Stir-Fried Radish Greens (or Swiss Chard)
Stir-Fried Radish Greens are a spicy vegetable side dish combination made with the radish greens that are often thrown away. The flavor of the radish greens is a bit assertive, so I loved the idea of cooking them combined with Swiss Chard, but you can also make this with all radish greens or all Swiss Chard, whichever you prefer!
PIN Stir-Fried Radish Greens to try it later!
You may be skeptical about a recipe for Stir-Fried Radish Greens. But radishes are becoming a trendy vegetable, and I was intrigued by the idea of stir-frying the radish greens that are normally thrown away when you prepare radishes!
And I found that the strong flavor of the radish greens was quite pleasant after they were cooked with some fresh Swiss Chard, which is a vegetable I always think deserves more attention. I actually used a combination of radish greens and chard from my garden when I made it, and both were quite tasty in this stir-fry side dish with Asian flavors.
But if you have a lot of radish greens, make the Stir-Fried Radish Greens alone, or you can also use this recipe to stir fry Swiss Chard if you don’t have any radish greens!</p
What Ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- radish greens
- swiss chard (if using)
- Peanut Oil (affiliate link) or other neutral-flavored oil
- garlic cloves
- soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar (affiliate link)
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or sweetener of your choice
- Sriracha Sauce (affiliate link) or other hot sauce
Information About Radishes and Radish Greens:
There are many types of radishes, and Wikipedia reports that radishes are grown throughout the world. And of course greens like Kale, Swiss Chard, spinach, collard greens, and mustard greens are considered to be some of the world’s healthiest foods, and I found out that radish greens are also highly nutritious.
Why did I cook the radish greens?
I was intrigued when I discovered the idea of cooked radishes. I’m sure one of those radish cooking experiments primed me for the idea of cooking radish greens, and I had to try it. I found the flavor of the radish greens to be slightly peppery and bitter but also mild enough to be enjoyable when they were cooked. And I also found that other cooks have also used them as a green to add to pasta, in radish greens pesto, and in soup, especially bean soups with sausage.
Will you enjoy the Stir-Fried Radish Greens?
Think about whether you enjoy bitter flavors like arugula and Kalamata olives to help you decide whether to make this with a combination of radish greens and Swiss Chard or whether you’d prefer just Swiss Chard. I really enjoyed the radish greens, but I’m a fan of those bitter flavors.
How can you make radish greens less bitter?
A nice commenter named George left a comment on this recipe informing me that if you soak the radish greens in water with lemon juice and one teaspoon of baking soda, that will cut the bitterness. I haven’t tried that but it sounds like an interesting experiment, especially if you have an abundance of radish greens.
How to Make Stir-Fried Radish Greens and Swiss Chard:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- The first photo shows the French Breakfast radishes from my garden that I pulled and suddenly had a flash of inspiration about cooking the greens. (When I made the recipe the second time, I realized if you have a garden, you can cut off radish greens as they grow, keeping the radishes in the ground until you want to use them.)
- I also snipped off some of my larger chard leaves, which were still pretty small. I used about half and half radish and chard leaves, but you could use combine them any way you liked, or use all chard if you don’t have radish leaves.
- I picked the radish greens and chard during the heat of the day, so I actually soaked them in ice cold water for about 30 minutes before I chopped them up to cook them. Hooray for the salad spinner (affiliate link) for this type of washing of greens.
- Working in several bunches, slice the greens about 1/2 inch thick. I wasn’t too compulsive about it, and I discovered big chard leaves are definitely easier to slice into nice ribbons.
- The next photo is my attempt of a photo the greens wilting in the hot wok, and since this dish only cooks for about 90 seconds, I think you’re going to have to let me get away with this photo.
- When greens are almost all wilted, add sauce ingredients, stir, and cook 30 seconds more. Serve hot.
Make It a Low-Carb Meal
This would be delicious with something like Korean Salmon with Dipping Sauce, Spicy Air Fryer Fish with Remoulade Sauce, or Grilled Shrimp Skewers.
More Recipes with Radishes or Radish Greens:
- Asparagus and Radish Salad with Feta ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Radish Penne ~ Cooking with Amy
- Roasted Radishes ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Radish Greens Pesto ~ From a Chef’s Kitchen
- Sauteed Radishes with Vinegar and Herbs ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Stir-Fried Radish Greens (or Swiss Chard)
Stir-Fried Radish Greens is a spicy vegetable stir-fry you can make with a combination of radish greens and Swiss Chard, or use each type of greens separately if you prefer! This is great to make with radish greens picked from the garden so I wrote the recipe as only two servings, but it can easily be doubled.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 12 ounces radish greens or Swiss Chard, washed and cut into 1/2 inch slices (see notes)
- 2 tsp. peanut oil
- 2 large garlic cloves
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 T soy sauce (see notes)
- 1 tsp. rice vinegar (see notes)
- 1 tsp.sweetener of your choice
- 1/4 tsp. Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce (to taste)
Instructions
- Wash and dry radish greens and/or swiss chard. (I used a salad spinner.)
- If desired, soak greens for about 30 minutes in very cold water. (This makes sure they’re crisp for the quick stir-frying.)
