Looking for vegetables that start with P? This handy guide covers the familiar favourites, the seasonal bargains, and a few lesser-known options worth trying if you spot them reduced or on offer.

Some of these are true vegetables botanically, while others are used as vegetables in everyday cooking. That is usually what matters when you are planning tea, filling the freezer, or trying to use up what is left in the veg drawer.

Vegetables That Start With P: Quick List

1. Potato

The potato is probably the most useful vegetable beginning with P in the average UK kitchen. It is filling, cheap, easy to cook, and works in everything from cottage pie to curry.

Common types include Maris Piper, King Edward, Charlotte, and baby new potatoes. Floury potatoes are best for chips, roasties and mash, while waxy potatoes hold their shape better in salads and stews.

Cheap ways to use potatoes

• Jacket potatoes: Top with beans, tuna mayo, leftover chilli, cheese, coleslaw or roasted veg.
• Bubble and squeak: Mix leftover mash with cabbage, sprouts or any cooked greens.
• Potato soup: Add onion, stock and a splash of milk for a low-cost lunch.
• Homemade wedges: Cheaper than frozen chips and easy to season.

Store potatoes somewhere cool, dark and well ventilated. Remove any with soft patches before they spoil the rest of the bag.

2. Parsnip

Parsnips are sweet, earthy root vegetables that come into their own during the colder months. They are brilliant roasted, especially with a little oil and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup if you have some in the cupboard.

They also make excellent soup. Pair parsnips with onion, curry powder, apple, lentils or carrots for a filling meal that costs very little per portion.

How to avoid wasting parsnips

• Peel only if the skins are tough; younger parsnips often just need a scrub.
• Use bendy parsnips in soup rather than throwing them away.
• Roast extra and add leftovers to wraps, salads or frittatas.

3. Peas

Peas are one of the best budget vegetables to keep in the freezer. They cook in minutes, add colour to almost any meal, and are useful when the fridge is looking bare.

Garden peas, petits pois, marrowfat peas and split peas all have different uses. Frozen peas are ideal as a quick side dish, while dried split peas are excellent for soups and dhal-style meals.

Easy meals with peas

• Pea and ham soup using leftover gammon or bacon offcuts.
• Pea risotto with stock, onion and a little cheese.
• Egg fried rice with peas, sweetcorn and leftover cooked rice.
• Pasta with peas, garlic, cream cheese and black pepper.

Frozen peas are often better value than fresh peas in pods because there is no shelling and very little waste.

4. Pepper

Peppers, also called bell peppers or sweet peppers, are technically fruits but used as vegetables in cooking. Red, yellow and orange peppers taste sweeter than green ones, which have a sharper flavour.

They can be eaten raw, roasted, grilled, stuffed or added to sauces. If you find a reduced bag of peppers, slice and freeze them. Frozen peppers are softer once thawed, but they are perfect for chilli, fajitas, pasta sauce, omelettes and stir-fries.

Budget cooking ideas for peppers

• Stuffed peppers: Fill with rice, mince, lentils, couscous or leftover chilli.
• Roasted pepper sauce: Blend roasted peppers with garlic, tomatoes and herbs.
• Fajita veg: Fry strips of pepper and onion with spices.
• Traybake: Roast with potatoes, sausages, chickpeas or chicken thighs.

5. Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a vegetable that starts with P and deserves more attention outside October. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavour and can be used in soup, curries, stews, pasta sauces and baking.

Large carving pumpkins are edible, but they can be watery and less flavoursome than culinary pumpkins or squash. If you do use a Halloween pumpkin, scrape away the stringy middle, roast the firm flesh, and season it well.

Using the whole pumpkin

• Roast the flesh for soup or mash.
• Toast the seeds with salt, paprika or curry powder.
• Use roasted pumpkin in curry with chickpeas and coconut milk.
• Freeze cooked pumpkin puree in portions.

