The Ultimate Guide To Radishes + 15 Recipes

This guide to radishes has everything you need to know about spring radishes. Learn how to pick fresh radishes, when they’re in season, and get the best radish recipes to up your intake of this spicy root vegetable.

Radishes are a cruciferous vegetable with a slightly peppery taste to them. In salads, they add a delicious crunch and a pop of white and red flavor. They grow underground and taste the best in late spring.

Though they’re most commonly eaten raw, you’ll see from the recipes below that they can be dressed up into a lot of delicious dishes. In fact, even the tops of radishes can be eaten! Take advantage of this spring vegetable and use this guide to radishes to work them into your daily life.

Nutritional Benefits Of Radishes

Why is this spring vegetable one you should be on the hunt for? Because radishes contain a ton of vitamins!

Some of their health benefits include:

Being high in folic acid
Containing a good amount of vitamin B6
Lots of potassium
For their size, they’re high in vitamin C
They’re full of fiber but very low in calories

Radishes are also high in antioxidants making them a great vegetable to add to your diet.

How To Buy Radishes

If you’re new to including this vegetable in your diet, you’ll want to know when the best time of year is to stock up on radishes. This radish guide goes over how to pick radishes and prepare them. Keep in mind though, that you can also learn to grow your own radishes at home.

When Are Radishes in Season?

Typically, radishes are in season in the late spring. You’ll get the freshest radishes between May and June. Either enjoy them immediately or learn how to ferment vegetables so that you can store and enjoy them for much longer.

How To Choose Fresh Radishes

When you’re purchasing radishes at the store or farmers market, you want to make sure that they’re firm more than anything. Aim to grab a bundle that’s not wrinkled or soft which suggests they’ve been sitting for a while.

In addition to the texture, they should be bright and colorful, without brown spots.

The tops of the radishes (the greens) should still be attached. These are edible and loaded with nutrients so don’t discard them! We’ve included a radish greens pesto recipe below as one way to use the greens.

Roasted radishes on a white plate with dipping sauce.

Types Of Radishes

Though there are a lot of varieties of radishes, the ones you’ll see the most are called Cherry Belle radishes. They have a classically red bulb and a white interior. Other kinds of radishes include:

Daikon radish
Watermelon radish
French breakfast radish

All of these radish varieties will be similar but have slight differences in their coloring and flavor. Some are sweeter than others and can bring a flavor profile to a dish.

How To Store Radishes

Once you’ve brought them home, if you’re not using your radishes immediately, you’ll want to store them. Though they will stay fresh at room temperature for a few days, chilled is best.

There are a few ways to store fresh radishes in the fridge:

You can wash them and store them in a glass container. Like this, they will last a few weeks. Most people remove the green topping before they’re washed as the leaves will wilt long before the radishes do.

Likewise, some people store the radishes in a jar of water after removing the greens. They will stay fresh for a week like this.

How to Prepare Radishes

Most commonly, radishes are washed and then sliced or grated onto a salad immediately after. However, there are so many other options!

Roasting radishes provides a whole new flavor to the peppery vegetable. They can be roasted whole or sliced depending on how long you want to cook them. When you roast them, they taste most similar to potatoes as their peppery nature reduces. Find our favorite roasted radish recipe below.

Pickling is another option and helps them last longer once the season is over. You can learn more about the ins and outs of pickling with our quick pickling guide or try your hand at one of these recipes:

How To Prepare Radish Greens

If you’ve kept the radish greens, not only are they a great swap in salads but they can be made into delicious recipes like pesto or sautéed greens.

Radish greens can be treated like any other leafy green so take full advantage of them. Toss them into casseroles, salads, etc. They’re very similar to carrot greens like seen in this candied carrots recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions About Radishes

Radishes have a light peppery taste to them when eaten raw. They’re crisp and crunchy but slightly spicy. They add a kick to any salad they’re tossed in.

Radishes can be sliced or grated raw and tossed into salads. However, raw radishes can also be used on sandwiches and wraps for texture. They can be roasted to bring out a lighter flavor and used as an easy side dish. Pickling radishes is a great way to preserve them. Use pickled radishes on tacos and nachos!

Yes! The skin on radishes is healthy and contains a lot of nutritional benefits. Wash the radishes first and then you can enjoy them with the skin on, sliced or grated.

The Best Radish Recipes

Learn some new and unique ways to enjoy this spring vegetable! Stock up on a fresh harvest and scroll through these radish recipes to gain new recipe inspiration for your next meal.