Top 20 Vegetables Sold in the U.S.

What vegetables are most commonly purchased by households in the United States?
Based on the percent of surveyed households who purchased in the last 12 months
Dear nitpicker: Vegetable is used in the culinary sense. Whiners will be shot out of a cannon.
Quiz by islabonita
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Last updated: July 22, 2019
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First submittedMay 18, 2019
Times taken19,491
Average score57.9%
Rating3.63
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%
Vegetable
68
Potato
66
Onion
65
Tomato
60
Carrot
53
Bell Pepper
53
Lettuce
51
Broccoli
50
(Salad Mix)
49
Cucumber
46
Celery
45
Corn
42
Mushroom
41
Garlic
40
Spinach
39
Green Bean
38
Sweet Potato
33
Green Onions
33
Cauliflower
33
Cabbage
30
Asparagus
+20
Level 77
Jul 22, 2019
Mushroom??? It is not a vegetable.
+10
Level 75
Aug 22, 2019
•Based on the percent of surveyed households who purchased in the last 12 months

•Dear nitpicker: Vegetable is used in the culinary sense. Whiners will be shot.

•Source

+3
Level 71
Aug 24, 2019
I guess some people count mushrooms as vegetables? I remember I went to a Chinese restaurant with a friend once, and he was asking about a specific dish, because he's vegetarian. The waitress said that it contained vegetables. When the dish came out, it turned out that the only "vegetable" it contained was mushrooms.

-But you said this has vegetables in it...?

-Yes, there are mushrooms in this.

ò.Õ

+1
Level 45
Oct 30, 2019
my family has always said potatoes are starches, and are more like bread and grain...so i missed the number one answer
+2
Level 45
Oct 30, 2019
also since when are mushrooms not vegetables??
+4
Level 66
Sep 23, 2019
well it is definitely not a fruit
+4
Level 51
Oct 30, 2019
if tomato is on here ( a fruit ) then i don't see why it mushroom should be excluded. unless its just deadass not in the top 20
+1
Level 24
Oct 30, 2019
i CANNOT believe that eggplant is not on here. despicable. I am going to call the O
+3
Level 73
Nov 1, 2019
Well, mushrooms are not even plants at all, so how could they be vegetables?
+14
Level 28
Jul 22, 2019
a mushroom is a fungus i don’t think its a vegetable
+6
Level 75
Aug 22, 2019
•Based on the percent of surveyed households who purchased in the last 12 months

•Dear nitpicker: Vegetable is used in the culinary sense. Whiners will be shot.

•Source

+3
Level 77
Jul 22, 2019
Potato counts as a starch, it's like rice or spaghetti, not like tomatoes or spinach on your plate. Mushrooms.. what's said above. Garlic? You don't eat that as a vegetable either, it's more for spice. I am sure chili peppers should figure on the list too if garlic does. And don't they eat any peas there? Some parts of the list are rather strange.
+23
Level 79
Jul 22, 2019
I have no idea how you manage to think of a potato as not a vegetable
+4
Level 84
Jul 23, 2019
Agree with blizzrd about potatoes - dieticians may classify potatoes as starch, but they acknowledge that they're a vegetable, whereas rice and spaghetti (the latter made from wheat) are both grains. Starches nutritionally, but still grains. The peppers in the quiz are bell peppers - called 'capsicum' in some countries - which are definitely eaten as a vegetable. I'm on the fence about mushrooms, since as fungi, they're not even considered plants.
+1
Level 66
Sep 23, 2019
but, why are grains not vegetables?
+2
Level 73
Jul 26, 2019
Roasted garlic can be served as any other vegetable - just makes for rather aromatic after dinner conversation. I was surprised that peas didn't make the list. To call a potato anything other than a vegetable is beyond my comprehension. Where I'm from, potatoes are the king of vegetables. It just isn't a meal without them.
+1
Level 37
Aug 20, 2019
^ You must be from the Netherlands. The Dutch have conquered the use of potatoes! - The only other place that I've found potatoes in such abundant use is in the Northeastern US. It is impossible to have a meal there without the requisite French fries, Home fries, Scalloped potatoes, Julienne potatoes, Mashed potatoes or Baked potatoes. They even manage to put them in their Chowder! Yes, you guessed it: I hate potatoes.
+1
Level 66
Sep 23, 2019
I dont think anyone from the netherlands really looks at the potato as a vegetable though. Since a standard meal is vegetable meat an potatoes. (if they are pressed to identify it some might say so, but in everyday life noone think of it as such, it is even in a different spot in the supermarket, not with the rest of the vegetables)

