If you’re trying to find a list of vegetables that start with D, you’ve found the right place. Here’s a list of all the vegetables we could find that start with that letter, along with some ideas about how to use them.
1. Dabberlocks
Many might not be familiar with dabberlocks, which is a type of kelp that can be found around Ireland and England. Its Latin name is Alaria esculenta, and it’s also known as “winged kelp.” This plant can grow up to 2 meters long and has been a staple food for coastal peoples for thousands of years.
You can eat this edible sea vegetable either raw or cooked. If you’d like to try it raw, use it as a substitute for wakame in a salad, with tamari, mirin wine, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Alternatively, let its nutty flavor enhance your favorite miso soup.
2. Daikon Radish
Daikon is a type of radish with cream-colored skin. It’s also known as “luobo,” as well as “Japanese radish,” “Chinese radish,” or “winter radish.” This variety can grow absolutely huge, though most are approximately the size of your forearm. That said, the biggest so far weighed 73 pounds, so be forewarned if you try to grow it yourself.
You can eat this radish raw, grated into salad, or sliced thinly on toast. It’s a popular ingredient in some types of sushi, usually in pickled form. You can also transform it into the delicious Cantonese dim sum dish known as lo bak go (萝卜糕). This is usually referred to as “turnip cake,” when in fact it’s steamed, grated daikon radish mixed with chopped mushrooms and rice flour.
3. Dandelion
Most people just think of these sunny yellow flowers as unwanted weeds in their garden. We say they’re missing out, however, because this plant can be used to make tons of tasty dishes. For example, you can harvest the young flower buds and pickle them like capers.
Roast the roots and grind them for a tasty coffee substitute, and sautee the leaves with garlic and olive oil. You can even make fritters out of their flowers. Dandelion flowers also make a rather tasty wine, if you have the patience to wait for it to ferment.
Read Also: What Does Dandelion Wine Taste Like?
4. Dasheen
The more common name for dasheen is taro. However, this root vegetable goes by the name dasheen in some Caribbean areas. You can eat its corms or leaves, but it’s the corms (roots) that are more commonly eaten, especially in Chinese cuisine. In China, this root is known as wuhtau (芋頭), and it’s the primary ingredient in dumplings known as wu gok, and savory wu tao gao cake.
Although these dishes are normally made with shrimp or pork, you can make vegan versions of them with jackfruit, mushrooms, scallions, and nuts.
5. Daylily
If you think the daylily is just a pretty yellow flower, you can think again. Although they’re mostly used as decorative elements in people’s gardens, they’re entirely edible. Just don’t confuse them with tiger lilies, which are poisonous.
The daylily plant is common in Chinese cooking and often appears as an ingredient in hot and sour soup. Two other ways to enjoy them are to steam their stems like asparagus, or stuff their blossoms with vegan ricotta cheese.
6. Delicata Squash
Although squash is scientifically categorized as a fruit, we’re including the striped delicata squash here because it’s usually treated as a vegetable. Its name refers to how mild and delicate its inner flesh is, and it compliments other savory ingredients beautifully.
The best way to prepare delicata squash is to bake it, especially if it’s stuffed with delicious ingredients. In essence, you use the squash itself as a serving bowl, filled with delicious baked grains, nuts, mushrooms, and cranberries.
Related Article: What does Delicata Squash Taste Like?
7. Dill
The majority of people familiar with dill probably know it as the primary flavoring for pickles. It has a grassy, “zippy” flavor that lends well to all kinds of recipes. For example, you can mix it into vegan cream cheese along with chives to make a gorgeous spread for toast or crackers. Dill pickled carrots or green beans are just as tasty as gherkins, and you can also add chopped fresh dill to salads and soups.
You can get some more ideas on how to use it in our guide to what dill weed tastes like.
8. Dinosaur Kale
This is also known as Tuscan or Lacinato kale but got its unique Jurassic nickname from its appearance. It has dark green bumpy leaves that resemble scales—much like how we imagine dinosaurs to have looked. This kale is a popular ingredient in traditional Italian minestrone.