- Working in batches, cut greens crosswise into 1/2 inch slices.
- Mix together sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Preheat the wok or large, heavy frying pan until it feels very hot when you hold your hand there, then add the oil.
- When oil looks shimmery, add the garlic cloves (for seasoning the oil) and cook about 30 seconds, making sure garlic doesn’t start to brown. Remove garlic and discard.
- Add chopped radish greens and/or swiss chard all at once and immediately begin to stir-fry, turning greens over and over just until they are almost all wilted. (For me this was only one minute, but I have a great gas stove with a burner with really high heat.)
- When greens are almost all wilted, add sauce ingredients, stir, and cook 30 seconds more.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Use any combination of radish greens or Swiss Chard you prefer, or use each type of greens individually.
Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) if needed. Don't use seasoned rice vinegar which contains sugar.
Recipe created by Kalyn with some chard-cooking inspiration from Vegetables Every Day.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 88Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 0mgSodium 861mgCarbohydrates 5.4gFiber 4gSugar 1gProtein 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Stir-Fried Radish Greens (with or without Swiss Chard) would be a perfect side dish low-carb or Keto diets or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dish Recipes or Stir-Fry Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The recipe for Stir-Fried Radish Greens was first posted in 2008, when I was growing lots of radishes in my garden. It was last updated with more information in 2023.
28 Comments on “Stir-Fried Radish Greens (or Swiss Chard)”
If soak in cold water with lemon juice and teaspoon of baking soda
This will cut the bitterness of swiis char and or radish greens
Aw, thank you for the tip! I did not know that!
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I am so glad I found this post so many years later. I just made these tonight with the greens from my radishes. They were delicious; and I mean delicious. I will never through away a radish green (or any veg tops) again! Thank you so much for enlightening me.
So glad you enjoyed it!
So glad you enjoyed; baby radishes would be great for this!
Great recipe excellent use for radish greens.
Changes i made:
Used baby radishes from my garden, very tender.
Added chopped ginger about a minute before adding radish greens.
Radish greens wilt quickly! 30 seconds is plenty.
not necessarily bitter
i just got some radishes with greens attached from my farmer’s market and a light bulb went off (duh – how could it take me so long!) which is how i found this page. but i tasted my greens and they are not bitter at all. i would imagine it varies wildly based on the type of radish as well as how fresh they are.
rule of thumb, taste before you decide!
I wish I had seen this before throwing ouot the radish greens I had. Didn’t know what to do with it 🙁
I made this with turnip greens – wonderful! Thank you for the recipe.
It never occurred to me that radish greens would be eaten! And how foolish of me. Up until now, we’ve been composting our radish greens.
Not any more…
Thank you for the enlightenment!
-Elizabeth
Delicious. Radish greens are a seasonal delicacy in India. They are boiled, and then cooked with mashed potatoes, cumin, coriander, red chilli powder and salt. Thanks for bringing back the memory!
I’ve actually never had radish greens and am always looking for ways to try new foods and venture out. I will have to hunt them down at the market!
Your radishes are beautiful! This recipe sounds really good, I always feel guilty when I throw away the radish greens, so I’ll have to give this a try!
while i’m no radish fan, i adore the greens. that is a gorgeous picture – green and vibrant.
we had our fill of radish last year! Check out our radish rants (part 1 and 2 😀 ). We always use the greens – tender ones are great. chinese style like you have done here would have turned out wonderful.
-jai
Looks yummy, a nice simple summer side. I haven’t tried radish greens yet.
swiss chard isn’t the most popular green in crete, but we do use it in the spring to roll up leaf parcels stuffed with rice. it tastes delicious.
I enjoy bitter greens! Gosh, I haven’t had them in so long; now I want some! I’m so impressed that you are already celebrating the bounty from your garden. Mine is still in it’s infancy, but now that the sun has decided to shine, I hope to harvest more than herbs!
I love radish greens in frittata (beet greens too). I have never had them stir-fried: thanks for the suggestion.
Greens are one of those dishes that I grew up eating because of my mom and grandmother cooking them but seem to forget about as an adult. They’re sooo good and so good for you! Nice recipe.
Tanna, I hope you will be getting to see the garden? How are the plans shaping up?
I’m so happy people don’t think I’m totally weird eating radish greens. However, they are definitely a bit bitter so folks like Lydia should just go for chard.
Jenifer, very cool, thanks for finding that.
Here is a site that discusses the nutritional value in radish greens!!!Great to aid with liver issues also!!
http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofradishes.html
I’m not a huge fan of bitter greens, so I’d probably go with the chard. But I’m so impressed with your radishes — they are beautiful!
I have thrown so many radish greens on the compost heap and kept thinking I should cook them but didn’t.
Next ones I think I’ll try it.
I love any stir fried or sautéed greens! Thanks for the lunch idea!!!
Sounds very intriguing! Though I’ve never eaten radish greens before, I’d be willing to give them a try this way. And I love the idea of cooked radishes!
Gosh I wish I could put my herbs in with your garden goodies. This is just one of many times this summer I’m going to be green as the radish greens wishing I had a garden like yours!
This is beautiful!