--- title: 15 Things to Know About Kohlrabi description: Meet kohlrabi, the funky-looking vegetable full of iron, fiber, vitamin C and other nutrients canonical: https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-18T13:00:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T13:24:18.656Z article:section: Health og:title: 15 Things to Know About Kohlrabi og:description: This funky-looking vegetable is full of nutrients og:url: https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2ee3e1e1dc3e833/6988757c524fc018a6df5f0c/kohlrabi-whole-half.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: kohlrabi-whole-half og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 15 Things to Know About Kohlrabi twitter:description: This funky-looking vegetable is full of nutrients twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2ee3e1e1dc3e833/6988757c524fc018a6df5f0c/kohlrabi-whole-half.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 15 Things to Know About Kohlrabi ## Video: Should I Drink Smoothies? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Drink Smoothies?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yaJvnmtl.m3u8) (1:40)  _Published 2015-04-01. Are fruit smoothies good for you? Here's why 3 out of 5 experts said yes._ by [Beth Lipton / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Beth Lipton / Health.com Dec 18, 2015 1:00 PM UTC  Whole and a half blue turnip cabbages, Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes L. on dark wood, elevated view Whole and a half blue turnip cabbages, Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes L. on dark wood, elevated viewGetty Images by [Beth Lipton / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Beth Lipton / Health.com Dec 18, 2015 1:00 PM UTC If you sometimes feel worn out by all the exotic superfoods from faraway lands we’re supposed to be adopting daily, good news: We’re here to talk to you now about a vegetable that’s delicious, chock-full of great nutrition and a humble member of the cabbage family. It’s kohlrabi, that odd-looking bulb you’ve likely seen at farmer’s markets or in your CSA box. **Here’s what you should know about kohlrabi** 1\. It’s in season in fall and winter. 2\. When raw, it tastes like a slightly spicier version of broccoli stem, like a mix between broccoli stem and radish. When cooked, it’s a bit sweeter, especially if caramelized. You can cut it into cubes or wedges and roast it, or slice or cut into matchsticks and stir-fry. 3\. You’ll see white, pale green, and purple bulbs. They all have a creamy white interior. 4\. The leaves are edible (and loaded with iron); add them to a salad or sauté with garlic as you would mustard or beet greens. 5\. Kohlrabi is a good source of fiber, vitamins C and B6, and potassium. 6\. A cup (raw) has just 36 calories. **How to buy kohlrabi** 7. **Select:** Choose kohlrabi that are small, fresh-looking, and free or cracks or blemishes. They should be firm to the touch. Larger bulbs tend to be tougher. 8\. **Store:** Keep it in the fridge in the crisper drawer; it will keep for up to 5 days. 9. **Prep:** Peel the tough outer part with a vegetable peeler. Slice, cut into wedges or cubes, or shred. **What can I make with kohlrabi?** There are tons of uses for this versatile vegetable. Here are a few favorites: 10\. Thinly slice (I use a [mandolin](http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-V-Blade-Mandoline-Slicer/dp/B001THGPDO/ref=as%5Fat?tag=healthcom04a-20&linkCode=as2&) for this), lay on a plate, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper for a simple appetizer or salad topper. 11\. Add thin slices to a cold-weather salad with apple, frisee and manchego, drizzled with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette. (Top with a little bit of crumbled bacon, if you like.) 12\. Cut raw kohlrabi into sticks and add it to a crudité platter to dunk into a dip. 13\. Cut into cubes, mix with cubed butternut squash, toss with olive oil, a dash of maple syrup, salt and pepper and roast. 14\. Shred and mix into your favorite slaw recipe. Or take the slaw mix and stir-fry it with ginger, garlic and soy sauce and turn it into a quick, delicious moo shu that’s way better than takeout. 15\. Chop and simply sauté with olive oil or butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve. [_This article originally appeared on Health.com_](http://news.health.com/2015/12/14/what-is-kohlrabi/) _More from Health.com:_ * [10 Foods You’re Probably Eating Wrong](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20920821,00.html) * [13 Veggies You Can Absolutely Learn to Love](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20831770,00.html) * [Stir-Fried Noodles with Kohlrabi and Basil](http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/stir-fried-rice-noodles-with-kohlrabi-and-basil) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/"},"headline":"15 Things to Know About Kohlrabi","datePublished":"2015-12-18T13:00:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:24:18.656Z","description":"This funky-looking vegetable is full of nutrients","url":"https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Cooking","vegetable"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2ee3e1e1dc3e833/6988757c524fc018a6df5f0c/kohlrabi-whole-half.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Beth Lipton / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2ee3e1e1dc3e833/6988757c524fc018a6df5f0c/kohlrabi-whole-half.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"kohlrabi-whole-half","caption":"kohlrabi-whole-half","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/","name":"15 Things to Know About Kohlrabi"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Drink Green Juice?","description":"Green juice can cost you $10 a bottle. But is it a trend worth buying into? All five of our experts gave green juice the go-ahead","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/J0d2ag3D/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-04-23T13:21:47.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/J0d2ag3D.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/","duration":"PT1M36S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Drink Smoothies?","description":"Are fruit smoothies good for you? Here's why 3 out of 5 experts said yes.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/yaJvnmtl/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-04-01T21:05:12.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/yaJvnmtl.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/","duration":"PT1M40S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4150439/kohlrabi-facts/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```