Perfect Roasted Fennel (Easy Side Dish!)

Welcome to the surprise that is roasted fennel! Cooking in a hot oven softens and caramelizes it: nothing beats its raw flavor.

If you haven’t tried the treat that is roasted fennel, stop right there and make yourself a casserole! Raw fennel has a crunchy, black, liquorice flavor that makes it perfect for salads (like this one). But his roasted self is something else entirely. Its taste becomes sweet and caramelized: almost like roasted onions, but more irresistible! Baked fennel is a simple and elegant side dish, especially with Mediterranean or Italian dishes. Here’s how to do it and what we’d pair it with!

How to Make Roasted Fennel (Basic Steps)

Fennel is a member of the carrot family, although it looks like an onion that has sprouted celery stalks and dill leaves! Alex and I started using it in some of our Mediterranean dishes years ago. We’ve found the flavor to add a beautiful, unique element to soups and salads. And we recently discovered that it works as a side, too! Here are the basic steps for roasting fennel (or fennel). Go to the recipe below):

• Cut into quarters. Cut off the large tip and root end. Remove any very hard outer layers (you may need to remove more than one). Halve the onion and cut into wedges.
• Mix with olive oil and kosher salt. Then place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. You will want very high heat for the fennel! This will make it perfectly caramelized and golden on the outside and tender on the inside. (You’ll see the same technique on our Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Eggplant, Roasted Cauliflower, and more.)
• Drizzle with lemon juice and serve. Adding lemon flavor before serving brightens the flavor.

Where to find fennel in grocery stores

You can find fennel in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. It’s usually near leafy greens and celery, but it depends on the grocery store. Usually fennel comes with the tip of the bulb, but sometimes it’s sold just as the bulb.

Point: If your fennel comes with the top, you can use some of the fennel leaves as a garnish for the roasted fennel.

Ways to serve roasted fennel

Roasted fennel sounds fancy, but as you can see, it’s as easy to roast as any other vegetable. Since fennel is a little less common in American cuisine, it makes a fun surprise for dinner parties or just to spice up weeknight cooking. Here are some ways to serve it:

How to Cut Fennel (with Video)

Fennel can be intimidating to cut. But after trying it for this Roasted Fennel recipe, you’ll see that there’s nothing to worry about! Here is the basic method for cutting fennel (see video instructions):

1. Using a large chef’s knife, cut off the tips of the fennel, known as the “fronds”. (You can use the steaming portions as garnish if you like.)
2. Cut off the root end of the fennel.
3. Remove any tough outer layers from the fennel and discard. This is important because they are way too heavy to eat!
4. Cut the middle of the fennel bulb. Then, for this recipe, cut it into 1-inch-wide wedges.

More fennel recipes

There are many other ways to use fennel! Here are some fennel recipes to try:

This Roasted Fennel recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

More fried vegetables

Roasted veggies are the best easy side dish! Here are a few to add to your list: