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Elevate your side dish game with this oven roasted asparagus recipe – It’s tender, lightly crisp, and subtly caramelized in just 15 minutes, with customizable flavor options!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Roasting veggies is the perfect way to enjoy caramelized, crisp edges, and concentrated flavor, all while retaining plenty of nutrients. Whenever you need a simple side dish, try options like roasted cherry tomatoes, curry roasted broccoli, and this simple roasted asparagus.
This recipe for roasted asparagus is honestly one of the quickest and easiest vegetable side dishes! Just trim the ends, season, and roast to perfection in 8-10 minutes. It’s fresh, simple, relies on minimal ingredients, and is super customizable – whether making asparagus with sesame (as pictured), garlic, lemon, etc.
Plus, asparagus is loaded with nutrients like vitamins A, C, E, and K, calcium, iron, zinc, and folic acid, as well as plenty of fiber and antioxidants. It’s the perfect springtime side dish. You might also enjoy sautéed asparagus with lemon and garlic, shiitake asparagus tofu stir-fry, or vegan asparagus soup.
The Ingredients
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How To Pick Asparagus
The best oven-roasted asparagus comes from the freshest spears. Look for:
- Asparagus tips that are compact and closed.
- Stalks that are firm and smooth, not wilted or slimy.
- Bright green (or slightly purplish).
- Medium-sized stalks work best– thicker stalks can be overripe/woody, and thin stalks burn/wilt quickly.
Recipe Variations
For the photographed version, I made simple yet tasty tahini asparagus with sesame seeds. However, roasted asparagus is really versatile and easy to customize.
- Garlic roasted asparagus: Add ½-1tsp garlic powder or 2-3 minced garlic cloves.
- Vegan parmesan roasted asparagus: Add garlic (above) and grated (about ¼ cup) vegan parmesan or 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast (how to use nutritional yeast) before serving. Tofu feta cheese works too.
- Lemon roasted asparagus: Add the juice of ½ a lemon, + ½ lemon slices over the asparagus. Add zest for more flavor. Combine with garlic and/or vegan parmesan.
- Breaded: Roll the oiled asparagus in Italian panko breadcrumbs.
- Balsamic: Drizzle with 1-2 tbsp of aged balsamic vinegar/balsamic glaze to serve.
- Pine nuts: (or slivered almonds) lightly toasted, to garnish for crunch.
- Vegan butter: Before serving, for rich flavor.
How to Trim Asparagus
It’s important to trim asparagus spears to remove the tough, woody, fibrous ends (aka endless chewing).
- With a knife: Line up the ends of a single layer of asparagus, hold steady, and trim the end 1-3 inches of spears, where the stalks turn white to green.
- By hand: Working one spear at a time, gently bend near the end until it snaps. It naturally snaps at the right spot. Repeat with the remaining spears – they won’t break in the same spot.
How to Make Roasted Asparagus
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 450F/230C. Then, rinse and trim the asparagus (see method above). Spread the asparagus across a baking tray, being careful not to overcrowd, and optionally drizzle with olive oil (for extra crispiness). Roast the asparagus for 8-10 minutes (up to 15 minutes for thicker spears) until vibrant, tender-crisp, and with a few dark spots.
For Sesame Asparagus:
Step 2: While the asparagus roasts, toast the sesame seeds in a skillet until browned/toasty (a few minutes – be careful, they burn easily). Then, remove from the heat and set aside.
Step 3: When ready, drizzle the roasted asparagus with the tahini and lemon juice, then sprinkle with salt and sesame seeds, toss, add black pepper, and serve.
FAQs
Asparagus stores best like a bouquet of flowers, trimmed and stored upright in a glass with an inch of water. Place a plastic bag over the glass and store it in the refrigerator for 5-7 days, replacing the water daily.
This is likely due to overcooking the asparagus spears and/or roasting them while wet or overcrowded (which steams the spears instead of roasting them).
Pro Recipe Tips
- Trim the stalks: The ends are tough and chewy, so it’s important to remove them.
- Make sure they’re dry: Otherwise, the asparagus will steam, not roast.
- Use high heat: 425-450F is ideal. This caramelizes the stalks, enhancing their natural sweetness and flavor in the short roasting time.
- Cooking time can vary: Based on the asparagus spear thickness and your oven. Try to use similar-sized spears so they roast evenly.
Serving Recommendations
Oven-roasted asparagus is a simple, versatile, nutrient-dense side dish alongside:
- Pasta: Avocado pesto pasta, cherry tomato basil pasta, vegan pasta primavera, etc.
- Rice/quinoa: Brown rice risotto, veggie-packed vegan fried rice, black bean quinoa casserole.
- ‘Eggs’: Like with vegan tofu scramble with veggies or a vegan quiche, veggie and herb frittata, or vegan omelette.
- Bread: Enjoy with this easy vegan Hollandaise sauce and over avocado toast.
- Vegan roast dinner: With vegan mashed potato, easy vegan gravy, and your choice of protein.
- BBQs/picnics: With grilled tofu steaks, kabobs, healthy roasted potato salad, etc.
Storage Information for Roasted Asparagus
Store: Roasted asparagus is best right out of the oven. However, you can cool any leftovers and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Roast at 350F/177C or pan-fry in a skillet with oil/butter until warm.
Other Vegan Side Dishes to Consider….
Vegan Dinners
Spicy Sugar Snap Peas with Horseradish
Vegan Appetizers
Crispy Brussel Sprouts
Vegan Appetizers
French Potato Salad
Vegan Appetizers
Vegan Caprese Salad
If you tried this roasted asparagus recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of fresh asparagus, washed and dried
- ¼ cup of sesame seeds
- ¼ cup of tahini
- 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place asparagus spears on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until bright green and tender. They may brown in some spots, but this is good.
- While cooking asparagus, toast sesame seeds in a skillet on low heat (they burn easily). Stir them continuously, in 5 to 10 minutes they will start to smell toasty, and will be browning slightly. Take them off the heat and set them aside.
- When the asparagus is done, place it on a wide plate and drizzle tahini and lemon juice over the top. Toss them to coat. Sprinkle it with salt and sesame seeds and toss again. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
- Trim the stalks: The ends are tough and chewy, so it’s important to remove them.
- Make sure they’re dry: Otherwise, the asparagus will steam, not roast.
- Use high heat: 425-450F is ideal. This caramelizes the stalks, enhancing their natural sweetness and flavor in the short roasting time.
- Cooking time can vary: Based on the asparagus spear thickness and your oven. Try to use similar-sized spears so they roast evenly.
Such a yummy asparagus recipe!