Arracacha substitute

Best substitute

Parsnip plus potato

Equal parts by weight, used 1:1 for the arracacha

Best for sancocho

Close match

The best all-round match. Parsnip covers arracacha's sweet aromatic character, potato covers the starchiness and the way it melts into a broth.

Other arracacha substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Celery root (celeriac) plus potato
Close match
1 part celeriac to 2 parts potato, used 1:1
Nails the celery note that is arracacha's most distinctive quality and that parsnip cannot give you, while the potato keeps the texture right.
What changes
Best for
soups, purees, stews, sancocho
More savoury and less sweet than arracacha, which for a soup is arguably closer to the real thing than the parsnip version. Keep celeriac at a third or less, since it is assertive and can take over.
3Parsnip alone
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight
The single easiest swap and the reason arracacha is sometimes marketed as Peruvian parsnip: the shape, the cream colour and the soft cooked texture all line up.
What changes
Best for
roasting, mashing, soups, purees
Distinctly sweeter and slightly aniseed-like, so a savoury soup comes out noticeably sweet. Cut the recipe's other sweet elements, and add a celery stalk to the pot to pull it back towards arracacha.
4Yuca (cassava)
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight
Fills the same slot as a tropical starchy root in a sancocho or a Latin American stew, and is sold in the same markets you would look for arracacha in.
What changes
Best for
sancocho, stews, soups, frying
Waxy, fibrous and almost completely bland where arracacha is aromatic and creamy, so add a chopped celery stalk or a small parsnip for flavour. It stays much firmer, so it will not thicken the broth the way arracacha does.
5Taro root
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight
Cooks to the same soft, faintly slippery texture and thickens a soup the way arracacha does, which is the property most substitutes miss.
What changes
Best for
soups, stews, purees, boiling
Nutty and earthy rather than celery-like, so the aroma is wrong even though the texture is right. Peel it under running water and wash your hands afterwards, since raw taro can irritate skin.
6Yukon Gold potato plus celery and parsnip
Close match
Use 1 lb potato plus 1 celery stalk plus 1 small parsnip for every 1 lb arracacha
The everyday-supermarket fallback that reconstructs arracacha's three components separately: starchy body, celery aroma and sweet root.
What changes
Best for
soups, stews, sancocho, mashing
Remove the celery stalk before serving if you want the smooth look of a real arracacha soup. This is genuinely close in flavour and slightly less silky in texture, which is the honest trade-off.

What is Arracacha?

Arracacha is Arracacha, sold as racacha, apio criollo, Peruvian parsnip or white carrot, is an Andean root vegetable with white to pale yellow flesh that cooks very soft and tastes like a cross between celery, parsnip and potato.

Cooking tips

Arracacha cooks much faster than potato, which trips up nearly everyone the first time. In a soup, add it ten to fifteen minutes after the potatoes or it dissolves entirely. That fast breakdown is also useful, because it is what naturally thickens a sancocho into something velvety.
The flesh discolours quickly once cut, going grey and dull within minutes. Peel it and hold the pieces in cold water until you need them, exactly as you would with celeriac or Jerusalem artichoke.
Trim the crown generously. The pinkish or purplish stem end where the leaves joined is often bitter, and a couple of centimetres cut off the top saves the whole pot from an off taste.
Arracacha is always cooked, never eaten raw, because raw it is unpleasantly fibrous and starchy. If a recipe seems to be using it raw, it is almost certainly referring to apio the celery rather than apio criollo the root, which is a common source of confusion in Latin American recipes.
It is superb mashed with butter and a little milk, better than potato in many people's view, because its natural celery-parsnip aroma means the mash needs almost no other seasoning. When substituting for that use, go with the parsnip and potato blend rather than potato alone.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just leave arracacha out?

In a mixed root stew like sancocho, yes, and adding an equal weight of potato keeps the dish balanced. What you lose is the celery-parsnip aroma and some of the natural thickening, so consider adding a chopped celery stalk to compensate. In a dish where arracacha is the main vegetable, substitute rather than omit.

Is arracacha the same as a parsnip?

No, they are different plants, though both are in the carrot family and both are pale, sweet, aromatic roots, which is why arracacha is sometimes sold as Peruvian parsnip. Arracacha is starchier, cooks softer and faster, and has a distinct celery note that parsnip lacks.

What does arracacha taste like?

Like a potato that has been cooked with celery and a little parsnip. There is a clear savoury celery aroma, a background sweetness, and a starchy, almost buttery texture that turns creamy when boiled. It is more interesting than potato and much less sweet than sweet potato.

Is apio criollo the same as celery?

No, and this is a genuine trap in Latin American recipes. In much of Venezuela, Colombia and parts of Peru, apio or apio criollo means the arracacha root, while apio Espana or simply celery means the green stalks. If a recipe calls for a pound of apio for a soup, it means the root.

Can I substitute arracacha for potato?

Yes, at 1:1, but expect two differences. It cooks noticeably faster, so check it early, and it brings its own celery-parsnip aroma, which is lovely in soups, stews and mash and less suited to a dish where you wanted the potato to taste neutral, like a creamy gratin.

Related substitutes

More vegetables & aromatics substitutes

Arracacha substitute

Other arracacha substitutes

2Celery root (celeriac) plus potato

3Parsnip alone

4Yuca (cassava)

5Taro root

6Yukon Gold potato plus celery and parsnip