Use this produce guide for winter veggies to learn which winter seasonal foods to add to your meal plans, plus recipe ideas and money-saving tips!

Now that the holiday season is behind us, and we’ve set goals for the coming year – Doesn’t it feel like it’s time to get back into the swing of things – minus all of the hectic holiday schedules and sweet indulgences of festive gatherings? Definitely, YES!
For me, this is the time of year when I crave fresh winter fruits and vegetables to help me get back on track to meet my healthy living and grocery budgeting goals.
You may be wondering what in the world would be in season during these months with the longest and coldest nights of the year!?!?
Luckily, Mother Nature has just the answer for us, with winter seasonal foods! From vibrant citrus fruits to sweet and earthy root vegetables, to warm and inviting aromatics…there is more than enough to choose from!
For now, let’s focus on winter veggies.
WHY YOU SHOULD EAT WINTER SEASONAL FOODS
Since most winter fruits and vegetables appear in the supermarket year-round, you might be wondering why we should eat in season produce when every kind of produce is available most of the time. Here are a couple of reasons:
- In season produce is healthier. Winter veggies and fruits naturally have the nutrients we need for the season, like extra vitamin C when colds and the flu are more frequent. You’ll find foods that keep the body warm and full of fiber.
- Produce tastes better when it’s in season. Food bought in peak season has the best flavor. It can grow abundantly and flourishes with the right amount of sunshine.
- In-season produce is cheaper. This makes my number-crunching heart happy – I know that when I buy produce in season, I’ll get more for my money and it will have a positive effect on my grocery budget!
SEASONAL FOODS WINTER VEGETABLES
Here is my Winter Veggies Guide with the easiest-to-find produce available in any supermarket or farmers market, and recipe suggestions to help inspire your meal planning for these cold winter months!
EARLY WINTER VEGGIES
Many of these winter veggies are in season for all three months of winter (January to March), so you can start enjoying them right away in the winter and all season long.
BEETS
Beets are sweet and earthy nutrition powerhouses and are most commonly found in markets with a deep ruby red color. Beets are delicious raw, roasted, steamed, or pureed.
Once a not-so-loved vegetable, beets are gaining popularity with the wide variety of ways to use them – providing a ton of nutrition with few calories! Try some of these recipe ideas for beets:
- Roasted Vegetable Kale Salad
- Root Vegetable Sauté (add beets)
- Beet Smoothie
- Roasted Beet Hummus
- Vegan Borscht
FRESH BROCCOLI
Broccoli is winter’s abundant green, and like the humble beet, it’s another nutrition powerhouse with few calories. Broccoli contains more Vitamin C than an orange! It’s also a good source of calcium.
Broccoli is perfect raw, sauteed, steamed, and roasted. It’s delicious in salads and it always pairs well with beef. Here are a few delicious ways to prepare broccoli:
- Easy Roasted Broccoli
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- 10-Minute Pan Seared Broccoli
- Easy Broccoli Salad
- Weeknight Veggie Stir Fry
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Like cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower, Brussels sprouts are in season late Fall through early Spring – a perfect choice for seasonal foods winter vegetables! When sliced, a Brussels sprout looks like a miniature head of cabbage!
Brussels sprouts are another one of those vegetables that people either love or hate. But when cooked properly, they give a delicious, sweet, cabbage-like flavor and a satisfying crunch! A member of the cruciferous vegetables family, they are full of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.
Hands down the best way to eat them is roasted with some garlic powder sprinkled on top. But they are also great steamed in the Instant Pot! Or try one of these side dish recipes including Brussels sprouts:
- Roasted Vegetable Kale Salad (Roasted Brussels sprouts would be a nice addition to this colorful salad)
- Sweet Kale Salad
- Easy Roasted Broccoli (simply substitute sliced Brussels Sprouts!)
- Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts
- Wild Rice Pilaf with Brussels Sprouts
- Caramelized Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
CABBAGE
A member of the cruciferous vegetable family, cabbage is in season between fall and spring. It tastes sweet and is satisfyingly crunchy. Green cabbage and red cabbage are known to be excellent for digestion, as well as being high in Vitamins C, K, and B.
Who doesn’t love a good crunchy coleslaw? Here are some suggestions for preparing cabbage this winter:
- Cilantro Lime Coleslaw
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Eggroll in a Bowl
- Weeknight Veggie Stir Fry
- Greek Quinoa Salad (add cabbage)
- Sweet Kale Salad
- Roasted Cabbage Wedges

CARROTS
This root vegetable is one of the best basic staple winter veggies to keep around. You can snack on them raw, steam them, roast them, shred them, and even hide them in ground beef!
I think we were all taught as kids that carrots are good for our eyes, which is true! But they also contain a lot of fiber and antioxidants, along with potassium, vitamin K, and vitamin C.
- How to Stretch Ground Beef
- Carrot and Sweet Potato Fritters
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Zucchini Muffins with Apples and Carrots
- Vegetable Pasta Primavera
- Carrot Top Pesto
- Spiced Carrot Bread
CAULIFLOWER
As broccoli’s closest cousin, cauliflower is also packed full of impressive nutrients and antioxidants (Vitamins A, K) as well as being high in fiber and water content (to help keep you hydrated), which are great for digestive function. Here are some ideas for using cauliflower, that even the kids will love!
- Mashed Cauliflower Potatoes
- Cauliflower Rice
- Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
- Pasta Primavera with Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
FRESHLY HARVESTED KALE
Kale is a strong crunchy leaf with a bitter and peppery taste (but not as peppery as arugula), and it pairs well with rich and satisfying root vegetables. Kale is used in everything from smoothies to soups to sautés and of course, salads.
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are numerous health benefits of eating kale. Here are some ways that I like to prepare the “mighty” kale:
- Roasted Vegetable Kale Salad
- Instant Pot White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale
- Sweet Kale Salad (Costco Copycat)
- Garlic White Bean Soup with Kale
- Baked Ziti with Zucchini and Kale and Two Sauces
LEEKS
Leeks are best described as a delightfully aromatic and colorful stand-in for onions (a cousin of onions and garlic). Really, you can replace leeks for onions in most recipes, providing more color and depth of flavor.
Leeks can be tricky to clean as dirt often hides in the long tough green stalks (you eat the part below the green stalk). You can learn about how to clean leeks here. Then check out these recipes!
- Pork and Potato Soup (use leeks instead of onions)
- Homemade Chicken Stock (add leeks)
- Creamy Cauliflower Leek Soup
- Parmesan and Leek Quiche
POTATOES
Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t love potatoes? I haven’t! With a few varieties to choose from, they can be used in so many ways. I love to roast them with olive oil, salt & pepper, and fresh aromatic herbs. Yum!
Colorful potatoes offer more nutrition than your standard russet, but the russets are the most versatile.
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Pork and Potato Soup
- Ridiculously Easy Potato Skins
- Crock Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Buffalo Chicken Potato Nachos

SQUASH (BUTTERNUT, WINTER, ACORN, SPAGHETTI)
Several types of winter squash are in season from fall to early spring. Squash is deliciously sweet, nutty, and full of soluble fiber (great for digestion!). This is yet another vegetable that is super nutritious and full of antioxidants, Vitamins A, C, and E.
For those who are new to winter squash, butternuts are a good one to start with. It has a light sweet flavor similar to sweet potatoes. Check out these recipes for inspiration…
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
- Delicata Squash Salad with Apples and Cranberries
- How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Acorn Squash with Rice Cranberries and Chickpeas
- Instant Pot Curried Butternut Squash Soup
TURNIPS
I never knew before that turnips are a seasonal food winter vegetable! I am so glad that I know this now because they are full of calcium and Vitamin C. While you can eat turnips raw, we like them roasted in a little olive oil with salt and pepper. The taste takes some getting used to but it’s fun to add some new flavors to the table.
- Easy Braised Turnip Rice Bowls
- Grilled Turnips with Olive Oil
- Roasted Turnips with Balsamic Vinegar and Thyme
- Spicy Skillet Turnip Greens
LATER VEGETABLES OF WINTER SEASON
These vegetables of winter season peak a little bit later but are still considered winter veggies.
ARUGULA
Although a little hard to pronounce, arugula is rich in many vitamins and minerals like other greens. Particularly it is rich in antioxidants, high in vitamin K, and high in folate. It helps boost bone health and improve immune function.
The best way to eat arugula is by adding it to your favorite salad. You can even use it as the full base of your salad! It has a slight peppery taste that adds a unique twist to the typical lettuce green flavor.
- Arugula Salad
- Cranberry Apple Spinach Salad (add arugula!)
- Seasonal Waldorf Salad
ASPARAGUS
Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. But it’s often SUPER high in price. Once the price goes down in late winter and early spring, we eat our fill! While green is the most common color of asparagus we find in the stores, you can also find it in white and purple.
It is high in vitamin A, B vitamins, and vitamin C. Plus multiple minerals and lots of fiber! It helps with digestion, energy levels, and immune system health.
- Lemon Butter Asparagus
- Spring Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Add asparagus to Kale Salad with Blueberries, Walnuts, and Feta

CELERY
While celery is available year-round for a pretty good price, you’ll see it drop down at the beginning of March. Celery is very light in flavor yet full of nutrients like fiber and vitamin K. It’s great to add to soups, stews, casseroles, and even to stretch your meat! (Plus, you can REGROW celery in water!)
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Northern Beans and Ham Soup
- Homemade Cream of Celery Soup
- Easy Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Slow Cooker Osso Buco
- Sliced and dipped in Homemade Hummus
FENNEL
This bulb plant is well known for its help with digestive issues and eye care. It is full of vitamin C and fiber. The taste of fennel is fairly strong and reminds me of licorice.
You can find fennel seeds in most grocery stores for cooking. The stems are often dried and used as herbs. The bulb is the fresh part you could use for cooking winter seasonal foods.
- Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel
- Roasted Carrots and Fennel
- Roasted Beet Sandwich with Ginger, Fennel and Goat Cheese
- Winter Greens Salad with Fennel and Citrus
LETTUCE
Late winter into early spring is when we start to move from the dark leafy greens to the lighter spring greens. Most varieties of lettuce come into season in early spring. Each variety has a range of benefits with Romaine lettuce being the most nutrient-dense, red leaf and green leaf lettuce coming next with LOTS of vitamin A, and iceberg lettuce last.
As with most vegetables, variety is best! Changing the lettuce or greens in your salads can help expand the flavor profile and make your regular dinner salad more exciting.

