Roasted Bok Choy
by Roasted bok choy in a garlic chili sauce is a nutritious and delicious side with minimal effort. Roasting is a hand-off cooking method that brings out the natural sweetness and juiciness of bok choy stems while achieving a slightly crispy and caramelized texture in the leaves.
This recipe will have you falling in love with bok choy, a widely-used ingredient in Asian cuisine. New to this power veggie? Be sure to check out my resource on how to cut bok choy and give my bok choy stir fry a try, too!
Why this will be your go-to recipe
Bok choy just might be one of the tastiest veggies around! Not only is it delicious and versatile, but it’s full of nutrition. This roasted bok choy recipe is quick, simple, and full of all the right flavors.
- Fast and easy: With minimal prep time and a no-fuss cooking method, the total time for this recipe is under 15 minutes.
- Super nutritious: Low in calories, gluten-free, vegan, and immune-boosting! Bok choy is high in vitamins C, K, and A, as well as folate and selenium—antioxidants that help us detox.
- Perfectly crisp and tender: Follow my expert tips for getting the perfect texture when roasting bok choy—crisp, juicy, and tender.
Ingredients
This roast bok choy side dish comes together with minimal effort and just a few clean and accessible ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need for roasting bok choy in the oven:
- Bok choy: Regular-sized bok choy, olive oil, course sea salt, and garlic powder.
- Sauce: Homemade garlic chili sauce, coconut aminos, fresh ginger (grated), toasted sesame oil
Ingredient substitutions
- Bok choy: For roasted baby bok choy, simply slice it in half instead of quarters. (Check out my handy guide on how to prepare bok choy!)
- Coconut aminos: You could substitute tamari or soy sauce if not soy free.
- Fresh garlic: For added flavor, you could add 1-2 cloves of garlic (grated) to the sauce mixture.
How to make the dish
It’s so easy to bake bok choy, you may never cook it another way again! Here are the simple steps to make the perfect oven roasted bok choy.
- Similar to my steamed bok choy recipe, trim the bottoms of the bok choy and slice them into quarters.
- Rinse the dirt off and pat the leaves dry with a paper towel.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and coat the vegetables in oil and seasonings.
- Loosely cover with tin foil and bake. Meanwhile, mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Transfer the roasted bokchoy to a serving plate and drizzle with sauce.
Pro tips for baking bok choy just right
- Washing and drying: Chop before rinsing to remove dirt and grit. Dry well with a paper towel before roasting so they don’t become mushy.
- Tin foil: Cover with foil (or tin foil and parchment paper) for perfectly crispy bok choy without burning the leaves.
- Careful not to over-roast. How long to roast bok choy will depend on their size. Remove them from the oven before the leaves burn and the stems get mushy.
Variations
The flavor and texture of this roasted bok choy in oven is truly one of my favorite go-to sides! Sometimes it’s fun to switch it up though. Here are some tasty roasted bok choy recipe ideas:
- Swap the sauce: For a non-spicy version, try it with my roasted sesame dressing. Or make a simple marinade of coconut aminos, rice wine vinegar, and a bit of honey or maple syrup.
- Roasted bok choy and mushrooms: Toss some cremini or portobello mushrooms onto the pan when roasting.
- Roasted bok choy and broccoli: Broccoli, or even cauliflower, is another great addition to this side!
- Optional garnishes: Try some toasted sesame seeds, a squeeze of lemon juice, red pepper flakes, or sliced green onion!
Serving suggestions
This garlicky, sesame ginger bok choy complements any meat or protein recipe so well! It’s delicious paired with steamed rice or noodles, as the grains soak up the flavorful sauce just beautifully.
Some of my favorite chicken dishes to serve alongside this broiled bok choy are my Whole 30 Chinese sesame chicken, this aromatic black pepper chicken, and this crispy, delicious Mongolian chicken. It goes perfectly with this moo goo gai pan stir fry as well!
For some non-chicken dishes, I recommend pairing it with this saucy ginger pork stir fry. Or try it with some seafood! This air fryer bang bang shrimp or my baked cod with panko are great options.
Common FAQ
Absolutely! Roasting brings out the natural juiciness and sweetness of this vegetable and creates a crisp yet tender texture.
No, you shouldn’t freeze cooked bok choy. It will become very mushy when it thaws out.
Bok choy has a mild, fresh flavor that’s a cross between cabbage and celery. When it’s roasted, it becomes a bit sweet.
You can eat both the stalks and leaves of bok choy. They are great sources of fiber and vitamins. The only part that gets trimmed off is the very bottom.
Storage and make-ahead
Leftovers of this sheet pan bok choy can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or oven, or enjoy it cold! Cooked bok choy does not freeze well, as it will become mushy.
Related recipes
Now that you know how to cook bok choy in the oven, give this nutritious vegetable a try in some other delightful recipes!
This light, yet flavorful bok choy soup is one of the most popular recipes on my site! If you have an air fryer, my air fryer bok choy is another easy way to eat more veggies. This Asian bok choy salad with creamy toasted sesame dressing is just perfect for the warmer months.
If you’re ready to dive deeper into Asian cuisine, this directory of Chinese vegetables is a great place to start!
Umami Tips
- Cut before washing: The stalks of bok choy are prone to grit and dirt, so be sure to trim first and rinse thoroughly before cooking.
- Double the sauce: Use extra sauce to flavor your protein, pour over rice or noodles, and freshen up leftovers (or just eat it with a spoon!)
- Loosely cover the bok choy with tin foil (or tin foil and parchment paper) when baking bok choy in the oven so the leaves won’t get burnt.
- Great for batch cooking: bok choy baked in oven is great for batch cooking and perfect for meal prep!
Roasted bok choy recipe
Ingredients
- 5 head regular-sized bok choy, quartered, 8-9” in height/bundle, 26.5 oz total
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 0.5 tsp coarse sea salt
- 0.5 tsp garlic powder
For the sauce:
- 2 tsp garlic chili sauce
- 2 tsp coconut aminos
- 0.2 oz ginger, grated
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F/204C.
- Trim the bottom tip end of the bok choy, then quarter it.
- Rinse them under running water or plunge them into a large bowl of water a few times until the dirt is washed away. Drain and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Line a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper, place the bok choy on top, and season with oil, salt, and garlic powder. Use your hands to toss and coat them all.
- Loosely cover the sheet pan with foil over and bake for 7-8 minutes. This way the leaves won’t get burnt and the stems will be tender.
- Meantime, mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Transfer the bok choy to a large serving plate. Drizzle with the sauce on top. Serve warm.
Notes
- For a detailed guide on how to cut and wash bok choy, see my detailed post on how to cut bok choy.
- Most of the bok choy in the Western markets are medium-sized (regular-sized) bok choy, 8-9” in height. You should quarter them before cooking.
- The real baby bok choy (or dwarf bok choy) is about 4.5” in height. Simply halve them before cooking.
Nutrition
Made a dish and love it? Please remember to rate the recipe and leave a comment in the comment section below! It helps my blog grow organically so I can continue sharing free and awesome content with you. Thank you!
Followed the instructions and the halved bok choy tastes crisp and not mushy. So good! It’ll work well even without the chili sauce. What a great way to eat a lot of veggies!
We made it over the weekend for Mother’s Day brunch and everyone loved this sheet pan roasted bok choy. They are tender and flavorful, thanks to the special tip! I’ll be making this on a regular basis now as it’s great for my own meal prep as well, too!