(And it is usually not on the list kids whine about that they dont want to eat (god knows why they do that, I have never understood the aversion against vegetables in general))

+1
Level 64
Oct 30, 2019
Yeah, AGF in Dutch supermarkets stands for aardappel (potato), groente (vegetables) and fruit. So it's labeled seperately.
+1
Level 62
Aug 21, 2019
just because you don't eat it as a vegetable doesn't mean its not a vegetable. spices and vegetables are the same thing
+3
Level 75
Aug 22, 2019
Potatoes aren't vegetables - they're a.. sort of.. bread?

Love Peep Show

+2
Level 75
Oct 30, 2019
^ You obviously haven't seen Peep Show. The clue that it was a quote was in my post...

Did you really think that anyone could believe potatoes are a kind of bread?

+2
Level 32
Oct 30, 2019
somebody needs to put this guy down, gently.
+2
Level 70
Oct 31, 2019
Crunchy nut cornflakes are just frosties for wanchors
+1
Level 65
Oct 31, 2019
Me, when I saw this quiz: "Will I find a Peep Show reference in the comments? Chance would be a fine thing"
+1
Level 75
Nov 25, 2019
^ Well I'm glad I didn't disappoint
+1
Level 84
Oct 30, 2019
My spaghetti garden would beg to differ.
+13
Level 88
Jul 23, 2019
3 against the wall at dawn so far.
+2
Level 89
Jul 23, 2019
Yep. Some folks have a hard time reading the instructions.
+2
Level 92
Jul 24, 2019
Instructions are for those who don't know what they're doing :).
+3
Level 88
Jul 27, 2019
Per cornflakesfu's comment below it must be noted that there is no :-) or 😂🤣 in the caveat.
+1
Level 77
Jul 23, 2019
So if vegetable is used in the culinary sense, versus the botanical sense, why is avocado in the fruit quiz and not the veggie quiz? In the culinary sense an avocado is definitely a vegetable!
+3
Level 69
Jul 29, 2019
Except that the fruit quiz does not say “Fruit is used in the culinary sense.”
+1
Level 45
Aug 20, 2019
Avocado stays a fruit, as well as the tomato.
+1
Level 32
Oct 30, 2019
definitely
+2
Level 86
Jul 24, 2019
Carrots are not a vegetable. They belong in that tiny triangle at the top of the pyramid with the sodas and M&Ms and stuff.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law

+1
Level 45
Jul 24, 2019
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
+1
Level 92
Jul 24, 2019
So... does your decision not to include a ;) or similar emoji indicate we should take you seriously?
+1
Level 86
Jul 25, 2019
No, it just means you need to rely on your own judgment.

;)

+1
Level 88
Jul 27, 2019
That ;) could save your life at your internet trial here.

:(

+16
Level 78
Jul 29, 2019
Quizmaster: "whiners will be shot."

Quizmaster: *looks at comments*

Quizmaster: *loads gun*

+1
Level 31
Aug 20, 2019
I think corn is not a vegetable, and mushrooms are definitely not.
+1
Level 71
Oct 30, 2019
When you cook, you still treat them both as such. Therefore they are.
+1
Level 32
Aug 20, 2019
Tomato is a fruit FFS, definitely not nit picking
+1
Level 66
Aug 20, 2019
Corn is not a veggie, isn't it?
+1
Level 51
Sep 5, 2019
I think that corn is a veggie.
+1
Level 45
Aug 20, 2019
1. Tomato is a fruit

2. Mushroom is definitely not

3. Garlic is used as a spice

+2
Level 62
Aug 21, 2019
spices and vegetables are the same thing nimrod
+1
Level 66
Sep 23, 2019
Yea but there is a fine line, if garlic is a spice and not veg, what are unions, basicly used the same way? Then how about spring onions (which I use the sameway, as a flavourmaker) then the next step, what about leek? well most would definitely call that a vegetable, but spring onions are basicly miniature leeks..

