Celeriac side dish: healthy, cheap, easy, naturally sour & sweet

Posted by

Başak

November 20, 2025

On November 20, 2025

Preparation: 10 mins

Cooking: 10 mins

Difficulty: easy

Yields: 3-4 portions

Cost: low

If you want to go straight to the recipe click here

Introduction to the Sweet & Sour Celeriac side dish

For me, sweet and sour celeriac recipe is much more than just a tasty, simple, seasonal side dish; it’s my free ticket to Istanbul, my beloved home city, and the key that unlocks my parents’ house. In fact, every time I go back at this time of year, I ask my mum to make it for me.

It’s a shame that celeriac is not very common in Italy, where I live and is therefore difficult to find. However, it is a very popular autumn vegetable, not only in Turkiye, but also in Portugal and France in particular.
I must admit, though, that celeriac isn’t as nutrient-dense as other autumn-winter vegetables like broccoli or Brussels sprouts. However, it is rich in soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, thus very low in calories, making it suitable for those who want to control their weight and it has a very delicate, gourmet taste.
It also contains decent amounts of micronutrients and bioactive compounds such as vitamins C and K, some B vitamins, and the minerals potassium, phosphorus and calcium. And this specific recipe of my family adds more nutrients in it by using quince, a forgotten, very healthy, low-sugar fruit (discover here an incredible dessert with baked quince) with orange and lemon juices. It’s exactly what we need on cold winter days.
As well as this recipe, I recommend trying also vegan celeriac schnitzels and celeriac salad with walnuts and yogurt.

Ingredients for easy sweet & sour celeriac side dish

1 big celeriac, approx. 300g
2 carrots
1 small onion
1/2 quince or any heirloom apple
juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
approx. 100ml water
half a sprig of celery
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (to serve)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (to wash the celeriac)
dill or parsley
black pepper and salt to taste

Directions for a quick celeriac side dish

Step 1. Thoroughly wash the celeriac and remove the skin. Cut it into small cubes or wedges, then leave them in a bowl of water mixed with lemon juice to stop them turning brown.

Step 2. Place your pot on the stove (I use a pressure cooker) and pour in the oil. Add the onion, sliced into half-moons. Meanwhile, wash and dice the carrots and quince or heirloom apple (normal apples are too sweet). They will provide a sweet and sour flavour, together with the orange and lemon juice.

Why using a pressure cooker

Pressure cookers are an important aid in reducing energy consumption. Reducing your carbon footprint and saving money are enough on their own, but the fact that they can preserve certain nutrients better than other traditional cooking methods(1, 2, 3) is an added bonus.
Read here to find out more.

Step 3. Without browning your onions, add all diced celeriac, quince or apple and carrots, along with the water. Cover the pan and cook over a high heat until it reaches pressure, if using a pressure cooker.

Step 4. After the hissing of pressure cooker, reduce the heat and wait 8 minutes if using one, or 15 minutes if using a normal pan and after cooking don’t serve it immediately, let it cool down.

Step 5. Meanwhile, prepare the orange and lemon juice and mix with the extra virgin olive oil. Beat with a fork to make a well-emulsified citronette.

Step 6. When the celeriac is lukewarm, stir in the citronette and serve the sweet and sour celeriac side dish with dill or parsley.

Smart combos

This nutrient-rich celeriac side dish is rich in particular in antioxidants and vitamin C, so it would be great to use it to increase the bioavailability of foods, rich in non-heme iron such as chickpea tofu or quinoa patties, or mushroom and chickpea patties. And if you have some more quince fruit, you can also make this delicious and fragrant dessert with baked quince and tahini.

Bon appetit and happy revolution!

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Bibliography
1) Deol JK, Bains K. Effect of household cooking methods on nutritional and anti nutritional factors in green cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) pods. J Food Sci Technol. 2010;47(5):579-581. doi:10.1007/s13197-010-0112-3
2) Warthesen, Joseph J., et al. “Cookery methods for vegetables: Influence on sensory quality, nutrient retention, and energy consumption.” Home Economics Research Journal 13.1 (1984): 61-79
3) Kala, A., and Jamuna Prakash. “Nutrient composition and sensory profile of differently cooked green leafy vegetables.” International Journal of Food Properties 7.3 (2004): 659-669