Growing up, St. Patrick’s Day was one of my top three fave holidays. One sibling loved to say we’re Irish (whilst I have European heritage, I’m pretty sure we’re not) and there would be chocolate coins all over the house (a kid’s dream). As an adult, I tried to make the holiday just as fun for my own kids, and hopefully this green food list will do the same in your home.
Now, you may have stumbled into this article looking for a green food list for the sake of nutrition, so I’ll be sure to cover that as well 🙂
List of Green Vegetables
We all know there are loads of health benefits linked to consuming an array of green vegetables. There’s the intake of dietary fiber, immune system support, aided blood sugar control, reduced risk of heart disease, and more. In fact, many of the veggies on this list are nutrient-dense foods and can contribute to a fantastic balanced diet.
I’ve tried to include a lot of common green vegetables that are available year-round, but some won’t be available fresh in March. The great news is that you can check the freezer section at your grocery store and find quite a few green veggies that are out of season. Here’s a list of green vegetables, many of which are a great source of fiber:
- Aloe Vera
- Artichoke
- Arugula
- Asparagus
- Beet Greens
- Bok Choy (called Pak Choi in some countries)
- Broccoli & Chinese Broccoli
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cactus Leaf (great in chili and salsa)
- Carrot Tops (you could make a cool pesto with these)
- Capers
- Chives
- Cilantro
- Celery
- Collard Greens (sometimes called Collards)
- Cucumber
- Edamame
- Green Beans
- Green Bell Pepper
- Green Cabbage
- Green Onion
- Green Peppers (spicy, like Anaheim)
- Haricot Verts/French String Beans
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Kale
- Leafy Green Vegetables (there are lots of varieties to choose from)
- Leek
- Lima Beans
- Okra
- Peas (green pea, pea pod, sweet pea, split pea)
- Romaine Lettuce
- Spinach & Baby Spinach
- Sprouts (usually a mix of ingredients)
- Swiss Chard
- Turnip Greens
- Zucchini/Courgette (such a versatile veggie)

Cooking Tip Green Vegetables
If you’re new to consuming green vegetables, I want to encourage you to try different cooking methods. Green veggies can be prepared in a variety of ways including:
- Air Fried
- Baking/Roasting
- Deep Fried
- Grilling (indoor grill pans are great if you don’t have an outdoor grill)
- Pan Fried
- Poaching
- Sautéing
- Steaming
In addition to the cooking method you use, you can also change up how you prep your vegetables. Here are a few prep options to keep in mind:
- Chiffonade (for leafy greens)
- Cube
- Dice
- Roughly Chop
- Shred
- Slice
- Spiralize
Combined, how you prep and cook can change the overall texture and eating experience of your vegetables, so make sure you experiment and see what you really enjoy.
Related: Creating Texture with Single Ingredients
List of Green Herbs & Spices
Green herbs and spices can make a huge impact on your festive meals because If your main ingredient can’t be green, the seasonings or garnish can be. In fact, the whole meal doesn’t need to scream “I am green hear me roar”. It can politely whisper “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” with a few key green elements like fresh chopped parsley.
- Basil
- Green Peppercorn
- Dill (pairs excellently with fish)
- Fennel
- Lemongrass
- Marjoram
- Mexican Oregano
- Mint
- Nettles
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Sage
- Peppermint
- Spearmint
- Tarragon
- Thai Basil
- Thyme
Bay leaf gets honourable mention since it is a green herb, however, you remove it before serving. This recipe (honey ginger beef) is a great example of how you can use green onion as a garnish.
List of Green Fruits
Here are green fruits to incorporate on your festive day. These can be eaten raw, served as a snack, included in a lunch box, or transformed into a delicious dessert.
- Green Apples
- Avocado
- Green Grapes
- Kiwi
- Green Melon
- Lime
- Tomatillo
Watermelon gets an honourable mention since the outside is so clearly green. If you serve it without removing the thick skin, it totally counts as a green food if you ask me.
List of Misc. Green Foods & Naturally Green Beverages
If you don’t feel like purchasing specific green fruits and green vegetables, perhaps a green drink is an easier way to be festive. Here are some drinks, but also a few more miscellaneous ingredients that are naturally green.
- Green Tea
- Kelp & Some Types of Seaweed
- Matcha
- Olive Oil
- Pistachios
- Stevia Leaf (a great addition to a drink if you’re trying to avoid/reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages)
Candy Options
If you need gluten free, vegan, and allergy friendly candy options, check out these two articles:
- Vegan + Gluten Free Candy
- Gluten Free + Allergy Friendly Candy Options (including top 9 allergy free)
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Green Meal Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day
Now that we’ve covered green food lists, let’s take a look at some green food ideas you can cook up that feature the color green.
Green Eggs & Ham with Toasted Bread
This is such a classic, and if you have little kids, you can read the book whilst you eat the meal together. For people who aren’t bread fans, you can ditch it, or pair this with a different carbohydrate such as roasted potatoes.
