How to Roast Frozen Vegetables: The Ultimate Roasting Guide

Roasted veggies offer a load of nutrition and flavor, and while fresh veggies roast well, frozen vegetables are an even more convenient, inexpensive way to make roasted veggies at home. Use our guide to learn how to oven-roast frozen vegetables for a delicious, nutritious, and simple dinnertime side dish!

Getting our 5-13 servings of fruits and veggies is not an impossible task, it seems, with the help of a few convenient options, like frozen veggies. 

These icy counterparts to the fresh stuff can be just as, and sometimes even more nutritious than fresh produce from the grocery store or market. 

Purchasing frozen vegetables can also save you some big bucks and allows you to eat in-season produce year-round, regardless of where you live!

Can you roast frozen vegetables?

Absolutely! You can prepare frozen vegetables almost any way you'd like, but you can't enjoy them fresh, for apparent reasons. That ship sailed the moment they were flash-frozen. 

Use our guide below to learn more about frozen veggies' health benefits and how to roast them to perfection with our frozen vegetable recipes. 

Are Frozen Veggies Healthy?

Frozen vegetables are nutrient and fiber bombs that can up the nutrition in any meal. As we mentioned, though they might seem less healthy than fresh veggies, they're sometimes higher in vitamins and minerals. 

Farmers pick fresh vegetables before ripening to increase the shelf life, which sacrifices some of their nutrients. Frozen are usually harvested at maximum ripeness since they're processed more quickly and don't need to travel long distances until already preserved by freezing. 

Vitamin and mineral content leaches from fresh veggies as they age during the travel process, whereas frozen veggie nutrients preserve as they are at the time of freezing. 

Frozen veggies are usually blanched to kill bacteria and stop spoiling, making them a safer option than fresh vegetables that need a proper cleaning once arriving in your home. 

Complete forms of frozen veggies tend to be more nutritious than chopped, pureed, or mashed ones. 

Benefits of Frozen Veggies 

Frozen veggies offer plenty of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients help fight and prevent disease while removing free radicals and toxins from the body. 

You won't lose much fiber content from cooking frozen broccoli or other vegetables, so they can easily help balance gut health, digestion and keep you feeling full for longer. 

Making frozen vegetable recipes as a part of your regular diet can help make any weight-loss efforts a lot easier in a few ways:

• Fiber makes it easier to stick to a low-calorie diet without feeling like you're starving all the time. 
• The high water content in veggies helps to flush bloating and extra toxins
• Water and potassium in roasted mixed vegetables flush extra salt from your body
• Anti-inflammatory foods, like veggies, put your body in a healthier place; your entire body can work as a more cohesive unit, including your metabolism

Frozen Vegetable Roasting Guide 

Whether you're roasting frozen brussels sprouts, broccoli, or a mix of veggies, you can use this roasting guide to achieve the perfect roasted frozen vegetables every time!

Thawing the Frozen Vegetables

Don't worry about thawing frozen veggies before you make them - the best way to cook frozen vegetables is straight from frozen!

Slowly thawing veggies on the counter or in the fridge first will allow them to sit in the water for too long - toss the frozen veggies in the oven so that the high heat can evaporate the water as it melts from your frozen vegetables. 

Seasoning Options: How to Season Frozen Vegetables

We love the taste of fresh veggies straight from the vine, after a quick wash, of course. Frozen vegetables don't taste bad, but they can be a little blander than fresh ones. 

Learn how to make vegetables taste good easily with one of our simple methods below - improve the flavor without compromising the health benefits as you bake frozen vegetables. 

• Toss some Cajun rub or Italian seasonings before you roast frozen broccoli - make the best frozen vegetables by adding some grated cheddar and sour cream before you roast for a creamy, crusty veggie top. 
• Make your roasted vegetables extra garlicky with some garlic powder, fresh peeled and minced garlic cloves, or dehydrated garlic. Top with salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
• Add a hint of sweetness while you're roasting frozen vegetables by tossing on some coconut oil, curry powder, a sprinkle of brown sugar, and fresh lime juice. 
• Sesame oil can add a strong, savory Asian taste when roasting mixed vegetables along with fresh garlic powder, soy sauce or tamari, and a drizzle of sriracha chili sauce. 
• Make Italian night a little more interesting by topping roasted frozen cauliflower with olive oil, freshly minced garlic, onion powder, a blend of Herbes de Provence, and finish with a drizzle of good-quality balsamic vinegar. 
• Seasoning frozen vegetables can also be as simple as shaking on your favorite pre-made spice mix. 

6 Simple Steps: How to Roast Frozen Vegetables

Step #1: Line your baking sheet with foil or parchment to make the clean-up simple. 

Step #2: Preheat the oven to 450°F. 

You'll want to use a high temperature while cooking frozen vegetables in the oven to ensure they won't get soggy - high heat promotes more water evaporation and ultimate crispiness and caramelization!

Step #3: Preheat your pan for 10 minutes with a drizzle of cooking oil before adding your vegetables to the pan. 

The preheat allows your baking sheet to get nice and hot so that the vegetables immediately begin to cook when they hit the pan. 

For roasting at such a high heat, you'll want to use cooking oil with a higher smoke point, like coconut or avocado oil. Olive oil will burn on the pan, which releases harmful carcinogens into the air and your food. 

Step #4: Add more fat to the veggies, then season!

While you've now greased your baking sheet, you'll want to add some oil to the vegetables, too. Before cooking your veggies, toss them in a high smoke point oil and spread them onto the preheated baking sheet. 

You can reduce the amount of cooking oil added by using an oil sprayer, which helps distribute a smaller amount of fat while evenly coating veggies. 

After your frozen broccoli, brussel sprouts, or other veggies of your choice have a generous oil coating, add any extra seasonings you like, including the ever-essential salt and pepper.

Step #5: Spread the veggies in a single layer across the baking sheet. 

You'll want to give your roasted frozen veggies as much space to breathe on the pan as you can - the more air that can circulate each piece, the crispier and more evenly-cooked they'll get. 

Step #6: Follow the listed roasting times below to cook each type of vegetable to perfection. 

Roasting Times By Veggie: How Long to Roast Frozen Vegetables

Roast times vary based on each vegetable's unique water content, texture, and size - roast frozen cauliflower will take less time than firm carrots and brussels sprouts, but slightly more time than softer peas, for example. 

Use the roasting times below as a general guide, but watch your vegetables as they cook. You'll know the veggies finish cooking when they look evenly browned around the outside. 

• Roasting frozen brussel sprouts, carrots, or butternut squash take 25-30 mins.
• Roasted frozen broccoli takes 15-20 mins.
• Roast asparagus, sweet peas, corn, cauliflower, or zucchini in 15-20 mins.
• Roasted frozen green beans should cook for 15-20 mins, after a quick rinse under a cold tap.
• Mixed frozen veggies can be ready in 15-20 mins.

Keeping Frozen Veggies Crispy

Keep your veggies crispy with a hot oven and unthawed vegetables, so the water evaporates at a high rate, promoting a crisp texture!

Ideal Roasting Temperatures

The heat should be reasonably high to cook your frozen veggies well - the best way to cook frozen broccoli is with the high heat method, which cuts the bitterness and allows for ultimate caramelization. This chemical change makes food taste better to us. 

While we built our recipe using a 450°F temperature, you can also use 400°F if you prefer, though the cooking times will be a little longer. 

Final Notes: How To Reheat Roasted Vegetables

To reheat your roasted veggies again without compromising texture, stay away from your microwave and pop them back into the oven at 450°F for 5 mins - you'll know they're ready when you hear them sizzle!