If you’re not a soup fan, you can also use this kale in a variety of different salads. For example, try it in this crunchy salt-and-vinegar chickpea salad with creamy dill-tahini dressing.
9. Dolichos Beans
Dolichos beans, which are also known as hyacinth beans, look like pea pods with one notable difference: their bright violet color. It’s this purple hue that earned them their nickname, as it’s almost the same color as the common hyacinth. It’s so pretty that some people use these as decorative plants.
If you eat the beans, however, you need to be careful to boil them thoroughly, changing the water several times, as they’re naturally toxic. In contrast, their leaves and flowers are safe to eat raw, making a wonderful addition to salads.
10. Drumstick Plant
The drumstick plant is also known as moringa, and is cultivated largely for its seed pods. That said, the plant’s leaves are also edible, and taste like a cross between arugula and spinach. These leaves can be eaten raw as well as cooked, and can also be a valuable food source for herbivore pets.
The immature seed pods taste like asparagus, and you can use them in stir-fries, curries, or soups. Even the flowers are edible, and make beautiful, spicy garnishes for salads and savory tarts.
11. Dulse
Looking for a delicious, healthy snack? Dulse—which is a type of edible algae—is amazing when dehydrated or baked into chips. It has a deep, nutty, salty flavor, and the entire vegetable crisps up in the oven. This seaweed is packed with iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium, making it an ideal, nutrient-dense food for a plant-based diet.
In addition to noshing on crunchy dulse chips, you can use dulse flakes to deepen flavors in soups and stews. Alternatively, if you’re a carb-loving baking fiend, try making traditional Irish dulse soda bread.
12. Datil Pepper
These small, fiery peppers belong to the same family as yellow lantern chili varieties. They’re usually greenish-yellow when fully ripe, and their small size hides their powerful punch. They might only grow to be about an inch long, but they’re 12 times hotter than jalapenos.
You can find these easily in Florida and Cuba, where they’re usually used to make hot sauces. If you don’t live anywhere near there, but you love spicy foods, get yourself some “Bottled Hell” datil pepper sauce online.
13. Death Spiral Pepper
While we’re on the subject of spicy sauces, let’s take a look at the death spiral pepper. If you thought the datil was hot, this one blows it out of the water. Death spiral peppers are so named because of their twisted, spiraling shape, and the fact that biting into one generally makes someone feel like they’re dying. It’s been bred from the Naga Bubblegum Red cross pepper, and is ranked as one of the hottest peppers on the planet.
If you’re a fan of having the insides of your mouth set on fire, definitely try to find some of these. They make Scotch bonnets seem like digestive biscuits in comparison.
14. Dragon Tongue Bush Bean
Most people are only familiar with the standard “haricot vert” type of string bean. Dragon tongue bush beans are even tastier and offer visual appeal as well as spectacular flavor. You may be able to find them at farmer’s markets or specialty produce stores, or you can try to grow them yourself.
When the pods reach 7″ or so, their color changes dramatically. Instead of being a pale yellow-green, they suddenly develop bright purple stripes everywhere. At this point, they’re perfect as snap beans. Alternatively, if you want to let them mature into soup beans, wait until their stripes widen and turn dark red.
15. Diamond Bell Pepper
In contrast to the fiery peppers mentioned above, we have the sweet, exquisitely beautiful diamond bell pepper. These rare heirloom peppers are sugar-sweet and crunchy, with a flavor reminiscent of yellow pepper with a hint of cucumber. They got their name because they’re a pale, creamy ivory color when ripe, rather like little diamonds in one’s garden.
They’ll turn red when overripe, so be sure to pick them early if you try growing them yourself. If you do, try stuffing them with mushrooms, breadcrumbs, zucchini, artichoke hearts, vegan feta, and pine nuts for an elegant, all-white side dish.
