Roasted Asparagus

Quick and easy roasted asparagus recipe, with thick asparagus spears, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated October 13, 2022
Elise Bauer
Spears of Roasted Asparagus on Platter
Elise Bauer

How to Cook Asparagus

Roasted asparagus in the oven is one of the easiest way to prepare asparagus. Just coat the asparagus with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and maybe a little minced garlic, and roast them until lightly browned and tender.

If you want to take the roasted asparagus up a notch, when they're done, drizzle them with a little lemon juice or balsamic vinegar or sprinkle them with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

roasted-asparagus-method-2
Elise Bauer

Tip for Roasted Asparagus

Have you ever had roasted asparagus turn out tough and stringy? The best way to avoid that is to use the fat spears, not the skinny ones, for roasting. The skinny ones will dry out too quickly in the high heat of the oven.

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Roasted Asparagus

Prep Time 6 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Total Time 18 mins
Servings 4 servings

For best results for roasting asparagus, use thick asparagus spears, not skinny ones. The thin ones will dry out too quickly and will end up tough and stringy.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound asparagus spears (thick spears are best for roasting)

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, to taste

Method

  1. Preheat the oven and prep the asparagus:

    Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Rinse the asparagus spears. If the ends are tough, break them off and either discard or save for stock. You can also use a vegetable peeler to peel away the tough outer skin of the fatter ends of the asparagus if you want.

    Lined Asparagus Spears for Roasted Asparagus
    Elise Bauer
  2. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic:

    Line a roasting pan with foil. Arrange the asparagus spears in a single layer on the lined roasting pan.

    Drizzle with olive oil and rub the spears all over with the olive oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and minced garlic, and rub over the asparagus spears to evenly distribute.

    roasted-asparagus-method-2
    Elise Bauer
  3. Roast in the oven:

    Roast at 400°F (205°C) for 10 minutes, more or less, depending on your particular oven and how thick the spears are, until the asparagus are just lightly browned and tender when you pierce them with a fork.

    Roasted Asparagus out of the oven
    Elise Bauer
  4. Drizzle with lemon juice or balsamic to serve:

    To serve, drizzle with fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, and if you want, a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese (skip if cooking vegan).

    Roasted asparagus on a plate
    Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
89 Calories
7g Fat
6g Carbs
3g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 89
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 98mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 9mg 45%
Calcium 34mg 3%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 268mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.