Vegetables That Start With P

Wondering which are the vegetables that start with P, we've got them all right here for you in a handy list, from Pak Choi to Purslane. Here are not only the 23 veggies beginning with the letter P, but we'll also give you info, classifications, recipes, pictures, and more.

You're here because you're wondering which vegetables start with the letter P! Well, here they all are listed for you.

But that's not all! We've also given you plenty of information, plus links to recipes so you can try these vegetables yourself at home.

Our selection of veggies beginning with the letter P has all the ones we know. If you know of any more, let us know in the comments!

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Vegetable Classifications
List of vegetables beginning with P
More information on the vegetables
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Vegetable Classifications

A few notes before we launch into the list of vegetables that start with the letter P.

There are some vegetables that we think of as fruits and some fruits that we think of as vegetables.

There are 3 classifications of "Vegetable": culinary, botanical, and legal.

Culinary Vegetables: These are edible plants and plant parts that are considered veggies for cooking purposes. They are usually savory or are put into savory dishes. This includes pumpkins, eggplant, tomatoes and bell peppers, which are, botanically speaking, fruits. This list of vegetable names will focus on culinary veggies.

Botanical Vegetables: Botany is the study of plants. Botanically, a fruit is seed-bearing and develops from the ovary of a flowering plant, while vegetables are all other parts of the plant, such as roots, stems and leaves.

Legal Vegetables: Some edible plants are legally classified as vegetables for tariff, tax, and regulatory purposes.

NOTE: This vegetables that start with the letter P list was made with culinary vegetables listed.

Wooden board with vegetables at the bottom and text: vegetables that start with P.

List of vegetables beginning with P

Here is the list of 23 veggies starting with the letter P!

Pak Choi
Pandan
Parsnip
Peanuts
Peas
Pearl Onions
Peppers
Parsley
Pickles
Pigeon Pea
Pignut
Pinkbean
Pinto Beans
Pitwaa
Plum Tomatoes
Pointed Cabbage
Potatoes
Prickly Pear
Pumpkin
Purple Sprouting Broccoli
Purple Sweet Potatoes
Purslane
Purple Asparagus

More information on the vegetables

Pak Choi

Leaves. Pak choi looks like a short, wide celery, with white short, thick stalks and dark green leaves. Also known as pak choy, bok choy or Chinese celery cabbage.

Pandan

Leaves. Pandan leaves are a popular ingredient across South Asia and Southeast Asia in Thai, Malaysian, Sri Lankan, and Indonesian cuisines.

The leaves are used in many dishes, from rice to desserts, where their delicate perfume flavor infuses the food. Crushed leaves also color food a natural green. Try Pandan Chiffon Cake which has pandan paste.

Parsnips

Roots. Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are long, pale roots with a delicately nutty flavor that are closely related to carrots. They have pale skin and flesh. Parsnips harvested after the final winter frosts have a sweeter taste. Their sweetness lends them to be used not only in savory dishes but also in sweet ones. They make a great alternative to carrots in carrot cake.

Fun Fact: The Romans used parsnips as a sweetener before they cultivated sugar beets and cane sugar. Emperor Tiberius even accepted parsnips as payment from the Germans.

Try these parsnip recipes: Parsnip Loaf Cake, Apple and Parsnip Crumble, Curried Parsnips.

Peanuts

Seeds. Botanically, most nuts are seeds, while some true nuts such as chestnuts, acorns, and hazelnuts, are fruits. However, peanuts are legumes, so are technically vegetables. Try them in a West African Peanut Stew or a vegan Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce.

Peas

Seeds & pods. Peas (Pisum sativum) grow with small edible orbs inside an edible pod. Although peas are treated as a vegetable for cooking, botanically, they're a fruit. Peas are usually bought frozen, but also fresh or dried (as split peas). Frozen peas tend to have more nutrients than fresh since the goodness is 'locked in' when they are frozen immediately after harvesting. As a side dish, peas can be boiled or steamed for a few minutes.

Try these pea recipes: Pea Hummus, Pea Soup, Sweet Vanilla Pea Cake with Lemon Frosting, Pasta with Peas, Peas on Toast with Mint, Pea Puree.

Pearl Onions

Bulbs. Pearl Onions, also known as silverskin or creamers, are very small onions (about ½-inch in diameter), closely related to leeks. They're often used in stews, soups, and meat dishes, or pickled. Try them sauteed with a balsamic glaze as a side dish.

Peppers

Fruits. Also known as sweet peppers, bell peppers or capsicum. Peppers are a fruit that can be found typically in green, yellow, orange and red. Green peppers are the most bitter, and they increase in sweetness with red being the sweetest and also having the most phytonutrients. Try them in vegan stuffed peppers.

A fork taking a gherkin out of a pickle jar. — Pickles

Pickles

Fruits. Pickles are pickled cucumbers (also known as gherkins or dill pickles). The name gherkin is common in the United Kingdom. Pickles are made with young cucumbers, which are fruit that grows on a creeping vine. They're green, with an elongated shape, pale flesh and the watery insides have soft edible white seeds. Try them in Dill Pickle Pasta Salad.

