Nearly 1,000 species of plants with edible leaves are known. Leaf vegetables most often come from short-lived herbaceous plants, such as lettuce and spinach, but also come from some woody plants. The leaves of many fodder crops (e.g. alfalfa, clover, and most grasses) are also edible by humans, but usually only as famine or processed food.

The leaves of many fodder crops are also edible by humans, but usually only as famine food. Examples include alfalfa, clover, and most grasses, including wheat and barley. Food processing, such as drying and grinding into powder or pulping and pressing for juice, may involve these crop leaves in a diet.

Leaf vegetables contain many typical plant nutrients, but being photosynthetic tissues, their vitamin K levels are particularly notable. Accordingly, users of vitamin K antagonist medications like warfarin must limit their consumption of leaf vegetables.

If leaves are cooked for food, they may be referred to in the United States as boiled greens. Leaf vegetables may be stir-fried, stewed, steamed, or consumed raw. Leaf vegetables stewed with pork is a traditional dish in soul food and Southern U.S. cuisine. They are also commonly eaten in South Asian dishes such as saag. Leafy greens can be used to wrap other ingredients into an edible package like a tortilla. Many green leafy vegetables, such as lettuce or spinach, can also be eaten raw, for example, in sandwiches or salads. A green smoothie enables large quantities of raw leafy greens to be consumed by blending the leaves with fruit and water.

The brassicaceae is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. The family contains the cruciferous vegetables, including species such as Brassica oleracea (cultivated as cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli and collards), Brassica rapa (turnip, Chinese cabbage, etc.), Brassica napus (rapeseed, etc.), Raphanus sativus (common radish), Armoracia rusticana (horseradish), the cut-flower Matthiola (stock) and the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress).

This family includes important agricultural crops, particularly leafy greens, among which many vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy, kohlrabi, and gai lan (Brassica oleracea), turnip, napa cabbage, mizuna, bok choy and rapini (Brassica rapa), rocket salad/arugula (Eruca sativa), garden cress (Lepidium sativum), watercress (Nasturtium officinale) and radish (Raphanus) and a few spices like horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), wasabi (Eutrema japonicum), white, brown and black mustard (Sinapis alba, Brassica juncea and B. nigra respectively). Even if not specifically grown as leafy green vegetables, the leaves of the majority of these species can be and are consumed.

Outside the brassicaceae, the Amaranthaceae or Amaranth family are a major source of leafy greens worldwide, with the most common and well known species being Spinacia oleracea or spinach. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed either fresh, cooked or after storage (using preservation techniques like canning, freezing, or dehydration). The taste differs considerably between cooked and raw: the high oxalate content may be reduced by blanching. So common is spinach as a leafy green that it's used as a common substitute for other local leafy greens.

Note that beetroot, a source of both an edible taproot and leafy greens. Beta vulgaris is also a member of the Amaranthaceae family, as is the closely related chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) which is grown for its edible stems and leafy greens.

In Africa, the leaves of cassava plants and sweet potato plants are widely consumed and leafy greens sourced from the wild are used to supplement the diet in countries across the globe.

The alphabetical list of all the leafy greens-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 3167 recipes in total:

