14 Vegetables You Should Adding To Baked Goods

The list of different fruits you can bake with can seem infinite — from cherries and lemons to blueberries and peaches. But when it comes down to vegetables, there are far less options to choose from (at least at first glance). It's more likely that you're picking up parsnips and potatoes at the grocery store for a savory roasted veggie side dish than you are for something sweet. 

As a home baker, I love baking with vegetables because they offer so many different flavor nuances and novel textures. That being said, there's a little more legwork that you have to put into preparing your veggies and finding ways to use them than you would for fruits like apples. In an effort to help you find new ways to make veggies taste delicious, and to shine the light on some of the underutilized items in the produce section, I've curated a list of some of my favorite veggies to bake with and included some things to keep in mind when you use them. 

If you have a green thumb, chances are that your summer harvest is littered with plump green zucchini. While zucchini is technically a fruit, it's often relegated to the vegetable camp. You'll see it often added to salads or roasted, but there are other ways to use up all of the leftover zucchini that you have on hand — including in sweet desserts. 

Zucchini lacks flavor, though it has a very high water content. As a result, you're going to want to shred your zucchini into small bits and then squeeze out as much moisture as possible using a clean kitchen towel before you add it to any batter. When it's baked into something like a chocolate zucchini cake, you'll find that vegetable adds that little bit of moisture that will make your treat absolutely decadent. You could also add zucchini to carrot cake; the mild flavor of the zucchini will add moisture and complement the consistency of the carrots. Besides cake, zucchini also makes an excellent addition to muffins and brownies — and you may want to try it in a batch of oatmeal cookies, too.

During the autumn months, pumpkin reigns supreme — and it's easy to see why. This gourd, which is technically classified as a fruit, can be widely used for both sweet and savory application. For example, it makes an excellent filling for a ravioli — especially when it's topped with a sage brown butter sauce. Though, desserts are really where this cucurbit truly shines. 

The flavor of pumpkin is slightly sweet, but still complex. If you've ever tried making your own pumpkin pie or mastered the science of a delicious pumpkin bread, you know that this ingredient is in good company with spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. Besides adding a discernible flavor to your baked goods, pumpkin is also a great ingredient to use to increase the moisture content of your favorite treats. You can add canned pumpkin to store-bought brownie mix to give it a decadently soft and molten bite, or use a little in your next batch of cookies to keep your treats soft and pliable. However, it's important to note that the flavor of pumpkin is strong, so if you add enough if it, your bake will taste like it — for better or for worse. 

Canned pumpkin is a go-to vehicle for adding this gourd to your baked goods. Though you can make your own purée or roasted pumpkins for these recipes, there is far less work involved with the canned variety, and its moisture content is more manageable. 

Corn on the cob is a summer essential. There are tons of baked goods that can benefit from the discernable pop of fresh, juicy corn kernels. For example, you may want to add some corn to your next cornbread recipe. While it won't fulfill the same purpose as stone-ground cornmeal, which makes up the bulk of the cornbread, it will diversify the bite and offer extra moisture. You can use canned corn for this creative kitchen tip; just be sure to drain off as much of the water as possible before stirring it into your batter. Likewise, you can also add this vegetable to corn muffins or corn cakes, too. 

There are also some recipes outside of the corn-adjacent sphere where the fresh kernels can shine. For one, they are in good company with blueberries, which is why you may want to consider adding them to your next blueberry muffin recipe. You can also add this ingredient to a savory scone, along with spices and chopped jalapeño peppers.

I have a very visceral reaction when I think of cooked spinach. I can see it being transferred from the microwave onto an awaiting plate with a big "glop" noise. But, spinach doesn't always deserve this bad of a reputation. In fact, its bright color makes it an excellent addition to a variety of baked goods. 

For one, you may want to try to add it to your next cake recipe. While you might think at first, "Spinach and sugar? Ew!" I can promise you that the flavor mellows out a little bit after it's finished baking. You'll need to blanch the fresh spinach in hot water first, purée it, then try to drain off as much of the moisture as possible. Spinach is a very wet green, so it can get really dense if you don't run it through a clean kitchen towel (or two, or three) before you bake with it. Once you have your puréed spinach, you can easily add it to the rest of your ingredients. You'll be left with a cake that's dyed green — which is perfect for a Christmas or holiday occasion. Also, you don't need a ton of spinach to make this hack work. 

