Here's the secret to creating crispy, caramelized roasted root vegetables. Intensify the flavour even more by tossing them with an apple cider vinaigrette. Use your favourites and make a medley of root veggies. Choose from potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, kohlrabi, and onion.
Roasted root vegetables. Crispy on the outside but soft and warm on the inside. This may seem easier said than done, but today I'm sharing the secret for achieving this roasted veggie bliss. Three simple steps to perfection!
This recipe was originally published in 2015. It was time for a refresh!
❤️Why this recipe works
- It's an easy 3-step technique to guarantee the tastiest roasted veggies. With tender insides and the best crispy, caramelized edges, you'll want to use this method for all your veggies from now on!
- Roasting vegetables is the key to intensifying their flavour and preserving their nutrients. Vegetables roasted in the oven develop a deep rich taste that you just can't achieve with other cooking methods.
- Once you've roasted the vegetables, you'll toss them with this amazing (but amazingly simple) apple cider vinaigrette. It adds the perfect finishing touch to these crispy veggies, enhancing their natural flavour even more.
Once you learn to make the best roasted veggies, you'll love this Sheet Pan Chicken and Roasted Harvest Vegetables and Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Maple Sweet Potatoes!
You can even add roasted vegetables to salads! Try this Butternut Squash Salad with Cranberries and Feta or Roasted Sweet Potato Spinach Salad with Maple Walnuts and Bacon.
🛒 Ingredients
Root Vegetables
- Root vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, kohlrabi, onions and garlic, enough for 4 servings. (about 4 to 6 cups total)
- olive oil for drizzling
- salt and pepper to taste
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- honey
- shallot, finely chopped
- sea salt and pepper to taste
🔪 Instructions
Here are three steps I've discovered to guarantee that caramelized crispiness we crave in roasted vegetables.
1. Cut the vegetables in uniform sizes.
Choose vegetables that have similar density, like carrots, potatoes, kohlrabi, beets and sweet potatoes. I use a combination of treasures from the farmer's market and root vegetables from my garden.
Make sure your veggies are at room temperature and dry, as water is the enemy of crispy roasted root vegetables. Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss with sea salt and pepper.
2. Preheat your baking sheet.
Heat a baking sheet before arranging the vegetables on it. Heat the oven to 400°F or 425°F, then place an empty baking sheet with low sides in the oven for a few minutes.
The vegetables should sizzle when you arrange them on the hot baking pan.
3. Space the vegetables out on the baking sheet.
Make sure the vegetables are spaced out a little on the sheet. Crowding them or cooking them in a pan with high sides will cause them to be steamed instead of roasted, and you'll may miss out on that crispy deliciousness.
Use two pans if you're serving a large group.
Bake in a hot oven for 20 - 30 minutes or longer, depending on the size of the vegetables. Flip them over halfway through the baking time.
I like to use a stainless steel fish turner to get right underneath so I don't lose those crispy bits.
Whisk together the apple cider vinaigrette ingredients while the veggies are roasting, then simply toss with the vinaigrette in a serving dish and serve hot.
Three steps to perfect apple cider roasted root vegetables
- same size veggies
- hot pan
- space them out
🔁 Possible Variations
If you don't want to use the apple cider vinaigrette, you can simply toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a tablespoon or two of fresh or dried herbs before roasting.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Store leftover roasted root vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. To reheat, space out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and heat in a 400°F. oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through and crisp.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve these with any of the following favourites!
🗒 More Side Dish Recipes
When you make this recipe for apple cider roasted root vegetables, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing how my recipes turned out for you, or what adaptations you made. Thanks in advance!
📖 Recipe
Apple Cider Roasted Root Vegetables
Ingredients
- Root vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, beets, parsnips, kohlrabi, onions and garlic, enough for 4 - 6 servings.
- olive oil for drizzling
- salt and pepper to taste
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F.
- Scrub and cut the vegetables into uniform sizes.
- Peel the garlic cloves.
- Toss the vegetables and the whole garlic cloves with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
- Heat a baking sheet with low edges in the oven for about 4 - 5 minutes.
- Arrange the vegetables on the sheet so they are spaced apart and not touching one another.
- Roast for 20 - 30 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time until vegetables are easily pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients.
- Toss the hot roasted vegetables with the vinaigrette and serve immediately.
Dj
What is the point of the garlic cloves? It only mentions garlic once and it just says to peel it. Is the garlic just to roast with the veggies? Or does it play a part in the vinaigrette?
