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    Home » Side Dishes

    Quick 20-Minute Asparagus with Soy Sauce

    4.80 from 5 votes
    Published by Rebecca Eisenberg ⁠— June 28, 2021 (updated July 23, 2024) — 8 Comments

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    This umami-rich flavor combo of crispy roasted asparagus stalks with soy sauce and garlic is the kind of side dish that turns asparagus haters into asparagus lovers. This quick 20-minute, oven-roasted asparagus recipe is simple and SO hands off to make, too. You’ll find yourself loving it even more just because it takes so little time to pull together. (Made without parmesan cheese!)

    a close up of a small bowl of soy sauce with garlic powder floating on top sits on top of rows of roasted asparagus

    Asparagus has only recently become one of my favorite vegetables to make on busy weeknights. As a neurodivergent chef who is constantly recipe testing in my ADHD kitchen, I love that it's super practical and low effort to prepare.

    This oven roasted asparagus with garlic soy sauce is one of my favorite side dish recipe ideas. It's great on those nights when you really don't feel like cooking.

    It's also a great recipe for beginners, or for anyone new to cooking with asparagus.

    You can even make this oven roasted asparagus in a countertop toaster oven instead of in your big oven which frees up your oven for other cooking. And it means your kitchen doesn't end up swelteringly hot!

    Looking for another low effort roasted vegetable side dish? Try my roasted broccolini with lemon yogurt sauce!

    About This Recipe

    Crispy roasted asparagus with soy sauce and garlic is one of those happy accident recipes (like my flaky brown butter cinnamon roll pancakes) that started with a mistake and ended with me discovering a whole new thing that I like.

    In this case it was a small note in an issue of Alicia Kennedy's fantastic food newsletter where she mentioned that she was enjoying "blistering string beans in the cast-iron with a little olive oil, then drizzling with soy sauce and dusting with garlic powder."

    I read Alicia's email in the morning and, somehow, by the end of the day, when I placed my grocery delivery order, I was sure she had said asparagus. I've been trying to branch out and give foods I always thought I didn't like a second chance, so... asparagus was on the brain, I guess?

    Since I had the asparagus, I decided I might as well give it a try with the soy sauce and garlic anyway. So I blistered the asparagus in a cast iron pan over high heat, doused it with some aged soy sauce I picked up at an Asian grocery store, set off the smoke alarm (oops), and was shocked and delighted to learn I LIKE ASPARAGUS.

    The next night, I made it again. I had to check that it wasn't a fluke — I really did like asparagus!

    This time I used my oven to roast the asparagus, didn't set off the smoke alarm (woo!), tossed some whole garlic cloves on the pan to mash into the soy sauce before drizzling, and confirmed, yep — I like asparagus!

    asparagus lined up in a sheet pan

    At high heat the asparagus buds get crispy and a little bit charred. The stems have a really satisfying bite to them without being stringy. And the roasted garlic soy sauce and the garlic powder is like a little flavor bomb going off in your mouth.

    Even more shocking? Jimmy loves this easy sheet pan asparagus recipe too. He was way more skeptical than I was, and yet, over the next month, we found ourselves adding two, sometimes three, bundles of asparagus to our grocery cart.

    There's a convenience factor here for sure — asparagus is way easier to fit in your shopping basket and fridge than three crowns of broccoli. But if we didn't actually love this soy sauce asparagus so much, no amount of convenience could convince us to keep buying it.

    Ingredient Notes

    Here's what you'll need to make this garlic roasted asparagus with soy sauce! Everything should be pretty easy to find in your local grocery store. See recipe card for quantities.

    a flat lay showing asparagus, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic powder and cloves, salt, and pepper
    • Asparagus - Thick or thin asparagus, whatever you prefer is fine for making oven roasted asparagus. Thicker asparagus might need a longer cooking time, so just adjust as needed! Asparagus is in season from March through June, but you can usually find it into August and September pretty easily. Make sure to check the tops of the asparagus — you don't want any mushy ones!
    • Olive Oil - Whatever your favorite type of olive oil is is fine here. You could even use a garlic infused olive oil to really bring those garlic flavors forward. Neutral oils will also work, but idk, I like the olive oil flavor.
    • Soy Sauce - I use an aged soy sauce (also sometimes called "dark" soy sauce), but any type of soy sauce you like is fine for making this crispy roasted asparagus. Aged soy sauces have been fermented longer and are usually thicker in consistency and less salty in flavor. I like the thicker consistency of the aged soy sauce for this recipe; thinner soy sauces don't cling as nicely to the asparagus.
    • Garlic Powder - Make sure you're using garlic powder and not garlic salt. If you only have garlic salt, skip the salt in the recipe entirely.
    • Garlic Cloves - Toss one or two small garlic cloves onto the pan still in their papery skins to soften and roast along with the asparagus spears. This will soften them and mellow their flavor. When they come out of the oven, cut off the root end of the cloves and use a knife or fork to smush the soft garlic clove out of the paper wrapper to mix with the soy sauce.
    • Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which half as salty as other brands. If you're using a different brand of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, cut the amount of salt in half.
    • Pepper - Freshly cracked or pre-ground black pepper, either one is absolutely fine here.

