01
Beets
10.0best for cooking1 cup : 1 cup
Sweet root veg, good in salads or roasted
10.0
carrots substitute
for cooking.
On the stovetop, diced carrots sweat at 1/4-inch dice in 6-8 minutes over medium, releasing steam that softens onions and dissolves fond into a base. Substitutes here are ranked by how they behave between 200-300°F pan temps: do they release water fast enough to keep aromatics from scorching, do they hold shape past 12 minutes of simmer, and do they finish without turning to mush? Color and sweetness matter less than timing flexibility in a working mirepoix.
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adjustment for cooking
Dice 1:1 cup at 1/4 inch and add 4 minutes earlier than carrot to a sweat — beets need 10-12 minutes at medium to soften versus carrot's 6-8. Expect pink fond that stains aromatics; add a splash of vinegar near the end to fix color and brighten the 6.8% beet sugar.
02
Sweet Potato
8.0best for cooking1 cup : 1 cup
Similar sweetness and color, dice to match
8.0
adjustment for cooking
Cut 1:1 cup at 1/4 inch dice. Sweet potato softens in 5-7 minutes at medium versus carrot's 6-8 because its starch gels at 158°F faster than carrot pectin breaks. Add it after onions are translucent or it'll mush before aromatics finish, killing texture in soups by minute 15.
03
Celery
6.0best for cooking1 cup : 1 cup
Works in mirepoix and soups, less sweet
6.0
adjustment for cooking
Use 1:1 cup at 1/4 inch dice. Celery sweats out 95% water in 4-5 minutes — faster than carrot's 6-8 — so add it last in a mirepoix or aromatics drown. Lacks the 4.7% sugar that builds fond on the pan; lean on a teaspoon of tomato paste at minute 8 to compensate.
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04
Onions
6.01 cup : 1 cup
Diced onion adds sweet aromatic depth to soups; lacks carrot's color and natural sweetness
6.0
adjustment for this dish
Swap 1:1 cup diced. Onions release sulfur compounds that volatilize between 240-280°F — a deeper aromatic floor than carrots provide, but no orange color in the pot. Sweat 8-10 minutes at medium to break down pungency, then proceed with the recipe; raw-onion bite ruins a finished simmer.
05
Turnips
4.01 cup : 1 cup
Milder and slightly peppery, same cook time
4.0
adjustment for this dish
Dice 1:1 cup at 1/4 inch — turnips hit tender at 7-9 minutes versus carrot's 6-8, and their slight peppery glucosinolate note fades after 12 minutes of simmer. Skim foam at the 5-minute mark; sulfur compounds rise to the surface and leave a cleaner broth if removed early.
06
Zucchini
2.01 cup : 1 cup
Milder flavor, similar texture when cooked
2.0
adjustment for this dish
Dice 1:1 cup at 1/2 inch — smaller and zucchini disintegrates by minute 10. Add it 5 minutes before plating, not at the start: at 95% water it dilutes a sauce by reducing simmer concentration roughly 8% per cup. Salt and pat dry first to firm cell walls slightly.
07
Bell Pepper
10.01 cup : 1 cup
Dice small for similar sweetness and color
10.0
adjustment for this dish
Dice 1:1 cup at 1/4 inch. Bell pepper holds shape through 15-minute simmers because its cellulose-pectin matrix resists breakdown until 195°F core temp. Sweet at 4.2% sugar, similar to carrot's 4.7%, but the grassy pyrazine notes shift the soup register — add at minute 5, not minute zero.
08
Pumpkin
8.01 cup : 1 cup
Puree for pies and soups, add nutmeg
8.0
adjustment for this dish
Cube 1:1 cup at 1/2 inch — pumpkin softens in 8-10 minutes at medium and starts to dissolve past 12. Use it as a thickener role for soups: stir to break apart at the 10-minute mark and the 91% water releases starch that bodies the broth without flour.
09
Parsnips
7.51 cup : 1 cup
Sweeter, closest root veggie swap
7.5