How to Make Veggies Taste Better, According to Pro Chefs

Trying to Cook Healthier? Here Are 10 Chef-Approved Tips for Tastier Vegetables

There are some truisms we just can’t escape when it comes to healthy eating — one of which is that getting enough veggies is super important.

Vegetables fill you up while offering gut-friendly fiber (which studies show most Americans are lacking). Not only that, but they’re packed with essential vitamins and minerals that benefit every organ in the body while keeping your immune system in tip-top shape.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume 2-3 cups of vegetables per day, or about nine servings — which seems to be a struggle for some people to achieve. In fact, only about 1 in 10 adults currently meets this requirement. But if anyone knows how to make veggies taste amazing, it’s chefs. That’s why we tapped a few professionals for their tips.

As it turns out, there are lots of ways to make veggies more appetizing. Even just switching to a different cooking oil that can withstand high heat, adding a different seasoning, or making sure not to crowd your pan can go a long way when it comes to yielding tastier results.

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Below, chefs from a range of renowned restaurants share their secrets to cooking crave-worthy vegetables every time.

Try Avocado Oil

Olive oil may be the old standby for cooking vegetables, but you might want to consider switching it up now and then.

“I like to use avocado oil when sautéing vegetables because of the high smoke point,” says Jason Santos, Chef/Owner of Buttermilk & Bourbon and Citrus & Salt.

A higher smoke point allows you to get the pan hotter without the oil burning — which means you can achieve a crisp, even slightly browned exterior without losing all the nutrients and flavor in the veggies.

Lean Into Citrus

It’s amazing what a squeeze of lemon, lime, or even grapefruit can do to enhance your veggies, says Robert Sisca, Executive Chef at Bistro du Midi and The Banks. The acidity in these citrus fruits can add an unexpectedly tart twist while also preserving the vegetable’s color.

“When making green purées — like peas, broccoli, or fava beans — a dash of lemon juice or lemon oil really elevates the flavor and adds a fresh, bright note,” says Cosmica Chef Yuval Ochoa.

Ryan Skeen, chef at The Beehive also notes that preserved lemon pairs wonderfully with beets, offering some nice contrast to the earthy flavor of this root vegetable.

Add Contrast With Sweetness

Speaking of fruit, you don’t have to stop at citrus — feel free to get creative here. At Bistro di Midi, Sisca notes that a current cauliflower side dish has fresh pomegranate seeds on it.

“This gives a nice burst of sweetness and texture to the dish,” he explains.

One of the reasons why cauliflower and pomegranate pair so well together is that they’re both winter veggies. So, as a general rule, try to combine fruits and veggies that are in season at the same time — for example, apples are a nice addition to roasted fall veggies like parsnips and squash.

Another great way to add some unexpected sweetness to your veggies? With balsamic glaze. This is the key ingredient in Baramor chef Chris Gagnon’s crowd-pleasing Brussels sprouts agrodolce.

“I halve the sprouts, peel off some of the outer leaves, and steam them quickly so they stay tender,” he tells AskMen. “After that, I season them with kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil, then cook until they’re crispy on the outside. The magic happens when I toss them in a balsamic glaze — it adds that sweet-savory balance.”

Marinate for a Flavor Boost

“The key to getting the most flavor out of your vegetables is to treat them like a piece of meat,” says Puritan & Company chef/owner Will Gilson.

More specifically, Gilson recommends marinating them. For example, he recommends letting sliced zucchini bathe in a simple combo of soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil overnight.

“The next day just remove from the marinade and add them to the grill and they will develop so much flavor,” he tells AskMen.

Skeen also says that after slow-cooking leeks in a white balsamic vinaigrette, he likes to let them marinate overnight to soak up all the flavor.

Santos also suggests using a touch of fish sauce and sugar on your veggies for a tasty glaze that’s bursting with umami taste.

And even if you don’t marinate your veggies — you can always serve them with a dipping sauce to amplify the flavor. Jesus Averalo, chef at Sogno, blanches romanesco, deep fries it until crispy, and then serves it with a creamy parmesan and lemon aioli.

Blanch With Plenty of Salt — and Follow With a Cold Shock

When blanching your veggies, Midnight Morning chef Rory Lee says you probably need to add more salt to the water than you think.

“It should be slightly less salty than ocean water,” he explains. “A lot of people think adding more salt is unhealthy but the truth is most of that salt remains in the water. The idea is that by creating mineral-rich water there’s no mineral exchange between the vegetable itself and the water.”

This yields a more nutrient-rich, vibrant, crispy vegetable, adds Santos.

But immediately after blanching, don’t forget to dunk the vegetables in ice water. Lee says this slows down the cooking process, locking in the color and nutrients.

“This process works best with green vegetables like green beans, broccoli, and peas, but it’s also OK for hardier root vegetables like carrots, beets, and parsnips as well,” says Lee.

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By the way — blanching and then cold shocking happens to be Gagnon’s favorite way to cook asparagus.