Thanks
Flavour & Savour
Great question! Thanks for giving me the chance to clear that up. I roast the whole garlic cloves with the vegetables, as I'm a garlic lover! In the recipe, I categorize it as a root vegetable. I can understand your confusion. I notice that only one garlic clove is visible on the baking tray in the photo. Thanks for commenting!
Sharyn
How would I be able to transport them in 1 hour to our church dinner and still have them crispy ?
Flavour & Savour
Hi Sharyn,
That might be a problem. If you have a way to reheat them quickly once you're there, you could roast them at home first and cover with foil to keep them warm the pop them in the oven for a while. In this case, I wouldn't add the apple cider vinaigrette until just before serving at your church dinner. Hope it works for you!
cathy pengelly
Dear Elaine, I enjoy receiving your wonderful recipes and tips each week and I'm looking forward to trying the Sheet Pan Chicken and Roasted Harvested Vegetables. Sounds so yummy! I'm one of those gluten sensitive people and have found that I can make almost all of your recipes without worry. I wonder if you would have one for Chocolate Moulton Cake.?
Many thanks
Cathy
Flavour & Savour
Hi Cathy,
Thanks so much for your kind words! Mmmm . . . your suggestion sounds wonderful. I don't have a recipe on the blog for that, but let me see what I can develop! Stay tuned 🙂
Dana
Look at these lovely veggies! I love cider, so I'm totally going to have to try this. Roasted vegetables are my fave way to eat them, and I usually keep it pretty simple with olive oil, salt + pepper --- but cider, I can do!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Dana! Roasting veggies is simply the best!
Sean
Roasted root veggies are one of those things that everyone should know how to do perfectly. They're just so incredible once you get a little experience getting the right crispy crust on them. The apple cider vinegar is a spectacular idea. That sweet/tart taste is a perfect balance against the rich, earthy veggies. Honestly, it's a wonderful ingredient period. I can't believe how many of my meals it finds its way into now!
Flavour & Savour
Yes, me too, Sean. It's suspected to help control blood sugar levels too.
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
Roasted vegetables are my favorite, but we don't make roasted root vegetables as often. Gotta change that! They look beautifully crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Thanks for the tips, I want to try warming up the pan next time!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Nicoletta! They're so easy!
Cathy
This looks great, Elaine! I love roasted vegetables and must try them with the vinaigrette! I also like the tip of heating the pan first.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Cathy,
This recipe is a favourite in our home!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs
What a great tip to heat the pan first for crispier veggies, thank you! I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before, I do it for bread all the time. This looks wonderful with the ACV dressing, too. I'll definitely be trying this soon.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Alexandra,
It really does make a difference! Thanks for commenting.
Mairead
Thanks for the tips on roasting veggies! The vinaigrette makes them something special!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Maireed!
Dr. Kimberley | Healthy Life Redesign
Mmmm yum, Elaine! I love your tricks for keeping the root veggies nice and crispy! I made a roasted root vegetable dish yesterday and also used the vinegar trick, but chose balsamic instead. I agree, vinegars really bring out the flavour and I'm looking forward to trying the apple cider vinegar as another delicious option. I also want to try your spacing technique to keep the vegetables crisp. I do that with sweet potatoes, but when I make roasted veggies I tend to make a huge batch and inevitably they steam more than they roast.
Thanks for the great tips!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks! That's so funny--I am making a balsamic root veggie dish today!
Pamela Kitchen
Do youhave a reason for prefering shallot over a vidalia or green onion. I have found shallots really strong flavoured when I have bought them.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Pamela,
Feel free to swap in onions for the shallots. Shallots have a pronounced flavour which I happen to love, so I often include them in a vinaigrette. I would just make sure to chop the onions very finely if you are substituting them. Thanks for your question!
Flavour & Savour
Great question. We all hate losing those crispy bits.:) I used to always use parchment paper, but I've found that using the hot baking sheet with oil-coated veggies works better for me. I use a heavy gauge baking pan and a metal fish flipper to turn them (those really thin ones that get right underneath.) If my vegetables are at room temperature and dry before I toss them in oil and I've spaced them out so they are not creating a lot of steam, I find they don't stick. And just like when I brown chicken parts, I give the pan a quick shake once I put the vegetables on it, just to release that initial stickiness.Thanks for asking a question that concerns us all!
Jackie
Question: Will heating the pan first stop the veggies from sticking to the pan? Do you have any tips about how to make sure the crispy part touching the pan does not tear off when you go to turn the veggies? I have tried parchment paper, but not sure that works that well. Or should I use cooking spray? I find tossing them in oil does not always do the trick.
Kristen @ The Endless Meal
Those veggies look amazing! Love the vinaigrette!!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Kristen! The cider vinaigrette adds a nice "fall" touch!