Roasted turnips – a great gluten free and vegan side dish to go with a meal. This easy turnip recipe is fairly simple to make with just 5 simple ingredients and minimal prep. It makes a healthy side dish that pairs pretty well with any main meal.
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Turnip is one of the underrated low carb root vegetables packed with nutrients that have been often turned down in my home due to its sharp radish-like flavour.
However, nowadays this roasted turnip is one of the side dishes that appear on our weekly menu as roasting mellows down the sharp flavour and brings out the natural sweetness of this vegetable making it more appealing and palatable.
Why you will love this roasted turnip recipe?
Beginner friendly
Easy to prepare with few basic ingredients
Low carb, vegan and gluten free
Ingredients
Seasoning: Olive oil, black pepper, salt and cumin.
Vegetable: Fresh tender turnips are perfect in this recipe.
How to roast turnips?
Peel and cut turnips into bite-size cubes.
Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F).
Meanwhile place cubed turnips, spices and oil in a bowl.
Mix well until turnip cubes are well coated.
Spread seasoned turnip into a single layer in a piping hot tray.
Place the tray in preheated oven and roast for 25-30 minutes. Take out the tray halfway through cooking, mix well and roast.
Serve delicious roasted turnips on its own or with any main meal of your choice.
Do you have to peel turnips before roasting?
Baby turnips need not be peeled but you would need to scrub the skin while washing. However, mature turnip skin is fibrous and bitter. Therefore, you will have to remove it before roasting.
Variations and substitutions
Herbs: Fresh or dried herbs work well in roasted vegetable recipes. Fresh thyme, parsley, sage or rosemary makes a great addition. Generally, fresh herbs impart a more intense flavour and aroma than dried ones when sprinkled on top. However, you can use dried if fresh herbs are not in the kitchen.
Garlic: Add garlic for a lovely flavour. Garlic goes well with almost any vegetable, it pairs well with parsnip as well.
Seasoning: To spice up the roast vegetable try adding seasoning.
Butter and sugar: Add butter and brown sugar to take things a notch up. This is a great way to make this easy roasted turnips recipe specifically for kids as it adds a lovely sweet flavour and counteracts sharp flavour.
Black Pepper: Feel free to use freshly ground black pepper powder instead of crushed.
Tips and Tricks
Get the baking sheet piping hot beforehand to kick-start the process and save cooking time.
Do not overfill turnip cubes on the tray as it results in steaming rather than roasting. If necessary, use two trays, but make sure to spread turnips in a single layer and ensure they are spaced well.
Take the baking tray out of the oven halfway through the cooking process., flip the turnips over and put the tray back in the oven and continue cooking until done. This ensures even roasting and browning on all sides.
Serving Suggestions
They are a healthy side dish to serve with carrot lentil soup and vegetable soup.
This simple roasted turnip is an excellent low carb dish to serve in roast dinners instead of roast potatoes.
Notes
Adjust seasoning to your taste.
Roast time may vary depending on the size of the turnip cubes.
Storage
Fridge: Leftover turnips could be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Reheat in the oven for around 10 mins until warm.
FAQ
Both are root vegetables with different flavour profiles, appearance and textures. While parsnips have a sweet and nutty flavour, turnips have an earthy and slightly bitter taste when cooked. Turnips are round in shape whereas parsnips are long and tapered like carrots.
Rutabaga is another name for swede and is believed to be a hybrid of turnip and cabbage. In America, swede is known as rutabaga and in Scotland it is known as neeps.
They are both from a different family. Swedes are bigger in size with much tougher skin and yellow flesh whereas turnips are small and have thin and smooth skin with white flesh. Swedes are also termed Swedish turnips, yellow turnips and Russian turnips.
Leftovers can be stored in a freezer to use on another weekday meal. It keeps good for up to 3 months. However, if you are looking to use up the very next day rather than freezing then there are a few options to incorporate in recipes.
Slightly mash and use it in chickpea veggie patties, vegetable quesadillas and frittatas.
Toss it in oil along with onion, tomato and season with spices of your choice to make a dry curry and repurpose it into curry puffs.
More roasted vegetables recipes to try
Garlic herb oven roasted root vegetables
Crispy rosemary roasted baby potatoes
📖 Recipe Card
Roasted Turnips
Equipment
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
- 367 gms (or) 2.5 cups (or) 3 medium size Turnips
- 1½ (1.5) Tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt as required
- Crushed Pepper as required
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin
Instructions
- Wash and peel turnip skin, cut it into bite-size cubes and keep it aside.367 gms (or) 2.5 cups (or) 3 medium size Turnips
- Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F) and with the baking tray inside the oven.
- Meanwhile, combine oil, salt, pepper and cumin in a small bowl.1½ (1.5) Tablespoon Olive Oil, Salt, Crushed Pepper, ½ Teaspoon Cumin
- Put turnip cubed and toss well.
- Transfer seasoned turnips to a piping hot baking tray and spread it in a single layer. Ensure to space them well.
- Put the tray in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
- Take the tray out, mix well and return to oven and continue to roast for further 10 minutes.
- Serve delicious roasted turnips on its own or with any main meal of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Keep in Touch
Do let me know if you make this delicious roasted turnips recipe. I love hearing from you all. If you like this recipe kindly consider rating it using stars in the comment section or in the recipe card to help more people find this recipe online.
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Seema Sriram says
I have to admit, I hardly get these turnips to cook with. never a particular reason but your roast seems to motivate me to get that bunch in the grocery list tomorrow.
Mayuri Patel says
Geetha must admit that I hardly include turnip in our daily diet. Having said that your roasted turnips is making me rethink. Love how you've given several flavour variations. Its a must try recipe.
Geetha Priyanka says
I'm so glad you like the flavour variations of this recipe and I'm sure with so many possible ways of cooking this underrated vegetable, you would include them in your weekly menu.
Swati says
Roasted turnips make a wonderful side dish with meals or even we can enjoy just like that with some chutney. My mom makes this with Indian spices that I had totally forgotten about it.. love your baked version and all the variations to make this easy easy and healthy dish.
Geetha Priyanka says
Absolutely, it is such a versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a side dish or on its own. Glad this recipe reminded you of your mom's recipe.
Kalyani says
am a huge veggie fan, and these roasted turnips are so tempting.... as a snack or a meal by themselves
Geetha Priyanka says
Glad you liked it. Hope you get to try it 🙂
Shobha Keshwani says
Nice and simple roasted turnip with flavourful spices.This will make a good side dish with dal chawal. I have so far only made pickled turnips.
Geetha Priyanka says
Yes, this goes absolutely well with rice and dal. Have never tried pickled turnips, I would definitely try it sometime.
Aruna says
I get such lovely turnips here but struggle to decide what to make with them. Your simple recipe will help me include this root vegetable in my daily diet very easily.
Geetha Priyanka says
I'm so glad you find this recipe helpful. Do let me know how you liked it when you get to try this recipe.
The Girl Next Door says
Such a simple recipe, but I can imagine just how flavourful it would taste. Turnips are super nutritious, and this is a great way to make use of them. Perfect for a cold winter day!
Geetha Priyanka says
Oh yes, I totally agree, this simple yet flavourful recipe is a great way to use this underrated nutritious and low carb veggie.
Vidya Narayan says
I love roasted root vegetables of all kinds. This would make a great side to main course meals and can be eaten as a snack with cocktails too. Love it.