How to Eat Radishes—Raw or Cooked, They're More Versatile Than You Think

If you want to know how to eat radishes, it helps to expand your culinary horizons. Yes, this spicy vegetable adds a delightful peppery kick to leafy greens—but it's also capable of so much more. And, surprise, while radishes can be enjoyed raw in salads or as a snack, they're also amazingly adaptable, metamorphosing into side dish heaven when they meet the heat. We caught up with a plant-based chef and a produce expert to learn more about multi-tasking radishes and some of the best ways to enjoy them.

What Are Radishes?

Part of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), the radish (Raphanus sativus) is a root vegetable with a long white taproot similar to a carrot, turnip, and beet. Thought to be of Asian or Mediterranean origin, this annual or biennial plant grows in cool seasons and is cultivated worldwide. You can eat every part of the radish, including its green leafy top. 

Types of radish: Options abound—there are over 100 kinds of radishes, from everyday red ones to heirloom varieties, including black Spanish radishes and Asian radishes, such as daikon (or mooli), and many offshoots, like watermelon radishes and Beauty Heart.

Shape and color: Round, oblong, or elongated, radishes range from one-bite to slice-ready sizes. Skin colors span from the familiar red to black, white, purple, pink, and multicolored, with white or pink flesh.

How to Eat Radishes

"Small, red, round, spicy, crunchy, mustardy, sharp, dry—what can you do with the radish...? Well, a lot," says Richard LaMarita, chef-instructor of plant-based culinary arts at the Institute of Culinary Education. Raw or cooked, radishes cover plenty of gastronomical ground. "This not-so-popular vegetable is really a diamond in the rough and very versatile," he notes. 

They may be even more multifaceted than many home cooks realize, adds Donald Russo, senior category manager of produce at Baldor Specialty Foods. "Often seen as a topping or garnish, radishes offer a variety of textures and flavors that can enhance dishes across different cuisines."

Raw Radishes

Raw radishes have crunch and a bite. How much bite depends on the variety. They run the gamut from mildly spicy to sharp and peppery, depending on the variety and freshness, Russo says. "The spiciness is often compared to the heat of mustard or horseradish, but generally, it's a quick or fleeting spiciness, less intense than say, chile peppers," he explains. They can have an astringent, bitter, and pungent flavor, says LaMarita. Several chemical compounds are responsible for the radish's flavor, he explains, including glucosinolate, myrosinase, and isothiocyanate.

8 Ways to Eat Raw Radishes

By all means, rev up your tossed salad with sliced radishes—then try some of these fresh ideas for sides, snacks, and enhancements.

Nibbles: Take a page from French hosts and serve a simple snack of red radishes dipped in soft butter and sprinkled with sea salt. Magnifique! 

Sandwiches: Russo suggests slicing them into sandwiches and tacos. "Radishes add a crisp, peppery bite that contrasts well with rich or fatty fillings like meats or creamy sauces," he says.

Tacos: Scatter a handful on top of your tacos for a crunchy garnish. They compliment every type, from fish tacos to our Easy Beef Tacos.

Salads and slaws: LaMarita suggests upping your salad game with potato and radish salad, daikon radish slaw, radish and apple salad, and egg salad with radish. 

Pickled: LaMarita embraces spicy and sweet pickled radishes. Russo recommends quick-pickling them to bring out their natural sweetness and tang, the perfect topping for burgers and again, tacos. Pickled applications bring tanginess and crunch to rich or spicy Korean and Japanese dishes, he adds.

Salsas and dips: Minced radishes further enliven salsas and guacamole. Or include radishes in your crudités for dipping. 

Cooked Radishes

Cooking radishes might seem radical if you've only encountered them raw before, but you should certainly consider it: Radishes mellow out in flavor when cooked. LaMarita recommends braising or roasting radishes (like in our Roasted Radish Tart pictured above), which cuts down on their pungency, increases the sweetness buried within, and softens their texture to produce a melt-in-your-mouth feel, he says.

8 Ways to Eat Cooked Radishes

Expand your radish repertoire—or take them to the next level. Here's how:

Roasting, braising, and sautéing: "Sautéing them with butter or olive oil transforms them into a great side dish (keep the tops on)," Russo says. Radishes roasted in butter and seasoned, by the way, is another revelatory French recipe. "You can imagine the contrast of the sharpness of the radish against the sweetness and fattiness of the butter," LaMarita says. He serves roasted buttered radishes with grilled skirt steak or on crostini.

LaMarita suggests this simple braise for radishes:

1. Cut radishes in half or quarters.
2. Toss with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt.
3. Braise in vegetable stock or white wine, or roast for 15–20 minutes in a 350°F oven. 
4. The radishes are done when they are tender when pierced with a knife.

Stir-fries: When prepping ingredients for recipes like our Steak and Asparagus Stir-Fry,  go off-script and throw in a handful of radishes. "In many Asian cuisines, radishes are stir-fried or braised with meats or other vegetables, offering a subtle heat and tenderness," Russo says.

Tempura: Radishes also round out the selection when added to our Tempura Vegetables.

Soups and stews: LaMarita garnishes pea soup with radishes, stepping up the visual and textural interest, while Russo adds them to miso soups or hearty stews. "They absorb the flavors of the broth while maintaining a mild crispness," he says.

Baking: Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising way to use radishes is in baked goods. "Some bakers incorporate finely grated radishes into savory bread or crackers for a unique earthy and spicy flavor profile," Russo says.