In this article
- Turnips fiber by serving
- Turnip nutrition: light, with a vitamin C bonus
- How turnips compare with other root vegetables
- Fresh vs frozen turnips
- Don’t toss the tops: turnip greens fiber
- A root-to-leaf turnip plate, counted
- Turnips among low calorie veggies
- What turnip fiber does for digestion
- Simple ways to cook turnips
- When turnips are the right pick
- Turnip questions people ask
- Sources
Turnips have a reputation as the bland, watery cousin of the potato, the root you add to a stew only when the pantry runs low. The numbers make a better case for them: a cup of boiled turnip cubes has about 3.1 grams of fiber for just 34 calories.
That’s a solid amount of turnips fiber for a vegetable this low in calories. And if your turnips come with their leafy tops attached, you’re holding an even bigger source of fiber in the same bunch.
Turnips fiber by serving
USDA FoodData Central lists raw turnips at 1.8 grams of fiber per 100 grams and boiled turnips at 2.0 grams. By that measure, cooking doesn’t cost you any fiber.
| Turnip form | Serving | Fiber | % DV (28 g) | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 1 medium (122 g) | 2.2 g | 8% | 34 |
| Boiled, cubed | 1/2 cup (78 g) | 1.6 g | 6% | 17 |
| Boiled, cubed | 1 cup (156 g) | 3.1 g | 11% | 34 |
| Raw | 100 g | 1.8 g | 6% | 28 |
| Boiled | 100 g | 2.0 g | 7% | 22 |
A medium raw turnip and a cup of boiled cubes have nearly the same calories, about 34 each. The cooked cup simply holds more turnip, so it carries about a gram more fiber.
The Dietary Guidelines’ Food Sources of Dietary Fiber list agrees with USDA, putting a cup of cooked turnip at 3.1 grams of fiber and 34 calories. That’s about 11% of the Daily Value from a side dish that barely registers on the calorie count.
Turnip nutrition: light, with a vitamin C bonus
Fiber isn’t the only thing turnips bring. Based on USDA’s raw turnip record, one medium turnip (122 g) provides about:
- Calories: 34
- Carbohydrate: 7.8 grams, including 2.2 grams of fiber
- Vitamin C: 25.6 mg, about 28% of the Daily Value
- Potassium: 233 mg, about 5% DV
- Calcium: 37 mg, about 3% DV
- Vitamin B6: 0.11 mg, about 6% DV
- Sugars: about 4.6 grams, all naturally occurring
Vitamin C stands out. More than a quarter of the Daily Value from one raw turnip is a good return for a vegetable most people think of as plain.
Cooking trims some of that vitamin C. A cup of boiled cubes still has about 18 mg, roughly 20% DV, along with 276 mg of potassium, so cooked turnips hold on to a fair share of their nutrition.
How turnips compare with other root vegetables
The Dietary Guidelines list a range of cooked root vegetables, which makes a clean comparison. Here’s where turnips land, cup for cup.
| Root vegetable (1 cup, cooked) | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Parsnips | 6.2 g | 110 |
| Sweet potato, baked | 6.3 g | 190 |
| Carrots | 4.8 g | 54 |
| Turnip | 3.1 g | 34 |
| Rutabaga | 3.1 g | 51 |
| Beets | 2.8 g | 49 |
| Potato, baked with skin (1 medium) | 3.9 g | 161 |
Turnips aren’t the fiber leader among root vegetables. Parsnips and sweet potatoes have about twice as much per cup, but they also bring three to more than five times the calories.
Where turnips shine is root vegetable fiber per calorie. They deliver about 9.1 grams of fiber per 100 calories, compared with about 5.6 grams for parsnips, 3.3 grams for baked sweet potato and 2.4 grams for a baked potato.
Carrots are the closer comparison for everyday cooking. A cup of cooked carrots has about 1.7 grams more fiber than turnips, at 4.8 grams, for 20 more calories, so the two make a good pairing in a roasting pan.
Turnips also tie rutabaga on fiber with about two thirds of the calories. Next to beets, they offer slightly more fiber for fewer calories.
Mayo Clinic suggests about 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day for women and 30 to 38 grams for men. A cup of cooked turnips covers about 12 to 15% of a woman’s target and 8 to 10% of a man’s.
Wondering where your own daily target falls? Our fiber calculator gives you a personal number in seconds.
Fresh vs frozen turnips
Frozen turnips are a handy option when fresh ones aren’t around, and USDA’s numbers show they hold their fiber well. A cup of frozen turnips, boiled and drained, has about 3.1 grams of fiber and 36 calories, the same fiber as a cup of fresh boiled turnip.
The bigger difference is vitamin C. A cup of cooked frozen turnip has about 6 mg, compared with about 18 mg in a cup of fresh boiled turnip, so fresh is the better pick if vitamin C is part of the reason you’re eating them.
Potassium stays steady across both, at roughly 280 mg per cooked cup. Frozen turnips also come in slightly lower on carbohydrate, at about 6.8 grams per cup.
Don’t toss the tops: turnip greens fiber
If you buy turnips with their leaves still attached, the greens are the bigger fiber source. The Dietary Guidelines list a cup of cooked turnip greens at 5.0 grams of fiber for only 29 calories.
