When you roast vegetables, two things happen. First of all, roasting allows some of the water to evaporate out of the vegetable, which really intensifies the flavor and makes everything taste more.
But even more importantly, roasted vegetables caramelize on the outside, bringing out their natural sweetness in an amazing way. Even bitter veggies can be sweet and delicious after roasting in the oven!
In this article, I’ll show you how to roast vegetables. First, I’ll go over the preparation work you need to do. Then, I’ll talk about the actual roasting part. And finally, I’ll go over different vegetables and their particularities.
Preparation Work
Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that something as delicious as roasted vegetables could be so easy to prepare. But it really is. What makes roasted vegetables so delicious is what happens while they’re in the oven – and that means there’s not a whole lot of work for you!
Still, there are a couple of things you need to do. First, you need to cut up the vegetable into chunks. Then, you need to oil and season them. And finally, you need to pick the right baking dish, and place the veggies in properly.
Cutting Up The Vegetables
The first thing you need to do when learning how to roast vegetables is cut up the veggies. And there are ways to do it that’ll make the roasted vegetables even better. Here are some things to look out for when preparing the vegetables.
- You should always wash vegetables before eating them. But when you’re roasting vegetables, it’s best to put them into the oven completely dry. It helps the vegetables caramelize. Wet vegetables just have a lot more trouble getting that nice crisp layer.
- The smaller the vegetable chunks, the faster they’ll cook. The heat from the oven starts outside and works its way in, so if you’re short on time, you can make smaller pieces.
- Cut the vegetables in even-sized chunks. If some pieces are much bigger, they’ll cook slower, and by the time they’re done, the smaller pieces will be burnt.
- Keep in mind that denser vegetables, like potatoes, cook slower than lighter ones, like mushrooms. If you want all the vegetables to be done at the same time, there are a few tricks.
- Cut the denser vegetables in smaller chunks so that they cook faster.
- Add the quicker-roasting vegetables to the oven later, once the slower-roasting vegetables have had a chance to cook a bit.
- The caramelization happens on the vegetables’ surface. So if you cut your veggies so that they have a larger surface area, you can get more caramelization. That means smaller chunks, or long, flat pieces rather than cube-like ones.
Once you have the vegetables ready, it’s time for the next step.
Oil And Seasoning
Seasoning vegetables for roasting is one of the easiest things to do. So much of the flavor comes from the roasted vegetable itself – the caramelization and the intensified flavors. Still, sometimes adding just a hint of spices can really help kick it up a notch.
But the most important thing to remember when seasoning your vegetables is that they need a bit of oil. A thin layer of oil serves a few purposes.
- Oil helps the vegetables brown evenly. Instead of ending up with scorched spots here and there, you can a uniform golden layer that tastes great.
- It also helps the vegetables brown faster, which shortens the cooking time.
- Oil also keeps the vegetables from drying out. Using a bit of oil helps you avoid getting limp, sad looking veggies.
There’s no need to go overboard. You really don’t need a lot of oil for roasted vegetables. Just add a teaspoon or so at a time (more if you have lots of vegetables), and toss the vegetables. Mix them really well. They should all have a really thin layer on them. If some pieces are still dry, just add a bit more oil.
Apart from oil, you don’t need much. A little bit of salt and pepper are always good. Coarse salt like sea salt or kosher is even better! And you can add whatever other seasonings you like. Thyme,rosemary, orange zest, cayenne pepper,cumin, fennel seeds, etc… The possibilities are endless, and the only way to know if you like something is to try it out!
- Once you’ve oiled the vegetables, you can add the seasonings. Be sure to toss the vegetables to make sure the seasonings get spread out.
- You can also add the seasonings to the oil before oiling the vegetables. Mix it all together, and you’ll be sure that the seasonings are evenly spread out over all the veggies.
Notes
- Some seasonings, like grated parmesan or fresh sprigs of herbs like thyme, are best if you add them towards the end of the cooking time, because they can burn kind of quick.
- You can use vegetable oil or olive oil. I like to use olive oil because it’s generally a bit healthier. But there’s no need to use the really expensive, high quality oils. Those are better for drizzling on salads and things, where you really taste the oil.
Picking A Baking Dish
The last preparation step is to pick the right baking dish, and to place the vegetables in it. There’s no real wrong way to do it, but there is a right way! Meaning that most things you do will give you good results, but for the best roasted vegetables, there are a few things to keep in mind.
The thing to remember is that the key to nicely roasted vegetables isgood air flow. Contact with the oven’s hot air helps the outside of the veggie get nice and crisp, rather than soggy.
- Spread the vegetables on in the baking dish in a single layer. Piling them on top of each other reduces the air flow, and having too many vegetables packed in like that will cause some steam – so the vegetables will end up steamed, not roasted.
- The vegetables can touch each other, but they shouldn’t be jammed in tight. Again, that prevents a good air flow and you’ll end up with soggy vegetables.
- Choose a baking dish with low sides. You’re not roasting something that creates loads of drippings, so a baking sheet is perfect. The low sides will help hot air surround every vegetable piece and roast it to perfection!
And that’s pretty much all there is to preparing the vegetables for roasting. Once they’re on the baking sheet, they’re ready for the oven!
