This is the BEST oven roasted vegetables recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to extra crispy roasted vegetables? ›

The next time you roast vegetables, add some cornstarch. Yes, cornstarch—that box in your pantry is the secret to a super-crispy exterior on veggies, from potatoes to cauliflower. Cornstarch is commonly used to coat proteins like chicken or beef to achieve a crispy exterior, so why not use it with vegetables?

General Roasting Times for Vegetables

Winter squash (butternut squash, acorn squash): 20 to 60 minutes. Crucifers (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts): 15 to 25 minutes. Soft vegetables (zucchini, summer squash, bell peppers): 10 to 20 minutes. Thin vegetables (asparagus, green beans): 10 to 20 minutes.

Avocado oil generally has the highest smoke point (500 degrees F), so it's my go-to for cooking, roasting, grilling, and pan frying.

425-450 is the sweet spot. And to ensure it's maintaining temperature, I suggest you purchase a basic thermometer for your oven. I had been placing complete faith in my oven settings, assuming 350 was 350, except 350 was more like 325 and my 425 convection setting was more like 500. My oven's a temperamental gal.

Don't crowd the baking sheet.

You want to spread the vegetables in an even layer with space in between so the vegetables can cook and get crispy. If you crowd and overlap the veggies, they will steam and get mushy, not what we want!

There is no need to cover vegetables when roasting. Covering them creates steam, so they won't get as crispy and caramelized. Don't forget to stir once or twice while cooking so the vegetables get nicely browned on all sides. Other than that, you can't really go wrong.

About every 10 minutes or so, rotate the tray in the oven so all the vegetables are being evenly roasted. You should also stir them around a bit using a spatula to make sure they're crisping evenly and not sticking to the tray.

When vegetables are roasted without oil the finished product is a bit drier than it would be otherwise. However, finishing the roasted vegetables and adding flavor post-cooking, such as by tossing them in a small amount of high flavor liquid will boost flavor and add complementary flavor notes to the dish.

Best cooking oil for roasting

Non-virgin, refined olive oil and peanut oil are good high-temperature choices and can withstand an extremely hot oven without smoking.

What is the best fat for roasting vegetables? ›

Regular olive oil is the common choice for cooking/roasting purposes. Extra virgin olive oil is reserved to be a condiment or ingredient in salad dressings or finishing oil when cooking. The reason for this is: cooking requires higher smoke point and regular OO has a higher smoke point than EVOO.

Remember that a quality extra virgin olive oil's smoke point can be around 410 to 425 degrees F. I've not had any trouble using EVOO, but if you want to save it for your Greek salad or are looking for an alternative, reach for a good grapeseed oil.

A: Yes, when roasting vegetables, parchment paper is better than foil. Recent research in the International Journal of Electrochemical Science suggests that when we use aluminum foil during cooking, some aluminum leaches into food.

Lower Position: Bottom Browning

The bottom position gets color on the bottom. Use the lower position when you're looking for that bottom crust. Sheet pan pizza, roasted veggies, and a cast iron brownie all benefit from the lower oven rack position.

Once the vegetables are properly coated with oil, spread them out evenly across your baking sheet in one layer. If the vegetables are arranged too closely together or are on top of one another, they will steam, making them mushy rather than caramelized.

Vegetables need to roast in a single layer without overlapping one another on the baking sheet. This will allow the air to circulate and crisp the outsides (otherwise, the veggies will steam and not crisp). Use Enough Olive Oil. Oil is necessary for the vegetables to caramelize.

As the water evaporates, these molecules settle into a rigid, locked network, creating a crunchy coating. Many flours contain amylose, but cornstarch contains a relatively high amount, almost 30% by mass, making it a great ingredient for upping the texture on your roasted vegetables.

Use Calcium Chloride

It is used in the food industry to help preserve the texture of canned fruit and vegetables. Sea salt is sodium chloride. In this case, we're talking about calcium chloride!