(and obviously chives, where do they stand on this sliding scale?)

+1
Level 64
Oct 30, 2019
But how do chili peppers not make the list then?
+1
Level 72
Oct 30, 2019
presumably because not enough people answered it on the survey that is the source of this quiz.
+1
Level 70
Aug 20, 2019
These percentages seem quite low to me. My household has bought all of these with the possible exceptions of green onions and celery.
+1
Level 52
Aug 20, 2019
Corn is a grain, not a vegetable.
+2
Level 70
Aug 21, 2019
Bang!
+4
Level 66
Sep 23, 2019
A banger is(nt) a vegetable..
+1
Level 72
Jan 30, 2020
The definition of a vegetable is any edible part of a plant that is not a fruit. corn is definitely a vegetable
+2
Level 32
Aug 21, 2019
Tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable
+1
Level 51
Sep 5, 2019
I'm pretty sure it's a vegetable...if you search it up, it'll say that. No offense! Just wanted to tell you...:-D
+1
Level 66
Sep 23, 2019
Botanically it is a fruit, since it has seeds (and "flesh"). Thought you might want to know that ;) Though it tastes and is used as a veg, but just because it doesnt taste really sweet doesnt mean it isnt a fruit. But in everyday life it is generally lumped with veggies, since for everyday use it has more in common with them, regardless of its official specifications.
+1
Level 63
Oct 30, 2019
Why do people whine that tomatoes are really fruit, but let cucumber pass as a vegetable without a word?
+1
Level 72
Jan 30, 2020
For sure, a cucumber is also a fruit and no one seems to be complaining about that. Also, these definitions get really weird and go against what people commonly use the words for. For instance, strawberries and raspberries are not berries by the botanical definition. But bananas, tomatoes, and pomegranates are berries according to botanical definitions.
+1
Level 75
Aug 22, 2019
I've not got anything to whine about but will I be shot if I'm a wino?
+1
Level 71
Oct 30, 2019
A real wino is past caring.
+1
Level 82
Sep 16, 2019
I never understood why tomato is more of a fruit than pepper or bean
+1
Level 66
Sep 23, 2019
It isnt, they are botanically fruits aswell. Where have you heard that?
+1
Level 71
Oct 30, 2019
Can't believe that broccoli is so popular, and spinach too, remember 'Even Popeye only ate spinach when he had too"
+1
Level 71
Oct 30, 2019
I don't have a big complaint, but isn't "mushroom" a bit vague? I mean, when it comes to peppers, you distinguish between bell and chili. Mushrooms can be truffles, shiitake, champignons, penny buns (a.k.a. porcini), portobello, etc.

So... which ones are meant here, all or just champignons? I think those are the most common...

+1
Level 45
Oct 30, 2019
I thought pumpkin might've made the list?
+1
Level 51
Oct 30, 2019
Tomatoes are fruits.
+5
Level 72
Oct 30, 2019
Read the instructions!
+1
Level 32
Oct 30, 2019
tomato is a fruit
+1
Level 79
May 18, 2021
Cannon ;)
+1
Level 32
Oct 30, 2019
tomato is used as a fruit in a culinary sense

Next

+2
Level 72
Oct 30, 2019
so you would put a tomato in your fruit salad then? or with ice cream and other sweet food?

normal people would put tomatoes in pasta or on a sandwich, with other vegetables.

