes or turnip soup.

Parsnips and turnips have many similarities in common, including:

1. 1. Appearance: In addition to being root vegetables (or plants with edible bulbs growing underground), turnips and parsnips are similar in appearance. Both are pale white with thick, conical roots—though turnips are more bulb-like and parsnips look more like carrots. However, turnips have a light or dark purple-colored top.
2. 2. Preparation methods: Enjoy parsnips and turnips raw, but they tend to taste better when cooked. The raw veggies are very hard (like potatoes) and may be difficult to eat. Peel the parsnips or turnips like you would a carrot, then bake, boil, mash, or roast them.
3. 3. Season: Growers harvest turnips and parsnips in the same season, during the cool temperatures lasting from October through March. In addition to seeing them at the farmers’ market or grocery store during the same season, they are often similar in price.
4. 4. Storage methods: Root vegetables are generally easy to store, but it's important to follow a few best practices to make them last as long as possible. Store parsnips or turnips in the fridge’s crisper drawer for a few weeks. Alternatively, place them in a basement or root cellar for up to six months.
5. 5. Vitamin and mineral content: Like many other root vegetables, parsnips and turnips both contain essential vitamins and minerals, including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, and folate. These minerals imbue the root vegetables with a host of potential health benefits, including improved digestion and balanced blood sugar levels.

Despite their similar characteristics, parsnips and turnips are different root vegetables with varying nutrients and flavors:

1. 1. Botanical family: Turnips belong to the Brassicaceae family (along with cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and broccoli), while parsnips belong to the Apiaceae family (which also includes parsley, carrots, and celery).
2. 2. Culinary usage: Cooks often substitute parsnips for carrots since they have a similar texture and flavor profile. Conversely, turnips are a common low-carb swap for mashed potatoes. Cooks may also use them raw as a salad topping or coleslaw ingredient.
3. 3. Growing duration: Following their fall planting, growers harvest parsnips after about one hundred days. On the other hand, turnips are fast growers and come out of the ground fifty days after planting. Learn how to plant turnips in your garden.
4. 4. Nutritional content: Though both of these starchy veggies are low-carb staples, parsnips contain more calories than turnips. Both turnips and parsnips contain vitamin C, but the former has more of it. Parsnips and turnips both have vitamin K, calcium, and folate, though the exact percentages vary. Both veggies contain fiber, though parsnips are a richer source of it. Turnips contain vitamin A, while parsnips don’t.
5. 5. Taste: With a sweet and nutty taste resembling candy, parsnips are sweeter than turnips. Conversely, turnips are spicier and more bitter than parsnips, leading certain harvesters to pick them earlier in the season because smaller turnips have a milder flavor profile.

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