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Maafé      Origin: Mali	Malaysian Laksa      Origin: Malaysia	Masaaledaar Pudine wal Quimah (Minced Lamb with Mint and Spices)      Origin: India
Maboké de Capitaine (Maboke of Nile Perch)      Origin: Central African Republic	Mallorcan-style Easter Lamb      Origin: Britain	Masak Lemak (Cabbage in Coconut Milk Gravy)      Origin: Malaysia
Maboke (Steamed Nile Perch)      Origin: Central African Republic	Mallow Cheese with Seaweed Paste      Origin: Fusion	Masala Lamb Chops      Origin: Pakistan
Macanese Choy Sum      Origin: Macau	Mallow Leaf Gumbo      Origin: Britain	Masala Raita      Origin: India
Macanese Minchi (Minced Meat Potato Hash)      Origin: Macau	Mallow Leaf Peanut Sauce      Origin: Fusion	Masala Snoek      Origin: South Africa
Macedonian Souvlaki      Origin: North Macedonia	Mallow Leaf Powder      Origin: Britain	Masaledaar Bakre ki Kaleji Gurda Phepsa (Lamb Offal Curry)      Origin: India
Machboos Laham      Origin: Kuwait	Mallow Leaf Stew II      Origin: African Fusion	Massalé de Dorade      Origin: Reunion
Macher Jhol (Keralan Fish Curry)      Origin: India	Mallow Soup      Origin: Britain	Massaman Curry Paste      Origin: Thailand
Mackerel with currant sauce and radicchio      Origin: Britain	Mallow Stew      Origin: Britain	Massaman Nuea (Beef Masaman Curry)      Origin: Thailand
Madaba (Cassava Leaf and Coconut Stew)      Origin: Britain	Mallow-leaf Stew      Origin: African Fusion	Massaman Nuea (Beef Massaman Curry)      Origin: Thailand
Madeiran Carne Vinha d'Alhos (Pork Marinated in Garlic and Wine)      Origin: Portugal	Malu Abulthiyal (Fish Curry with Fragrant Masala)      Origin: Sri Lanka	Mataba au Poisson (Mataba with Fish)      Origin: Comoros
Mafé Malienne (Malian Mafé)      Origin: Mali	Malvani Fish Curry      Origin: India	Matambre Arrollado (Argentinan Stuffed Rolled Beef)      Origin: Argentina
mafè tatou nènn (Naked Peanut Stew)      Origin: Mali	Malvas (Mallow Leaves)      Origin: Roman	Matapa      Origin: Mozambique
Maffé de Tabaski (Maffé for Tabaski)      Origin: Cote dIvoire	Mambazha Pulissery      Origin: India	Matapa de Abóbora (Pumpkin Matapa)      Origin: Mozambique
Maffi Hakko      Origin: Guinea	Mangai Palakottai Kuzhambu (Raw Mango Jackfruit Seed Curry)      Origin: India	Matata (Clam and Peanut Stew)      Origin: Mozambique
Maffi Hakko Bangtura (Sweet Potato Leaf Sauce)      Origin: Guinea	Mangalorean Prawn Sukka      Origin: India	Matata (Clam, Pumpkin and Peanut Stew)      Origin: Sao Tome
Magiritsa (Greek Easter Lamb Soup)      Origin: Greece	Mangalorean Spinach and Black Eyed Beans Curry      Origin: India	Matata (Clams Cooked in Port Wine)      Origin: Sao Tome
Maharggwe (Vegetables and Beans)      Origin: Burundi	Mango Sharbat      Origin: India	Matki Chi Rassa Bhaji (Maharashtrian Style Moth Beans)      Origin: India
Mahi Shekam Por (Persian Stuffed Fish)      Origin: Iran	Mangsher Brown Stew (Mutton Brown Stew)      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Matsavo (Pumpkin Leaf and Peanut Flour Stew)      Origin: Mozambique
Mahjouba (Algerian Crêpes)      Origin: Algeria	Mansaf      Origin: Jordan	Mattar Paneer (Green Peas and Curd Cheese Curry)      Origin: Britain
Mahonia Flower and Mint Lemonade      Origin: America	Manx Potted Herring      Origin: Manx	Mauritian Colombo Chicken Curry      Origin: Mauritius
Maitrank (May-drink)      Origin: Luxembourg	Maraq Bilaash (Cherry Tomato Sauce)      Origin: Somalia	Mauritian Curry Masala      Origin: Mauritius
Majboos al Laham (Lamb with Rice)      Origin: Kuwait	Maraq Fahfah (Somali Soup)      Origin: Somalia	Mauritian Prawn Curry      Origin: Mauritius
Makher Taukari (Fish Curry)      Origin: Bangladesh	Maraq Fahfah (Somali Soup)      Origin: Somaliland	Mayotte Mataba      Origin: Mayotte
Makher Taukari II (Fish Curry II)      Origin: Bangladesh	Marinade Verte (Green Seasoning)      Origin: Saint Barthelemy	Mbaqanga (Bean and Goat Meat Stew)      Origin: South Africa
Makhni Curry Sauce      Origin: India	Marinade Verte (Green Seasoning)      Origin: Saint-Martin	Mbaxal Dieune      Origin: Senegal
Makki di Roti      Origin: India	Marinade Verte (Green Seasoning)      Origin: Sint Maarten	Mbolo      Origin: Equatorial Guinea
Malabar Chicken Biryani      Origin: India	Marinara Sauce      Origin: Italy	Mboro Mboro (Sweet Potato Leaf and Palm Oil Stew)      Origin: Senegal
Malabar Peralan (Malabar Fish Roast)      Origin: India	Marinated Mackerel      Origin: Britain	Mboto à l'oseille (Fish with Sorrel)      Origin: Congo
Malaysian Chicken Curry      Origin: Malaysia	Markit Ommalah (Chickpea and Lentil Stew)      Origin: Tunisia	Mboto à la Feuilles de Manioc (Fish with Cassava Leaves)      Origin: Gabon
Malaysian Chicken Curry      Origin: Malaysia	Marrakech Vegetable Curry      Origin: Morocco	MBoume au Néverdaye (Senegalese Fish, Peanut and Cassava Stew with Millet Couscous)      Origin: Senegal
Malaysian Chicken Curry      Origin: Cocos Islands	Marsh Samphire with Red Chilli and Olive Oil      Origin: Fusion	Mchicha (Spinach, Coconut and Peanuts)      Origin: Tanzania
Malaysian Chicken Curry      Origin: Christmas Island	Maru we-llham (Meat and Rice with Vegetables)      Origin: Mauritania
Malaysian Kapitan Chicken      Origin: Malaysia	Mas Riha (Maldives Tuna Curry)      Origin: Maldives

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