Pigeon Pea

Seeds & pods. Pigeon Peas (Cajanus cajan) are also known as tur dahl, arhar, red gram, or gungo peas. They're legumes from the family: Fabaceae. Pigeon Peas are popular in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. They are a major source of protein for the people of the Indian subcontinent. They can be bought as dried peas, flour, or green peas. Pigeon peas are often served with rice or flatbreads, cooked into daals, soups, or stews.

Try them in Pigeon Pea Dal or Jamaican Pigeon Pea Stew.

Pinto Beans

Seeds & pods. Pinto Beans, a type of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), are a legume. They are a staple in Latin American cuisine. When dry, the small beans have a brown speckled exterior, however, when cooked, they are a solid brownish pink color. They are often used cooked whole in dishes, mashed, in burritos, or as refried beans. Try them in homemade refried beans or cooked as a Mexican Pinto Beans side dish.

Pitwaa

Leaves. Pitwaa (also known as Red Sorrel, Ambada, Gongura, or Pulicha Keerai) are medium-sized broad, flat, green leaves with a sour, tart taste. Popular in India, they are often served pickled, steamed, or ground into a paste to make chutney. It is one of the main ingredients in authentic Andhra cuisine.

Plum Tomatoes

Fruit. Plum Tomatoes (also known as Roma or San Maranzo) have a longer, more cylindrical shape than regular tomatoes, and have less seeds. They're often found caned, or used to make sauces and paste/puree. Use them like any other tomatoes or try them in Tomato Soup, Homemade Ketchup, or Spanish Beans.

Pointed Cabbage

Leaves. Pointed cabbages (also called hispi cabbage) are leafy green brassicas with closely packed pale green colour and one end that tapers slightly to a point. They have a mild flavor and soft texture. Pointed cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked. Due to their close texture, they can be cut into wedges and grilled. They can also be eaten in salads or boiled, steamed, sauteed, or added to soups. Try it in Cabbage Soup or Roasted Pointed Cabbage.

Potatoes

Roots & Tubers. This incredibly popular root vegetable is a member of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Originally native to The Americas, they are now a staple crop around the world. There are over 4,000 varieties of potatoes, including Yukon Gold, Maris Piper, Fingerling, King Edward. They can be grouped into russet potatoes (which have a rough brown skin), white potatoes, red potatoes, purple potatoes, and yellow potatoes. Potatoes are best consumed cooked, since they have compounds that, when eaten raw, can cause digestive issues. Try them in Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Hasselback Potatoes, Bombay Potatoes, Colcannon, Mini Baked Potatoes, and many other ways.

Prickly Pear

Leaves. Prickly Pear (also called nopales) are a type of cactus that is commonly eaten in Mexico.

The pads of the cactus are harvested and used in a variety of dishes, including salads, stews, and tacos. Prickly Pear have a slightly tart and salty flavor and a slightly chewy texture. They can be found in grocery stores, fresh, frozen or canned.

Pumpkin

Fruit. Pumpkins are winter squash from the genus Cucurbita. Famously used for carving into a Jack o'Lantern at Halloween, the skin, flesh, and seeds are all edible. You can often find cooked and pureed pumpkin in cans for use in sweet and savory recipes.

Try it in Roasted Pumpkin Salad, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Cupcakes, or this list of the best Pumpkin Recipes.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Stems, Flowers, Leaves. Purple Sprouting Broccoli has long thin stems and small purple flowers at the head, similar to broccolini/tenderstem. The flowers, stems, and leaves are all edible, though you should cut off and discard any tough woody ends of the stems. Try it raw, steamed, boiled, or roasted.

Purple potatoes being peeled and cut. — Purple Sweet Potatoes

Purple Sweet Potatoes

Roots & Tubers. Purple Sweet Potatoes (also called Okinawan sweet potatoes or Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes) are a root vegetable with a distinctive dark purple skin and bright purple flesh. Their sweet taste and purple color lends them to be used in many dishes, so try them mashed, baked, boiled or steamed.

Purslane

Leaves. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is also known as duckweed or fatweed. It is a leafy green vegetable, popular in Mediterranean countries, that can be eaten cooked or raw in salads. Purslane tastes a bit like a bitter apple with green beans. Find purslane at Farmer's Markets or foraged in the wild during the summer. Wild Purslane Salad.

Purple Asparagus

Stems. Purple asparagus is a stem vegetable that grows as a long, pointy spear that is purple (though the most common varieties are usually green). Enjoy pruple asparagus sauteed, grilled, steamed or roasted. Try roasted asparagus or sweet potato asparagus frittata.

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That's it! I hope you've found this list of 23 'Vegetables starting with P' useful. If any are missing, let us know in the comments and we'll add them.

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