“After that, I coat the spears in Italian dressing,” he tells AskMen. “I usually make my own, but store-bought works fine too. Then, I throw them on the grill until you get that nice caramelization on the outside. It’s fresh, smoky, and pairs perfectly with any dish.”

Grab the Cornstarch

Cornstarch is Santos’ secret weapon when he’s seeking a super crispy outcome — all you need is about a tablespoon or so for every pound of vegetables. Just toss them in a bowl or container to get all sides evenly coated.

This is a great hack for achieving ultra-crunchy buffalo cauliflower when you roast it in the oven or air fry it. A cornstarch coating also works particularly well on potatoes and other root veggies.

Amp Up the Heat

“I love vegetables that are cooked with high heat techniques like roasting, broiling and grilling — concentrating the flavors, amplifying the texture with lots of crunchy edges and adding layers of complexity and richness,” says Erin Miller, chef at Urban Hearth.

For instance, Miller often roasts cruciferous veggies like broccoli at 400 degrees Fahrenheit after tossing in olive oil and sea salt.

“This produces a vegetable that is still intensely green, with leaves that are tinged with char, and a flavor that is both sweet and bitter,” she tells AskMen.

After taking the veggies out of the oven, the possibilities are endless — Miller suggests a quick toss with your favorite vinaigrette, fermented hot sauce, or some crumbled blue cheese.

“Another high heat technique that I love to use with vegetables is roasting root vegetables in ash,” she adds. “Sounds crazy, I know — but for potatoes, beets, celery root, and radishes, burying them in a combination of 50/50 clean wood ash and kosher salt produces a super concentrated, sweet, intensely flavorful and slightly smokey vegetable. And once you’re done, stow that ash away for your next veg roasting project. It keeps, and gets better and more complex the more you use it.”

Don’t Be Shy With Spice

Without a doubt, spices are one of the quickest and easiest ways to make veggies more interesting.

“Dry rubs, much like on a roast or a steak, will add a dynamic flavor to the vegetables,” says Gilson. “Throw a spice blend like ras al hanout, baharat, or even curry on some cauliflower with Greek yogurt as a way to get the spices to stick and then roast in the oven. The cauliflower becomes the main course.”

At The Banks, Sisca adds tangy labneh and warm, nutty dukkah to the baby Brussels sprouts for a Middle Eastern-inspired take.

“I also like to add vadouvan spice (French curry) to our whole roasted cauliflower for a kick,” he adds.

One of Lee’s favorite veggie additions is achiote paste, which is made from crushed annatto seeds mixed with garlic, vinegar, and a blend of spices.

“Lately I've been using it when I roast carrots,” Lee says. “I’ll toss the carrots with olive oil, sliced shallots and garlic, paprika and achiote paste, place them in a roasting pan with a cup or two of water, and throw them in the oven uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. To really elevate this you can mash the carrots with crushed toasted almonds, sherry vinegar, and some roasted red peppers to make a wonderful gluten-free romesco.”

When in Doubt, Just Sear

“The same principle that is used in searing meat called the ‘maillard reaction’ works extremely well with broccoli,” says Gilson. “Cut long, flat planks out of the stem and crown of broccoli and sear it in a pan with olive oil. If needed, you can even press it with a bacon press to ensure that the most surface area is on the pan so it gets brown and caramelized."

Gagnon likes to get olive oil nice and hot in a pan before tossing in some green beans and letting them blister.

“This gives them a crispy texture and a great earthy flavor,” he explains. “Once they’re blistered, I turn the heat down and add butter, garlic, kosher salt, and pepper, tossing everything together. It’s quick, easy, and super flavorful.”

When cooking baby carrots, Skeen suggests tossing them in coconut oil and searing them on a plancha (or flat-top grill) to get a nice char.

“The result is smoky, sweet, and full of character,” he tells AskMen.

Experiment With Out-of-the-Box Techniques

If you’ve tried roasting, grilling, sauteeing, air frying and blanching your veggies and you’re ready to shake things up, Cosmica chef Yuval Ochoa has a few ideas for you.

“One method I love is salt-baking root vegetables,” he says.

Say you have some beets. You’d start by mixing a generous amount of kosher salt with just enough water to form a clay-like consistency, then completely coat the beets before baking them at medium heat for about an hour.

“Once done, the salt hardens into a shell that you’ll need to crack open,” says Ochoa. “The result? Perfectly cooked, beautifully seasoned beets. This method is inspired by traditional Peruvian cooking, where indigenous people would bake potatoes in salt and dirt for similar results.”

According to Ochoa, you can also use this same approach with other root veggies like kohlrabi, chayote, and turnips. One of his favorite dishes, though, is a beet tartare with salt-baked red beets cut into tiny cubes and served with black garlic aioli.

“Smoking vegetables is another great way to introduce unique layers of flavor,” Ochoa adds. “Cold-smoking carrots, for example, gives them a texture reminiscent of smoked salmon, while smoked cherry tomatoes add an incredible depth to tomato-based pasta dishes.”

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