Fried Green Tomatoes
You could pair this with a range of different salads as one of your toppings, or serve on the side of something like grilled burgers. The cool thing about fried green tomatoes is that they’re a pretty versatile ingredient. You can also change up the seasonings and spices in your fry batter to create a different dining experience.
Jazzed Up Salad
What I love about salads is that they’re a huge bed of green leaves. It makes this an easy festive green meal. You can make a jazzed up salad that’s super interesting, or you can make a simple side salad.
If you’re serving kids, consider making a build your own salad bar with fun serving utensils (a little novelty goes a long way). If your kids are just learning to like salad, start with simple green leaves such as iceberg, baby spinach, Romaine, and baby gem. These are all on the milder side in terms of taste, and the romaine and iceberg will have a great texture. Sit with your kiddo and dip leaves into a delicious salad dressing, toast leaves (like you would drinks) and just have fun with the experience.
Wether you’re serving kids or adults, make sure you use tasty toppings you’ll really enjoy. Think about texture (crunchy croutons, soft tomatoes, and so on), and think about taste. Have something a little sweet, a little acidic, and something neutral.
Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Green Recipes
Here are some recipes that showcase the colour green. Scroll through and just get some good ideas for a green festive meal.
- Dutch Oven Kale & Pepperoni Creamy Rice
- Kale & Date Chicken
- Avocado Porridge
- Avocado Ica Cream/Pudding
- Avocado Pasta
- Pesto (this is a nut free recipe)
- Spinach Blender Waffles
- Spinach Muffins
- Broccoli Mac n Cheese (really fun for little kids)
- Fully Loaded Bacon & Brussels Sprouts Pizza (my kids thought I was crazy until they took the first bite, then they couldn’t get enough)
- Meaty Lettuce Wraps
- Vegan Lettuce Wraps
- String Bean Dish (or a green bean casserole)
- Cheesy String Beans
- Taco Pasta
- Pistachio Chicken “Nuggets”
- Asian Vegetables & Turkey
- Pandan Cookies (hard to see in the photo, but in person, these have a lovely green hue)
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List of Orange Foods
For those who are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and would like some orange foods to incorporate into their celebration, here’s some ideas for you as well. Like with green, sometimes an orange element is all you need such as shredded carrots to liven up the colours of your dish.
- Butternut Squash
- Carrots
- Mandarins
- Orange Bell Pepper
- Oranges
- Pumpkin
- Sweet Potato
- Tangerines
- VeggieCraft Lentil & Sweet Potato Pasta
Orange Food Recipes & Ideas
Here are a few recipes that showcase orange foods. These are all gluten free and allergy friendly recipes.
- Pumpkin Pie Power Balls
- Carrot Cake Power Balls
- White Bean Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin Mac n Cheese
- Easy Spiced Carrots
- Carrot & Turkey Parmesan Ragu
- Carrot & Parsnip Soup
- Carrot Ginger Ketchup
- Bacon & Squash Pasta
- Butternut Squash Parmesan Pasta Sauce
- Orange Chicken
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Stuffed Peppers
- Salmon Cakes
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Answering Your Green Food Questions
How can I reduce the bitterness of green leafy vegetables?
Some green leafy vegetables have a slightly bitter taste, and I’ve found that removing the leaves from the stems (and not serving said stems) goes a long way in helping to reduce the bitterness.
The next thing I do is pair the leaves with something delicious that can stand up to the flavor. For example, I wouldn’t pair the greens with something delicate like a simple cream sauce. Instead, I’d mix them into a pasta dish that has other strong flavours or a ragu. In fact, my kids adore my meaty ragu sauces, and it’s one of the best way to add a variety of green leaves to their diet.
What’s a delicious way to eat raw spinach?
My top two favourite ways will be a smoothie and a cream cheese dip. For the smoothie, you can pair raw spinach with a different fruits and create a blend that’s packed with essential vitamins, but is also delicious. If you have leftovers, you can freeze them in popsicle molds for even more fun. If you have kids, check out the silicone Tovolo molds (some are just so dang cute).
You can look up “spinach cream cheese dip recipe” online and find a lot of options. Some even have a creative twist by with ingredients such as peach or raspberry. Try all sorts of dip recipes and find several that you enjoy and can rotate thru. I’d also suggest having a few different types of crackers on hand that you can try with your dips.
What are the best greens to serve to children?
I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that your kids are new to eating dark leafy greens. Having raise kids myself, I think the best greens to start with are baby spinach and sorrel. They have a mild flavor (when compared with other green leafy vegetables), and the tender leaves makes them easy to chew. Some greens are on the tough side, and are often times braised and cooked for hours. With spinach and sorrel (sometimes called kid spinach), that isn’t necessary.
I’d avoid greens such as endive and frisée as they can be pretty bitter (even though they’re very pretty to look at). Some salad mixes should be avoided as well as they tend to have a peppery flavor your kids may not enjoy.
When it came time to introduce kale to my kids, I opted for dino kale, as it’s on the milder end of the taste spectrum. It was quite the food ladder for them, and I had to jazz it up a lot for many years. Now, they’re more likely to eat kale in a salad mix, but always prefer my sloppy joe kale, cheesy kale, and kale brownies.