You can also add this green to other desserts, like brownies, where the flavor and color is hidden by more dominant ingredients like the chocolate. You'll still want to try and drain out as much of the water from it as possible to ensure that it works consistency-wise. 

Rhubarb is one of the most under-appreciated vegetables out there. This stalky spring veggie has a ton of uses in the kitchen, though it can turn some people off because of its sourness and stringy texture. So, if you're going to enjoy rhubarb in some of your baked goods, you're going to want to make sure that you either cook it with a lot of sugar to tame the tartness, or consider pairing it with other sweet additions. 

I think of two uses for rhubarb straight off the bat: as a component for fruit jam or a strawberry rhubarb pie. The fruit jam can be used for a ton of different things, including as a filling for jam thumbprint cookies, a sweet layer in a stacked sponge cake, or a topping for a delicious buttermilk biscuit. The pie, on the other hand, is a classic, as the sweet strawberries mellow out the zesty bite of the rhubarb quite well. 

Another pairing that you may have never thought of is rhubarb and lemon. Both have a signature tartness to them, making them an ideal duo to use if you don't consider yourself a sweets lover. Consider adding rhubarb to your lemon bars to harness its unique flavor profile and to bolster the dessert's acidity. 

Can we say goodbye to cauliflower rice and pizza crusts yet? It's not fibbing anyone. The main place where cauliflower rice, pizza crusts, and other "health" foods went wrong was that they failed to cover up the actual flavor of the cauliflower. After all, if it looks like a cruciferous vegetable and smells like a cruciferous vegetable, it's probably going to taste like a cruciferous vegetable. When you pair it with a more dominant flavor, though, you can mask some of those sulfuric overtones.

One excellent pairing for cauliflower is chocolate. Since the cauliflower itself is dense, especially after it's steamed and puréed, it would be best suited for a fudgy brownie. Once the head is fork tender, add it to your food processor, and then spoon it right into your brownie batter. The cauliflower will add moisture, and, so long as there is sufficient chocolate and sugar, you won't notice it all too much. 

If you don't mind the unique flavor of the cauliflower, you may consider adding it to a savory muffin with herbs and cheese. Avoid adding it to anything that you want to keep light though — like a soft cake.

The parsnip is like the carrot's long lost cousin. You may see these dingy-colored carrots with the other root vegetables in your grocery store and not pay them any mind. But you may be missing out on a powerhouse of an ingredient, and one that can really step up your baking game. Whereas carrots are sweet, parsnips have undertones of licorice and anise. 

Luckily, if you know how to work with carrots, you shouldn't have any problems working with parsnips. Opt for the smaller parsnips versus the ginormous ones, as the larger tap roots tend to have woody cores that will need to be removed before you can cook with them. You could also leave on the skin before cooking. 

Parsnips can be used for sweet or savory applications. Swap them out in your carrot cake recipe or consider using the shreds for a muffin or scone; they're especially delicious when paired with maple syrup (which has some of the same anisey flavor), apples, and sugar. 

Beets and I are not friends — except when those beets are added to something that's baked and loaded with sugar. I don't like the texture of the root solo and I don't like its dirt-like flavor, but I really can appreciate what they bring to brownies, cakes, and more. 

Beets are jam-packed full of moisture, which means that they can keep your baked goods moist. If you're also looking for a dye-free alternative for your recipes, beets might be a good place to turn to. Though, like other root vegetables, they can be quite dense. So, if you want to dye your light sponge cake pink, you may want to use beet juice instead of shredded beets. But for brownies, dense cakes, and the like, shreds are the way to go. If you're just experimenting with beets for the first time, try adding them to your carrot cake, in addition to or in place of the carrots. They will offer a similar moisture level and a flavor that's compatible with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in your sponge. 

Sweet potatoes are often relegated to the likes of fries and sheet pan meals. I honestly think that this does this tuber a major disservice, as their utility extends far beyond just savory applications. While sweet potato pie is a great example of the tuber's potential, it's just skimming the surface for what it can really bring to your recipes. 

Sweet potatoes are, of course, sweet. But they're also dense, which makes them a great addition to certain recipes. Sweet potato brownies, for example, are a dish that you wouldn't be able to tell sweet potatoes were added to. You can also add sweet potato cubes to bread pudding to give it a slightly more complex flavor that's vaguely pumpkin-like, but less domineering. Or try adding sweet potato to a dense pound cake for extra sweetness and softness. If you have canned sweet potato on hand, it will be all the more easy to whip up these treats. 

