Garlic Butter Roasted Parsnips

Salty, savory, buttery roasted parsnips with a lightly sweet, caramelized flavor with loads of garlic butter flavor right from the oven!

roasted parsnips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper seasoned with garlic butter and herbs

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

roasted parsnips seasoned with garlic butter and herbs on a white speckled plate next to a blue striped tea towel

Easy Baked Parsnips

Parsnips are a lot like carrots – but can be bitter, like radishes and other root vegetables. This recipe combines garlic butter, and a simple, easy roasting method, to get golden brown, lightly sweet and tender parsnips that are bursting with mild flavor.

Parsnips are actually closely related to carrots and parsley – which accounts for their flavor! Roasting brings out a more subtle, lightly sweet, buttery richness to parsnips – cutting down on their bitter flavor – making this a perfectly easy way to prepare parsnips. Look for parsnips harvested after the first frost, as they tend to be more sweet!

This recipe couldn’t be more easy to follow – simply prep your parsnips by peeling and cutting down if they are large (so they can cook more easily), and then season and roast in the oven – and you can change up the flavors with other herbs if you desire.

This recipe is great as a holiday side dish alongside Ribeye Roast and Prime Rib or Broiled Lobster Tail – as well as Turkey. It can also be used as a base to make roasted parsnip soup! It’s also delicious alongside our Baked Pork Tenderloin recipe, too.

roasted parsnips seasoned with garlic butter and herbs

How to Make Garlic Butter Roasted Parsnips

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

Parsnips
Butter
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Italian herbs seasoning
Garlic powder
Parsley, to garnish

picture of parsnips, garlic, herbs, butter, salt on a table

parsnips being peeled on a cutting board

peeled and chopped parsnips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

seasoned peeled and chopped parsnips on a baking sheet seasoned with herbs and garlic

Once we’ve gathered the ingredients, we will use the following method:

Prep. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash parsnips and peel. Cut into half, then into fourths, if parsnips are large, to make long, thin “fry” shapes so parsnips can cook quickly and easily. Pat dry with paper towel. In a small pot, combine butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and herbs. Heat just until butter is melted and garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place parsnips on top. Pour garlic butter over parsnips and toss. Spread over baking sheet.
Roast. Roast 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned, and parsnips are tender to the touch. Flip after about 10 minutes if desired. Cook time may vary depending on size of your parsnips, so watch as they cook.
Enjoy!

roasted parsnips seasoned with garlic butter and herbs with salt and pepper

Tips and Tricks to Perfect Roasted Parsnips

Roast to your preferred doneness. Some people like parsnips with a bit more bite, some like them really soft. Cook until you’re happy with your vegetables!

For more caramelization, increase the temperature. Turn heat to 375 F if you’d like your parsnips browned more.

Swap olive oil for butter. For a dairy-free version, you can swap olive oil for butter in this recipe.

Use an air fryer. You can try this recipe in an air fryer, using the same settings! Air fryers will tend to cook a bit faster than your oven, since it functions more like a convection oven, so check after 15 minutes instead of 25 minutes to see how parsnips are roasting.

FAQs

Parsnips are done when they are tender to light pressure from a fork and are lightly browned.

Parsnips are technically not keto since they are high in carbohydrates and sugars – but can be incorporated into a keto diet if you are very careful about your macros in other dishes you’re eating, as we’re making this dish without other carbs or grains.

We like to add grated parmesan to this recipe for even more flavor!