How To Roast Vegetables Perfectly Every Time

Whether you are making a delicious roast or are just craving the warm, comforting flavour of a home-cooked meal, roast vegetables are a delicious addition to your plate. But have you ever taken your veggies out of the oven and not liked what you see? Have they burst, burnt or shrunk down too much to enjoy? Then you need to learn how to roast vegetables properly!

When it comes to figuring out how to roast vegetables, we have you covered. Find out the perfect temperature to cook them at, their ideal seasonings and more in our detailed roast veggies guide.

Quick Links

• Popular Vegetables for Roasting
• What Roast Vegetables Go Best With Different Roast Meats
• What You Will Need
• How to Season Roast Vegetables
• Steps to Cook Roast Vegetables
• Roast Vegetable Cooking Tips

10 Popular Vegetables for Roasting

Almost every vegetable can be roasted, from the hard-skinned pumpkin to the watery tomato. While you can chuck in almost any veggie that is sitting in your crisper, have a read of our top 10 vegetables for roasting and see if your favourite is in there!

1. Potato

The humble potato is the hero vegetable for many roast dishes, and for good reason. Crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, roast potatoes work with almost any seasoning and meat choice. Choose a floury potato like a desiree or a russet for best results.

2. Pumpkin

Roasting pumpkin will bring out their natural sweetness, and some pumpkins can even be cooked with their skin still on. You can also mash up pumpkin after it has been roasted for a silky soft side dish.

3. Carrot

Carrots turn from hard and a little bitter to soft and sweet when roasted, and can be cooked whole or in pieces.

4. Onion

An onion will caramelise and become wonderfully sweet and tender when roasted. These don't need to cook as long as other roast vegetables.

5. Parsnip

Parsnips have a naturally nutty and sweet flavour, but this will be enhanced when they're roasted. They should be peeled before cooking.

6. Broccoli

While the flavour of broccoli doesn't change much when it is roasted, the florets will crisp up wonderfully and you may even get a lovely char taste if you cook it for long enough.

7. Cauliflower

Cauliflower will sweeten up when roasted and will also develop a bit of char, similar to broccoli.

8. Brussel Sprouts

You'll never go back to steamed or boiled sprouts after you've roasted them - they become caramelised and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

9. Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is perfect for roasting, as it becomes tender and tasty when cooked this way. You can leave the skin on, but make sure to chop up this large root vegetable!

10. Asparagus

Roasting asparagus is a quick and tasty way to serve this woody veggie. Make sure to snap off the woody ends before cooking.

What Roast Vegetables Go Best With Different Roast Meats

Here's the secret - all the roast vegetables we listed above will go great with any roast meat or poultry you decide to cook. But there are some special extras you can add to each one that will really make your meal shine!

Chicken

• Slice a lemon in half and insert it inside the chicken before cooking. It will add a lovely aromatic flavour to the meat without overwhelming it.
• Herbs like thyme, oregano and parsley can be added inside and on top of the chicken for some freshness.

Lamb

• Mint goes very well with lamb - either create a mint sauce and service it on the side, or use it as part of a rub to slather on top of the lamb.
• Rosemary is lamb's best friend, so make sure to include it somehow when you are roasting it. Use it as part of a rub or cut slits in the surface of the lamb and poke sprigs of rosemary inside.

Pork

• Green apples cut through the rich, salty flavour of pork wonderfully. You can bake them with the roast itself, serve softened apple slices on the side or create an apple sauce.

Beef

• Sauces and condiments like gravy and horseradish are very popular with roast beef. If you prefer dijon or grainy mustard, be sure to add these to the list of sides as well.

What You Will Need

Kitchen Knife

When preparing your vegetables, you want to cleanly cut through them without any squishing or crushing. That's why a quality sharp knife will be your best friend - look in particular for special vegetable, peeling and paring knives.

Chopping board

Prepare your veggies on a sturdy chopping board. Plastic chopping boards are best, as they will resist any damage from your knife and won't take on any aromas and stains from the vegetables as long as they are washed properly.

Oven tray

Choose a baking tray that is wide enough for your vegetables to sit comfortably, as they will steam each other if placed too close together. Also, try to choose one with lower sides, so the vapours coming off your veggies as they cook don't become trapped and leave you with soft vegetables.

