Neeps Recipe (Mashed Swede)

Neeps. Swede. Turnip. Here you'll find out about how to cook neeps, tips and tricks for getting the best out of this root veg, and the confusion caused by all the different names it's managed to rack up for itself over the years...

Whether we're talking Burns Night, Hogmanay, Christmas dinner, Sunday roasts, or any other haggis-centric occasion in your life, neeps are a trusty side dish that'll add a flash of colour to your plate.

On that note – and as a Scottish vegan food blogger – it would be careless of me not to point you in the direction of this popular recipe for the ultimate vegan haggis.

What are neeps?

In Scottish cuisine, neeps and tatties are the sides typically served with a haggis dinner, most notably on Burns Night (25 January). Neeps refers to mashed swede or turnip, while tatties refers to mashed potatoes.

(Scroll down to learn more about the furious, unrelenting debate around whether it's swede or turnip…) 👀🍿

Where does the name come from?

The word neep (or sometimes nip) is a Scottish term for turnip. If you imagine that the original is pronounced or spelled turneep, you can see where this shortened form comes from.

Swede vs. turnip

You’ll find many a discussion online about whether neeps refers to ‘swede’ or ‘turnip’. In the interests of clarity, and to explain it most clearly to the most amount of people who speak English as a first language, we’re basically talking about swede (UK) or rutabaga (North America).

The problem is that some people in Scotland call those same things turnips. Which is to confuse them with what everyone else calls a turnip – the smaller root vegetable.

For me – a born-and-raised Scot and someone who has dabbled in growing veg – I consider turnips to be the smaller root veg with white-purple skin that isn’t as tough as a swede. Granted, they’re pretty similar and from the same family:

• Brassica napus = swede / rutabaga / neep / Swedish turnip
• Brassica rapa = turnip / white turnip

But let’s not get bogged down in the detail. A lot of the time, people will be several glasses of whisky in when they're eating neeps and likely no longer caring about the semantics of what’s lining their stomach.

So there we have it! As long as you’ve enjoyed a whisky before discussing whether neeps are swedes or turnips, nobody will actually care or remember. In fact, this might be how Scots have dealt with many contentious issues over the years.

ANYWAY…

Recipe testing notes

• No extra liquid: Unlike when mashing potatoes or other starchy veg, it shouldn't be necessary to add liquid such as milk or cream here. Instead, you want to let the boiled neeps steam-dry for a few minutes to remove some of the water content and then just mash with butter and simple seasonings.
• Frozen swede: If making neeps with frozen swede, note that this is usually diced smaller than if preparing it yourself and so will require less cooking time (anywhere from 5-10 minutes). You may also want to steam-dry for a little longer to help remove excess water.
• Other seasonings: I like to keep things simple and let the haggis do the talking, but you could also season your neeps with the likes of wholegrain mustard, roasted garlic, fresh parsley, nutritional yeast, ground nutmeg, ground coriander, paprika, or chilli.

What you'll need

Mashed neeps are easy to throw together, with the simple ingredients comprising:

• Neep (or swede or turnip or rutabaga or Swedish turnip or...)
• Butter (plant-based to keep things vegan)
• Salt and black pepper for some basic seasoning

How to cook neeps

Place the swede on a steady chopping board and use a sharp knife to carefully trim away the tough outer skin.

It helps to slice away a section of one side to create a flat base to work with.

Cut into 1-inch slices...

...then into strips, then dice each of these into roughly equal cubes.

Put the diced swede in a pan and cover with an inch of water.

Add a good pinch of salt, cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then remove the lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until just tender.

Once tender, drain the swede in a colander and leave to steam-dry for a few minutes.

After a few minutes, return to the pan.

Add the butter, season with salt and pepper, and mash until you have the desired consistency. It takes a bit of elbow grease at first, but persevere and it'll soon break down.

Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve.

Serving suggestions

Of course, these dairy-free neeps are destined to sit proudly on a plate next to vegan haggis, tatties (mashed potatoes), and greens in the form of kale or cabbage. And don't forget to include plenty of vegan whisky cream sauce.

You could also use the mashed swede in place of (or as well as) mashed potatoes in other meals – red wine braised tofu and vegan mushroom stroganoff are just a couple of suggestions from me.

Recipe FAQ

Variations and tips for neeps

• Lefotvers: If you have any leftovers along with vegan haggis and mash, consider turning them into these tasty haggis fritters.
• Oat things up: For added nuttiness and texture, try stirring through a few generous spoonfuls of skirlie (a Scottish recipe for fried pinhead oats).

More vegan recipe ideas

If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:

You can also check out my full list of Scottish vegan recipes and vegan sides.

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