Easy Roasted Asparagus
Easy Roasted Asparagus might become your favorite asparagus recipe because it’s flexible on the cooking temperature. Whenever you’re cooking something else in the oven this will be a perfect side dish; see the three options for oven temperatures and cooking times in the recipe.
PIN Easy Roasted Asparagus to try it later!
I’ve shared plenty of recipes for asparagus roasted at high heat on this site, like Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms and Roasted Asparagus with Soy-Sesame Glaze. But today for Friday Favorites I’m reminding you about this Easy Roasted Asparagus that’s one I make often because of the way it’s flexible on the cooking temperature. And nothing beats simple roasted asparagus for a side dish when you don’t want to go to much trouble!
I know not everyone is an asparagus fan, but roasted asparagus is something I look forward to every year, which is why there’s such a collection of Asparagus Recipes on my site. And right now it’s asparagus season when the price goes down a bit, so grab some asparagus and roast it!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- fresh asparagus
- extra virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- best quality Balsamic Vinegar (affiliate link)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
What temperatures will work for this Easy Roasted Asparagus?
Any time you’re making something else in the oven you should remember this recipe where the asparagus roasts perfectly at a variety of different oven temperatures. Whichever option you choose, cook the asparagus until it’s as done as you prefer!
- If you’re cooking at 350F/180C, I would start to check the asparagus at about 20 minutes.
- If you’re cooking at 375F/190 C, I would start to check the asparagus at about 18 minutes.
- If you’re cooking at 400F/200C, I would start to check the asparagus at about 16 minutes.
Is Easy Roasted Asparagus low in carbs?
Asparagus is a great low-carb vegetable, and this Easy Roasted Asparagus has only about 4 net carbs per serving. And it’s also gluten-free and dairy-free!
Want more ideas for Asparagus?
- Roasted Asparagus and Peppers
- Asparagus with Tahini-Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Roasted Asparagus with Garlic
- Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms with Everything Bagel Seasoning
How to make Easy Roasted Asparagus:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Trim woody ends of the asparagus and cut the stem on the diagonal. I like long whole pieces, but you can cut into shorter bite-sized pieces if you prefer.
- Put asparagus into a Ziploc bag (or dish) with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.
- You can marinate asparagus for a bit if you have time, but it’s not completely necessary.
- When you’re ready to cook, preheat oven to 350F/180C. (Or use 375F/190C or 400F/200C if you prefer. See those cooking times in recipe below)
- To drain the asparagus, I cut off the tip of the bag and let the olive oil / vinegar mixture drain out.
- Spread asparagus out on a cookie sheet, spacing it out well.
- Roast asparagus until it’s done to your liking, starting to check for doneness after about 20 minutes for 350F/180C temperature.
- Serve Easy Roasted Asparagus hot and enjoy.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
This tasty asparagus can share the 350F/180C oven with Roasted Chicken Thighs with Onions, Mushrooms, and Rosemary, Roasted Tomatoes and Shrimp with Feta, or Stuffed Peppers with Beef, Sausage, and Cabbage. (If you bump the temperature up to 375F/190C you’ll find a lot more options. Just enter that temperature in the search bar to find them.)
Find More Perfect Asparagus Recipes:
- Low-Carb Sheet Pan Meals with Asparagus
- Low-Carb and Keto Asparagus Recipes
- Low-Carb and Keto Asparagus Recipes for Easter
- Fried Asparagus Tips with Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
- Asparagus, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Easy Roasted Asparagus
Easy Roasted Asparagus is the perfect side dish when you're making something else in the oven because it can be cooked at a variety of different temperatures!
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T best quality balsamic vinegar (more or less to taste)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Oven should be preheated to 350F/180C. (See below for other cooking temperatures.)
- Take one piece of asparagus and hold by both ends and snap. This will give you a guide as to how much woody stem of the asparagus needs to be cut off (usually about 2 inches).
- Trim the rest of the asparagus pieces to that size. (You can cut it into shorter lengths if you prefer.)
- Put asparagus in large Ziploc bag or plastic container with snap-tight lid, pour in olive oil, vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
- Manipulate bag or turn over container until asparagus is well coated with oil/vinegar mixture. (You can let it marinate for a while if that fits your schedule.)
- If you marinated the asparagus in a Ziploc bag, just cut off a corner and let the oil and vinegar drain out.
