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Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce is my go-to recipe when this delicious vegetable is in season. A simple sauce of brown butter, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar is drizzled over perfectly roasted asparagus.

This Oven Roasted Asparagus is my favorite way to prepare this spring vegetable. The roasting brings out the natural sweetness of asparagus and the easy sauce makes it elegant enough for company.

Oven Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter on a slate serving platter.
Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must Make
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Roast Asparagus
4 How to Make Balsamic Browned Butter
5 How to Make
6 Frequently Asked Questions
7 You May Also Like:
8 Roasted Asparagus Recipe with Balsamic Browned Butter
9 More Vegetable Side Dishes
10 Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots
11 Green Bean and Bacon Bundles
12 Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Shallots and Garlic
13 Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Bread Crumbs

Why You Must Make

I adore oven-roasted asparagus. It’s so easy to prepare and superior in taste to steaming or boiling. I typically roast and top with freshly grated Parmesan ala Ina Garten or use this easy brown butter sauce recipe.

  • First of all, roasting is so much better than steaming or boiling asparagus. No soggy or overcooked vegetables using this method.
  • It’s super easy to roast any vegetable. 
  • If you haven’t made brown butter before, it’s easy. You just need to be near the stove to watch it turn from yellow melted butter to nutty brown butter.
  • This is a company-worthy side dish that’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner.

Ingredient Notes

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter Ingredients on a sheet pan with labels.
  • Kitchen Staples – Kosher Salt, Olive Oil, Butter
  • Asparagus – Wash, let dry, and trim off woody ends
  • Soy Sauce – Not low sodium unless necessary for your diet.
  • Balsamic Vinegar – Aged, syrupy balsamic will taste best

How to Roast Asparagus

  1. Prep your asparagus stalks, by washing them first, and letting them air dry so they can roast properly. If the spears are not dry, they will steam instead of roast.
  2. Trim the woody ends by one of these methods: Bend the ends till the woody base breaks off or use a vegetable peeler to remove the fibrous covering at the lower part of the stems. Peeling wastes less of the vegetable, but I tend to break the ends as it’s quicker.
  3. Spread them out evenly on a sheet pan, making sure they’re just one layer deep so they roast evenly.
  4. Coat lightly with olive oil and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
  5. Roast until the spears are tender when you pierce them with a sharp knife. How Long to Roast Asparagus will vary depending on your oven temperature and the size of your asparagus spears. I’ve given the range of 9-14 minutes at 425 degrees. Very thin spears will take even less time.
Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter on a white platter.

How to Make Balsamic Browned Butter

While the asparagus is roasting, start your brown butter sauce.

  • Simply melt and simmer the butter, watching carefully.
  • Use a light bottom pan so you can see the butter as it browns.
  • Swirl the pan on occasion so the milk solids brown instead of burn.
  • When you notice a nutty aroma and the butter is the color of light hazelnuts, it’s ready.
  • Add the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.
  • Pour over the asparagus to serve.

Voila, this roasted asparagus with Brown Butter Sauce is as easy as pie. Well, actually a lot easier than pie. You simply must add this to your spring menu!

How to Make

overhead view of browned butter.
Make brown butter
overhead view of browned butter with soy and balsamic.
Add soy sauce & balsamic vinegar
Asparagus on sheet pan.
Drizzle with oil, season and roast the asparagus.
Roasted asparagus on a sheet pan.
Drizzle with balsamic brown butter and serve.
Oven roasted asparagus with balsamic brown butter in a white ceramic bowl.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Brown Butter?

Brown butter is exactly what it sounds like, butter that is cooked until browned, but not so brown that it’s burnt. As the butter melts and simmers, the milk solids brown. During the process, via the Maillard reaction, numerous flavor compounds are released! In France, brown butter is called Beurre Noisette because the butter is cooked to a light hazelnut (noisette) color.

How Do You Know When Asparagus is Done?

The timing will vary as asparagus will be a different diameter nearly every time you purchase it. Thick spears take longer than very thin spears. When roasting, the spears are done when they’re tender (not mushy) when pierced with a knife.

I use 9 minutes at 425 degrees as an approximate roasting time for medium spears. Thinner and I’ll set the timer for less time, and thicker spears will take longer.

Why Make Oven Roasted Asparagus?

Roasting vegetables intensifies their natural sweetness. The sugars are caramelized at high heat plus roasting in a hot, dry oven dehydrates the spears, also magnifying their flavor. If you tend to boil your vegetables, give roasting a try! You’ll quickly become a convert.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter on a white platter.

You May Also Like:

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Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Brown Butter | An easy, elegant asparagus preparation
The Recipe:

Roasted Asparagus Recipe with Balsamic Browned Butter

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Yield 4-8 servings

An easy way to jazz up roasted asparagus. Adapted from Cooking Light.

Ingredients

  • 1 or 2 bundles of asparagus, washed with woody stems broken off
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425º. Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt.
  2. Roast 9-14 minutes, till tender. Shake pan at the halfway point to allow for even roasting.
  3. In a small saucepan, heat butter and cook till lightly browned. Add soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over cooked asparagus.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 57Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 226mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Sides
The Recipe:

More Vegetable Side Dishes

More side dish recipes to round out your menu!

Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Carrots roasted with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey for an outstanding side dish!

Green Bean and Bacon Bundles

An easy, elegant side dish that's impressive enough to serve company.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Shallots and Garlic

An easy pan sauteed Brussels sprouts recipe with bacon, shallots and garlic!

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Bread Crumbs

Roasting cauliflower with Parmesan and bread crumbs will make anyone love this maligned vegetable!

 

Lambeau helping in the kitchen with a pan of asparagus ready to roast

Photo circa 2010. Photos and text were updated in 2016, 2023.