How to Roast Vegetables: A Universal Guide

Easy instructions, cook times, and recipes for perfectly roasted veggies every time

Whether you’re meal prepping for the week or just want a simple side dish, oven-roasted vegetables are hard to beat. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness, adds caramelized edges, and transforms everyday produce into something craveable. And the best part? Once you’ve got the basics down, you can roast just about anything.

In this guide, we’ll cover how to roast vegetables the universal way—including ideal cook times and prep tips. Plus, we’ll link to more specific guides for roasting carrots, broccoli, onions, and more.

How to Make Roasted Vegetables (The Basics)

No matter what veggie you’re roasting, this method is your starting point:

Preheat oven to 425°F.
This temperature is ideal for caramelization without drying out your veggies.
Cut veggies into similar-sized pieces.
Aim for 1-inch chunks so everything cooks evenly.
Toss with oil, salt, and pepper.
Olive oil is our go-to, but avocado oil also works well for high-heat roasting.
Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan.
Overcrowding = steaming, not roasting. Use two pans if needed.
Roast, flip halfway, and monitor doneness.
Use the guide below for suggested cook times, but always adjust for your oven.

How Long to Bake Roasted Vegetables

Carrots	25–30 mins	Peel and cut into ½-inch sticks or coins
Broccoli	20–25 mins	Roast florets with flat sides down for crispy edges
Potatoes	30–40 mins	Chop into 1-inch cubes or wedges
Brussels Sprouts	20–25 mins	Halve for better browning
Onions	25–30 mins	Slice into thick wedges
Butternut Squash	25–30 mins	Peel and cube; goes great with warming spices
Beets	35–45 mins	Peel and cube or roast whole in foil
Baby Turnips	20–25 mins	No need to peel—just halve or quarter
Cauliflower	25–30 mins	Break into small florets
Zucchini/Summer Squash	15–20 mins	Best with a quick roast to avoid mushiness

Looking for Something More Specific?

We’ve got step-by-step guides for individual veggies, too—each with tips, seasoning ideas, and complementary recipes:

How to Roast Chicken and Vegetables Together

Looking for a full meal on one pan? Pair your veggies with chicken for a no-fuss dinner:

Prefer fish? Try One-Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Roasted Veggies

Roasted Vegetables Tips

Don’t skip the flip. Turning your veggies halfway through helps them brown evenly.
Try a finishing sauce. Roasted veg are great solo, but a drizzle of something flavorful takes them to the next level. Try these sauce ideas, these universal sauces that work on almost any veg, or simple homemade pesto.
Use parchment for easier cleanup. Bonus: It prevents sticking and helps veggies brown.

Whether you’re making a fridge clean-out meal or prepping for the week ahead, oven-roasted vegetables are a healthy, low-effort way to upgrade dinner. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll always have a way to turn any veggie into something golden and delicious.

Thank you for inquiring about this, Debbie. Unfortunately, the produce we source would otherwise go to waste as grocery stores won’t buy it and our farm partners don’t have the infrastructure, time, or resources to get these items to customers or processors. We see our Misfits Market boxes as a more scalable solution to rescuing food and getting it to people who may not otherwise be able to afford high-quality produce.

Every box of Misfits Market produce you order benefits farmers and makers, helps prevent food waste, and ultimately helps fix a broken food system. We also work with organizations that provide food to the hungry whenever we can. We don’t widely publicize our donation efforts, but we will let our customers know through our newsletter whenever charitable giving opportunities come up!

Comments (3)

Really? How about donating this food to homeless shelters and children’s homes?

Few realize the possible legal ramifications involved in such donations. My husband was an executive chef for 32 years and at three separate private country clubs he worked at, donated organic produce, unopened, fresh, large containers of pantry items and a small truckload of entire boxed cook meals, all taken to either a homeless shelter or drug rehab facility resulted in lawsuits, usually just one person claimed to have been sickened by the donated items. Same happened to a ‘mega-church’ pastor friend who donated boxes of fresh garden items his members had collected for a homeless shelter in Florida. Some states have strange laws regarding such donations. A sad fact but possibly a costly one.