- When you're ready to cook, put the asparagus on a baking sheet, spacing it out as much as possible.
- Cook until it's as done as you prefer. Start to check at about 20 minutes if you're using the 350F/180C temperature.
- If you're cooking at 375F/190 C I would start to check at about 18 minutes. If you're cooking at 400F/200C, I would start to check at about 16 minutes.
- Cooking time for asparagus is a personal preference. I prefer it still slightly crisp, but some people like it softer.
- You might want to serve this with a few drops of that very expensive balsamic vinegar you’ve been saving drizzled over just before serving.
Notes
This recipe perfected by Kalyn when she only had one oven and wanted to cook asparagus with another dish that used this temperature!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 90Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 162mgCarbohydrates 6gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Asparagus is a perfect side dish for any low-carb or Keto eating plan, as well as for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Asparagus recipe was first posted in 2006 and I’ve made it over and over for dinner guests since then; it was last updated with more information in 2024.
23 Comments on “Easy Roasted Asparagus”
Love the versatility of temps that can be used. If you’re feeling special grate some fresh Pecorino Romano on top before roasting. Another trick I like with bag-marinating is add some Dijon mustard to make it adhere better to potatoes, veggies etc.
Glad you like it. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Balsamic sounds great, but I usually top mine with Parmesan Reggiano.
No reason you can’t do that with this recipe!
I can't imagine a way I would not love asparagus! And I like the idea of cooking this along with something else in the oven.
Yes Lydia, that temperature that's friendly for cooking other things is what brings me back to this recipe over and over.
Oldsarge6, I’ve never cooked with canned asparagus and to tell the truth, I don’t know if I’ve ever bought it. Maybe someone else will e-mail you with an idea.
I have cans and cans of asparagus spears. My family has never eaten this item. Can someone help me to introduce my family to asparagus. Thanks oldsarge6@yahoo.com.
Leslie, glad you liked it, and thanks for the asparagus information. I didn’t know that, and always wondered what the difference was. Also, I always kind of preferred the thicker ones, it felt like I was getting more asparagus flavor for my money!
I just made this and it was great! Thanks!
I’d like to explain something to people who have never grown asparagus. Asparagus is different from other vegetables – the earliest asparagus is actually the thick stalks. Asparagus is the shoot of a plant coming up from the roots. As you pick the spears, new spears will come up, but as the energy stored in the roots is used up, the stalks get thinner and thinner. When the reach a certain size, you must stop picking, let the stalks mature, and give the plant a chance to recover its strength until next year.
So the thick stalks are not more mature versions of the thin stalks. They are actually the first growth and are quite tender.
I’m just so happy that it’s asparagus season again!
We’ll be roasting it until my kids can’t stand the sight of it any more.
I’m reading your asparagus post from a conference in Seville, Spain, where they make a variation on this dish.
They pick out asparagus that is nice and skinny (early spring after all, and they sell asparagus in the street seasonally), leave it whole, combine with spring onions (each cut in half lengthwise), season very simply with coarse salt (but not too coarse, kosher would work) and olive oil, and roast.
The spring onions carmelize a little and add a little zing …
Isn’t spring wonderful!
I’ll be jealous of all that lovely green asparagus…and you can be jealous of my lovely violet asparagus!
Wonderful!! I can’t get enough asparagus right now. It’s so delicious.
Asparagus is all over the blogosphere this week. I can’t wait to get some!
It strikes me that this would be really great finger food with some kind of light balsamic dip…but I don’t have anything specific in mind. Until I come up with a dip, I’ll enjoy it just as you have it here.
Toni, you’re welcome. Apparently we were posting our comments at the same time.
My local market had asparagus on sale – $1 a pound! I bought 2 bunches of them – again! I can’t get enough of them! I used olive oil the last time I roasted them, but didn’t use the vinegar. Thanks for sharing a different way to roast them!
How funny, Kalyn. I made your recipe for slow roasted asparagus Monday night. I got a good bunch of spears and knew just where to look for a tasty recipe. It was delicious!
-Brady
I love asparagus any which way, but roasting and grilling are my favorites. Love asparagus with balsamic, too.
Looks great. Roasting does wonders for so many veggies–asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower . . .
This is going to be the Spring when I finally slow roast asparagus for the first time! Thanks Kalyn!
Great minds think alike. I made Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan last night – nice and easy, and finally a wee bit ‘o Spring.