Glycemic Index of Vegetables: Complete GI Chart for Every Common Vegetable

TL;DR: The vast majority of vegetables are extremely low GI (10-15) and can be eaten without worrying about blood sugar. The exceptions are starchy vegetables, particularly white potatoes (GI 78-87). Sweet potatoes, corn, and peas are in the low-to-medium range. Cooking method affects GI significantly for starchy vegetables.

How to Use This Vegetable GI Reference

This chart covers 60+ vegetables with their glycemic index values, organized into non-starchy and starchy categories. For starchy vegetables, cooking method is included because it significantly affects GI.

Non-starchy vegetables contain so little carbohydrate (typically 2-5g per serving) that their glycemic impact is essentially zero regardless of GI score. They are included for completeness but should not be a source of concern.

The real decision-making power of this chart is in the starchy vegetables section, where GI values range from 37 (yam) to 87 (mashed potato) depending on the vegetable and how it is prepared.

Non-Starchy Vegetables

These vegetables have negligible carbohydrate content and virtually zero glycemic impact. Eat them freely.

Vegetable	GI Score	Carbs per 80g	GL per Serving
Alfalfa sprouts	~10	0.4g	0
Artichoke	~15	8g	1
Arugula	~10	1.5g	0
Asparagus	~15	2.5g	0
Bean sprouts	~15	3g	0
Bell pepper, green	~15	3.5g	1
Bell pepper, red	~15	4.5g	1
Bell pepper, yellow	~15	5g	1
Bok choy	~10	1g	0
Broccoli	~10	4g	0
Brussels sprouts	~15	5g	1
Cabbage, green	~10	3g	0
Cabbage, red	~10	4g	0
Cauliflower	~10	3g	0
Celery	~15	1g	0
Collard greens	~15	1g	0
Cucumber	~15	2.5g	0
Eggplant	~15	3.5g	1
Endive	~15	0.5g	0
Fennel	~15	4.5g	1
Garlic	~10	2g	0
Green beans	~15	4g	1
Kale	~15	1g	0
Kohlrabi	~15	2.5g	0
Leeks	~15	6g	1
Lettuce, iceberg	~15	1.5g	0
Lettuce, romaine	~15	1g	0
Mushrooms, white	~10	2g	0
Mushrooms, portobello	~10	2.5g	0
Mushrooms, shiitake	~10	5g	1
Okra	~15	4g	1
Onion, raw	10	6g	1
Radish	~15	2g	0
Snap peas	~15	5g	1
Snow peas	~15	4.5g	1
Spinach	~15	0.5g	0
Swiss chard	~15	1g	0
Tomato	15	3g	0
Turnip greens	~15	1g	0
Watercress	~10	0.3g	0
Zucchini	~15	2g	0

Starchy Vegetables

These vegetables contain meaningful amounts of carbohydrate and have measurable glycemic impact.

Vegetable	Preparation	GI Score	Serving Size	Carbs (g)	GL	GI Rating
Yam	Boiled	37	150g	27	10	Low
Carrots	Raw	16	80g	6	1	Low
Carrots	Boiled	39	80g	6	2	Low
Carrots	Juiced	43	250ml	22	9	Low
Sweet potato	Boiled	44	150g	20	9	Low
Green peas	Boiled	48	80g	10	5	Low
Corn on the cob	Boiled	48	1 ear (90g)	17	8	Low
Butternut squash	Baked	51	80g	10	5	Low
Parsnip	Boiled	52	80g	12	6	Low
Corn, sweet kernels	Boiled	52	80g	14	7	Low
Taro	Boiled	53	150g	28	15	Low
New potatoes	Boiled	54	150g	22	12	Low
Sweet potato	Baked	61	150g	24	15	Medium
Sweet potato	Fried	63	150g	28	18	Medium
Beets	Boiled	64	80g	8	5	Medium
Pumpkin	Boiled	64	80g	6	4	Medium
Turnip	Boiled	62	80g	4	2	Medium
Plantain	Boiled	55	120g	31	17	Low
Plantain	Fried	68	120g	34	23	Medium
Cassava / Yuca	Boiled	46	100g	38	17	Low
Potato	Boiled, cooled	54	150g	26	14	Low
Potato	Boiled, hot	78	150g	26	20	High
Potato	Baked	85	150g	30	26	High
Potato	Mashed	87	150g	24	21	High
Potato	Instant mashed	87	150g	24	21	High
Potato	French fries	75	150g	33	25	High
Potato	Roasted	80	150g	28	22	High
Potato	Hash browns	75	150g	30	23	High
Potato	Chips/crisps	56	30g	15	8	Medium