How To Roast Vegetables
When you’re learning how to roast vegetables, it’s important to know how to prepare the vegetables. How you cut them, how well you dry them, how you season them, and the baking dish you use all affect how the roasted vegetables turn out. But the real magic happens in the oven!
In this section, I’ll talk about the two most important things about the roasting portion of making roasted vegetables: the oven temperature, and stirring the vegetables.
Oven Temperature
Getting the oven setting right is really important when you’re roasting vegetables. You want it to be hot enough to caramelize the sugars in the vegetable, to bring out the natural sweetness, but you also don’t want the vegetables to burn!
Luckily, it’s not too hard to get right. In general, setting the oven to 400F will give you the perfect temperature for delicious roasted vegetables. But you can lower or raise that temperature a bit based on a few things. 
- Not everyone likes their vegetables to caramelize too much. In that case, you can lower the temperature a little bit, to 375F. The vegetables will need to cook a bit longer, but it’ll help the inside cook without the outside getting too crispy.
- If you don’t like your vegetables too cooked, big chunks and a lower temperature is the way to go.
- If you want the roasted vegetables well cooked, but not too brown, smaller chunks and 375F are what you need.
- If you happen to love caramelized vegetables, though, you can turn up the heat a little bit. 425F or even 450F will get you very browned vegetables. But there’s a catch – the inside won’t have time to cook as much before the outside is very crisp, so you may need to start with smaller vegetables.
Once the oven’s temperature is set, you can just forget about it. If you have the temperature set properly from the start, there’s no need to adjust. In some cases though, you might find that the outside is cooking too fast compared to the inside, or vice versa. In that case, you might want to tweak the oven temperature just a bit – a higher temperature helps the outside brown faster, and lowering it helps the inside cook faster.
That’s pretty much all you need to know! Usually 400F works just fine. But you can always tweak that a bit to suit your tastes. Just try out a few different things and see what you like!
Stirring
Other than setting the oven to the right temperature, there’s just one thing you need to take care of once the vegetables are in the oven – stirring them. Stirring is important to help the roasted vegetables brown evenly and keep them from burning!
Air flow around the vegetables keeps the outside of the vegetable dry enough so that it can get nice and crisp, but the vegetables will caramelize most where they’re in contact with the baking sheet.
So about half way through the baking time, you’ll want to check the bottom of the vegetables. If they’re as browned as you want, you can flip them over, or just stir the vegetables around. This way, a new side is exposed to the hot pan, and then it can brown nicely. It’ll also prevent the already browned side from burning.
Test a piece every so often. Once the inside is cooked, and the outside is nice and crispy, you can take them out of the oven. And that’s all there is to roasting vegetables!
Notes
- When you’re stirring the roasting vegetables and you think there’s just a little bit of roasting time left, you can add some extra seasonings, especially the kind that would burn if they were left in the oven the whole time.
- Try grated cheese, feta, orange zest, fresh sprigs of herbs, or anything else you like. Just stir them into the vegetables and let them roast a little while longer.
- The roasting vegetables might sizzle when they’re in the oven. That’s perfectly normal: it’s the moisture from the vegetables coming into contact with the hot surface of the baking sheet.
- If you find that the vegetables are getting too dry, you can drizzle them with a bit of water, stock or juice to keep them from drying out.
- Once the roasted vegetables are done, you can serve them as is, or with a bit of something extra. Try tossing them with dried fruit, vinegar, lemon juice, or just butter. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Vegetables And Cooking Times
If you’ve been roasting vegetables for a long time, you’ll have a pretty good idea of how long each vegetables take to cook, and how long you need to roast it for. But when you’re just starting out, it’s a lot harder. And it makes a huge difference if your vegetable takes 20 minutes or one hour to roast when you’re trying to plan out a meal!
Eventually, you’ll figure out how long to cook each vegetable so it’s just the way you like it. But in the meantime, here are some general guidelines for roasted vegetables.
- The denser the vegetable, the longer it’ll take to cook. It’s harder for heat to get through a dense substance than a light one! For example, mushroom roast much faster than potatoes.
- The smaller you make your vegetable chunks, the faster they’ll cook, because the heat won’t have to penetrate as deep to cook the vegetables.
Here are some vegetables that are delicious roasted, split up according to how long they take to roast.
| Quick Roasting Time (10 to 20 minutes) |
Medium Roasting Time (15 to 40 minutes) |
Long Roasting Time (35 to 60 minutes) |
| Tomatoes Mushrooms Asparagus Scallions Corn |
Bell peppers Broccoli Cauliflower Zucchini Summer squashes Onions Eggplant |
Potatoes Sweet potatoes Winter squashes Turnips Brussel sprouts Carrots Beets |
The quick roasting vegetables might take as little as 10 minutes, while some of the slow roasting ones can take up to an hour, depending on how big you make the vegetable chunks.
If you want to mix different types of vegetables, you can mix them all together and compromise a little on the ideal time – some won’t be as caramelized. Or, start the vegetables that take longest to cook first, and then add the rest after. That way they’re all perfect!
Roasted vegetables really are wonderful. It’s a completely different taste than boiling, steaming or sautéing, and makes a wonderful change of pace – especially in the winter, when having the oven on is a good thing!
Enjoy!