This Turnips Au Gratin make a beautiful presentation featuring tender layers of turnips baked in a flavorful cheese sauce. It’s the ultimate side dish for special occasions or weeknight meals.

❤️ Why You’ll Love this Turnips Au Gratin Recipe

• Super flavorful creamy cheese sauce
• Same great texture as potatoes
• Beautiful presentation, perfect for special occasions
• Gluten-free

If you’re looking for a delicious, low-carb side dish to serve alongside your favorite healthy main course, you’ve come to the right place. These turnips au gratin transform a simple turnip into a decadent, cheesy, and flavorful dish that’s an impressive alternative to traditional potato recipes.

Thinly sliced layers of turnips nestled in a rich and creamy cheese sauce are baked until fork tender, golden brown, and bubbly hot. Turnips au gratin makes an incredible comforting side dish that’s perfect whether you’re hosting a dinner party or simply feeding your family on a weeknight.

Turnips Au Gratin makes a great low carb substitute for potatoes. They’re wonderful with Glazed Ham for the holidays and are the ideal side dish with Grilled Steak or Roasted Chicken for a hearty family meal.

🛒 What’s in Turnips Au Gratin

• Turnips
• Parmesan cheese
• Gruyere cheese
• Mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
• Heavy cream
• Butter
• Lemon thyme (or thyme)
• Garlic
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Saucepan
• Mandolin slicer
• Pie dish
• Whisk

🔪 How to Make Turnips Au Gratin

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a saucepan over medium low heat, add in the butter and once melted, sauté the garlic for about 15 seconds, making sure not to brown it.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, except for the turnips. Allow the cheeses to melt, whisking often.

Once melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly while you prepare the turnips.

Peel the turnips, then slice them very thin. 

Tip: I used a mandolin slicer to ensure all the slices were the same thickness and will cook evenly.

Take a pie dish or other round baking dish, brush it with olive oil, then arrange the turnip slices in concentric circles. 

Tip: This is not required, but it does make the presentation a little extra special. Alternatively, you can layer them in any casserole dish.

Pour the cheese sauce over the tops of all the turnips, making sure they are all covered.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, then allow to cool slightly before cutting into and serving.

Is a Turnip Keto Friendly? Is Turnip High in Carbs?

When you think of root vegetables you may automatically assume they won’t fit well with your Keto goals. While that may be true, turnips are an exception to the rule.

For a one-cup serving of turnips, there are about 6 grams of net carbs. So, when eaten in moderation, they can make an interesting and delicious addition to your Keto meal planning.

What do Turnips Taste Like?

The best way to describe the way a raw turnip tastes is that it’s a cross between radishes and cabbage. Once they are cooked and become tender, the flavor mellows out, giving them an earthy and pleasant, tangy undertone.

Do You Peel Turnips Before Baking?

Unless it’s a baby turnip fresh out of the garden, the skin will be rather thick and not very tasty. For best results, you should use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to remove the outer layer of the skin before cooking it. 

What Makes a Gratin a Gratin?

A gratin is typically any type of dish that’s prepared with thin layers of potatoes, turnips, seafood, or other vegetables cooked in a sauce and topped with a cheesy topping that’s browned and crispy.

Some versions call for breadcrumbs. If you’d like to add breadcrumbs to this recipe, these Keto Bread Crumbs work great!

Tips for Buying Turnips

• Choose smaller turnips that feel heavy and solid for their size. Larger turnips tend to be bitter and have a grainier texture when cooked.

• Avoid turnips that are cracking or have blemishes.

• When you get them home from the grocery store, wrap them in a moist paper towel or cloth and then place them in a plastic bag in your fridge in the vegetable crisper.

• One of the best ways to determine if you’re getting a fresh turnip is to smell it. It should have a neutral, earthy smell. Turnips that are going bad have a very pungent smell and should be avoided.

What are Turnips?

Turnips are root vegetables that are in the same family as cauliflower and cabbage. Though they grow best in cooler months, you can get them year-round at almost any grocery store.

Turnips can be cooked in many different and creative ways. You can cook and mash them with butter and herbs, oven roast them, dice them into small pieces and add them to cheesy casseroles, air fry them, or just eat them sliced raw with your favorite dip like you would jicama.

More Keto Side Dishes

• Shredded Brussels Sprouts
• Creamed Spinach
• Grilled Broccolini
• Green Beans Almondine
• Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower