This easy Roasted Bok Choy recipe is a quick and healthy side dish packed with flavor. Baby bok choy is roasted in the oven with a simple mix of fresh ginger, soy sauce, and honey for a vegetable dish that's tender and slightly caramelized.
Roasting bok choy is one of my favorite ways to prepare this cruciferous vegetable. It is a hands-off method that produces tender, flavorful stems and crispy and slightly charred leaves. The high heat brings out the natural sweetness, turning the stems tender and juicy while the leafy tops become slightly crispy and charred.
Bok choy has a relatively mellow flavor, though it could be slightly bitter depending on the time of year or when it's harvested, so a small amount of honey provides just a dash of sweetness. This side dish is perfect for busy weeknights or even an elegant dinner.
Why You'll Love This Roast Bok Choy Recipe
- Simple grocery store ingredients
- Easy, hands-off method
- Healthy and easy to adjust based on dietary needs
- Flavorful and versatile
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Ingredients That Matter
You need only a handful of simple ingredients you can likely find in your local grocery store. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:
- Baby Bok Choy. This Chinese cabbage is a leafy vegetable that has a slightly bitter, almost mustard flavor. It may be sold as pak choi or pok choy depending on where you live and your local market. Look for relatively tightly packed leaves with bright green tops and no blemishes.
- Ginger. Use fresh ginger, peeled first then finely grated on a microplane grater. The slightly peppery ginger flavor goes very well with all brassicas.
- Soy Sauce. You can use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, if desired.
- Honey. A bit of honey or maple syrup helps mellow the slightly bitter flavor of bok choy.
- Oil. I typically use olive oil but you can use sesame oil instead if you want a more sesame-forward flavor.
- Toasted Sesame Seeds. While sesame seeds are just a garnish, they actually provide great flavor and texture to these tender roasted greens.
- Garlic (optional). I leave freshly grated garlic as optional as I personally avoid it for digestive reasons. If you are on a low FODMAP diet, skip it! More tips on that below.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Roast Bok Choy in the Oven
Roasting baby bok choy is super simple and takes less than 15 minutes total. Here is how to make this recipe:
- Start by preheating the oven to 425F and coat a baking sheet in cooking spray. Trim a bit off the stem-end, ensuring you don't cut through the stem. Cut in half lengthwise, then wash and dry thoroughly (see cleaning tips below).
- Make the sauce by stirring together ginger, garlic (if using), soy sauce, oil, and honey in a small bowl until well combined.
- Drizzle the sauce on the cut side of the bok choy and rub well on all sides.
- Place greens cut-side down on prepared sheet pan and bake until tender and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Hint: There is no need to flip the bok choy in the oven as the tender greens will cook evenly on one side. If you want a more charred green, cook for 15 minutes.
Adam's Pro Tip
It is important to keep each baby bok choy half intact so it cooks evenly and looks beautiful when served. That is why you need to be careful when trimming the greens. Trim a very thin section of the stem end off then cut lengthwise to make halves. This is the perfect serving size, plus it's easier to clean once cut in half.
Substitutions
There are plenty of simple substitutions you can make to this recipe based on your dietary restrictions or flavor preferences. Here are some recommendations:
- Low FODMAP - I have been on and off a low FODMAP diet for several years now and bok choy is one of my go-to greens since it's considered safe for those of us sensitive to certain carbohydrates. If you too follow this diet, swap soy sauce for tamari, omit the garlic, and use maple syrup instead of honey (though honey in small amounts is generally considered safe).
- Gluten-Free - If you need to keep this recipe gluten-free, simply use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Spicy - Add some heat by stirring in crushed red pepper flakes, a finely diced hot pepper, or even chili garlic sauce into the soy-ginger mixture.
How To Clean Bok Choy
Like other leafy brassicas, baby bok choy can be quite dirty, especially between the leaves close to the stem. In fact, it can be tough to clean! That's why I recommend soaking the halved bok choy in a bowl of cold water to remove some of the dirt. You'll need to swish the greens around a bit to get the hard to reach dirt off. Once clean, lay cut-side down on a clean towel and carefully dry well, avoiding breaking off any leaves.
