7 Vegetables That Start With V

Vegetables that start with V are mostly leafy greens that can be prepared in many ways for healthy dishes.

Jamie Scott

By Jamie Scott

Lastest Updated August 16, 2025
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Vegetables that start with V come in many interesting options. From popular things like vine spinach to unique species like velvetbean, each has its own properties and values to apply in cooking.

For each suggestion in this list, you will learn key information about its origin, common names, classification, appearance, texture, flavor, and uses.

There are 7 vegetables in this compilation, and I promise learning about them will significantly expand your knowledge of foods starting with V. Stay tuned for additional content about V-named fruits at the end of this post.

7 Perfect Vegetables That Start With V With Filter

You’re about to discover the best 7 fruits with V at the start of their name. Use the given interactive filters, and you will see that these fruits belong to three major labels: vegetables for dishes, exotic vegetables, and fruit vegetables.

Vegetable Mustard

  • For Dishes

Vegetable mustard, commonly known as mustard greens, is a leafy green vegetable native to Asia. Its leaves have jagged or frilly edges and can be smooth or wrinkled, while the fibrous stems are usually removed before cooking.

Vegetable mustards have a bold, peppery, and slightly spicy flavor. The intensity of the peppery taste can vary depending on the variety and maturity of the leaves.

Slow cooking, stewing, and stir-frying are the most popular ways of cooking vegetable mustards in various cuisines, from the Southern US to India, China, and Japan.

Vine Spinach

  • Exotic
  • For Dishes

Vine spinach is a leafy vegetable that originated in Southeast Asia. It has many other names, such as Malabar spinach, Ceylon spinach, and Indian spinach.

Vine spinach has thick, succulent leaves and stems with a glossy exterior. The leaves are typically heart-shaped and range in color from dark green to dark red.

Cooked vine spinach is slightly slimy and comes with a mild, earthy, and spinach-like flavor with a hint of tanginess. In most cuisines, people use this vegetable in curries, soups, hot pots, and sautéd dishes rather than consume it raw.

There are many dishes made with vine spinach in the traditional cuisines of Southeast Asian and African countries.

Verdolaga

  • For Dishes

Verdolaga, or purslane, is a leafy vegetable with roots in India and the Middle East. Its spoon-shaped dark green leaves are arranged in clusters along thick, reddish stems.

Verdolaga has a mild, slightly tangy, and lemony taste. People in the Middle East make use of this flavor profile in many salads and stews.

In Mediterranean and Latin American countries, verdolaga is used in salads, soups, stews, sauces, and as a filling for savory pastries. Meanwhile, some Asian cuisines add this vegetable to curries, soups, and stir-fries.

Vegetable Marrow

  • For Dishes
  • Fruit Vegetables

Vegetable marrow is another name for marrow, which is basically a mature zucchini. A type of fruit vegetable, it has an elongated, cylindrical shape with smooth, thin skin.

Cooked vegetable marrows are as tender as zucchini or summer squash, while their taste is relatively neutral but takes on the flavors of other ingredients very well.

Therefore, vegetable marrows are suitable for stews, casseroles, curries, slow-cooked dishes, and stuffed dishes. From the Mediterranean to Asia, there are many vegetable marrow recipes throughout the world.

Velvet Bean

  • Exotic
  • For Dishes

Velvet bean, also known as cowhage or buffalo bean, is a legume native to Asia, specifically China and India. Its pods boast soft, fine hairs, hence the velvety texture that creates the legume’s name.

Velvet beans come in many different colors and sizes yet contain less starch than other legumes.

Although velvet beans aren’t often consumed as a food item due to the presence of potentially toxic compounds, boiling and soaking make these legumes safe for cooking stews and porridges.

Interestingly, velvet beans have a rich history of use in traditional medicine, particularly in Ayurvedic and African systems.

Vegetable Hummingbird

  • Exotic
  • For Dishes

Vegetable hummingbird is a plant whose leaves and flowers can be consumed as vegetables. It hails from Southeast Asia and has many other names, such as West Indian pea, katurai, and agati.

This fast-growing plant produces large flowers that resemble the shape of a hummingbird, hence its name. These white or red flowers are crunchy and sweet; some even describe notes of mushroom-like savoriness.

Meanwhile, vegetable hummingbird leaves have a fairly bitter but refreshing taste and can be prepared like ordinary vegetables. Chefs in Southeast Asia often sauté, steam, stir-fry, or add these leaves to soups and hot pots.

Velvetleaf

  • Exotic
  • For Dishes

Velvetleaf is a tall vegetable that comes from tropical Asia, especially India. Its other names are Chinese tallow, velvetweed, butterprint, and Indian mallow.

Belonging to the mallow family, velvetleaf has large, soft-haired leaves. Its flavor is something of an acquired taste, with bitter and greasy notes.

While velvetleaf isn’t widely used in cooking, it can be incorporated into stir-fries or omelets. In addition, its seeds are consumed in the same way as sunflower seeds in some regions.

In the following section, I will cover some exciting fruits that also start with V like the vegetables described above.

What Are Fruits That Start With V?

Scroll down if you want to explore the diverse world of V-named fruits.

The Valencia Orange

Valencia Orange

Valencia orange is a high-quality orange variety that originated in the US but was named after a Spanish region.

The Vanilla Fruit

Vanilla Bean

Vanilla bean is a rare and expensive fruit used to create vanilla, an aromatic flavoring used in a wide range of foods and drinks.

These fruits are quite popular and have many applications in daily cooking. Still, the list of fruits whose first letter is V has more unusual options worth checking out.

Have you tried my V-named vegetables? What’s your favorite way to enjoy them? Let me know your feedback in the comment option. And don’t forget to share this list with your friends or anyone you know with a passion for cooking!

Furthermore, there are other veggies from A to Z are waiting for you to explore.

By Alphabet:

Jamie Scott

Jamie Scott

Editor in Chief, Senior Content Writer

Expertise

Home Cooking, Meal Planning, Recipe Development, Baking and Pastry, Food Editor, Cooking-video Maker, Western Food Evaluation Expert

Education

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts

  • Program: Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts
  • Focus: Gained foundational knowledge in French and European culinary techniques. Participated in workshops and hands-on training sessions under the guidance of seasoned chefs.

Local Community College, New York, NY

  • Program: Associate’s Degree in Nutrition
  • Focus: Acquired basic understanding of nutrition principles, dietary needs, and the importance of balanced diets in daily life.
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Jamie Scott is a skilled culinary expert and content creator specializing in Western cuisine. With over 15 years in the culinary field and formal training from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, Jamie deeply understands how to blend nutrition with delicious flavors. His passion for cooking matches his commitment to making healthy eating accessible and enjoyable.

On Fifteen.net, Jamie brings a fresh perspective to classic dishes and beverages, offering readers insightful recipes, cooking tips, and a fresh view on meal planning that emphasizes taste, health, and simplicity.

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