Roaster

A roaster will elevate your roast meat off the tray and give you space to cook your veggies underneath. This means even cooking for all, plus any tasty juices will fall onto your roast veggies.

Other kitchen utensils

Make sure you have tongs, a thermometer and peeling tools on hand when cooking roast veggies. These utensils will make preparing, checking and serving your roast veggies a whole lot easier for you.

How to Enhance Your Roast Vegetables

Roast vegetables are incredibly easy to season and don't require much to make them really flavourful. A simple combination of olive oil, salt and cracked pepper will ensure your roast veggies are tasty enough to hero any dish, but if you want to cook something really special, here are some extra things you can add:

• Garlic - rather than mincing them, peel the papery white skin off the cloves and pop them in amongst your veggies. Once all your veggies have cooked, you can squeeze the cloves out of their casing and either eat them whole or mash them up.
• Cheese - as a final step, add a little grated parmesan or cheddar cheese to your veggies just as they finish. You can either toss the cheese through the veggies or leave it as a layer on top.
• Honey - while it won't work with all vegetables, honey roasted carrots, parsnips and sweet potato are a delicious sweet treat that can help you get fussy eaters to enjoy their vegetables.
• Citrus - add some zest or juice of citrus fruits like lemon and orange to veggies after you have cooked them. This will add a little zing to your veggies that can really perk up their flavour!
• Herbs & spices - try adding rosemary, oregano, thyme, sage and parsley to your vegetables when you put them in the oven. Not only will they infuse your vegetables with their delightful flavours, but eating the crispy herbs afterwards is a tasty treat on its own! As for spices, try zingy ones like paprika or even chilli if you're feeling adventurous.

Steps to Cook Roast Vegetables

Generally, larger and hardier vegetables like potatoes, pumpkin and carrots will take longer to cook than smaller, mushier ones like zucchini, capsicum and asparagus. Here are some rough times you can follow, but please be aware these will change depending on how small a piece you decide to cut the vegetables into.

How Long To Roast Vegetables

Vegetable Cooking Times at 220°C fan-forced

• Potato, carrot, pumpkin and parsnip: 30-45 minutes
• Brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower: 15-20 minutes
• Asparagus, broccoli, capsicum and zucchini: 10-15 minutes

If you aren't sure, about how long to roast your vegetables, leave them in for ten minutes and start checking on them periodically. You want them to be tender when stuck with a fork and charred on the edges slightly.

To cook roast vegetables:

1. Pre-heat oven to 220°C, fan-forced. Combine your vegetables with olive oil, salt and your chosen seasonings in a bowl, and make sure to coat them evenly.
2. Spread them out evenly on a baking tray lined with baking paper and then pop them into the oven.
3. Keeping to the times above, cook until your vegetables are soft and a little charred on the edges. If you are cooking multiple kinds of vegetables that require different cooking times, either add them to the tray as time goes on or use a second oven tray. Try to time it so they all finish cooking together.
4. Remove your vegetables from the tray gently - they are soft, so don't crush them! Add any after-cooking seasoning like cheese or citrus now.

Roast Vegetable Cooking Tips

Make The Oven Hot!

Make sure to pump your oven up to at least 220°C, and fan-forced if possible. Remember, you aren't baking your vegetables, you're roasting them. You want a little char!

Keep Your Veggies Spaced Out

We've said this before, and it bears repeating - make sure each vegetable is spaced out on your baking tray, evenly touching the metal surface and ideally not touching other vegetables. Crowding your vegetables will encourage them to steam instead, and you didn't go to all the effort of chopping, seasoning and cooking your veggies for that result.

To Peel Or Not To Peel?

Some vegetables can be cooked with the skin off, with others actually benefit from leaving the skin on. Carrots and parsnips have bitter skin that you should remove before you cook them, while potatoes and some pumpkins like the Kent variety actually have skin that crisps up in the oven and is a delight to eat!

Roast vegetables are a great accompaniment to roast meat, they can be added to salads or they can even be just served on their own as a delicious, healthy meal. Be sure to try roasting your favourite veggies and discover how their flavours change in the oven - you might never go back to steaming or boiling again!

For more great food ideas that anyone can try, check out our food hub.