What to Serve with Roasted Bok Choy
This vegetable side dish definitely has Asian inspirations so it goes very well with things like Honey Ginger Chicken, Teriyaki Udon with Vegetables, Miso Salmon, Air Fryer Chicken Katsu, or my Spicy Chicken with Ginger, Citrus and Soy.
Variations
I designed this recipe to be kid-friendly, at least for my young daughters. It's also a simple side that fits lots of different main dishes. However, you can tweak the recipe if you want a slightly different flavor profile. Consider these variations:
- Roasted Baby Bok Choy with Garlic - add 1-3 cloves of minced or finely grated garlic cloves and omit the ginger.
- Sesame Roasted Bok Choy - swap in toasted sesame oil in place of the olive oil and drizzle with more sesame oil before serving.
- Spicy Roasted Bok Choy - stir in 1 tablespoon of chili garlic sauce, or a big pinch of red pepper flakes or a finely minced hot pepper to add some serious heat.
Is Bok Choy Healthy? Nutrition Benefits
Like other leafy greens, bok choy is quite good for you. It has lots of vitamins and minerals and is considered a good source of vitamins C and K, plus it has some fiber to help with digestive health. It is also rich in antioxidants, so this tasty vegetable side dish may be perfect during cold and flu season.
Storage and Make-Ahead
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To be honest, the leftovers are not great when reheated as they tend to overcook. Instead, consider having your leftover roasted bok choy cold on a grain bowl or some chicken or tofu.
If you want to make this recipe ahead of time, you can prep the bok choy and even marinate them in the sauce for up to 1 day. Simply proceed with the recipe, laying cut-side down on a greased baking sheet, when ready to eat. This recipe definitely tastes best hot out of the oven.
Top Tip
Share something here that you think is key to making this recipe well, such as: Don't overcook the burgers! Sear the outside and cook to a minimum internal temperature, but they should still be juicy for best results.
FAQ
Bok choy and baby bok choy have a mellow, slightly bitter, mustardy flavor. It is tender when cooked and soaks up flavor like a sponge.
They are actually the same thing but baby bok choy is simply harvested at a smaller size and younger maturity. Many people prefer the baby version as it tends to have a more mellow flavor.
Yes! a 1-cup serving of baby bok choy is considered low FODMAP, though larger servings may contain a moderate amount of sorbitol.
It is best to cut bok choy in half to clean out the dirt from the leaves before roasting.
No, bok choy and baby bok choy are tender greens and do not need to be blanched before roasting.
More Sides
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Dinner Ideas
Looking for some dinner inspiration? Try out these recipe ideas:
Recipe
Roasted Bok Choy
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 bok choy halves 1x
Description
This easy recipe for Roasted Bok Choy is a perfect side dish for a busy weeknight or any time you are craving a tasty and unique vegetable. It's roasted with fresh ginger, soy sauce, and honey for a flavorful and slightly toasty side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. baby bok choy (3-4 medium)
- 1 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil (or sesame oil)
- 1 tsp. honey (or maple syrup)
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F with a rack in the bottom position and coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water. Trim a thin layer off the stem end of each baby bok choy, being careful to not cut through the stem. Cut each bok choy in half lengthwise and add to the bowl of water. Gently swish the bok choy in the water to clean off dirt. Remove from the water and dry well with clean kitchen towels.
- Stir together in a small bowl the ginger, garlic (if using), soy sauce, oil, and honey until well combined. Add the baby bok choy to the prepared baking sheet and spoon on the ginger sauce, rubbing the mixture over the entire bok choy. Lay the bok choy cut-side down on the baking sheet then roast in the oven on the bottom rack until tender and slightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer to a platter. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Notes
- Bok choy tends to be pretty dirty so do not skip cleaning them well. The best way to clean bok choy is soaking in a bowl of water and swishing around to remove dirt between each stem and leaf.
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using reduced sodium tamari.
- If you are on a low FODMAP diet, skip the garlic and use tamari and maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American/Asian
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