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    Home » Sides » Alton Brown's Roasted Asparagus

    Alton Brown's Roasted Asparagus

    Published: May 19, 2020 · Modified: May 13, 2025 by Eric Samuelson

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Our review of Alton Brown's Roasted Asparagus from the Age of Asparagus episode of Good Eats.

    📋 What's New In This Post (5/13/25) - Added more ideas for recipes to use roasted asparagus in.

    Alton Brown's Roasted Asparagus recipe made in a homemade foil pan

    I Once Hated Asparagus

    Asparagus is one of the first green crops to hit the market each year. People rush to pick up the first asparagus of the season. I use to not see the draw.

    I thought that asparagus was disgusting. It had this bitter, awful flavor I have always hated.

    It turned out that I wasn't having asparagus the right way. Asparagus that is boiled or comes from a can is awful. Fresh asparagus that is roasted to perfection, is a completely different thing. I thank Alton Brown for introducing me many years ago to doing it.

    If asparagus hasn't really been your thing like it wasn't for me, then I think it's time you try it cooked a different way, you may change the tune of your story.

    This post includes affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. These are products and services I recommend because I use or trust them. Cookies will be used to track the affiliate links you click.

    Asparagus stalks on a white backdrop

    Ingredients

    These are the ingredients you are going to need to roast this asparagus.

    • Asparagus - Buying asparagus is all about timing. While it's available year round, it certainly isn't good year round. For the best asparagus buy when in season. For more info on that read our post on When and How Long is Asparagus Season?
    • Olive oil - Whatever type of olive oil you want to use, but I wouldn't recommend using your top of the line, expensive stuff for this. A good olive oil from Trader Joe's or Costco would be a great option.
    • Lemon - You just need the zest of 1 lemon. You can save the juice for something else.
    • Kosher salt - I am with Alton Brown and I love Diamond Crystal Kosher salt.
    Whole Nutmeg sitting on top of asparagus stalks
    In case you didn't know what nutmeg looks like, now you do!
    • Nutmeg - Alton adds nutmeg to the asparagus. This may seem like a strange thing. Most of the time nutmeg is used in sweet dishes like pies and applesauce. But actually the nutmeg adds a nice dimension of flavor to the asparagus.. My favorite nutmeg is the Stone Nutmeg from Burlap & Barrel. As Alton taught me I always buy the whole nutmeg and grate it myself. You can grate it with a Microplane Grater/Zester. It's real easy to do and worth just a little extra effort over buying the pre ground nutmeg.

    🧂 If you want some more ideas of what seasonings you could use with asparagus, then check out my post Best Seasonings for Asparagus.

    Asparagus being measured with a ruler and cut at 1 ½ inches

    Top Tips

    The first thing you need to do is cut about 1 ½ inches to 2 inches off the bottom of the asparagus. The bottom is usually pretty fibrous. They are hard to chew even when cooked. I have noticed when I buy local asparagus from a farmer's market or even a grocery store I have to cut off more of the ends, usually at least 2 inches.

    asparagus in a single layer on a homemade foil tray

    Alton cooked his asparagus in a tray made of foil made with 2 sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil.

    The cut of fends of the asparagus being saved for future use

    Don't throw those woody ends out. You can actually use them to make our Asparagus Ends Soup. It's a potato soup that is made with a broth made from the asparagus ends.

    The finished asparagus in a foil pan with a towel behind it

    Cooking the asparagus five minutes per side worked perfectly in my 500 degree oven. This is a higher temperature than I set most recipes call for. But it worked wonderfully. It came out soft enough to eat, but not mush. It also is perfectly caramelized. The tips were crispy which is the best part of the asparagus.

    Only downside of cooking at 500 degrees is that if your oven isn't clean you may get some smoke. So be careful when you open the oven door. Or give your oven a good cleaning before you begin.

    What To Use Roasted Asparagus In? Did you know that you can make pesto from asparagus? Take the roasted asparagus from this recipe, cut off the tips, and use it to make my Asparagus Pesto. I love to serve it with toasted couscous but it goes great with any pasta - just like Basil pesto. You also could include roasted asparagus in homemade lasagna, fried rice, or alfredo pasta.

    Alton Brown's Roasted Asparagus

    How to make Alton Brown's Roasted Asparagus. Instructions written in my own words.
    No ratings yet
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    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: asparagus
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 3 servings
    Author: Alton Brown

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound asparagus
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 lemon zest only
    • ½ tsp kosher salt
    • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.
    • Using two pieces of heavy duty aluminium foil make a pan that will fit all the asparagus in a single layer. Lay the asparagus down in the foil to get an accurate measurement
    • Trim off the bottom 1 ½ inches of the asparagus. You can save the tips to make a broth for soup.
    • Place the asparagus in a single layer on your pan. Add the oil.
    • Place into the oven for 5 minutes.
    • Toss the asparagus with tongs and then roast for another 5 minutes
    • Remove from the oven. Add the salt, nutmeg, zest of 1 lemon.
    • Toss to evenly distribute and serve.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @eatlikenooneelse or tag #eatlikenooneelse

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    Nice to Meet You,

    Hi! I'm Eric : Father of 4, living just south of Ann Arbor, MI. I'm a reformed picky eater finding a new way to not conform. Eating what's in season is my jam (I also make it!)

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