Turnip Puff Recipe With Rutabaga

Turnip puff is a soft, fluffy baked side dish made with cooked rutabaga, butter, eggs and a few simple pantry ingredients. If you grew up calling the large waxed yellow rutabaga a turnip, this is the vegetable I mean when I say turnip in this recipe.

This turnip puff recipe starts by peeling and cubing the rutabaga, then boiling it until completely fork tender. Once mashed with butter, it gets mixed with eggs, flour, brown sugar and baking powder before baking in an 8×8-inch dish.

It is particularly handy for Thanksgiving and Christmas because you can assemble the whole dish ahead of time, freeze it before baking, then thaw and bake it when you need it.

I usually cut up the whole rutabaga rather than trying to make the raw vegetable equal an exact measurement. Mine gave me a little more than the three cups called for, and I still used the same quantities of the remaining ingredients. It worked just fine.

Quick Answer

Turnip puff is a baked rutabaga side dish made from mashed rutabaga, butter, eggs, flour and baking powder. It has a softer, fluffier texture than plain mashed turnip and can be assembled and frozen before baking for an easy holiday side dish.

I was looking for some new ways to use turnip because it is a relatively inexpensive vegetable and works well for a holiday side dish. Plain mashed turnip is fine, but making it into a puff gives it a softer, lighter texture while still using inexpensive ingredients I normally have on hand. I also like that I can use the whole rutabaga rather than worrying if I end up with a little more than three cups.

Why You’ll Love This Turnip Puff

Make Ahead Friendly: Assemble it in the baking dish, freeze it before baking and thaw when you are ready to cook it.

Soft and Fluffy: Eggs and baking powder lighten the mashed rutabaga so the finished casserole isn’t as dense as plain mashed turnip.

Holiday Friendly: The simple preparation makes it practical when you already have several other Thanksgiving or Christmas dishes to cook.

How to Make Turnip Puff

Start by peeling the waxed skin from the rutabaga and cutting it into cubes. Add the cubes to a large pot, cover with water and boil until they are fork tender. Rutabaga is quite firm, so make sure it is fully cooked before draining or it will be difficult to mash.

Drain the rutabaga well, then mash it with the butter while it is still warm. You need about three cups of mashed rutabaga for the recipe, although mine gave me a little more after I cooked the whole turnip. I used it all without increasing the other ingredients and it worked well.

Beat the eggs before stirring them into the mashed rutabaga. Add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper and mix everything together well. The tablespoon of brown sugar adds just enough sweetness to balance the stronger flavour of the rutabaga without making the finished dish sweet.

Butter an 8×8-inch baking dish and spread the turnip mixture evenly into it. You can top it with buttered breadcrumbs if you like, although I prefer mine without them. A little paprika can also be sprinkled over the top for colour, or you can simply leave it plain.

Bake at 375°F for about 25 minutes, until the turnip puff is set and heated through. The finished texture should be soft and lighter than regular mashed rutabaga.

Ingredients:

This recipe uses only a handful of ingredients, but the eggs, flour and baking powder are what change it from ordinary mashed rutabaga into a turnip puff.

Rutabaga: Use the large yellow-fleshed rutabaga commonly sold with a waxed exterior. Peel, cube, boil and mash it before measuring approximately three cups.

Butter: Three tablespoons are mashed into the hot rutabaga for flavour and richness. You will also need a little additional butter for greasing the baking dish.

Eggs: Two beaten eggs provide structure and help give the casserole its softer texture.

All-Purpose Flour: Three tablespoons help the mixture hold together as it bakes.

Brown Sugar: One tablespoon balances some of rutabaga’s stronger flavour without making the finished dish noticeably sweet.

Baking Powder: One teaspoon helps lighten the mashed rutabaga and contributes to the puffed texture.

Salt: Half a teaspoon seasons the rutabaga mixture.

Black Pepper: One-eighth teaspoon provides mild background seasoning.

*Breadcrumbs: Buttered breadcrumbs are an optional topping. I leave them off because I prefer the turnip puff without them.

Paprika: An optional sprinkle over the top adds a little colour before baking.

Substitutions and Add-Ins for Turnip Puff

This is a fairly simple casserole, and I wouldn’t change too many of the structural ingredients because the eggs, flour and baking powder work together to create the puff.

Rutabaga: This recipe is made with the large waxed yellow rutabaga. A true turnip is a different vegetable with a different flavour and moisture level, so I wouldn’t expect exactly the same result.

Butter: Margarine should work if that is what you normally use for cooking, although the flavour will be slightly different.

Eggs: The eggs contribute structure as well as texture, so I wouldn’t simply leave them out.

All-Purpose Flour: Because there are only three tablespoons, changing the flour may affect how firmly the casserole sets. I have not tested alternative flours in this recipe.

Brown Sugar: You can use a little less if you prefer your rutabaga more savoury, although one tablespoon spread through the entire casserole does not make it especially sweet.

Baking Powder: Keep the baking powder if you want the characteristic lighter turnip puff texture.

Breadcrumbs: Completely optional. The turnip puff bakes well without them.

Paprika: Leave it off if you don’t have it. It is mainly there for colour.

Expert Tips, Serving and Storing Suggestions

Tip #1: Cook the Rutabaga Until Very Tender: Rutabaga is much firmer than a potato. If your fork still meets resistance, keep boiling it before trying to mash it.

Tip #2: Drain It Well: Let the cooked rutabaga drain thoroughly before mashing. Carrying a lot of cooking water into the casserole can make the mixture looser than it should be.

Tip #3: A Little Extra Rutabaga Is Fine: My whole rutabaga gave me more than three cups, and I still used the same two eggs, three tablespoons of flour and other ingredients successfully.

Tip #4: Don’t Feel Obligated to Use Breadcrumbs: If you prefer the soft texture of the puff itself, leave the breadcrumb topping off.

Serving Turnip Puff

Turnip puff works anywhere you would normally serve mashed turnip or another cooked root vegetable.

It is especially well suited to roast turkey, chicken, pork or beef and fits naturally into a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner alongside stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and other vegetable dishes. For another inexpensive fall vegetable side, my roasted buttercup squash also works well with turkey and other roast dinners. For something tart alongside the richer sides, cranberry orange chutney is another make-ahead option for the holiday table.

Because rutabaga has a stronger flavour than potatoes, the small amount of brown sugar in the recipe helps it work nicely beside savoury holiday foods.

How to Make Turnip Puff Ahead

One of the best practical features of this recipe is that you can prepare it before you need it.

Prepare the rutabaga mixture and spread it into the buttered baking dish, but do not bake it.

Cover the dish well and freeze.

When you are ready to use it, thaw the turnip puff in the refrigerator and then bake it at 375°F.

If the casserole is still quite cold when it goes into the oven, it may take a little longer than the usual 25 minutes. Use the temperature and texture of the centre rather than the clock alone to decide when it is ready.

For holiday dinners, this means one less side dish to peel, boil and mash on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day.

How to Store Leftover Turnip Puff

Cover leftover baked turnip puff and refrigerate it once it has cooled.

Use refrigerated leftovers within about 3 to 4 days.

Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave, or a larger amount can be covered and reheated gently in the oven until hot throughout.

Meet Amber

I’m the home cook and recipe creator behind A Cents For Cookery. I learned to cook growing up off-grid in Northern Ontario, where meals were made on a woodstove and preserving, baking, and making ingredients stretch were part of everyday life. Here I share practical family recipes, homemade baking, vintage-inspired cooking, and the kitchen knowledge I’ve picked up over the years to help you make the most of the food you have.

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