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You’ll love this easy Roasted Asparagus Recipe with olive oil, garlic, and lemon. The high oven temperature cooks it to tender-crisp perfection in 10 minutes or less making it a quick, easy, and healthy side dish.
The slimmest, tenderest stalks of asparagus show in spring (at the best prices, too), but oven-roasted asparagus is a timely side dish all year long. I especially love to serve it at the holidays because it cooks so quickly.
In this recipe, you cook asparagus at 400 degrees so it’s done in 10 minutes or less. I love the flavors of garlic and lemon here, but you can choose other flavor combinations or add ingredients on top after roasting.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Asparagus: To trim the tough, woody ends of each spear, you can cut it with a knife or bend it until it snaps. The asparagus will break precisely where the tender part ends and the tough part begins. Roast the stems whole or cut into bite-sized pieces before roasting, if desired. If you have especially slim, thin spears, they may cook faster than thick spears so keep an eye on them.
- Lemon: The zest of one lemon (about 1 teaspoon) can be added along with the lemon juice. Just zest the lemon before you cut it to squeeze it.
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup. In a large bowl, add asparagus and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with garlic and salt and pepper to taste. (I like at least ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; sometimes I do a little more.)
- Transfer to prepared baking pan and arrange asparagus spears in a single layer as much as possible. Bake until lightly browned in some places but still crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overcook. Transfer to a serving platter.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 (1 cup) servings of asparagus. The exact amount depends on where you were able to snap off the ends.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To use them up, add them to scrambled eggs or omelets or toss in a garden salad.
- Peeling: If the skin seems thick and tough, use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the stalk to within about 2 inches of the tip.
- Buying: Fresher is always better. Look for straight, sturdy spears that are bright green with a purple hue at the tip. Check the bottom of the bunch to see if the stalks are wrinkled, completely dried out, or too woody. And, inspect the tops of the asparagus. When the tips of the spears start to open, darken or appear slimy, skip it.
- Expired: Asparagus tips are the most tender part of the vegetable and always the first to go bad. If the tips start to change to a very dark green color and fall apart easily between your fingers, it’s time to toss.
- Cheese: Using a vegetable peeler or cheese grater, add 1-2 ounces Parmesan cheese, Pecorino Romano, Asiago, or dry Jack cheese and sprinkle over the roasted asparagus.
- More roasted vegetable recipes: Try Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Butternut Squash, Roasted Carrots, Roasted Green Beans, Roasted Radishes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Roasted Root Vegetables.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should always wash asparagus and any other produce before cooking, but it doesn’t need to be specifically soaked unless it is especially dirty. Be sure to dry it if you’re roasting it, so the oil can cling better.
You may have overcooked it. Asparagus cooks quickly, so especially with slim, tender stems, they may overcook if you aren’t watching carefully.
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Roasted Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds asparagus fibrous ends trimmed (see note 1)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (see note 2)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- In a large bowl, add asparagus, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (I like at least ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; sometimes I do a little more).
- Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast until lightly browned in some places but still crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overcook.
Notes
- Asparagus: To trim the tough, fibrous portion of each spear, you can cut it with a knife or bend it until it snaps. The asparagus will break precisely where the tender part ends and the tough part begins. Roast the stems whole or cut into bite-sized pieces before roasting, if desired. If you have especially slim, tender stems, they may cook faster so keep an eye on them.
- Lemon: The zest of one lemon (about 1 teaspoon) can be added with the lemon juice. Just zest the lemon before you cut it to squeeze it.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 (1-cup) servings asparagus. The exact amount depends on where you were able to snap off the ends.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To use them up, add to scrambled eggs or omelets or toss in a garden salad.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Roasted fresh asparagus last evening for dinner. Done perfectly in nine minutes in my countertop oven. Dinner guests raved. Another Culinary Hill gem. Thank you Meggan and Team.
I love your website. You make everything so easy, uncomplicated, do-able and tasty! Thank you for your hard work!