‘Leaf lettuce, head lettuce, green lettuce, red lettuce….who knew there were so many kinds of lettuce? This is your handy guide to knowing what kind of lettuce your are eating with.’

Types of Lettuce

  • Iceberg
  • Butterhead
  • Romaine
  • Leaf
  • Kale

ICEBERG LETTUCE

This is probably the most famous and recognizable form of head lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is also sometimes referred to as crisphead, and it is a pale green leafy vegetable that forms into a tight cabbage style head.

Iceberg lettuce is typically defined by its mild flavor and crisp texture. It gets a bad reputation in the nutrition industry for not being as nutritious as, say, romaine. But that doesn’t mean iceberg is without its benefits. With just two cups of iceberg lettuce you can consume more than 10% of your daily Vitamin B.

Iceberg is crisp and hearty, but it’s not as flavorful as other lettuces. When unwashed and stored in a plastic bag in the fridge, you can keep it for up to two weeks — twice as long as most other types of lettuce. Look for firm, densely packed heads that are heavy for their size.

BUTTERHEAD LETTUCE

Boston lettuce and bibb lettuce

Boston lettuce and bibb lettuce

As the name implies, butterhead lettuce is a head lettuce. Boston lettuce and Bibb lettuce make up this variety. They form heads, but they are more loose than iceberg. Boston lettuce is often described as looking a lot like a rose when it is flowering, whereas Bibb lettuce is smaller and more cup shaped.

The coloring of butterhead lettuce is typically the same green as that of grass. The texture is soft and buttery, which is where this lettuce gets its name.

Butterhead lettuces are more expensive than most other varieties and come with their roots still attached and submerged in water. They make up for their expense with a long shelf life, with some varieties remaining fresh for up to a month or more as long as their roots remain wet.

There are two different types of butterhead lettuce: Boston and Bibb. The Boston variety has small, round, and loosely formed heads with soft, supple leaves that bruise easily. It’s larger and fluffier than Bibb, but both types of lettuce make perfect cups for cooked ground chicken or shrimp.

ROMAINE LETTUCE

Romaine can also be considered a head lettuce, but its head is long and in the shape of a loaf. Variations of romaine vary with some having an open head and others a more closed appearance.

Romaine is very nutritious and is most commonly used in Caesar salads or our favorite Caesar Salad Summer Rolls over on our sister site Cook the Story. The taste of romaine lettuce is strong, but it doesn’t overpower. The texture of this lettuce is very crisp and it is one of the most nutritious lettuces in existence.

You can receive 7% of your daily fiber intake from one serving of romaine lettuce. It also contains quite a bit of folate, iron, manganese and potassium. As for vitamins, you can get 34% of your daily recommended value of Vitamin C from one serving of romaine, 109% of Vitamin K and a whopping 148% of your Vitamin A intake.

HEAD LETTUCE IS BOUNTIFUL

When you’re looking for lettuce you have three great choices in head lettuce. Each has its own unique benefits and mixing them together can sometimes create a varied salad with interesting flavors.

Supplements

Leaf Lettuce

There are three types of leaf lettuce: red, green, and oak. Don’t look for a “head” on them because the leaves branch from a single stalk. For this reason, leaf lettuce is generally more perishable than head varieties. You’ll often see it in “baby lettuce,” mesclun, and spring mixes because of its tenderness. Red leaf has a burgundy tint and mild flavor, similar to that of green leaf, while oak leaf is spicier and nuttier. To avoid instant wilting, postpone dressing leaf lettuce until just before serving.

Kale

It’s not technically “lettuce,” but a cup of this contains an entire day’s worth of vitamin A and C, plus all-important calcium and iron. And if you’re not a fan of the somewhat bitter taste, roasting the leaves with a little olive oil might be the way to go. (Homemade kale chips, anyone?)