How Cooking Method Affects Vegetable GI

Cooking breaks down cell walls and gelatinizes starch, generally increasing GI. Here is how preparation changes the glycemic impact of key vegetables.

Vegetable	Raw / Minimal	Boiled	Baked / Roasted	Mashed / Pureed
Carrots	16	39	41	43
Sweet potato	N/A	44	61	60
White potato	N/A	78	85	87
Pumpkin	N/A	64	66	68
Beets	30	64	64	65

Why does cooking raise GI?

Heat gelatinizes starch granules, making them accessible to digestive enzymes. Raw starch passes through the gut more slowly. Mashing or pureeing further breaks down the physical structure, allowing even faster enzyme access.

Cooling lowers GI. When cooked potato is cooled, some of the gelatinized starch converts to resistant starch, which resists digestion. A cold potato salad (GI ~54) is significantly lower GI than a hot baked potato (GI 85).

How to Read This Chart

For vegetables, the GI classification works as follows:

• Very low GI (0-15): All non-starchy vegetables. Negligible carbohydrate content means they are essentially glycemically neutral. These form the foundation of any blood-sugar-friendly diet.

• Low GI (16-55): Most starchy vegetables when boiled or minimally processed. Sweet potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, and new potatoes all fall here. These are perfectly healthy choices that provide sustained energy.

• Medium GI (56-69): Some starchy vegetables when baked or roasted. Baked sweet potato, beets, pumpkin, and fried plantain are in this range. Still reasonable choices, especially in moderate portions.

• High GI (70+): White potatoes in most preparations (boiled, baked, mashed, fried). These are the only common vegetables with truly high glycemic impact.

The GL column is critical context for vegetables. Pumpkin has a GI of 64 (medium), but a typical serving has only 6g of carbs, giving it a GL of just 4 (very low). The high GI number is misleading without considering the small carbohydrate dose.

Key Takeaways

• Non-starchy vegetables are glycemically free. Broccoli, spinach, peppers, mushrooms, lettuce, and dozens of others have essentially zero blood sugar impact. They should be the backbone of every meal.
• White potatoes are the outlier. They are the only vegetable that consistently scores in the high-GI range across all cooking methods. Sweet potatoes (boiled: 44) are a dramatically better choice.
• Cooking method is as important as vegetable choice. A boiled sweet potato (44) and a baked sweet potato (61) are meaningfully different. Boiling and cooling produce the lowest GI for starchy vegetables.
• Carrots are not high GI. The persistent myth that carrots spike blood sugar comes from a flawed early study. Modern data puts raw carrots at GI 16 and boiled carrots at 39, both firmly low.
• Cooling starchy vegetables lowers GI. Resistant starch formation during cooling can reduce GI by 15-30 points. Potato salad, cold sweet potato, and leftover roasted vegetables are all lower GI than their hot counterparts.

Everyone’s glucose response is different. What spikes one person may be fine for another. Glycemic Snap uses AI to analyze photos of your meals and predict your glucose response, including a blood sugar curve prediction and personalized swap suggestions. Download for iOS or Android to discover your personal glycemic profile.

Related Resources

• Complete Glycemic Index Chart: 300+ Foods
• Low Glycemic Foods List
• High Glycemic Foods to Avoid (With Swaps)
• Glycemic Index of Fruits
• Complete Guide to Glycemic Index Foods