    No, you're not seeing things, this roasted asparagus recipe has no parmesan cheese! I tested this with shaved parmesan over the top before roasting because I love parmesan cheese on crispy roast vegetables. But I found the parmesan cheese clashed too much with the other umami flavors from the garlic and soy sauce. So no parmesan cheese is needed here!

    Instructions

    The first step of making any asparagus dish is to trim the asparagus. You can either snap the ends off or use a knife to remove the bottom 2-3 inches.

    Basically try to get rid of the tough, woody bits at the bottom. They are no fun to eat.

    If you really want to be sure there's no tough woody bits, you can take a vegetable peeler to the ends of the asparagus to shave them off. I think that's a bit extra, especially for an easy sheet pan asparagus dish like this. I don't want to spend time doing that, but you do you.

    trimming asparagus with a knife on a cutting board

    I've made so much oven roasted asparagus at this point that I have my favorite preparation down to a science at this point. Most of the time I don't bring the asparagus all the way to a blister. But you do you!

    Usually I just give the asparagus a gentle but decisive roasting, like I'm an insult comic trying to turn over a new leaf (but not quite there yet).

    Instead of the high heat of a cast iron on the stove which reliably set off the smoke detector every time I made it, I now use a quarter sheet pan in the oven or in my countertop toaster oven. Line it with aluminum foil or a silicone mat for easier clean up.

    A drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a sprinkle of garlic powder is really all the asparagus needs before heading into the oven.

    roasted asparagus lined up on a sheet pan

    Throw a couple whole garlic cloves onto the pan let them get all nice and soft in the oven with the asparagus — you'll mash them up with the soy sauce before drizzling it over the asparagus.

    Bake this asparagus at a temperature anywhere between 400°F and 425°F for 10-20 minutes. I usually do 425°F for 15 minutes because it's faster and I like my oven roasted asparagus to get a little crisp at the ends.

    However, you can roast the asparagus for as little as 10 minutes if you prefer your asparagus to be more gently roasted.

    Choosing the right temperature and time for your roasted asparagus depends on how you like to eat your asparagus!

    • For roasted asparagus that's bright green, and a little firmer after roasting, use a lower temp and shorter roasting time (e.g. 400°F for 10-15 minutes).
    • For roasted asparagus that's dark green with blackened tips and a softer center, use the higher temp and a longer cook time (e.g. 425°F for 15-20 minutes).
    roasted asparagus on a sheet pan with a clove of garlic

    Finishing Asparagus with Garlic Soy Sauce

    When it comes to the perfect sauce for asparagus, less is more! Once the asparagus comes out of the oven, you'll finish it with a very light drizzle of the garlic soy sauce and toss to coat the asparagus.

    Carefully remove the roasted garlic cloves from their papery skins. Mash them into the soy sauce, then use a spoon to drizzle a few spoonfuls over the asparagus.

    Soy sauce has a really strong flavor, so less is more, imo. Drizzle a bit, then taste. Add more if needed, and serve any remaining garlic soy sauce on the side as a dipping sauce.

    Honestly, you can totally skip mashing the garlic cloves into the soy sauce if you want; just plain soy sauce drizzled over the garlicky asparagus is an extremely tasty shortcut version of this dish!

    pouring soy sauce from the bottle over roasted asparagus on a sheet pan

    Storage Notes

    This oven roasted asparagus with garlic soy sauce is best eaten same day. However, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

    To reheat, give the asparagus quick saute in a skillet over medium heat, or pop it back in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes before serving.

    Practical Tips & Recipe Notes

    • If you're new to working with asparagus, it might take a couple tries to figure out what your ideal asparagus stalk looks like. Sometimes you'll find really thick, chonky asparagus with woody stems and other times you'll find asparagus with very thin stems and dainty tops. I prefer the thinner asparagus, but it's really up to you.
    • To trim asparagus, hold the bottom of a stalk in one hand and hold above the woody part of the stem with the other. Bend until the tough end (which you don't want to eat) snaps off. You might be surprised at just how much comes off! If you're making huge batches of asparagus, you may want to use a knife instead — just cut off the bottom 2-3 inches.
    • Soy sauce can burn in the oven or in a skillet, so it's best to always drizzle it on after cooking, rather than roast the asparagus in it.
    • If you prefer using a skillet you can follow all of the same instructions, just toss the asparagus into a skillet over high heat for about 10 minutes or until they're as cooked through as you want. Add the soy sauce to finish once you take it off the heat. Open a window and have your exhaust fan running — this will likely set off your smoke detector!
    • I've also tried this recipe with broccoli, roasted broccolini, and yes, even string beans as Alicia initially recommended. It's great with all of them.

