What are whole vegetables?
Whole vegetable ingredients are minimally processed forms of vegetables used in food products, including fresh, frozen, canned, and simply prepared vegetables that retain their basic cellular structure and composition. Common examples include tomatoes, onions, potatoes, carrots, peppers, garlic, celery, corn, peas, green beans, and leafy greens. These ingredients provide flavor foundations, nutritional content, texture, and color to food products and are fundamental to cuisines worldwide.
120,473 products in our database contain whole vegetables. 30,214 of them (25%) are Level 4, the most processed of our four levels.
Which foods contain whole vegetables?
Whole vegetable ingredients are found in fresh produce, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables, soups, stews, sauces, salads, frozen meals, pizza, pasta dishes, stir-fries, baby food, and across virtually every category of prepared and packaged foods.
Santa Barbara, Mango Salsa with Peach, Medium
The Original Caesar Dressing
Chocolate Hazelnut
Family Recipe Italian Dressing
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Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
House Italian Made with Peramesan Cheese
Campbell's Sauces Pineapple Teriyaki
Jalapeno Pretzel Pieces Flavoured Sourdough Hard Pretzel, Jalapeno
Pepperoni Duo Melted Mozzarella Cheese Layered with Slices and Chunks of Pepperoni Stone Baked Flatbread, Pepperoni
Garlic Bread Loaf, Garlic
Andy Capp's Bbq Flavored Fries, 3 Oz, 3 Oz
Progresso Traditional Homestyle Chicken Soup
Cremede Pirouline, America's Only Rolled Wafer, Chocolate Hazelnut
Garden Herb Vinaigrette Dressing with an Avocado Oil Blend
Campbell's Chunky Soup Sirloin Burger
Chipotle Pepper Marinade
Pizza Quick Snack Sauce
Thai Kitchen, Dipping & All-Purpose Sauce, Sweet Red Chili
B&m, Baked Beans, Maple
Sylvia's Restaurant, Sweet & Sassy Cookin', Dippin' & Moppin' Sauce
Amazing Taste, Steak House Seasoning
Asian Creations, Thai Kitchen, Sweet Red Chili Dipping & All-Purpose Sauce
St. Louis Style Pizza
Seasoning Mix
Garlic Salt with Parsley
Heinz, Beans with Tomato Sauce
Buffalo Sandwich Sauce
Steak House Seasoning
Garlic & Onion Blend Malibu All-Purpose Seasoning
Bush's Pinto Beans with Jalapenos 16 Oz
Red Gold 28oz. Diced Tomatoes
Tuttorosso Green 28oz. Whole Peeled Plum Tomatoes in Juice
Tuttorosso Green 28oz. Diced Tomatoes in Juice
Tutturosso Green 14.5oz. Diced Tomatoes
Hunts Organic Diced Tomatoes
Hunts Tomato Puree, #10 Can, 6/107 Oz., 107 Oz
Hunt's Tomato Puree, 10.75 Oz
Hunt's Tomato Puree, 29 Oz, 29 Oz
Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes, 14.5 Oz
Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes, 28 Oz
Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes, 28 Oz, 28 Oz
Hunts Whole Tomatoes No Salt Added, 28 Oz
Chopped Seasoned Potato Puffs
Kettle Chips, Red Wine Vinegar & Sea Salt
Hen of the Woods
Cascadian Farm Organic Fire Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Red Lentils Heritage Beans
Woodstock, Chopped Kale
Stahlbush Island Farms, Sweet Potatoes
Stahlbush Island Farms, Butternut Squash
Classic Cut and Peeled Baby Carrots
Buddha Teas, Chaga Tea, Wild Crafted Herbal Tea
Seabrook Farms, Chopped Kale
Fresh Attitude, Baby Spinach
Harvest, Idaho Russet Potatoes
Durussels' Potato Farm, Potatoes
Melissa's, Edamame Soybeans in Shell
Newstar, Classic Spinach Epinards
Nature's Promise Organic
Baby Lime Beans
Also known as
Whole Vegetables can appear in ingredient lists under several names. If you see any of the following, this is the ingredient family you are looking at:
Function
Whole vegetable ingredients contribute flavor, color, texture, and nutritional content to food products. Tomatoes provide acidity, umami, and red color in sauces and soups. Onions and garlic build aromatic flavor bases (mirepoix, soffritto) across cuisines. Potatoes provide starch, body, and thickening. Peppers contribute color, flavor, and varying heat levels. Leafy greens provide color and volume. The natural composition of whole vegetables — including fiber, water, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals — contributes to the overall nutritional profile of food products containing them.
Sources
Whole vegetable ingredients undergo minimal processing to preserve their structure and composition. Fresh vegetables are washed, trimmed, and may be cut or diced. Frozen vegetables are blanched (brief immersion in boiling water to inactivate enzymes), individually quick frozen (IQF), and packaged. Canned vegetables are filled into containers with brine or water and heat-processed (retort) for long-term shelf stability. Tomato products (diced, crushed, paste) are produced by cooking and concentrating fresh tomatoes to varying degrees of water removal.
Health considerations
Canned vegetables may contain added sodium from brine solutions, which must be declared on the Nutrition Facts label. Celery is a declared allergen in the EU (though not in the US under FALCPA). Some individuals may experience digestive responses to certain vegetables due to their fiber or FODMAP content. Organic vegetable products must meet USDA National Organic Program standards.
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
Regulatory
Canned vegetables have FDA standards of identity specifying permitted ingredients and required vegetable content. Frozen vegetables are regulated for quality grading by the USDA. Organic vegetables must comply with USDA National Organic Program requirements. Pesticide residue limits are set by the EPA and enforced by the FDA. The EU regulates vegetable quality standards, organic certification, and allergen declaration (celery is a declared allergen in the EU).