These roasted root vegetables are the perfect side dish to any meal! They’re flavored with just a few simple ingredients that brings out the perfect caramelization and sweetness of the vegetables.
Make these as a delicious side dish for your next meal or bring them to a holiday meal like Thanksgiving and watch them disappear faster than the mashed potatoes!
The Best Roasted Root Vegetables Recipe
A few years ago my husband and I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time ever. I wanted everything to be perfect because you know it was our first time hosting, and I’m a bit of an entertaining perfectionist.
We decided that instead of the traditional veggies like corn and green beans, we wanted to make some roasted root vegetables instead.
Thank goodness we did because somehow in the middle of the meal the legs on our food table buckled and half our side dishes went flying. Sausage stuffing gone. Honey cornbread gone. Baked mac and cheese gone. You get it.
Even the whole tray of chocolate turkey treats hit the floor.
But these root veggies weren’t quite done yet (we put them in late) so even though we lost half the food, we had these guys. And they were so good no one even really noticed that we no longer had any of those other things.
We’ve been making these roasted root vegetables every Thanksgiving since, and they’ve now become everyone’s favorite side dish (other than these homemade crescent rolls of course).
We’ve played with the recipe quite a bit and the ghee and salt combination really just gives the perfect amount of caramelization on the veggies. You’re going to love it!
This roasted root vegetable recipe isn’t just good for special occasions, we make them throughout the fall and winter months. Oven-roasted root vegetables are good as a side dish for pretty much anything and with this recipe being so easy, it’ll be a new favorite!
Why you’ll love This Recipe
- Easy to make – if you can cut vegetables and sprinkle salt, you can make these roasted winter vegetables. That’s literally all you have to do to make these!
- Natural sweetness – roasting the vegetables with just a little added salt and ghee really allows the natural sweetness of the different veggies to come through. You get a sweet flavor with just the natural sugars, no added maple syrup, honey, or other sweetener.
- Great to make ahead – whether you want to do the cutting on Sundays for meal prep or chopping the day before a big meal during holiday season, this is an easy one to prep ahead of time. Then just roast and serve warm!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Carrots – we like to use rainbow carrots in this recipe simply to add more color. You can just use regular orange carrots if you’d like as well. If you have the choice, a large carrot with nice thickness is better than a skinny one.
- Beets – you can either use fresh or pre-cooked beets like Love Beets or Gefen Beets to save time. The pre-cooked ones save a ton of time, just note they are a little softer than fresh beets once cooked, but it’s worth it! You can also use golden beets if you prefer those over red beets.
- Ghee – if you’ve never used ghee, it’s more or less clarified butter. We’ve tested ghee versus butter vs various oils like extra-virgin olive oil in this recipe and ghee easily creates the best caramelization of the veggies. If you can’t get ghee, butter works fine but isn’t the optional option.
Tip!
This recipe works with any root vegetables. You can sub out any root vegetables (sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, etc.) for the ones mentioned above. Just peel, cut into 1-inch chunks, and make sure the amount of vegetables you’re using is the same as the recipe indicates or your oil/salt measurements will be off. We like to pick up different veggies at the farmer’s market and try out a variety – they’ve all been pretty good!
The one thing I don’t recommend using is potatoes. We’ve tried both red potatoes and fingerling potatoes with this, and they just roast differently and the total time changes. When we want potatoes to go with our roasted root veggies, we roast veggies in one oven and potatoes in another.
How to Make Roasted Root Vegetables
Because this recipe is so simple, each step is really important. I’ve included instructions as well as some of our best tips for getting the best roasted vegetables possible! You can get exact details and a printable version in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
1 – Prep Your Ingredients
- Peel and chop the vegetables. You want to cut all of your vegetables roughly the same size, into 1-inch chunks. This will help them roast evenly and be done at the same time. If you cut some into larger pieces and some into smaller pieces, they won’t roast evenly.
Time Saving Tip!
You can also use pre-chopped veggies but if they’re different sizes, make sure to still chop them down to be similar sizes. If the pre-chopped veggies you can find are really small pieces (smaller than 1 inch pieces), I recommend just cutting them fresh.
- Melt your ghee in a large bowl that can fit all of the vegetables. One of our favorite ways to do this is to put the ghee in a large oven-safe bowl and put it in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to preheat and while it preheats, the ghee will melt nicely.
2 – Coat and Season the Chopped Vegetables
- Remove the bowl from the oven once the ghee has melted (be careful, it’ll be hot).
- Place all of your chopped veggies into the bowl. Use a spatula to gently toss the veggies in the ghee to make sure they’re completely coated.
- Sprinkle about half the salt on the veggies and stir to mix the salt in.
- Sprinkle the remaining salt on the veggies and toss again. You want to make sure that the ghee and salt are as evenly divided among the veggies as possible so you don’t end up with a salty bite here and a bland one there.
3 – Roast the Root Vegetables
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (for easy cleanup!). Then spread the veggies out evenly on the two baking sheets in one single layer. You want to make sure to put them in one even layer, not stacked up on top of each other, so they can all roast and caramelize properly.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes then flip.
- Put back in the oven and roast for another 20 minutes or until the veggies are caramelized, browned, and tender.
