The Ultimate Guide to Vegetables in German

Need to know your vegetables in German but don’t know where to start? Check out this post for the ultimate guide to vegetables in German.

As someone who’s planning to move to Germany soon, knowing my vegetables in German was definitely an essential for me. I wanted to be well-equipped if I were to go to a grocery store in Germany or even cook. Because, last time I checked… you can’t always rely on English 100% of the time when you travel. In fact, sometimes making the effort to learn and pronounce certain words in German can make all the difference.

So, if you’re looking for the ultimate guide to vegetables in German, you’ve come to the right place. This post alone not only highlights what these vegetables are in German, but it also takes into consideration what German dishes you can make with them.

Root Vegetables in German

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Root vegetables in German are an important category to start off with when it comes to learning your vegetables in German. They are a broad category on their own and they represent all of the vegetables that grow underground. These vegetables as you can see below, are very colorful in person, especially if their roots are still attached.

German	English
der Garten-Rettich	radish
die Karotte	carrot
die Rübe	turnip
die Ingwerwurzel	ginger root
der Sellerie	celery
die Petersilienwurzel	parsley root
die rote Beete	beet root
die Pastinake	parsnip
die Schwarzwurzel	salsify root
die Maca-Wurzel	maca root
der Daikon Rettich	daikon radish
die Steckrübe	swede
die Yucca	yucca
die Kohlrübe	rutabaga
der Schwarzkümmel	black cumin
der Löwenzahn	dandelion
die Erdnuss-Platterbse	earthnut

Tuber Vegetables in German

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Tuber vegetables are another important category when it comes to learning your vegetables in German. These vegetables are essentially plants in which the tubers are used as food. Tubers, in this case, are modified plant structures that get enlarged in order to store nutrients. The “potato” for example would be a paragon of this.

German	English
die Kartoffel	potato
die Süßkartoffel	sweet potato
die Yamswurzel	yam
der Maniok	cassava
die Ube	ube
der Ulluko	ulluco
Die Topinambur	Jerusalem artichoke
die Taro	taro

Bulb Vegetables in German

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Bulb vegetables are another category to consider when you’re learning your vegetables in German. These vegetables get their name from their bulb-like shapes and they’re usually the only part that people eat.

German	English
der Knoblauch	garlic
der Fenchel	fennel
der Lauch	leek
die Schalotte	shallot
der Schnittlauch	chive
der Kurrat	kurrat
die Wasserkastanie	Water Chestnut
die Zwiebel	onion
die Schalotte	scallion
der Elefantenknoblauch	Elephant Garlic
die Perlzwiebel	Pearl Onion
der Bärlauch	Wild Garlic
die kugelköpfige Zwiebel	Ball-Headed Onion
die Riesenzwiebel	Giant Onion

Skinny Vegetables in German

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Skinny vegetables are another personal category you should add to your list. I obviously made up this category from my vivid imagination but in my defense, all the vegetables that you see in this section are all skinny. The “asparagus” for example is a paragon of that!

German	English
der Spargel	asparagus
das Zitronengras	lemongrass
der Bambusspross	bamboo shoot
der Rosenkohl	brussels sprout
der Rhabarber	rhubarb
der Mangold	swiss chard
der Becherfarn	fiddlehead
das Palmenherz	heart of palm
der Kohlrabi	kohlrabi
das Pikopiko	pikopiko

Flower Vegetables in German

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Flower vegetables are another category to keep in mind as you’re learning your vegetables in German! These vegetables resemble flower bouquets on their own and some of them are even edible flowers themselves like “lotus” and “moringa”.

German	English
der Brokkoli	broccoli
die Brokkoli	broccolini
der Blumenkohl	cauliflower
die Zucchini	zucchini
die Artischocke	artichoke
der Romanesco	romanesco
die Kapern	caper
die Moringa	moringa
der Lotos	lotus
die Jade-Rebe	Jade vine
die Agati	agati
der Loroco	loroco

Fungi and Mushrooms in German

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Fungi and mushrooms are another category you can’t forget as you’re learning your vegetables in German. Unlike plants, these vegetables get their nutrients from their immediate environment instead of through photosynthesis. In fact, it’s the main reason why they only grow in nutritious areas.

German	English
der Pilz	mushroom
der Portobello	portobello
der Champignon	champignon
der Pilz	fungus
die Steinpilze	porcini
der Shiitake	shiitake
die Milchtüte	milkcap
die Morchel	morel
der Austernpilz	oyster mushroom
der Enoki	enoki
der Trüffel	truffle
die schwarze Trompete	black trumpet

Legumes in German

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Legumes or seeds are another category you can’t forget as you’re learning your vegetables in German. These vegetables are the most versatile and nutritious foods available and they’re low in fat plus high in fiber.

German	English
die Bohnen	beans
die schwarze Bohnen	black beans
die Sojabohnen	soybeans
die Kidneybohnen	kidney beans
die Pintobohnen	pinto beans
die Mungbohnen	mung beans
die weiße Bohnen	navy beans
die Saubohnen	broad beans
die Limabohnen	lima beans
die Linsen	lentils
die Erbsen	peas
die Kichererbsen	chickpeas
die Schwarzaugenbohnen	black-eyed peas
die Kaiserschoten	snow peas
die Erdnüsse	peanuts
die Edamame	edamame
die Zuckerschoten	sugar snaps
der Zuckermais	sweetcorn

Fruity Vegetables in German

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Fruity vegetables are another personal category you should add to your list. I obviously made up this category myself but I figured it would be important to address vegetables that act like “fruits”.

And when I say act like “fruits”, I’m mostly referring to vegetables that have seeds.

Typically, for as long as I can remember, to consider something to be a fruit it would need to have a seed. However, what would happen if a vegetable had seeds?

Would it still be considered a vegetable or is it a fruit?

Hence, why I refer to the vegetables in this section as my fruity vegetables. Instead of figuring out whether they’re a fruit or a vegetable, I accept both identities.

German	English
die Wegerich	plantain
der Kürbis	pumpkin
der Kürbis	squash
der Spaghettikürbis	spaghetti squash
die Aubergine	eggplant
die bittere Melone	bitter melon
der Lauki	lauki
die flauschige Melone	fuzzy melon
die Tindora	tindora
die Okras	okra
die Paprika	bell pepper
die Gurke	cucumber
die Tomate	tomato

German Dishes with Vegetables

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Last but not least, you might also be wondering what are some typical German dishes one can make with these vegetables. Well, here are just a few:

• Pichelsteiner

Pichelsteiner is a German stew that is made with various kinds of meats and vegetables. These vegetables include cabbage, carrots, potatoes and leeks, However, other regions in Germany may also add celery, onions and garlic to boost the taste.

• Leipziger Allerlei

Leipziger Allerlei is a regional German vegetable dish that’s usually served as a main or side dish in restaurants. It’s a combination of many vegetables like mushrooms and it’s named after the city of Leipzig in Germany.

So, if you’re interested in making any of these dishes, please don’t hesitate. I’ve embed some recipe videos of them below for your convenience.

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Overall, I really hope you enjoyed reading the ultimate guide to vegetables in German. Please let me know in the comments down below if you have any questions about it. I would love to hear from you! 🙂

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