Roasted Asparagus spears in a lightly seasoned lemon-butter sauce, topped with a crown of Parmesan cheese. It’s simple, but hard to beat! Roasted asparagus is my favorite way to prepare this vibrant and healthy vegetable. I’ve tried several fancy asparagus recipes, but I keep coming back to this one.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Tried this last night and my husband and I both thought it was awesome. I can’t believe. I’ve been eating mushy asparagus so long. A must try, you will not be disappointed.” – Patty ★★★★★
Roasted Asparagus Video
Oven-Roasted Asparagus
This Roasted Asparagus with lemon butter and parmesan is my all-time favorite asparagus recipe, and I’ve probably made this a hundred times. It’s easy, has simple ingredients, and takes about 12 minutes in the oven. It is also a reader favorite – the most popular asparagus recipe on my blog since 2012 because it’s easy and excellent.
My whole family just loves asparagus from Asparagus Casserole to Roasted Salmon and Asparagus, and we even love it in our Baked Feta Pasta! It’s such a humble ingredient with so much potential. Thankfully, it’s a vegetable my kids love, so we get creative with it.
Roasted Asparagus Ingredients
This recipe makes a large batch, but can easily be cut in half to feed a smaller crowd.
- Asparagus – I use 2 bunches (about 2 lbs before trimming). When shopping for asparagus, look for compact, closed tips. They should not be falling off or wet. The stalks should be bright green, firm, and smooth, not wilted or floppy. Thin or thick asparagus will work, just adjust the bake time (see chart below).
- Lemon – use half the lemon to add a squeeze of lemon juice over the asparagus before baking and slice the other half into rings.
- Butter – to dot the top of the asparagus spears, and it adds rich flavor.
- Olive oil – to drizzle the asparagus and keep it moist
- Parmesan cheese – added at the end of cooking to create a cheesy crust over the asparagus.
How to Trim Asparagus
Asparagus has a tough, fibrous base that needs to be removed because it is very difficult to chew and digest. I always just snap off the ends because it’s so quick and easy. I’ve been known to snap a few stems at a time to speed things up.
- Break off woody ends (Favorite Method) – Hold the asparagus spear with one hand at the base and the other hand in the middle of the stem. Bend until it snaps naturally (usually 1-2 inches from the base).
- For Thicker spears – use a potato peeler and peel off the fibrous skin on the bottom half of the asparagus.
How to Roast Asparagus
- Arrange asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roll asparagus lightly to coat.
- Add lemon and butter – Squeeze half a lemon evenly over the asparagus. Arrange lemon slices over the top then place pats of butter over asparagus (don’t worry, most of the butter will end up on the pan and not on your waistline).
- Bake at 400˚F for 8-10 minutes(or based on the time chart below). Bake until the asparagus is just fork-tender. Remove asparagus from the oven and set the oven to Broil.
- Sprinkle parmesan over the center of the asparagus and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.
How Long to Roast Asparagus?
Roast asparagus until they are crisp-tender and vibrant green. When you poke the asparagus with a fork, it should go in easily but still hold its shape. Avoid overbaking, or it will be dull-colored, limp, and mushy. Bake times can vary depending on how thick your asparagus stalks are:
- Thick spears: about 12 to 15 minutes
- Thin spears: about 8 to 10 minutes
- Medium spears: about 10 to 12 minutes
What to Serve with Asparagus
We love serving roasted asparagus with just about everything – it’s such a versatile profile. These are our favorite pairings for main courses and sides to complete the meal:
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Lemon Chicken
- Pan-Seared Steak
- Chicken Parmesan
- Baked Salmon with Garlic and Dijon
- Pork Tenderloin
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
Fresh lemon juice, butter, and Parmesan are a winning combination for Roasted Asparagus. It has the best flavor. P.S. If you love this flavor profile, definitely try our Shrimp Scampi Pasta with asparagus.
Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place asparagus in a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roll asparagus lightly to coat in oil and seasonings.
- Squeeze 1/2 of a lemon evenly over the asparagus. Line the top third of the asparagus with lemon slices from the second half of your lemon. Thinly slice 4 tbsp of butter and line the center of the asparagus with butter.
- Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes (see time chart below) or until asparagus is tender. Remove asparagus from the oven and set oven to Broil.
- Sprinkle the center of the asparagus with Parmesan cheese then return to the center of the oven and broil 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.
Notes
- Thin spears: about 8 minutes
- Medium spears: about 10 minutes
- Thick spears: about 12 minutes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Roasted Vegetable Recipes
If you love tasty and easy roasted veggie sides, you’ll find some new favorites in this list:
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Broccoli
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Potatoes
- Smashed Potatoes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
This was delicious!! Always had issues with making asparagus, this was very easy to make! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy you liked the recipe! Thank you for the great review! 🙂
I never liked asparagus until I tried this recipe, and ever since never stopped making it. It delicious!
Ha! That’s awesome!
Natasha this what I lookin for. Thank you so much. Blessings to you !!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Nina 😁.
Made this tonight. I usually do similar variations to this but this was by far the best. The cooking times WERE perfect as other stated. Love the melted parm and lemon combo!! Bravo!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the asparagus! And, now I’m craving asparagus! 🙂
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious!!! My husband and my kids loved it. I will definitely make this again and share the recipe with others. I also added garlic, it was amazing
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe with others. Good things are meant to be shared; that’s my motto 🙂 I’m so happy you and your family loved the recipe!
I love your web site by the way!!! so many wonderful recipes!!! something that i never used to eat before like asparagus, and looked at this recipe and it looks so delicious and easy, that I just gotta try to make it!!
I hope you loved this recipe! It’s definitely our favorite way to prepare asparagus and it’s fancy enough to serve at a dinner party, but still easy! 🙂
Hi, its a great recipe!! cant wait to try it! but wouldn’t that be easier to just cut off all the ends with a knife all at once?
I like to break them because they are fibrous at different levels on the stem. Snapping them seems to result in a lower incidence of chewy stems. I’ve also seen the technique of peeling the stem bottoms with a potato peeler, but that would take considerably longer 🙂
Hi there, great recipe but I was perplexed by the quantity of asparagus. A bushel is an imperial measurement equivalent to 8 gallons in both Canada and the US. Do you mean bunches?
Karen, you are absolutely right, I will have that changed right away.
This was so good! I halved the recipe since it was just me and added grated parmesan since I didnt have fresh. Oh this was such an easy, fun, and delicious recipe! I paired it with honey chipotle encrusted salmon. Excellente! Thank you 😀
You are welcome Nikki, I hope you will find some favorites on the site :).
Hi Natasha, do you think this will be good with Mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan? Have you tried any other cheeses?
I think it would be fine. Mozarella might brown a little faster than parmesan, but I still think it would work well.
Hey Natasha! How are you? I think a great addition to this already amazing recipe would be some garlic 🙂 I love garlic in pretty much everything (other than desert of course 😉 ). But I think that garlic with asparagus adds a little something special. Thanks for your blog, I love how you do this and inspire the rest of use to make scrumptious food 🙂 (Now I see I’m not the only one mentioning garlic hehe)
Yep! Yep! I’m definitely adding garlic to the mix next time. Have you tried garlic with lemon?
No, honestly I dont make really make asparagus. I was skeptical to try it al first but when I did I loved it but haven’t ventured out to make it yet. Was looking for the perfect recipe, which I think yours will be it! The pictures are amazing and it all looks so good 🙂
Oh Tanya it’s so simple and tasty! 🙂 let me know what you think.
K, I’ll try to make it for dinner tonight or tomorrow. I’m thinking making your asparagus and chicken Kiev with Olga’s scalloped potatoes 🙂
I too just recently discovered asparagus 😉 This was my first time cooking asparagus, and I’m Glad I used your recipe Because I Love asparagus Now!
Loved this Recipe and Defiantly going to use it over and over!
That’s awesome! So glad you enjoyed it. Now I’m off to the store to buy more asparagus!
I have just recently discovered asparagus. I always thought it was nasty as a kid (probably because it always came out of a can) I have tried roasting it in the oven wrapped in bacon and drizzled with a butter/brown sugar mixture but I was looking for something a little healthier. I will definitely try this one! It sounds wonderful!
Oh that does sound unhealthy, but tasty! I love the taste and crisp of browned bacon. But yes, this recipe enhances the natural yumminess of asparagus. I hope you love it!
Asparagus! Yummy! I love it. I always broil or roast it in the oven too and serve it with lemon and butter. I add garlic, though. Beautiful pictures. I need to take advantage of asparagus season, while it’s still here. Gotta love easy recipes that taste terrific.
You’re not the first person to mention garlic. I’ll have to add that next time and see compare. I love garlic in everything (except cake!). 🙂
Wow it looks really good. Always wanted a recipe for asparagus…
Oh and it’s so easy! 🙂
I made this and it was super easy and super quick. It was beyond amazing!!!! My husband who hates veggies actually asked for seconds! This is now a family favorite. Thanks Natasha for great recipes. 🙂 Have a great weekend!!!
Awesome!! You won your hubby over! 🙂 thank you so much Inessa!
I had asparagus waiting in my fridge so I made this recipe for dinner tonight…absolutely perfect. I often make mine with garlic but honestly I preferred this recipe. It will be my new favorite as I always have these ingredients on hand. Your recipes are so easy to follow and even the cooking time was exactly right. Thank you and please keep the wonderful recipes coming!!
Jenny thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment. It’s the best kind of motivation for me! 🙂 . That was quick! You’ve already tried the recipe? I’m excited that you enjoyed it!!
This is awesome. I will give this a try. I usually boil asparagus for 5 min. Then butter and veggeta on top. I like your recipe better.
Thanks Lea! I hope you love it! If anything, you’ll save a step by not having to pre-boil.
Could you also put some green beans along with the asparagus? Thanks!
Hi Ned, green beans would take 20-25 minutes to roast at the same temperature. If you want the green beans to be tender and done at the same time, I would suggest putting them on the sheet pan first for 10 minutes then adding asparagus and roasting together for the last 10-12 minutes. You could also blanch/halfway pre-cook the green beans then bake everything together.
Asparagus in lemon butter – yes please! I love asparagus, it’s one of the first vegetables I buy in spring.
Same here, my son loves it too (but only when it’s a little overcooked!) 🙂
I just made roasted asparagus yesterday 🙂 mine had garlic/butter but I will definitely try your recipe, maybe tonight 🙂
Garlic? Now why didn’t I think of that? There are so many different ways to prepare asparagus. Let me know how it turns out.