That’s more fiber than the root itself, with fewer calories. Per 100 calories, cooked turnip greens deliver about 17 grams of fiber, close to double the turnip root.
Turnip greens also edge past other cooked leafy greens on the Dietary Guidelines list, including kale at 4.7 grams per cup and spinach at 4.3 grams. Using both parts of the plant turns one bunch into two vegetables.
Even a smaller portion counts. The Dietary Guidelines list half a cup of cooked turnip greens at 2.5 grams of fiber and just 15 calories.
A root-to-leaf turnip plate, counted
Picture a simple side: a cup of boiled turnip cubes tossed with a cup of sauteed turnip greens and a squeeze of lemon. The root brings about 3.1 grams of fiber and the greens add 5.0 grams.
Together that’s about 8.1 grams of fiber for roughly 63 calories, nearly a third of the Daily Value from a single bunch of turnips. Serve it next to half a cup of cooked lentils, which the Dietary Guidelines list at 7.8 grams, and the plate passes 15 grams.
Turnips among low calorie veggies
At 34 calories per cooked cup, turnips belong on any list of low calorie veggies. They’re filling enough to bulk up soups, stews and roasting pans without adding much to the calorie count.
One easy swap is mashing turnips in place of some or all of the potatoes. One cup of boiled turnip has about 34 calories and 3.1 grams of fiber, while a medium baked potato has 161 calories and 3.9 grams, so a half-and-half mash cuts calories while keeping fiber close.
Because they’re so light, you can also simply eat more of them. Two cups of boiled turnip cubes give you about 6.2 grams of fiber for roughly 68 calories, still well under half the calories of one medium baked potato.
That kind of volume is useful when you want a full plate without a heavy meal. Turnips take up a lot of room in a bowl of soup or a tray of roasted vegetables for very few calories.
Turnips are also friendly to lower carb eating. A cup of boiled cubes has about 7.9 grams of carbohydrate and 3.1 grams of fiber, leaving roughly 4.8 grams of net carbs.
Looking for more ways to cook root vegetables like these? Our recipe eBooks are packed with easy, high fiber meals.
What turnip fiber does for digestion
The fiber in turnips helps your digestion the same way fiber from other vegetables does. Mayo Clinic explains that fiber increases the weight and size of stool and softens it, which makes it easier to pass and helps prevent constipation.
Mayo Clinic also notes that high fiber foods tend to be more filling and are linked with healthier cholesterol and steadier blood sugar. A low calorie vegetable with steady fiber is an easy way to add more of those benefits to your week.
If you’re adding several high fiber foods at once, take it slowly. Mayo Clinic recommends increasing fiber gradually over a few weeks and drinking plenty of water.
If your gut needs a gentler path to more fiber, our guides walk you through it step by step.
Simple ways to cook turnips
- Roast cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt and thyme
- Mash boiled turnips with potatoes for a lighter mash
- Add chunks to soups, stews and pot roasts
- Slice raw turnips thinly into salads or slaws for crunch
- Saute the greens with garlic as a separate side
Raw or cooked, the fiber per serving stays in a similar range, so pick the method you’ll actually enjoy. A turnip you eat is worth more than a perfect one left in the crisper drawer.
When turnips are the right pick
Choose turnips when you want a low calorie root vegetable with a respectable amount of fiber, especially as a lighter stand-in for potatoes. If your main goal is the most fiber per cup, parsnips or sweet potatoes will get you there faster, at a higher calorie cost.
And if the turnips come with greens, cook both. The leaves give you more fiber than the root itself, so the bunch is worth more than its bulb.
Turnip questions people ask
Are turnips high in fiber?
They’re a moderate source. A cup of boiled turnip cubes has about 3.1 grams of fiber, around 11% of the 28 gram Daily Value, for only 34 calories.
How much fiber is in a raw turnip?
A medium raw turnip (122 grams) has about 2.2 grams of fiber and 34 calories, according to USDA.
Do turnip greens have more fiber than turnips?
Yes. The Dietary Guidelines list a cup of cooked turnip greens at 5.0 grams of fiber, compared with 3.1 grams for a cup of cooked turnip.
Are turnips healthier than potatoes?
They’re lighter. A cup of boiled turnips has 34 calories and 3.1 grams of fiber, while a medium baked potato has 161 calories and 3.9 grams of fiber.
Are turnips good for weight loss?
They can help. Turnips are filling and low in calories, at about 34 per cooked cup, which makes them an easy swap for higher calorie starches.
Are turnips low carb?
Fairly. A cup of boiled turnips has about 7.9 grams of carbohydrate, with 3.1 grams of fiber, for roughly 4.8 grams of net carbs.
What vitamins are in turnips?
Vitamin C is the main one. A medium raw turnip has about 25.6 mg, around 28% of the Daily Value, plus small amounts of potassium and vitamin B6.
Sources
- USDA Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: SR Legacy Turnips, raw (170465); Turnips, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (170058); Turnips, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (170060). 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Food Sources of Dietary Fiber.” Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025. dietaryguidelines.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. fda.gov
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet.” Mayo Clinic. 2025. mayoclinic.org
