10 Delicious Ideas for Cooking with Kohlrabi

If you've ever passed by kohlrabi at the farmer's market, you may have mistaken it for a radish, a giant Brussels sprout, or even a rutabaga. Sometimes referred to as a German turnip, kohlrabi comes from the Brassica oleracea family, which includes broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts. It's a cool-weather crop that's at its best from early fall through spring. When shopping for this vitamin C-rich vegetable, choose kohlrabi with unblemished leaves and a bulb that's three to four inches in diameter; the bulb should not appear cracked or overgrown. Leaves that are wilted are a sign that the vegetable is past its peak, but if they're still in their prime, they're completely edible. 

Once you bring it home, cut off the leaves, wrap them in a damp paper towel, and place in a plastic bag. The leaves can be refrigerated for three to four days; the bulb for several weeks. Although kohlrabi doesn't need to be peeled, the outer layer can taste tough so feel free to peel it with a heavy-duty vegetable peeler or a sharp paring knife. Kohlrabi either come in a bright green or reddish-purple color; while they look different, they taste the same.

So, what do you do with knobby kohlrabi? Like other cruciferous vegetables, it can be roasted in the oven, like in this recipe for Roasted Kohlrabi with Buttered Hazelnuts, sliced into raw matchsticks for a crisp Kohlrabi, Apple, and Mint Slaw or Mizuna Salad with Kohlrabi and Pomegranate Seeds, or baked into salty Kohlrabi Chips. Keep it simple though. Its crunchy, slightly sweet flavor stands up on its own.

These two cabbage cousins offer a lively, slightly spicy twist on the traditional coleslaw.