+1
Level 73
Oct 30, 2019
I guess not many people enjoy my favorite vegetables - peas and zuchini.
+1
Level 68
Oct 30, 2019
I tried both as well
+1
Level 43
Oct 30, 2019
If you consider mushrooms a vegetable in a culinary sense you might as well consider chocolate and nails as vegetables
+2
Level 76
Oct 30, 2019
Mmhmm, mmhmm, and culinarily speaking, what would you consider mushrooms, if not vegetables? Are they protein? Starch? Dairy? Grain? Bean? Nut? Seasoning? Fruit? Oil?
+1
Level 72
Oct 31, 2019
Why? because you said so? culinary sense just means how they are used in cooking. would you use chocolate in a savoury dish with other vegetables like broccoli? This would be considered very strange in the culinary sense. but adding mushrooms or tomatoes to that same dish would be very common, hence they are vegetables in the culinary sense, not in the botanical sense. thats where you are confused.
+1
Level 76
Oct 30, 2019
For all the people complaining about how a tomato is not a culinary vegetable because it is botanically a fruit (and yet not saying anything about bell peppers or cucumbers, but I digress), please provide a botanical definition of the word "vegetable" that excludes the tomato. I.e., I want an actual scientific definition of "vegetable" that does not have anything to do with how it is used as a food (that would be the culinary definition.) Please provide some sort of reasonably-reliable source.
+1
Level 72
Oct 31, 2019
This is a good point. While there is a botanical definition of a fruit that includes tomatoes (they carry seeds), the definition of a vegetable doesn't exclude tomatoes. So, por que no los dos ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
+1
Level 74
Oct 30, 2019
It's quite weird that Mushrooms aren't even plants yet are considered vegetables in the culinary sense.
+1
Level 75
Oct 30, 2019
Veggies - love 'em all, but surprised that asparagus is on the list but summer and/or winter squash are not. Also not sure why the source determined that onions and green onions deserve two separate categories since they are the same plant, just picked at different stages of growth.
+4
Level 32
Oct 30, 2019
Surprised that americans don't eat peas. Peas are a top 5 veg...
+1
Level 66
Oct 31, 2019
Vegetable are parts of a plant that are consumed by humans as food.

PLANTS

Mushroom counts as Funghi

Wich means that mushrooms are not vegetables

+1
Level 64
Oct 31, 2019
Awful quiz, no point moaning, just 1 star it
+1
Level 79
May 18, 2021
Because you didn't do well on it?
+1
Level 70
Oct 31, 2019
Dreadful quiz.

tomato - fruit

mushroom - fungi

garlic - herb

The rest i can live with but those three are not vegetables.

+1
Level 79
May 18, 2021
Brilliant quiz! I liked it
+3
Level 65
Oct 31, 2019
I am sorely tempted to get myself shot out of a cannon.
+1
Level 50
Oct 31, 2019
This quizz is a joke. What does it mean, "vegetable in the culinary sense"? Exactly. Nothing.
+2
Level 88
Apr 12, 2021
It means in common sense, not ancient words redefined by someone in a room in a lab coat.
+1
Level 73
Nov 6, 2019
Can't believe that in the US, pumpkin doesn't make the top 20. So all these stories of pumpkin pie are just that... stories?
+1
Level 77
Feb 10, 2022
I was surprised by that as well. But in fairness, pumpkin pie is made from pureed pumpkin, which most people get canned. I don't think many people use real pumpkin to make pumpkin pie, and if they do more power to them. I figured it would be on the list because it's used as a decoration.
+1
Level 43
Nov 6, 2019
The TOMATO is a FRUIT. It has SEEDS.
+1
Level 46
Jul 9, 2020
Tomatoes are officially fruits. Nice quiz though.
+1
Level 79
May 18, 2021
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a tomato is: a glossy red, or occasionally yellow, pulpy edible fruit that is eaten as a vegetable or in salad
+1
Level 70
May 9, 2023
Still not vegetable. I can eat any fruit as vegetable, but doesn't mean that it's vegetable
+1
Level 77
Feb 10, 2022
MAN THE CANNONS!!!! We've got lot's of ammunition in the comments!!!
+1
Level 76
Apr 12, 2022
Great use of the culinary definition--I was surprised not to see peas on there.
+1
Level 63
Dec 7, 2022
Cucumber is a vegetable? I tried that on the fruit page! People put it in their water to sweeten it....

And garlic is more of a seasoning/herb - no one doles up a pile of garlic on their plate at mealtime.