Last week, the conclusions of my highly scientific study proved that roasting vegetables below 400° F is, in most cases, suboptimal.
Unless you're going for a very low and slow roast (200° and 250° F for upwards of an hour, so that your vegetables are silken through and through), the goal is to cook the outsides before the insides, so that you get crispy outer edges before inners get mushy—and this takes place at higher temperatures.
When we asked the audience their go-to roasting number, 48% said 400° F.
But the recipes for commonly roasted vegetables on our site suggest that we should have listed 425° F as an option, too. It may be the most common roasting temperature (though, as you'll see below, there are a few recipes that thwart the rule and go for 375° or 500° F).
Mushrooms
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Roasted Mushroom Salad: 425° F, 45 minutes
- Farro Salad with Roasted Mushrooms: 350° F, 20 minutes
Carrots
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Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto and Burrata: 500° F, 8 to 12 minutes (small carrots, left whole)
- Pomegranate Roasted Carrots: 425° F, 30 minutes (carrots halved or quartered lengthwise)
Cauliflower
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Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin and Cilantro: 425° F, 30 minutes
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Roasted, Spiced, Almond-y Cauliflower: 425° F, 30 minutes
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Spice-Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts and Tahini Drizzle: 425° F, 40 minutes
- Mustard-Roasted Cauliflower: 425° F, 25 to 30 minutes
Sweet Potatoes
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Sweet Potatoes Roasted in Coconut Oil: 400° F, 30 to 40 minutes (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- Sautéed Kale, Roasted Sweet Potato and Poached Egg Holiday Toast: 375° F, 45 minutes (instructions specify only "peel and cube")
Beets
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Quinoa with Roasted Beets and Pear: 400° F, 40 to 50 minutes (whole beets, wrapped individually in foil)
- Spiced Beet Salad with Citrus-Ginger Dressing: 400° F, 30 minutes (beets peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks)
So with all this variation—in recipe method and opinion—what's a person to do?
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Consider your vegetables and group like with like.
Vegetables are individuals. Treat them as such. ChefSteps recommends sorting your lot: Group squash, roots, tubers, and alliums together (on the same baking sheet, if you want!). They require a longer cooking time (ChefSteps recommends 45 minutes). Brassicas (cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli) and mushrooms can be baking sheet buddies (they need only about 25 minutes). For both groups, ChefSteps suggests—you guessed it—425° F. -
Cut the vegetable pieces so that they're more or less the same size.
Otherwise, the 1/2-inch cubes will be done long before the 2-inch ones. -
Don't crowd the pan.
On a too-full baking sheet, your vegetables will steam each other, resulting in sog rather than crisp. -
Use enough oil.
The oil moistens the vegetables (to prevent them from sticking to the pan) and it helps to transfer the heat from the baking sheet to the food. -
Flip halfway through.
Give both sides of the pieces a chance to interact with the direct heat of the baking sheet. -
Or go above and beyond.
Some commenters on the last vegetable roasting post advised blanching and shocking vegetables before roasting. By starting with almost-cooked veg, the oven has one job: crisping up the outer edges.
This article originally appeared on March 1, 2016. We're re-running it because Thanksgiving's right around the corner (really!).
Written by: Sarah Jampel
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10 Comments
bendoro
October 5, 2024
Hi I’ve been doing just under 400 since I use olive oil and I thought too hot can affect the flavor negatively? Thrilled to know I can go so hot with evoo….
janelancy
April 9, 2024
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janelancy
April 9, 2024
While I am in the middle of tossing everything, I activate the convection feature. The bottom shelf is my favorite as well. basketball stars
Timothy G.
February 21, 2024
I turn on the convection halfway through, when I am giving everything a good toss. I also like the very bottom shelf.
kimmiebeck
March 22, 2017
At what temperature do you roast vegetables? (Not what temperature do you roast vegetables at). Sentences that end in a preposition, among other things, drive English teachers batty.
Mrs B.
November 5, 2016
One might find quite interesting a comparison of roasting vegetables with parchment vs. without. A NotRecipe posted earlier this year suggests this intriguing inquiry: https://food52.com/not-recipes/55690 Many thanks.
Reed K.
March 3, 2016
I usually roast veggies at 425, but sometimes crank it up to 450 if I need to try and crisp up the outsides even more. But I like a little char on my roast veggies (crispy charred brussels sprouts are my favorite!). I also tend to use a lot of oil, and just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Sometimes I'll add some balsalmic vinegar to the mix as well.
Jennifer
March 1, 2016
In my pretty extensive experience, it's more important to keep pan uncrowded than to add lots of oil. Because I have to watch my weight, I usually use 1 t. oil per 3/4 lb. of veggies (or even 1 lb, depending on veggie)--less than many recipes call for. But they're inevitably delicious. (Is more oil tastier? Often, yes, but it's important to realize that excellent results can be had on a more moderate amount.) 425 is my default roasting temp, although it could vary down or up depending on what else is going in the oven.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.