4 – Finish and Serve
Finish these off by tasting the roasted veggies and adding any additional finishing salt as needed. Serve warm with your favorite main dish or let them sit out until they cool completely before putting them in an airtight container to store to enjoy later.
What to Serve with Roasted Root Vegetables
Any main dish that would be good with vegetables would be good with these oven roasted root veggies. These are some of our personal favorites!
How to Reheat Roasted Veggies
Reheat the veggies by by putting them on a parchment lined baking sheet, putting them in a cold oven, preheating to 425 degrees conventional (or 400 degrees convection), and removing when it gets preheated. The veggies will be warm without getting dried out.
How to Store Roasted Vegetables
Allow roasted veggies to cool completely then transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge. Store roasted veggies in the fridge in an airtight storage container for up to five days. If you put them in the fridge while still warm, they can get soggy and not the crisp and caramelized veggies you want.
Tips & tricks
Cut the veggies all the same size. This will make sure they roast evenly and are done cooking all at the same time.
Space the veggies out as evenly as possible on the baking sheet. Doing so will ensure even cooking and allow for maximum caramelization.
Save time by using pre-cut vegetables. Just make sure to cut them down to the same size as other vegetables when necessary. Or cut your other veggies into larger chunks to match and increase cooking time.
Cook two sheet pans of veggies in the same oven by spacing out the oven racks. Put one in the top third position and one in the bottom third position so that hot air can circulate around the veggies. You may need to add an extra 5-10 minutes to your cooking time.
Make this recipe with other root vegetables. Don’t have beets? Don’t want to cut up a butternut squash? Replace the veggies in this recipe with others like sweet potato, turnips, and parsnips. Use the same veggie to oil ratio and roasting time for a delicious turnout every time.
Half the recipe by using half the amount of each ingredient and cook using the same steps. The results will be the same, you’ll just have one sheet pan of roasted root vegetables instead of two.
Recipe FAQs
Do you peel root vegetables before roasting?
Yes! Peel and chop your vegetables before coating so that they can caramelize in the oven.
Can roasted root vegetables be served at room temperature?
Roasted root vegetables can be served hot, at room temperature, or even cold in the case of a roasted root vegetable salad or appetizer plate.
Are roasted root vegetables healthy?
Roasted root vegetables are about as healthy as you can get. These are gluten-free, Whole 30, and paleo friendly.
What is the best oil to roast vegetables in?
Ghee is the recommended oil to use for these roasted root vegetables. It gives a delicious flavor while being able to withstand higher heats and caramelizes well.
How long does it take to roast vegetables at 425?
It takes approximately 40-45 minutes to roast vegetables at 425 depending on your oven and the size you cut your vegetables. You’ll want to flip them once in the middle of the roasting time.
Can I use pre-cooked beets?
Pre-cooked beets hold up well in this recipe and are a great way to save time. We like to use Love Beets or Gefen Beets and then just chop them up and add them to the mix.
Can roasted root vegetables be made ahead of time?
You can peel, prep, and chop the veggies ahead of time. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days before cooking. When you’re ready to cook, pull them out of the fridge about half an hour before so they can come to room temp.
How do you reheat roasted root vegetables?
Reheat the veggies by by putting them on a parchment lined baking sheet, putting them in a cold oven, preheating to 425 degrees conventional (or 400 degrees convection), and removing when it gets preheated. The veggies will be warm without getting dried out.
More Side Dishes
If you need more side dish ideas, these are some of our favorites!
- Corn succotash recipe – another delicious and colorful side dish full of veggies!
- Broccoli cheese bites – these cute broccoli cheese cups are the perfect appetizer that’s kid-friendly and delicious!
- Bacon wrapped green beans – a little sweet, a little salty, and easy as can be!
- Mashed potatoes – the creamiest and most delicious mashed potatoes ever!
- Smashed potatoes – crispy on the outside and soft on the inside potatoes that are perfect to go with pretty much anything!
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Roasted Root Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (3-4 pounds with a sizeable neck) peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch chunks, should yield about 1 1/2 pounds squash
- 5 medium beets (about 2 pounds) peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 12 medium rainbow carrots (about 2 pounds) 3 of each color, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 3 TBS ghee melted
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt divided
Instructions
- Peel and chop all veggies into 1 inch chunks.1 medium butternut squash (3-4 pounds with a sizeable neck), 5 medium beets (about 2 pounds), 12 medium rainbow carrots (about 2 pounds)
- Preheat oven/ovens to 400 degrees convection or 425 degrees conventional.
- Melt ghee by putting ghee in a large glass bowl and putting it in the cold oven. As the oven preheats, the ghee will melt. Pull out the bowl when the ghee has melted. Careful, the bowl will be hot.3 TBS ghee
- Add the peeled and chopped veggies to the bowl with the ghee and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle about half of the salt on the veggies and then stir to expose the unsalted veggies. Sprinkle the remaining salt on the veggies and stir them so that the salt is fully incorporated.1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread out the veggies evenly on two baking sheets.
- Roast in the oven/ovens for 20 minutes. Flip the veggies and roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender, browned, and caramelized.
- Taste and add salt to your liking.
- Serve immediately.
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