17 Vegetables That Start With M

Despite ‘M’ being a fairly common letter in the alphabet, finding a list of vegetables that start with M isn’t as easy as you’d think it would be. 

After some research and a few internal arguments concerning whether maize, mushrooms, and mung beans could really be considered vegetables, I finally came up with 17 items for the list.

And yes, I did include some hotly contested foods that might not strictly be considered veggies. 

So, if you can cook it like a veggie and it starts with the letter ‘M,’ you should be able to find it on this list. 

1. Malabar Spinach

Even though Malabar spinach looks like spinach, can be cooked like spinach, and has the word “spinach” right there in its name, it isn’t actually spinach.

Crazy, right?! In reality, it’s a vine whose leaves look like hearts. It grows in tropical climates, and you can easily find it in India. 

You cook it like you would any type of spinach, but it’s less slimy and has a sweeter, spicier taste.

2. Mallow 

There are many types of mallow, including the more commonly known okra plant. 

Today, however, the plant most people refer to as “mallow” is usually considered a weed, but Native Americans ate it all the time.

It’s such an old plant that even the Bible talks about it! 

The leaves resemble tiny lily pads, and the flowers are usually white or pink. 

3. Molokhia 

Speaking of plants that fall into the mallow category, molokhia is one of them! Also known as jute mallow or Egyptian spinach, it frequently grows in the

Middle East and is often used in soups.

4. Malanga

Malanga is a root vegetable that grows in tropical regions. It looks a little like a potato and has a nutty, earthy taste. People also use it to make flour.

5. Mangetout

Mangetout is just a fancy name for peas with edible pods. We usually call them snow peas and snap peas.

They have a mild flavor and thin-skinned pods.

6. Miner’s Lettuce

Although it has many names, miner’s lettuce is a leafy flowering plant from the family Montiaceae.

It grows wild and is edible, crunchy, and full of vitamins and minerals.

7. Mushrooms 

Mushrooms are actually edible fungi, not plants, but you can bake them, fry them, saute them, and otherwise treat them just like veggies.

Some species, however, are poisonous, so be careful which ones you eat.

8. Morels

Morels are one of the edible, non-poisonous varieties of mushrooms.

They have an odd, pinecone/honeycomb-like appearance and are popular in French cuisine.

9. Mustard Greens

Mustard greens are leafy green veggies that grow naturally in many places worldwide, including North America.

You can prepare them as you would spinach or turnip greens.

10. Moth Beans

Moth beans are drought-resistant and grow in India; they have a typical beany/nutty bean flavor. People eat the seeds, sprouts, and pods. 

11. Mizuna Greens 

Also called “Japanese mustard greens,” mizuna greens are cold-resistant, allowing Japanese people to grow them frequently during the winter months.

They smell and feel a little like arugula, and they have a similar shape, although mizuna is spikier around the edges. 

They have a similar taste, as well, but mizuna is a bit milder.

People cook them and eat them raw. The Japanese like to pickle them, as well.

12. Mozuku

Mozuku is another popular Japanese food that’s actually an edible type of seaweed. It’s a versatile food.

People add it to salads, stir fry, omelets, soup, and more.

The most popular way to eat it is with rice and vinegar seasoning. Some companies sell it pre-packaged that way.

13. Mustard

Mustard is the same as the mustard greens I mentioned earlier. However, I wanted to list it twice because the plant has two different uses. 

First, some people eat the leafy plants as mustard greens, as I mentioned above.

Other people, though, use them to harvest mustard seed, which they then use as a spice or seasoning.

14. Mung Beans

Mung beans are a type of legume grown widely throughout Asia and India. People use them in both sweet and savory recipes.

For a long time, they were relatively unknown in the Western world, but since news of their health benefits has spread, they’re becoming more popular here, as well.

15. Marrow 

In America, we think of marrow as the stuff in our bones. However, marrow is also the name given to a fully ripe zucchini. 

Most of the time, people harvest zucchini before they reach full maturity.

They’re about as large as squash and are usually solid green.

Marrows are longer and wider than zucchini, and their coloring is more like that of a watermelon.

You cook them in the same ways you’d cook zucchini.

16. Mashua

There are only a few places in the world where mashua grows.

They’re oddly shaped tubers that range in color from white to dark purple. People usually roast them to eat them.

17. Maize

Today, we know maize as corn, but most people are still familiar with the more antiquated term “maize.”

It’s considered a veggie, fruit, and grain all in one, but what’s important is that it’s delicious.