    Bonus Suggestion

    My friend Emily suggested I try roasting the asparagus with mayonnaise instead of olive oil, which I had never heard of before. So I tossed the asparagus with about 2 tablespoon kewpie mayo + seasonings before roasting. While I still prefer EVOO just for simplicity, the mayo did really bring out the umami flavors and it helped the soy sauce cling to the asparagus once I tossed it all together. If you're a mayo fiend, this is something you might want to try!

    📖 Recipe

    roasted asparagus on a rectangular serving platter. a small bowl of roasted garlic soy sauce is in front of it. a bottle of soy sauce is behind it.

    Quick 20-Minute Asparagus with Soy Sauce

    Rebecca Eisenberg
    This umami-rich flavor combo of crispy roasted asparagus stalks with soy sauce and garlic is the kind of side dish that turns asparagus haters into asparagus lovers. This quick 20-minute, oven-roasted asparagus recipe is simple and SO hands off to make, too. You’ll find yourself loving it even more just because it takes so little time to pull together. (Made without parmesan cheese!)
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved! Email
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 3 people

    Equipment

    • Quarter sheet pan
    • Heavy-duty aluminum foil

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 bunch asparagus (ends trimmed)
    • 1½ tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ⅛ cup aged soy sauce (adjust to taste)
    • 2 whole garlic cloves (skins still on, optional)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat or aluminum foil.
    • Trim and arrange asparagus in an even layer on the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Roll the asparagus stalks around on the pan until coated.
    • Place two whole garlic cloves, still in their paper skins, on the sheet pan nestled in with the asparagus.
    • Roast asparagus for 13-18 minutes or until desired level of doneness is reached.
    • Pour the soy sauce into a small bowl. Use a knife to snip off the root end of the roasted garlic cloves (caution: they're hot!) and squish the soft roasted garlic out of the papery skin and into the soy sauce. Mash the garlic into the soy sauce with a fork.
    • Drizzle a few spoonfuls of garlic soy sauce over the roasted asparagus. Serve any extra garlic soy sauce on the side for dipping. Serve immediately.

    RECIPE NOTES

    • Measurements here are entirely adjustable to taste. You don't need to measure anything precisely. Just eyeball it. 
    • If you dont want to drizzle the garlic soy sauce over all of the asparagus, you can serve it in a dipping bowl on the side.
    • I'm giving a wide range of times for roasting the asparagus here. For darker, softer, more blistered asparagus, roast for longer. For more firm, crisply roasted asparagus, pull it out of the oven sooner. You could also roast at a lower temperature for firmer roasted asparagus with less blackening and blistering. 

    YOUR NOTES

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    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and let me how it was!
    Side DishesUnder 30 MinutesVegetarianGarlicOne pan
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.80 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Nicole

      January 22, 2022 at 6:30 pm

      5 stars
      I made this for my parents when I was visiting and it was a hit! Super simple, and the only "complaint" was that I should have thrown several more cloves of garlic on the sheet pan for extra roasted garlic! Definitely going in my arsenal as a staple side-dish.

      Reply
    2. Leann

      June 08, 2022 at 9:36 am

      5 stars
      THIS IS SO GOOD! I was so surprised by how the flavors changed with that soy sauce at the end! I will absolutely be making this again and again and again.

      Reply
    3. Emma

      August 26, 2022 at 5:20 pm

      Oh this sounds fabulous!!! I think I will also try it with green beans. Before covid, there was this little hole in the wall Chinese place by my office that had a little lunch buffet and it had the most amazing green beans in what must've been a sauce like this one. The place is still open, happily, but they no longer do the buffet and the green beans aren't on their menu. So I think this might give me a chance to recreate that taste! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        August 26, 2022 at 5:39 pm

        I hope they live up to those green beans you remember!

        Reply
    4. Alicia

      March 09, 2023 at 12:08 pm

      4 stars
      This was a success- mostly. Next time I will roast the whole head of garlic in foil like I usually do, instead of removing a few cloves, because most of them burned, so I could not add them to the soy sauce. The asparagus was perfect.

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        March 10, 2023 at 12:56 pm

        Sorry to hear that about the garlic cloves! It's possible your oven runs a bit hot, usually if you leave the cloves in the paper skin they're just fine. But roasting a whole bulb of garlic is also an A+ move!

        Reply
    5. Maureen

      August 13, 2023 at 4:55 pm

      I made this recipe for lunch. It was so good I had to make it again for dinner and again the next day. Definitely will be getting more asparagus and making again.

      Reply
    6. Monica

      May 22, 2025 at 5:10 pm

      5 stars
      OMG! That was the best asparagus ever!

      Reply

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