Rutabaga, like parsnips, is an ingredient that you could walk by every time you visit a grocery store and not think twice about adding to your cart. The rutabaga is a cross between a turnip and a wild cabbage — so it has some of that sulfuric Brassica essence going on, but with the crunchy bite of a turnip. It's an excellent winter veggie to play around with, and you'll sometimes see it mashed or roasted and served with other, similarly-flavored root vegetables. 

One baked good that features the rutabaga front and center is a Cornish pasty. Rutabagas, along with ground beef, other root vegetables like parsnips and carrots, onions, and potatoes, make up the filling of this shortcrust pastry. They're a great hearty dinner when you have a little extra time to dedicate to making them. Like other root vegetables, it can also be grated and added to a cake for extra moisture, too. 

Butternut squash is an excellent middle ground between sweet potatoes and pumpkin. It has a less potent flavor than sweet potatoes, but it still has that slight fall essence to it that makes it so delectable. Like other cucurbits, it can offer a lot of moisture to your recipe, as well as a slightly sweet, oaky undertone. 

One of the easiest ways to introduce butternut squash to your baking routine is to use is as a swap for pumpkin in pumpkin pie. Though, canned butternut squash is hard to come by — so you'll need to do some of the legwork of removing the edible flesh from the center of the squash and preparing it for your recipe. Essentially, you can use butternut squash as a replacement for any other situation where you would otherwise use pumpkin; think cookies, brownies, cakes, muffins, and more. They are also in good company with cranberries, warming spices, and apples. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention carrots on this list of the best vegetables to bake with. After all, they're most people's go-to veggie to add to cake. Not only does grated carrot add a ton of moisture to a dense, spiced sponge cake, but it will also offer a more unique bite. You don't have to stick to plain orange carrots either; purple and white carrots can diversify the color of your bakes. 

There are tons of other ways to add carrots to your baked goods besides just sticking to cake. For one, you may want to try adding it to a whoopie pie for a creative take on a classic dessert. Fill the middle with a cream cheese and whipped cream filling and you've got a finger-food dessert perfect for Easter. You can also cook and mash the carrots and use them for cookies or as a replacement for pumpkin in a pie. Depending on what you're using them for, you may need to squeeze out some of the moisture to prevent overwhelming your batter. 

There are tons of ways to eat potatoes — mashed, fried, puréed, and now baked into a dessert. In fact, one of the best uses for leftover mashed potatoes is inside of cinnamon rolls. The potato starch will help absorb moisture in your dough and make the roll softer. Plus, the spuds will interact with the yeast and ensure that your tasty buns come out soft and pliable. 

Besides cinnamon rolls, you can also add potatoes to brownies, too. The potatoes will ensure that your brownies come out dense and moist every single time. Similarly, you can eat a potato for dessert (or breakfast) by adding the mashed spuds in with your donut ingredients. While this hack won't work for a light, airy sugar-raised donut, it will elevate your cake donuts recipes from here on out. When you're repurposing your leftover spuds for any of these recipes, though, always be sure that you aren't adding any milk or butter to the potatoes, as these ingredients may change the chemistry of your entire recipe.

Yes, yes, I know avocados are a fruit. But, they're rarely thought of as a fruit; you're more likely to see them mixed into a guacamole or on a savory slice of toast than you are paired with other sweet ingredients. However, that's not to say that you can't transform this popular ingredient into something destined for your dessert table. 

While it might seem like everything on this list can go in a brownie (which is true), this is one spot where the avocado really shines. If you want a brownie that's super dense and fudgy, consider puréeing an avocado in with the rest of your ingredients. Its mouthfeel is relatively clean and neutral, so it won't mess too much with the chocolate, sugar, and other ingredients in your recipe. What the avocado will do is offer a delectable mouthfeel. You may just abandon your trusted store-bought brownie mix for avocado brownies going forward! 

You can also repurpose the ripe avocados sitting on your countertop for mousse. Pair the puréed avocados with some chocolate powder, salt, milk, and vanilla extract. While this is a great recipe to eat straight from the bowl, it can also be used as a frosting or filling for cakes and cupcakes.