MUSHROOMS
I am a big fan of mushrooms. And slowly but surely my picky eater is starting to enjoy them too! Edible mushrooms are high in calcium and other vitamins and minerals.
They are a great addition to soups, sautés, and as fillers for stretching meat. If you’d like to include more mushrooms in your diet, try looking for the “fancy” mushrooms when they are at a discount at your grocery store. They are much more flavorful than the traditional white mushrooms.
- Creamy Weeknight Mushroom Pasta
- Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Sheet Pan Sausage, Peppers, Mushrooms, and Onions
- Add mushrooms to Alfredo Sauce
- Vegetable Stir Fry
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
PARSNIPS
This often-overlooked seasonal food winter vegetable is FULL of nutrients. It is high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It’s also high in folate and vitamin K which are great for pregnant mamas!
Parsnips are amazing when roasted and taste a bit sweet. They are a big favorite when we want “fries” with our favorite burgers.
- Root Vegetable Sauté
- Kale Roasted Vegetable Salad
- Cauliflower Parsnip Mash with Roasted Garlic
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Homemade Root Vegetable Chips
PEAS
Peas have been a favorite of the winter veggies for a long time. And for good reason! They are a great source of fiber and vitamin A which make them good for digestion and good for your eyes.
My favorite way to eat green peas is steamed with a bit of butter. Yum! They’re also great to add to any pasta dish or stir-fry type dish.
- Buttered Peas
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- 30 Minute Cashew Chicken
- Vegetable Pasta Primavera
- Classic Minestrone Soup
RADISHES
Radishes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes! We typically see the small red radishes at grocery stores, but they also grow in purple and white shades, long and thin or short and round. They are high in fiber and a good source of vitamin C and antioxidants.
My family wasn’t a fan the first time we tried them, but I’ve heard roasting them gives them a milder flavor, so I want to give that a try!
- Crunchy Garden Salsa
- Corn Salad with Radish, Jalapeno, and Lime
- Cinnamon Sugar Radish Chips (maybe I’ll change my mind about radishes!)
- Crispy Roasted Radishes
- Beef Tacos with Radish and Avocado Salsa
SPINACH
Spinach is one of the most popular leafy greens and it’s no wonder why! It is full of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
It has very little calories and no fat. It’s one of those vegetables that you can really eat a ton of and feel good about! The flavor is fairly mild compared to other dark leafy greens, and it is tasty raw or cooked.
- Basic Green Smoothie
- Cranberry Apple Spinach Salad
- 5 Minute Spinach Pesto
- Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas
- Simple Autumn Rice Pilaf (with spinach!)
SWEET POTATOES
Oh, sweet potatoes…if I had to choose one tuber vegetable for the rest of my life, it would be sweet potatoes! While they are high in carbohydrates, it is a complete carbohydrate paired with other vitamins and minerals, making them a great kitchen staple that provides more nutrients than white potatoes.
Winter is peak sweet potato season, although you can find them for a pretty good price all year long. The taste is sweet and pairs well with many types of foods, from slow cooker roast to kale and even eggs!
- Sweet Potatoes and Runny Eggs
- Sweet Potato Apple Bake
- Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad
- Sweet Potato and Carrot Fritters

SWISS CHARD AND COLLARD GREENS
I mentioned above that the lighter leafy greens start to come into season in late winter, but don’t forget about the dark leafy greens! Swiss chard, collard greens, and kale are still in season and FULL of nutrients. Each type has a different density of vitamins and minerals, but the highest numbers are for vitamins K, A, and C. And with all the fiber you get, you’ll be feeling great!
- Caramelized Onions and Swiss Chard
- Butternut Squash Pasta Bake (use lots of greens!)
- Creamed Swiss Chard
- Garlic White Bean Soup with Kale
- Roasted Vegetable Kale Salad
MORE ON EATING SEASONAL FOOD WINTER SAVING MONEY
Choosing to prepare in season produce is the best way to eat the freshest and healthiest food possible. It is also one of the key factors in having a manageable grocery budget.
To learn more, check out my other posts on seasonal produce and grocery budgeting:
- Winter Fruits Guide
- How to Eat Seasonal Produce
- How to Save Money on Food Year-Round
- 5 Fail-Proof Ways to Reduce Grocery Spending
- How to Make a Frugal Grocery Budget

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