Mashed Turnips with Bacon and Brown Butter

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You'll love Mashed Turnips with Bacon and Brown Butter! They're a great, low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes. Enjoy this turnips recipe on Thanksgiving or any time you need a delicious side dish!

Make them keto-friendly by substituting monk fruit sweetener for the brown sugar.

bowl of mashed turnips with bacon and parsley garnish

Turnip for what?

If you’re over 30 or don’t live with a teenager, you might not get the joke. But I assure you, it’s very funny! (“Turn down for what” is slang for being excited.)

My kids are cringing, but I’m sure they’ll forgive me, since these mashed turnips are divine. They’ve got a lightly sweet, savory and smoky vibe, thanks to the brown sugar, brown butter and bacon.

They’re a delicious low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes.

Have you ever tried turnips? Do you even know what turnips look like?

Until a few years ago, I had no clue. When our dear friend shared her mom’s mashed turnip recipe with me, I had to google a photo of turnips so I could find them at the grocery store!

But, once I learned how to cook turnips, I was hooked. Where had they been all my life?

What is a turnip?

A turnip is a root vegetable, because it’s the edible, round root of the turnip plant. Turnips can be white or yellow, but the ones pictured here are white underneath the skin.

Turnips are part of the mustard family, which includes rapini (broccoli rabe), cauliflower, cabbage, kale, mustard greens and collard greens.

overhead view of bowl of mashed turnips with bacon

What do turnips taste like?

Turnips taste similar to cauliflower but are sweeter, especially if the turnips are small. Turnips have a much higher water content than cauliflower, however.

Older, larger turnips can taste bitter. The brown sugar in this recipe offsets that, but some people add a halved potato to the pot when cooking turnips to reduce bitterness.

How to make mashed turnips

The process is similar to making mashed potatoes, but when boiling turnips, you'll use less water.

Peel the turnips.
Cube them.
Boil the turnips in just a cup of water for about 20 minutes.
Drain the boiled turnips.

peeled turnips, cubed turnips, cubed turnips in pot, boiled turnips in drainer

Next, you'll mash the turnips and stir in bacon, brown butter and brown sugar. (Here's a nice masher (affiliate link) if you need one.)

For keto mashed turnips, you can substitute monk fruit sweetener for the brown sugar.

Brown butter is simply butter cooked just past the point of melting. The milk solids will brown and create a rich, nutty flavor in just 3-5 minutes.

How to make brown butter

Place the butter in a small pan over medium-high heat and watch it carefully as it melts. Lower the heat a bit and swirl the pan or use a spoon to stir the butter around.
The butter will foam, and eventually, the milk solids will start to brown. Keep watching the butter so it won't burn.
The butter is browned when it is a caramel color. As soon as it reaches that stage, turn off the heat and transfer the butter to a bowl. (Otherwise, it will continue to cook and can burn.)

melting butter in pot, melted butter with foam, spatula dipped in brown butter

Can these be frozen or made ahead of time?

I’ve never tried freezing them, but this article explains what to do. If you want to make mashed turnips ahead of time, you can refrigerate them for up to four days. In fact, they taste better the day after you make them.

What to serve with them

These mashed turnips are the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving turkey. In fact, our friends refer to them as "Thanksgiving turnips."

But they're also delicious with maple salmon. They would be wonderful with glazed pork tenderloin too.

bowl of mashed turnips with bacon with spoon and yello napkin

Frequently asked questions

Are turnips better for you than potatoes?

Potatoes have nearly three times as many carbs and calories as turnips. However, the turnip nutrition profile contains less potassium and significantly higher sodium than potatoes.

Do you have to peel turnips?

Technically, you don't have to peel turnips, but I recommend doing so for better flavor and texture. If you want to keep the skin on for more fiber, make sure to buy turnips with thin skin, which is better to eat than thick skin.

Brown butter, brown sugar or bacon alone can make food taste delicious. Include all three in these mashed turnips, and you have a dish that sings!

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Enjoy!

(Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe given to me by our dear friend Marion, who got it from her mother, Mrs. J., whom we remember with much love. Originally published on February 4, 2015 and updated now with new photos and text.)