What is the Closest Vegetable to a Potato? Exploring Top Starchy Alternatives

October 6, 2025 •

3 min read

According to agricultural classifications, a potato belongs to the nightshade family, while its closest culinary and textural relative, the sweet potato, is part of the morning glory family. When seeking out a substitute with similar starchy characteristics, understanding these distinctions is key to finding the ideal match for your cooking needs.

Quick Summary

This guide examines starchy and low-carb vegetables that can mimic a potato's texture and versatility when cooked. We compare alternatives like sweet potatoes, rutabagas, and cassava, detailing their flavor profiles, nutritional differences, and best uses for mashing, roasting, and frying.

Key Points

Sweet Potatoes Are The Closest Culinary Match: Though botanically unrelated, sweet potatoes share a similar starchy texture and versatility with potatoes for mashing, baking, and roasting.
Rutabagas are a Low-Carb Alternative: For those on low-carb diets, rutabagas provide a similar savory, starchy consistency when cooked, with significantly fewer carbs than potatoes.
Cassava is a High-Carb Substitute: Cassava, or yuca, is a tropical root vegetable that offers a high-calorie, starchy base for many dishes but requires proper cooking to remove toxic compounds.
Cauliflower Works for Mash and Salads: Cauliflower can be mashed or used in salads to mimic potato dishes, but needs to be steamed properly to avoid a watery texture.
Parsnips Offer Sweet, Nutty Flavor: Parsnips are a sweet and earthy alternative to potatoes that work well mashed, roasted, or in soups.
Consider Cooking Method and Flavor Profile: The best potato substitute depends on the specific dish, as alternatives differ in flavor, texture, and carb count.

Sweet Potatoes: The Closest Culinary Match

When asking what is the closest vegetable to a potato, the sweet potato is a top contender, though they are botanically unrelated. Despite belonging to different plant families, the sweet potato closely mirrors the texture and application of a regular potato, particularly the orange-fleshed variety. This root vegetable is incredibly versatile, working well for baking, mashing, frying, and roasting. Its natural sweetness distinguishes it from a white potato, a flavor that can be a welcome addition to many savory dishes like stews and curries.

Cassava: A Calorie-Rich Global Staple

Also known as yuca, cassava is another starchy root vegetable that is a staple food in many tropical regions. Similar to potatoes, cassava can be boiled, baked, or fried to create satisfying, carbohydrate-rich dishes. It is significantly higher in calories and carbohydrates than a potato, but it also provides a unique nutritional profile, offering high amounts of Vitamin E and calcium. Proper preparation is crucial, as raw cassava contains toxic cyanide compounds that must be removed through cooking.

Rutabaga: A Savory Low-Carb Option

For those seeking a lower-carbohydrate alternative, the rutabaga (or swede) offers a satisfying starchy texture when cooked. A cross between a cabbage and a turnip, it has a mildly sweet and earthy flavor that becomes savory when roasted or mashed. A cup of cooked rutabaga contains less than half the carbohydrates of the same amount of potato, making it a popular choice for low-carb diets. However, its texture can be firmer and it may carry a slightly more pungent aroma than a potato.

Parsnips and Other Root Vegetables

Parsnips, a creamy white taproot vegetable, are another excellent substitute with a subtly sweeter, nutty flavor profile. They can be mashed or roasted to a tender finish, making them a great addition to soups and stews. Other root vegetables like turnips, celeriac, and radishes can also be used as potato alternatives. Cooked radishes, for instance, lose their spicy bite and take on a mild flavor and tender texture.

Comparison Table: Potato vs. Top Alternatives


Feature	Potato	Sweet Potato	Cassava	Rutabaga
Botanical Family	Nightshade	Morning Glory	Spurge (Euphorbiaceae)	Cabbage Family
Primary Flavor	Earthy, Mild	Sweet	Mild, Starchy	Mildly sweet, earthy
Texture when cooked	Fluffy, creamy	Creamy, dense	Starchy, fibrous	Firm, savory
Carb Content (per 100g)	~18g	~21g	~38g	~8.6g
Vitamin A	None	High	Low	None
Best For	Mashing, frying, baking	Mashing, baking, roasting	Frying, boiling, chips	Roasting, mashing, stews

How to Cook Potato Substitutes

Cooking potato alternatives requires considering their unique characteristics. For example, cauliflower is a popular low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes, but it can become watery if not prepared correctly. To create a creamy cauliflower mash, steam the florets rather than boiling, and allow the excess moisture to escape before blending with butter and seasoning. When making fries, opt for rutabagas, jicama, or parsnips, which can be sliced into sticks, tossed with oil and seasonings, and then roasted or air-fried until golden and crisp. For hearty soups and stews, nearly all starchy root vegetables can be cubed and added, but keep in mind that some, like rutabaga, take slightly longer to become tender. Remember that different vegetables have varying water content, so adjust cooking times and methods accordingly to achieve your desired texture.

Conclusion

While no vegetable is a perfect botanical twin to the potato, the sweet potato is arguably the closest in terms of culinary versatility, offering a similar starchy base for many beloved dishes. For those watching their carb intake, rutabagas provide a reliable, lower-carb alternative with a satisfyingly dense texture when cooked. Cassava, with its high energy content, and parsnips, with their earthy sweetness, also serve as excellent substitutes depending on your recipe's needs. Experimenting with these various root and starchy vegetables opens up a world of new flavors and textures that can easily replace the traditional potato in your diet.

Final Takeaways

Ultimately, the best potato alternative depends on your desired flavor and nutritional goals. Sweet potatoes are the most direct substitute for similar applications, while rutabaga and cauliflower are ideal for low-carb dishes. Cassava provides a high-energy option for starchy meals, while parsnips offer a distinct, sweet-and-earthy twist. By exploring these alternatives, you can add exciting variety and diverse nutrients to your meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

A great low-carb alternative to potatoes is rutabaga, also known as swede. When cooked, it offers a savory, starchy texture that works well for mashing, roasting, and stews, but with far fewer carbohydrates.

No, a sweet potato is not a type of potato. Sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family, while regular potatoes are part of the nightshade family. They are botanically different, though they can be used similarly in cooking.

To make mashed cauliflower, steam the florets until tender, then drain and allow excess moisture to evaporate. Blend or mash with butter, cream, and seasonings like garlic and chives for a creamy, potato-like consistency.

Cassava has more carbohydrates and calories than a potato. It also contains different vitamins and minerals, with significantly more vitamin E, while potatoes offer more potassium. Cassava is a staple in tropical climates and must be cooked correctly.

Yes, parsnips can be roasted, mashed, or added to soups and stews just like potatoes. They have a slightly sweeter, nutty flavor that adds a different character to dishes.

For low-carb fries, rutabaga, kohlrabi, or jicama are excellent choices. They can be sliced into strips, seasoned, and roasted or air-fried to achieve a crispy texture that mimics potato fries.

No, turnips and rutabagas are different, though they are related. Rutabagas are larger, have a more yellowish flesh, and are a cross between a turnip and a cabbage. Turnips are smaller, typically purple-and-white, and can be more pungent.