The most complete list of blue colour vegetables, EVER. Including pictures, fun facts, and uses in cooking. From root veggies to mushrooms, seeds, and edible flowers! 💙
Intro and Disclaimer
Seventeen blue vegetables including names, photos, fun facts, and uses in cooking. I guarantee that this is the most comprehensive list you can find on the Internet!
A quick disclaimer is that some of them may not look like real blue, but they do have the word “blue” in their names, whereas others are naturally blue in color. Moreover, I am using the broad definition of vegetables as any edible parts of plants, including seeds and flowers!
Alright, let’s jump right in! 💙
3 Blue Root Vegetables
1. Blue Carrot
Fun fact(s): Blue / purple carrots were the real original color of carrots! What a surprise, given that orange carrots are what we’re used to (which btw, appears in my orange vegetables list)!
Uses: You can eat blue carrots raw in salads and bowls (like in this healthy poke bowl), roasted, or simply paired with dips like this no-garlic hummus or cream cheese dip!
2. Blue Pumpkin
Fun fact(s): Two of the most popular blue pumpkin varieties are the Jarrahdale pumpkin and Queensland blue pumpkin, both grown in Australia.
Uses: Use them the same way you would use regular pumpkins! So think of soups, baked goods, or roasting.
3. Blue Potato
Fun fact(s): There are many different kinda of blue potatoes! Starting from Adirondack blue potatoes, salad blue potatoes, and all blue potatoes. They all have a purplish color, similar to the Vitelotte potatoes in the image above.
Uses: Roast, mash, or bake them like regular potatoes for a colorful twist. They also make vibrant potato salads or fries (like in my adobo potato fries)!
6 ‘Common’ Blue Vegetables
1. Blue Corn
Fun fact(s): Blue corn has been grown for centuries by Native Americans, and is now cultivated in some parts of the United States too. Plus, there are other colors of corn too such as red, purple, and pink corn which appear in my red veggies, purple veggies, and pink veggies posts respectively!
And speaking of health benefits, blue corn has been shown to lower risk of some cancers and also helps in lowering blood pressure! (source: Journal of Medicinal Food)
Uses: The most common use is to turn them into blue corn tortillas, cornbread, and in other Mexican recipes!
2. Blue Tomatoes
Fun fact(s): There are so many varieties of blue tomatoes, such as blue bayou (picture above), fahrenheit blue, and indigo ruby tomatoes. Moreover, the blue color comes from anthocyanins which may help with inflammation, protect against diabetes and certain types of cancer, lower heart disease risk, and improve brain health! (source: Healthline)
And if you’re wondering how anthocyanins work, they suck up free radicals, which then results in many of the health benefits above!
Uses: Use them in salads or as a colorful garnish. I highly recommend serving them raw to preserve their beautiful color, such as subbing the red tomatoes in this tomato carpaccio salad or these vegetarian tea sandwiches.
3. Filius Blue Pepper
Fun fact(s): Filius blue peppers have a similar spiciness level as cayenne pepper, which is between 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units!
Uses: Use them fresh in salsas, sauces, sandwiches, stir-fries, or pickled for a spicy kick.
4. Blue Cabbage
Fun fact(s): A true blue cabbage is actually really rare and since they aren’t widely cultivated. However, you can turn a red cabbage into blue when you sauté it, as explained in this The Daily Meal article!
Also note that some people just call your red/purple cabbage “blue cabbage”, but there is definitely more than one variety!
Uses: Use them the same way you would use red/white cabbage, so shredded for slaws and sauerkraut, raw in salads or bowls, or in these noodle spring rolls!
5. Blue Kale
Fun fact(s): Some of the most common blue kale varieties include the dazzling blue kale and vates blue curled scotch kale. Both of them have prominently green leaves, with dazzling blue kale having some purplish leaves!
Uses: Use them in any way you would use the regular green kale, such as in salads, soups, roasted, air-fried, or even sneaked into smoothies!
6. Tall Blue Lettuce
Fun fact(s): Nativa Americans use the extract of tall blue lettuce to treat pain, diarrhea, and vomiting! (source: Go Botany)
Moreover, they often grow in the wild, which is why I don’t have a picture that I can display here. But a quick Google search would help if you’re curious!
Uses: They are quite bitter so you can either eat them raw or cook them, especially if you’ve got firm and rigid stalks! If you would like to learn more about this plant, check out this article by Forager Chef.
2 Blue Mushrooms
1. Blue Milk Mushroom
Fun fact(s): When you cut these blue milk / indigo milk cap mushrooms, a striking blue ‘milk’ oozes out of the mushrooms! And if you’d like to learn more about foraging this mushroom, check out this article by Alan from Forager Chef!
Uses: Since it’s really hard to get these mushrooms, I would simply do a simple sauté so you can really taste them.
2. Blue Oyster Mushroom
Fun fact(s): Blue oyster mushrooms start with a vibrant blue cap, which fades to light blue to gray as they mature.
Uses: Use them the same way you would use regular oyster mushrooms, like replacing the shiitake with some blue oyster mushroom in this mushroom sushi!
2 Blue Seeds
1. Poppy Seeds
Fun fact(s): These tiny seeds are rich in protein, calcium, fiber, zinc, and magnesium (source: Medical News Today for the complete nutritional values). They have also been used in baking and cooking for thousands of years.
Uses: Common in baked goods, dressings, and sauces, and can be sprinkled on salads or bread for crunch and flavor.
2. Black Mustard Seeds
Fun fact(s): Black mustard seeds have a bit of a dark blue tint and are spicier and more pungent than yellow mustard seeds.
Uses: They are commonly used in Indian cuisines where they are often tempered in oil to release their flavor, before using them in curries!
4 Blue Edible Flowers
1. Butterfly Pea Flower
Fun fact(s): Although this ingredient is not so popular in the West, it is very popular in Southeast Asia where I’m originally from!
Uses: Brew them as tea or latte, or use them to naturally color rice (like in Malaysian nasi kerabu) and desserts.
2. Blue Pansy Flower
Fun fact(s): Pansies are one of the flowers that come in various color, including blue. They are often grown as ornamental plants but can also be used in cooking!
Uses: Use as a colorful garnish for salads, cakes, or frozen into ice cubes for drinks!
3. Violet Flower
Fun fact(s): Violet flowers are high in vitamin C and have been used medicinally for centuries. However, note that not all varieties of violets are edible!
Uses: Use these flowers to garnish desserts, make syrups (similar to my lavender simple syrup), or in salads and beverages for a floral note (similar to my lavender matcha latte).
4. Blue Cornflower
Fun fact(s): You can use blue cornflowers as a natural fabric dye!
Uses: Use as a garnish in salads, spring rolls, and desserts, or infuse into teas and syrups for a floral note and a pop of color!
FAQ
Final Words
If you enjoy this one, then pick your favorite color and explore more veggies and fruits below!
🤎 31 Brown Fruits or 35 Brown Vegetables, 🖤 33 Black Vegetables or 30 Black Fruits, ❤️ 25 Red Vegetables, 🧡 30 Orange Vegetables or 30 Orange Fruits, 💛 20 Yellow Vegetables, 🤍 35 White Vegetables or 30 White Fruits, 🩷 25 Pink Vegetables or 37 Pink Fruits, 💜 30 Purple Vegetables, or 17 Blue Vegetables
Very interesting to go through this!