Cruciferous Vegetables List (and What Research Says About the Prostate)

By Michael Gonzales · Last updated October 13, 2026

Short answer: Cruciferous vegetables are the cabbage family (Brassicaceae). The everyday ones are arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, horseradish, kale, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, watercress and wasabi [1]. The full list below has 30, including a few surprises (maca, mizuna, Romanesco) and a few that people often get wrong (chard and spinach are not cruciferous).

The name comes from the Latin for "cross-bearing," after the four-petal flowers these plants share. Most of them are bred from just a few wild species. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, collards and kohlrabi are all the same species, Brassica oleracea, shaped differently by farmers over centuries.

The complete cruciferous vegetables list (A to Z)

The NCI's core list is arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, horseradish, kale, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, watercress and wasabi [1]. The others are members of the same plant family. Most "wasabi" in tubes is horseradish with green coloring, which is cruciferous too.

Commonly confused: what is not cruciferous

Chard often gets lumped in because it's a dark leafy green like kale. It isn't related.

What makes them different: glucosinolates and sulforaphane

Cruciferous vegetables contain sulfur compounds called glucosinolates. They're behind the sharp, bitter bite of mustard greens and the smell of overcooked cabbage. When you chop, chew or digest these vegetables, glucosinolates break down into compounds such as indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane [1].

Which foods are rich in sulforaphane? Strictly, none of them, until you cut or chew them. What they contain is its precursor, and broccoli and especially broccoli sprouts are the best-known sources of it. That's why broccoli sprouts show up so often in research and in supplement marketing.

These compounds have been studied in cells and animals [1]. That kind of research shows what's worth studying in people. It doesn't show what happens when you eat a plate of broccoli.

What the research says about the prostate

The National Cancer Institute summarizes it this way: cohort studies in the Netherlands, the United States and Europe "found little or no association with prostate cancer risk," while "some case-control studies have found that people who ate greater amounts of cruciferous vegetables had a lower risk" [1].

Cohort studies follow people forward in time, so they're generally considered more reliable than case-control studies, which ask people to recall what they ate after a diagnosis. Put simply, the better evidence doesn't show a clear link.

So eat them because they're vegetables most Americans don't get enough of [2], not because they've been shown to protect your prostate.

How to get more of them into your week

• Roast for flavor. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and Romanesco turn sweet and nutty at 425°F with olive oil and salt. Give them room on the pan.
• Don't overboil. Long boiling makes them mushy and brings out that sulfur smell. Steam or sauté for a few minutes instead.
• Chop, then wait. Many cooks cut broccoli a few minutes before cooking. It's harmless, and it fits with how glucosinolates break down when the plant is cut [1].
• Go raw sometimes. Slaws, radishes, kohlrabi sticks, arugula and watercress need no cooking.
• Use frozen. Frozen broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are cheap and keep for months.
• Start small if they cause gas. These vegetables can cause bloating. Build up portions slowly.

Recipes that use them: the pantry tomato sauce with roasted broccoli on the side, or baked salmon with lemon and dill with Brussels sprouts. For the bigger picture, see foods to eat for prostate health.

A good sheet pan makes roasting easy: a Nordic Ware half sheet pan is heavy enough not to warp.

Two cautions

• Blood thinners. Kale, collards, turnip greens and other leafy greens are high in vitamin K. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady from week to week and talk to your doctor before big changes.
• Thyroid. Very large amounts of raw cruciferous vegetables have been discussed for people with iodine deficiency or thyroid problems. Normal servings as part of a mixed diet aren't the concern. If you have a thyroid condition, ask your doctor.

Sources

1. National Cancer Institute. Cruciferous Vegetables and Cancer Prevention. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cruciferous-vegetables-fact-sheet
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/

ProstateFoods writes about food, not treatment. Nothing here is medical advice or a claim that any food treats, cures or prevents a disease. Talk to your doctor before changing how you eat, especially if you take medication or have a health condition. See our medical disclaimer. Photo: Baskets of broccoli and cauliflower by QueenSaysay, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.