6. Pak Choi

Pak choi, sometimes written pak choy or bok choy, is a leafy green vegetable used in many East and Southeast Asian dishes. It has crisp pale stalks and tender green leaves.

The stalks take slightly longer to cook than the leaves, so slice them separately if you want the best texture. Add the stalks first, then stir in the leaves at the end.

How to cook pak choi

• Stir-fry with garlic, ginger and soy sauce.
• Add to noodle soups just before serving.
• Steam and serve with sesame oil.
• Chop into fried rice or ramen bowls.

Pak choi can wilt quickly, so use it within a few days of buying. If it is starting to soften, it is still fine in soup or stir-fries as long as it has been stored safely and shows no signs of spoilage.

7. Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Purple sprouting broccoli is a seasonal British favourite, usually associated with late winter and spring. It has slender stems, leafy bits and purple-green florets.

It cooks quickly and has a lovely savoury flavour. Do not throw away the stems unless they are very woody. Trim the ends, slice thicker stems lengthways, and cook the whole lot.

Good pairings

• Garlic, chilli and lemon
• Pasta, olive oil and grated cheese
• Roast chicken or sausages
• Poached eggs and toast

For best value, buy purple sprouting broccoli in season. Out of season it can be expensive, so standard broccoli or frozen greens may be a better budget choice.

8. Pea Shoots

Pea shoots are the young leaves and tendrils of pea plants. They taste fresh, green and mildly sweet, a little like peas themselves.

They are lovely in salads and sandwiches, but shop-bought packs can be pricey for the amount you get. A cheaper option is to grow pea shoots at home from dried peas sold for cooking. Use clean trays, compost or damp kitchen paper, and place them on a bright windowsill.

Ways to use pea shoots

• Add to egg mayo sandwiches.
• Scatter over soup before serving.
• Use in wraps with hummus or chicken.
• Toss through salad leaves for extra flavour.

9. Pattypan Squash

Pattypan squash is a small, round summer squash with scalloped edges. It can be yellow, green or white, and it tastes mild and slightly nutty.

You may see pattypan squash at farmers markets, farm shops or in veg boxes during summer. It is not always the cheapest vegetable, but it is worth trying if you find it reduced or grown locally.

How to cook pattypan squash

• Slice and fry with garlic and herbs.
• Roast with courgettes, peppers and onions.
• Stuff larger ones with rice, mince or lentils.
• Add diced pieces to ratatouille-style dishes.

10. Parsley Root

Parsley root looks a bit like a slim parsnip, but its flavour is closer to parsley mixed with celeriac. It is more common in Central and Eastern European cooking than in mainstream UK supermarkets, although you may find it in international shops or veg boxes.

Use parsley root in soups, stocks, stews and roasted vegetable trays. The leaves, if attached and fresh, can be used like flat-leaf parsley.

11. Pigeon Peas

Pigeon peas are small legumes used widely in Caribbean, African and Indian cooking. In the kitchen, they often sit somewhere between a bean and a vegetable. You may find them dried, tinned or frozen in larger supermarkets and international food shops.

They are hearty, affordable and good for batch cooking. Try them in rice and peas, curry, soups or stews. Tinned pigeon peas are quickest, while dried ones usually need soaking and longer cooking.

12. Purslane

Purslane is a leafy green with small succulent leaves and a slightly tangy flavour. It is eaten in salads, cooked greens, soups and omelettes in various cuisines.

It is not a common supermarket vegetable in the UK, but it may appear in specialist shops, markets or garden settings. Only eat foraged greens if you are completely confident about identification and that the area has not been treated with chemicals.

13. Palm Hearts

Palm hearts, also called hearts of palm, are the tender inner stems of certain palm plants. They are usually sold tinned or jarred in the UK.

They have a mild flavour and a texture that works well in salads, vegan seafood-style dishes and stir-fries. They are not the cheapest vegetable beginning with P, but a tin can stretch across several portions when mixed with beans, leaves, rice or pasta.

