I’ve been playing around with oil-free dishes for two reasons: 1) I’m curious to see if you can make dishes oil-free while maintaining delicious flavor and texture. And 2) many of you have been asking for oil-free recipes*, so I wanted to provide this as a resource!

Spoiler alert: It totally works! Let me show you how.

This recipe requires simple ingredients (whatever seasonal vegetables you have available to you) and simple seasonings (whatever flavors make you happy).

I’ve been loving this DIY curry powder, which added a complex kick of flavor to the vegetables I had on hand, which in this case were a mix of starchy and non-starchy vegetables. More on that soon…

Here’s the trick I’ve found to work best:

Steam starchy vegetables first until just tender and then finish roasting in the oven. And for non-starchy vegetables, throw them straight into the oven with just the seasonings (no steaming necessary). They don’t need the extra moisture because they are more tender and have a higher water content in most instances, so steaming would make them soggy.

So in this instance, I chose to steam the sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts. And then I added the broccolini, beets, cauliflower, peppers, cabbage, and zucchini straight into the oven to roast.

You’ll know that your vegetables are done when they’re tender and slightly golden brown on the outside. Or, if you like crispy vegetables, continue roasting until deeper golden brown (just be careful not to burn). And that’s it! Easy, oil-free roasted vegetables that are perfect for just about any occasion.

I hope you all LOVE these vegetables. They’re:

Easy

Quick

Versatile

Tender on the inside

Crispy on the outside

Flavorful

& Delicious

Add these vegetables to just about any dish to bring some plant-based goodness to your plate. Think breakfast scrambles, salads, quinoa bowls, pastas, wraps, and more! You can also pair these vegetables with my 5-Minute Macadamia Nut Cheese for a delicious crudité!

For more oil-free and oil-free-optional recipes, check out our Shawarma Roasted Cauliflower Steak, Roasted Rainbow Vegetable Bowl, Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Chipotle Romesco, Roasted Jalapeño Vegan Queso, Chickpea Sunflower Sandwich, and Dark Chocolate Hemp Seed Energy Bites!

If you try out this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

*Know that we are not saying an oil-free diet is the way to go (we use oil in plenty of recipes). We are only providing a resource for people who want to try to reduce the amount of added oils in their diet.