5 Vegetables That Are Healthier Cooked Than Raw

• When you cook certain vegetables, your body can absorb their nutrients more easily.
• Cooked carrots, tomatoes, leafy greens, onions and eggplant deliver even more nutrients.
• Dietitians want you to eat more vegetables—cooked or raw.

For most of us, just eating enough vegetables on a daily basis is a struggle. But have you ever wondered if there is a nutritional advantage of choosing raw versus cooked vegetables for your 2 to 3 cups per day? The answer isn’t completely straightforward, since it depends on the type of veggie and the cooking method. 

It’s true that some vitamins and minerals start to break down when cooked because they are more sensitive to heat. But on the flip side, some nutrients become more bioavailable, which means it’s easier for your body to absorb and utilize those nutrients from the cooked form of that specific veggie. Not to mention, cooking vegetables can make them more palatable by softening them and infusing them with flavor so you are more likely eat more of them (and hit that daily quota!). 

So which of your favorite vegetables could get a nutrient boost from cooking? Here’s what dietitians have to say about veggies that are actually healthier cooked. 

1. Carrots

Raw carrots are a quick and easy snack that make a crunchy vehicle for scooping up hummus or other dips. But cooked carrots have higher levels of beta-carotene, a compound that the body converts to vitamin A, which supports eye health as well as bolstering the immune system, per Jamie Nadeau, RD, LDN. So how much does cooking affect the beta-carotene content? One older study found that the bioavailability of beta-carotene improved from 11% in raw carrots to an impressive 75% when they were stir-fried. Beyond adding heat, at least some of that change in bioavailability can be attributed to the fat used to stir-fry the carrots. Beta-carotene is a fat-soluble vitamin, so that fat can up your absorption even more, adds Nadeau. Sounds like a good reason to add some cooked carrots to your weeknight dinner rotation. 

2. Tomatoes

Snacking on fresh juicy tomatoes straight from the garden is one of summer’s simple pleasures. The rest of the year, it’s likely that you are leaning on cooked tomatoes like tomato sauce, tomato paste or canned diced tomatoes for your tomato fix. We tend to think fresh is best, but these versions are just as healthy—if not more so, when it comes to the important nutrient lycopene. “Tomatoes are high in lycopene, which is an antioxidant that’s associated with lowering risk for certain chronic diseases and cancer,” says Nadeau. “When you cook tomatoes, it increases the lycopene,” she explains. Since lycopene is fat-soluble, cooking tomatoes in olive oil can bump up the amount of lycopene you absorb. So go ahead and restock your pantry with canned tomatoes, or roast fresh ones until they’re juicy and caramelized. 

3. Dark Leafy Greens

Good news for those who prefer their dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, watercress and bok choy cooked rather than raw. (We get it, kale salad isn’t for everyone.) These dark-hued veggies may actually be better for you after they’ve hit the heat. Here’s why. “Cooking spinach reduces oxalate content,” says Avery Zenker, RD. Those oxalates are naturally occurring compounds in spinach and other leafy greens that bind to essential minerals so it’s harder for your body to absorb them. However, cooking helps minimize the oxalates, so the calcium and iron in your greens is more bioavailable. When it comes to the best way to cook your leafy greens, Zenker suggests steaming or microwaving, since those methods also help preserve other nutrients like vitamins C and K.

4. Onions

If you are cooking dinner at home, there’s a high probability that it will involve chopping up an onion. Onions are well-known for their intense flavor and tear-inducing odor—two factors that make them less appealing to eat in raw form. Luckily, cooking actually increases the bioavailability of the quercetin found in onions, which has anti-inflammatory benefits. “Baking and sautéing onions can actually increase free quercetin content by 7% to 25%,” says Zenker. On the other hand, she adds that “boiling causes an average 18% loss in quercetin, as some leaches into the cooking water,” according to that same study. However, if you’re cooking those onions in a broth for a soup or stew you retain some of the quercetin that may have otherwise been lost in the cooking liquid.

5. Eggplant

You might be surprised to hear that you can, in fact, safely eat raw eggplant if you don’t mind the bitter flavor. Luckily, cooking eggplant helps reduce those bitter compounds while also boosting nutrient absorption. Cooking helps break down the tough skin and flesh, making the antioxidants more accessible, says Courtney Colbert, RDN. One study compared different methods of cooking eggplant and found that baking, grilling and frying all made improvements in the bioavailability of the antioxidants. Although, we suggest frying in moderation since the sponge-like texture of eggplant tends to soak up a lot of the oil, tacking extra calories onto the dish. 

How to Eat More Veggies

• Add them to recipes you already enjoy: Rather than searching for new veggie recipes every weeknight, keep it simple and just add them to recipes you already enjoy, says Nadeau. “For example, if you love pasta with tomato sauce, try adding a handful of spinach or sautéing a bell pepper with your meat sauce,” she suggests.
• Get creative: When you are feeling more ambitious, use vegetables in a new-to-you way. Colbert suggests trying out cauliflower pizza crust or spaghetti squash for a creative, higher-fiber and lower-carb alternative. It’s also a great way to beat boredom when preparing vegetables. 
• Embrace ingredient prep: If you struggle to find the time to cook vegetables every night for dinner, doing some ingredient prep—simply chopping up produce in preparation for a future meal—on the weekend may be helpful so you aren’t starting from scratch. Zenker suggests prepping a large tray of roasted vegetables all at once so you can add them to multiple meals. Be generous when seasoning with herbs and spices to enhance the flavor while also boosting the antioxidant benefits.  

Our Expert Take

Most people assume that raw veggies are best, but there may be additional nutrition perks to their cooked versions. Cooking helps break down cell walls and minimizes anti-nutrients like oxalates so some nutrients are more bioavailable. However, there’s no need to stress too much over the merits of raw versus cooked vegetables. The important thing to remember is that eating any vegetables is better than none. So if cooked is your jam, keep roasting, stir-frying, stuffing, steaming and microwaving those veggies to your heart’s content.