16. Dragon Carrot
While we’re on the topic of absolutely gorgeous vegetables, let’s take a look at dragon carrots. These deep purple-red carrots are flaming orange on the inside and are as sweet as candy. They look incredible when spiralized or shaven into salads, and make beautiful pickles as well.
Children love them cut into shapes for kawaii bento boxes, while their parents will be sure to adore them in crudite platters.
17. Dubna Garlic
Did you know that garlic comes in red and purple hues as well as white? Dubna garlic bulbs are huge, almost jumbo-sized, with deep purple wrappers. This hardneck variety has a sharp, bold flavor that lends well to pestos and sauces. It’s also ideal for pasta recipes, like this one-pot vegan pasta dish with mushrooms, tomato, and kale.
18. Diamond Eggplant
Unlike diamond peppers, which are very pale, diamond eggplants are so deep purple, and they’re almost black. Their name refers to the fact that they’re so rare—much like diamonds. These peppers originated in the Ukraine, and are still quite rare in the USA. You’re unlikely to find them at your local supermarket, but you can get seeds and grow them yourself.
They’re smaller eggplants and are just the right size for individual dinner portions. Try making batinjan mahshi, which is a Lebanese-style stuffed eggplant that’s filled with rice, herbs, and vegetables in a rich tomato sauce.
19. Dazzling Blue Kale
You’re probably very familiar with green kale, but have you ever seen blue varieties? Dazzling blue kale really lives up to its name, as it’s resplendent with intense, smoky blue leaves and purple midribs. Much like red Russian or Lacinato kale, it has tender leaves that are perfect for salads.
If you’d like to grow your own, sow this in late summer or early autumn, and harvest through into winter. It’s disease-resistant and cold-hardy and prefers cooler temperatures. Furthermore, its leaves soften and sweeten when exposed to frost.
20. Delicacy White Kohlrabi
Many people are intimidated by kohlrabi, as this alien-looking vegetable can look rather intimidating. If you can get past its odd appearance, you can enjoy the crisp white flesh within. Although kohlrabi is part of the brassica family, like kale and broccoli, it tastes far better raw than cooked. It tastes sweet and spicy like a cabbage heart, with an almost nutty aftertaste.
Sure, you can roast it with garlic and olive oil like other root vegetables, but it really shines when shaven into salads. Try julienned kohlrabi with chopped apples, walnuts, and maple-mustard dressing for a perfect autumn slaw.
21. De 18 Jours Radish
This heirloom French radish’s name refers to the fact that it reaches full maturity within 18 days. In fact, the roots are often ready to be harvested in just two weeks! Each tender root is no larger than your thumb, and offers a sweet-peppery flavor that’s delicious either raw or cooked.
Try roasting them in olive oil with plenty of garlic, or slice them paper-thin to add to your favorite salad. You can also use them in chickpea “chick’n” salad sandwiches, or simply sliced on toast with a bit of Earth Balance, salt, and pepper.
22. Dickinson Pumpkin
When Elijah Dickinson grew these pumpkins in the early 1800s, he had no idea that he was setting the foundations for a multi-million dollar pie industry. With its sweet, dense flesh and intense flavor, it quickly became incredibly popular for pumpkin pies. This variety is still one of the most popular and famous around.
You can grow your own Dickinson pumpkins if you have the space for them. Alternatively, you can just buy some cans of pumpkin pie filling at the grocery store. More likely than not, they’ll be filled with this very pumpkin variety. Plus spices, of course.
23. Dock
Chances are you’ve seen this plant a thousand times and it never occurred to you that it was edible. Dock, usually known as “curly dock” or “yellow dock,” is usually considered a weed. The leaves get woody and stringy once the plant has bolted into seed, so pick them early while they’re still small and tender. Remove their midribs (like kale), and use them raw in salads, or cooked into soups and baked dishes.
Just keep in mind that dock is related to French sorrel, so don’t eat too much of it in one go. Sure, it’s high in vitamin C, but it’s also high in oxalic acid, which can damage kidneys long-term.
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
