How to Roast Vegetables Without Oil

Name: How to Roast Vegetables Without Oil
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 lbs Yukon gold or red potatoes (cut to 1"x1" pieces); 1 6 oz Zucchini (cut to 1" slices halved); 2 ¼ lbs Carrot (cut to 1" slices halved); 1-½ cup Broccoli florets; 1 7 oz Red Bell Pepper (1"x1" pieces); ½ cup Onion (1" coarse chopped); ½ cup crimini mushrooms (quartered); 3 tbsp water; 2 tbsp Cornstarch; 1 tbsp Chili Powder; 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast; 1 tsp Garlic Powder; 1 tsp Onion Powder; ½ tsp salt

Ever wonder how to make roasted vegetables without oil? Delicious, healthy, and bursting with flavor, these veggies are lightly crisp outside, moist inside, and a great compliment to many meals.

Roasted vegetables on a white platter with serving plate of vegetables and bowl of sauce in the background.

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Sorry, roasting vegetables without oil just wont work, right? Well, you may be surprised to hear that you can roast vegetables with out oil, and they are delicious! It’s not even difficult.

These roasted veggies are sooo good and have none of those empty calories from oil.

So ok, some of you know there are recipes for oil free roasted vegetables out there, but you probably think they are tasteless and boring. “Oil is needed add that extra rich flavor that people crave“, you say.

Au contraire, with these oil free roasted veggies the flavor is everything that you want and added oil would just be in the way. They’re a perfect addition to an oil free diet!

Why Oil Free?

In so much of our standard methods of cooking, oil is thought of as, well, necessary. Oil crisps up cooked foods and keeps the seasonings on the food, right?

Not only is oil not needed, it is about the most concentrated calorie load in foods; nothing but empty added calories.

Fun Fact: A single tablespoon of oil, on average, is 120 calories. Now cooking 3 meals a day with just 1 tablespoon of oil in each meal amounts to 360 extra calories a day and 2,520 extra calories a week. That’s a lot of excess, unneeded calories!

Maybe not totally fun, but good to know!

Roasted veggies on a parchment covered baking sheet.

A Delicious, Healthy Alternative for Roasted Vegetables

This roasted vegetables recipe doesn’t need oil because it uses cornstarch to bind the seasonings to the veggies. The cornstarch doesn’t interfere with the natural flavors and those brought by the seasonings but keeps them on the food where they belong without using oil.

This works better than using other coatings such as vegetable broth alone since it tends to evaporate leaving dry seasonings to fall off the vegetables.

In this cooking process, you won’t bake all the veggies at once, some of them will be added near the end to avoid over baking. The overall process is easy and will give you perfectly cooked, tasty veggies.

Using this roasted veggie recipe, you’ll have a great culinary experience, guilt free! By the way, this recipe is also completely plant-based; it’s vegan!

Want to learn more about oil-free cooking? Check out my post on How to Cook Without Oil!

Ingredients for Roasted Vegetables without Oil

Potatoes – Yukon Gold or Red Bliss potatoes work well in this dish. But you can use any potatoes you want!
Zucchini – small fruit is best because it has smaller seeds.
Carrots – sweet and flavorful with earthy notes.
Broccoli – cut into florets, tender mild.
Red Bell Pepper – bright, sweet and slightly crunchy.
Onion– red for more spiciness or sweet for more mild flavor.
Mushrooms – Crimini, button mushrooms or other variety for mild earthy and meaty aspects.
Chili powder – bold flavor with mild spiciness.
Nutritional Yeast – provides cheesiness and slight nutty flavor.
Garlic Powder – bold, slightly pungent, spiciness adds to the overall flavor fusion.
Onion powder – pairs with garlic to give more overall richness.
Salt – to taste.

You don’t have to stick to the previous list. Why not experiment with different vegetables and or seasonings to make your own oil free creation. Add sweet potatoes, artichoke hearts, garlic cloves, green beans, squash, cauliflower, so many possible combinations!

Maybe fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary are more your style. How about other seasonings like chipotle powder, cumin, or freshly ground black pepper. Have at it, the sky’s the limit!

Instructions for Roasted Vegetables without Oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375^oF (350^oF for convection ovens), then put baking silicone baking mats or parchment paper on two baking sheets.

2. Mix the chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder salt, nutritional yeast and corn starch with 3 tablespoons water until the mixture is a thick saucy texture and set aside.

3. Cut the potatoes, red bell pepper, and onion, into approximately 1″x1″ chunks or pieces.

4. Cut 2 average sized carrots and the zucchini in half lengthwise then in slices about 1″ pieces.

5. Cut broccoli into florets (about 1-1/2 cups) and quarter the crimini mushrooms.

6. Place the zucchini and mushrooms in a small bowl and the broccoli in another small bowl and set aside.

7. Place the rest of the vegetables into a large mixing bowl and pour all but about 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mixture onto the potatoes, bell pepper, onion, and carrots, then toss to thoroughly coat them. Mix the remaining seasoning onto the zucchini and mushrooms in the small bowl.

Seasoned potatoes, carrots, onion, and bell pepper in a glass bowl.

8. Spread out the coated vegetables from the large bowl onto the two pans and place them in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove each pan to turn the vegetables for even cooking and put them back into the oven for another 15 minutes.

Potatoes, carrots, onions, and bell peppers on a parchment covered pan.

9. While these vegetables are baking, steam the broccoli florets for about 4 minutes to precook them.

10. When the second 15 minute baking is done, take the pans out of the oven and add the steamed broccoli, the mushrooms, and the zucchini evenly between the two pans. Continue cooking by putting the pans into the oven for a final 15 minutes.

Zucchini and mushrooms added to pan of carrots and potatoes.

Roasted vegetables on a parchment covered baking pan.

Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the thickness of the vegetables. If they are cut smaller they will cook faster.

After the final bake, take out the pans of roasted vegetables and transfer to plates for serving.

Roasted vegetables on a white platter sitting on a blue and white napkin.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve these veggies all kinds of entrees like our BBQ tofu or tantalizing grilled tofu veggie kabobs. Or maybe with our savory vegan lentil loaf or our wonderful glazed vegan ham. You can even have these veggies on their own as the main course!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can roasted vegetables be made in advance?

Yes, definitely! Roasted vegetables can be baked in advance and stored up to 4 days in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Can roasted vegetables be frozen for later use??

It is possible to freeze roasted vegetables though some may change somewhat after thawing. You may want to undercook other vegetables before roasting to freeze and finish baking them later. You can also consider using any thawed vegetables in soups or blended dips.

Can any vegetables be used for oil free roasting?

Most vegetables can be used for oil free baking, especially starchy or more dense types like sweet potatoes. Some other veggies, like lettuce may not bake with a desirable result.

Other Vegan Side Dishes to consider:

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