This easy roasted radishes recipe is a perfect spring side dish! The vibrant radishes have a delicious mild flavor and crisp-tender bite.
For how much I love radishes, this roasted radishes recipe is way overdue. I have about 53 radish recipes on the site, and of those, 52(!) use raw radishes. Obviously, raw radishes have a lot going for them. Peppery, crunchy, and vibrant pink, they’re perfect for amping up salads, sandwiches, and bowls. But what about cooking radishes?
These numbers don’t show it, but I often roast radishes at home. Unlike their raw counterparts, roasted radishes taste lightly sweet and mellow, with just a hint of their original spice. They have an irresistible crisp-tender bite, and they’re delicious on their own or with grains, pasta, polenta, and more.
Even if you’re not a radish fan, I hope you try this recipe. Often, by preparing a familiar vegetable in a new way, you’ll discover that you like it more than you first thought. With any luck, this easy roasted radishes recipe will show you that you love radishes just as much as I do.
Roasted Radishes Recipe Tips
- Roast them cut side down. Roasting radishes is simple: cut them in half, toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and bake! But before you pop them in the oven, make sure you arrange the cut radishes with the flat side down. It promotes even cooking and helps the edges crisp up as they roast.
- Cook them how you like them. I take my roasted radishes out of the oven well before they’re fork tender, after 10 to 15 minutes. This way, they retain some crunch and a crisp-tender bite. If you prefer softer radishes, keep cooking until they reach your desired texture, up to 25 minutes.
- Don’t toss the tops! Did you know that radish greens are just as delicious as the radishes themselves? If you’re lucky enough to find a bunch of radishes with good greens attached, eat them! Sauté them and toss them with the roasted radishes, or blend them into pesto to dollop on top. Find my best tips for storing and cooking them here.
Roasted Radishes Serving Suggestions
Served with a squeeze of lemon juice, these roasted radishes make a lovely side dish on their own. However, they’re also a great addition to larger dishes like salads and bowls. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them:
- Pile them onto creamy polenta. Finished with roasted chickpeas and a swirl of radish green pesto, this dish is my favorite spring comfort food.
- Make a hearty grain salad. Start with cooked quinoa, couscous, or farro. Then, toss in the radishes, roasted asparagus, feta cheese, and fresh herbs like basil, mint, tarragon, or chives. Add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste!
- Or a hearty bean salad. Combine the roasted radishes with thinly sliced raw radishes, white beans or cooked French green lentils, capers, mint, and pine nuts for crunch. Toss it all with a simple lemon vinaigrette, and dollop on plenty of radish green pesto.
- Toss them with pasta. Cook up fresh or dry pasta, add the radishes, and finish it with lemon juice, pesto, and grated Parmesan cheese.
How do you like to serve this roasted root vegetable? Let me know in the comments!
More Favorite Roasted Veggies
If you love this roasted radishes recipe, try roasting one of these veggies next:
Roasted Radishes
Ingredients
- 9 to 12 medium red radishes, halved
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon juice, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Slice the radishes in half and place them in a roasting dish (or on a baking sheet with parchment paper). Toss with drizzles of olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper and place cut-side down.
- Roast 10 to 15 minutes or until they reach your desired doneness. I like my radishes to have a bit of a crunchy bite. If you prefer softer radishes, roast them longer.
- Serve with squeezes of lemon and season to taste. These are also wonderful with dollops of radish green pesto or tossed into this radish salad.
Hey, mine had a crust but they were very watery inside. The taste was pretty bitter. Is there any way to avoid this result?
Hi Alexandra, Thanks for your comment! The level of bitterness can vary from one bunch of radishes to another. If you have a very bitter bunch, I would pair them with a dressing to help balance the flavor. They’d go well with our honey mustard dressing or green goddess dressing, for example. For the texture, I’d try cooking them a little less and positioning them on the lowest oven rack. That will help them brown underneath without overcooking in the middle.
Delicious! We were surprised to find the radishes lost their sharp taste. Took us about 30-40 minutes in the oven however.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! I like mine pretty firm, but it could be personal preference.
These were delicious. I had an abundance of spicy radishes from the CSA and was looking for a way to use them other than just in a salad. I roasted these for longer than the 10-15 minutes, because I wanted them to be a little softer. Topped them with the radish top pesto I had in the freezer. Everything was delicious.
We love all types of radishes in our family and will grow 5 different varieties in our garden this year! We eat them raw in salads, or as a grain-free substitute for crackers with dips, etc. I also love to roast them and add a touch of Balsamic Vinegar!
I too love this recipe. Looking also awesome.
Awesome ❤❤❤
delicious recipe
I too love roasted radishes. I just put them on a plate with other roasted veg such as potatoes, or mixed in with roasted squashes.
I LOVE cooked radishes as well! This is my all time fav way to eat them: https://food52.com/recipes/6611-radishes-and-greens-with-pasta