Which cruciferous vegetables would taste good grilled?
First, this sounds delicious. Second, pretty much all cruciferous vegetables would tase good grilled, so long as you size them well. For example, whole Brussels sprouts on a skewer may not cook all the way thru, and then won’t taste as good. However, if you were to halve them, glaze them, and grill them, you’d be much happier with the results.
Cabbage is something foodies love to grill, and you can pair it with a range of sauces and other fresh produce to have a fantastic side dish.
I wouldn’t grill cruciferous vegetables such as kale, collard greens, and wild arugula (this has an awesome peppery flavor btw) directly on the grill because they’re leaves. Grilling leaves will be a little harder when compared to something like broccoli or sprouts. However, that’s not say it’s impossible. If you want that smoky grilled flavor on your leafy vegetables, you could shop them, glaze them, and put them in an open pan. Then, you’d put said pan on your grill and close the lid.
I’m new to both the gluten free and plant-based diets. What are the best green vegetables to start with?
If you’re new to eating healthy green vegetables in general, first, know that you need to ramp up to major diet change like this. In the case of gluten free, there’s no ramp up. You need to just go gluten free, but, the chances of having lots of easy GF foods is pretty high.
Anytime you suddenly introduce a lot of new vegetables (or even dry beans/canned beans) it can cause serious GI distress. Then you’ll think you’re having a reaction, but the reality is your digestive system just needs some time to adapt.
Now, in terms of which are the best to start with, that’s going to depend on what kind of flavors you enjoy. If you don’t like strong bitter tastes, the last thing you want to do is cook up two cups of dark green vegetables. Dark green vegetables and dark leafy greens (whilst great for good health) are flavors that take time to adapt to.
Green beans, green peas, spinach, and broccolini would be my top four picks for someone who’s new to green vegetables in general. I’d also suggest looking up things like “kid friendly broccoli recipes”. When you add the qualifier kid friendly to the search term, you’ll find recipes that are more pleasing to taste buds that are new to the green veg game.
I’ll also add this: start with smaller amounts when you’re new to all of this. If a recipe calls for 10 ounces of a vegetable, consider starting with 5 ounces. In cooking recipes (not baking recipes) you can easily change up the amount of vegetables that are called for.
What are some different ways I can include more green vegetables throughout the day?
Here are a few different ways and examples to add more veg:
- Include fresh vegetables in your smoothies. They work well in both fruity smoothies and chocolate smoothies. Just make sure you get the balance right.
- Add chopped vegetables to pasta sauces (even store-bought sauces, as you won’t notice a huge shift in flavor).
- Bake with dried spinach (you can’t taste it in brownies).
- Chop sweet bell peppers and leave them in your fridge for snacking. Also put a few slices in your lunch each day.
- Make dips! If you make a veg friendly dip that pairs well with broccoli, carrots, etc., you’re more likely to eat them.
- Mix small amounts of vegetable juice into your fruit juice (if you drink it). You can purchase organic cold pressed juices and add a little of that to fruit juice and over time, get your taste buds used to drinking the green juice straight.
- Any vegetables you plan to cook, cook them well. Don’t skimp on salt and seasonings. If the food doesn’t taste good, we’re a lot less likely to eat it.
- Don’t start with vegetables you hated as a child. For some, that hate runs deep, so make food choices with no negative associations in your brain.
Hopefully these ideas can help you add some new fresh foods and extra flavor to your diet.
What are the best vegan sources of Vitamin K?
Good old Vitamin K, an important nutrient for proper blood clotting. First, know that a deficiency is on the rare side, so if you have concerns, make sure your GP has run tests for you. You can have them order full panels for vitamins and nutrients to make sure your levels are OK across the board.
In terms of the best vegan sources for Vitamin K, here’s several options to choose from:
- Cooked Mustard Greens
- Cooked Beet Greens
- Cooked Kale
- Raw Spinach
- Cooked Broccoli
- Cooked Cabbage
- Cooked Green Beans
- Kiwi
- Avocado
Overall, when we’re looking at just the numbers, dark leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are the top two sources of Vitamin K. If you’re not a fan of the taste however, you can start with raw spinach, green beans, and kiwi to have delicious sources available to you.
Are there any naturally green cereals?
Not that I know of. I looked at organic cereals and there are several that are naturally blue, purple, yellow, and brown. To have a green cereal, I’d suggest dicing green apple and leave the skin on, and add that to cereals that are either neutral in taste, or that pair well with green apple (think cinnamon flavoured cereals).
Can I purchase any dairy free cheeses that are naturally green? Like bleu cheese?
Check out the brand Nuts for Cheese. They have some pretty neat elevated dairy free/vegan cheese options. If they don’t make anything, consider getting something like the Brie wheel from Miyoko’s Creamery, then adding green foods to it (chopped spinach, pesto, capers, asparagus, etc.). I’m making that suggestion assuming you’re wanting something green and festive, as compared to a bleu cheese only.