14. Puntarelle

Puntarelle is an Italian chicory vegetable with crunchy shoots and a pleasantly bitter flavour. It is usually sliced thinly for salads or lightly cooked.

You are most likely to find puntarelle at specialist greengrocers, Italian delis or markets. If you enjoy bitter leaves such as chicory, radicchio or endive, it is worth trying when in season.

Other P Vegetables And Vegetable-Like Foods

A few foods often appear on lists of vegetables that start with P, even though they sit in a grey area.

• Padron peppers: A type of small green pepper, usually fried and served with salt. Most are mild, but the odd one can be hot.
• Plantain: Botanically a fruit, but often cooked like a starchy vegetable. It is delicious fried, baked or added to savoury dishes.
• Portobello mushrooms: Not vegetables, as mushrooms are fungi, but they are used like vegetables in burgers, breakfasts and pasta dishes.
• Potimarron squash: A small winter squash with a chestnut-like flavour. It is also known as red kuri squash.

Cheapest Vegetables That Start With P

If you are shopping on a tight budget, some P vegetables are much better value than others. Prices change by season and shop, but these are usually reliable buys:

• Potatoes: Filling, versatile and good for stretching meals.
• Frozen peas: No waste and ready in minutes.
• Parsnips: Often good value in winter.
• Peppers: Best bought in multipacks, on offer, or reduced for freezing.
• Pumpkin and squash: Good value when in season, especially if you use the seeds too.
• Dried or tinned pigeon peas: Useful for batch cooking.

How To Store P Vegetables To Make Them Last Longer

As general food safety guidance, do not eat vegetables that are mouldy, slimy, smell unpleasant, or have been stored in a way that may make them unsafe. When in doubt, it is better not to risk it.

Simple Meal Ideas Using P Vegetables

• Potato, pea and pepper frittata: A good way to use leftover cooked potatoes.
• Parsnip and lentil soup: Filling, cheap and freezer-friendly.
• Pumpkin curry: Add chickpeas or lentils to make it stretch further.
• Pak choi noodles: Quick, fresh and ideal for using odds and ends.
• Purple sprouting broccoli pasta: Cook with garlic, chilli and a little pasta water.
• Stuffed peppers: Use leftover rice, mince, beans or roasted vegetables.

FAQs About Vegetables That Start With P

What are common vegetables that start with P?

Common vegetables that start with P include potatoes, parsnips, peas, peppers, pumpkin, pak choi and purple sprouting broccoli. These are all fairly easy to find in UK supermarkets, especially when in season.

Is potato a vegetable?

Yes, in everyday cooking a potato is classed as a vegetable. More specifically, it is a tuber. It is starchy, filling and one of the most useful budget ingredients in the kitchen.

Are peppers vegetables or fruits?

Botanically, peppers are fruits because they contain seeds. In cooking, they are usually treated as vegetables and used in savoury meals such as stir-fries, fajitas, pasta sauces and salads.

Which P vegetables are best for saving money?

Potatoes, frozen peas, parsnips, pumpkin and dried or tinned pigeon peas are usually good budget choices. Peppers can also be good value if bought on offer or reduced and then frozen.

What green vegetables start with P?

Green vegetables that start with P include peas, pak choi, pea shoots, purslane, purple sprouting broccoli and puntarelle. Green peppers also count in everyday cooking.

Can I freeze vegetables that start with P?

Many P vegetables freeze well. Peas are commonly sold frozen, while sliced peppers, cooked pumpkin, mashed potato and soup made with parsnips or potatoes can all be frozen. Pak choi and leafy greens are best cooked before freezing, though their texture will soften.

What is the most versatile vegetable beginning with P?

Potato is the most versatile for most UK households. It can be boiled, mashed, roasted, baked, fried or added to soups, stews and pies. It is also one of the best vegetables for making meals more filling.