Roasted celery, cooked in a pool of olive oil, broth, honey, apple cider vinegar, and seasonings, is a truly delectable side dish that will have everyone asking you for the recipe! After being slow roasted in the oven, the tender, melt-in-your-mouth celery is finished with sliced dates and crumbled blue cheese. You won’t think of celery the same again!
Celery is totally a “meh” vegetable. I get it. It’s stringy and tough and kind of tastes like dirt. It’s always the last choice on a vegetable tray, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has let a head of celery shrivel away into mush at the back of a crisper drawer.
But you guys, ROASTED celery is nothing short of amazing!!! Seriously, I was blown away by how delicious celery can be when baked. I cannot wait to make this side dish on repeat, especially when I have leftover celery that would otherwise go to waste.
The roasting technique for this recipe is similar to the one I used for my Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips. I didn’t use a cast iron skillet this time, but I did use a pool of liquid at the bottom of the dish and a slow roasting technique to yield very tender and flavor-infused celery. The pool consists of broth, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and honey, plus some fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
After roasting, the celery gets even more flavor from the addition of dates and blue cheese before serving. However, you can totally leave those out if you don’t have them on hand! Roasted celery is delicious on its own, too.
Ingredients
- Celery: Fresh celery works best in this recipe, but if all you have is frozen celery, give it a try! I suspect it would fare well with the long roasting time.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Substitute avocado oil if needed, but olive oil adds the most flavor. Partanna is my favorite olive oil.
- Honey: I like to use Nature Nate’s or Ames Farm honey. You can substitute maple syrup for the honey or omit it entirely if you don’t want to use an added sweetener.
- Vegetable broth: Sub chicken broth if needed.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can use white wine or red wine vinegar or even lemon juice.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, fresh or dried thyme. Other herbs, such as rosemary or sage, would taste great on roasted celery!
- Dates: I used pitted Medjool dates and sliced them into thin pieces. Any kind of dates will work. Just remember to remove the pits. You can also sub dried cranberries or cherries.
- Blue cheese: Get pre-crumbled or crumble a block yourself. Feta or goat cheese would also work.
- Possible additions: Chopped walnuts, pine nuts, or slivered almonds.
Instructions
For the full recipe, with ingredient quantities and step-by-step instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post. Use these process shots and tips to help guide you in the kitchen.
Cut the celery into ½-inch slices. See my tutorial on How to Cut Celery for more tips.
In an 8×8 baking dish, toss the celery in the olive oil, honey, broth, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and thyme.
Roast the celery at 425 degrees F until tender, about 40 to 50 minutes.
Mix the roasted celery with blue cheese and dates.
Storage and Reheating
This recipe tastes best when served right away. If you happen to have leftover roasted celery, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds until warmed through.
Serving
Serve your celery bake as a side dish to fish, pork, or chicken. It pairs really well with wild rice, a rice medley, or quinoa. It would taste delicious with my Coconut Cod or Spinach Feta Salmon Burgers.
FAQ
Roasted celery tastes very tender and slightly sweet. It is absolutely delicious and does not have the overly earthy flavor and tough texture of raw celery.
Absolutely! Consider adding sliced carrots, parsnips, celery root, or potatoes to this recipe. You will just need to increase the amount of broth and seasonings you use. For every cup of vegetables you add, use 1 to 2 more tablespoons of broth. If you add other vegetables, use a 13×9 baking dish instead of an 8×8 one.
The best cooking technique for celery is slow roasting. Therefore, it takes a while to bake, about 40 to 50 minutes. While this is not a fast recipe, it’s totally worth it!
More Celery Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Roasted Celery with Dates and Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups sliced celery - cut into ½-inch slices, about 5 to 6 stalks
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey - can sub maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar - can sub white wine or red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme - can sub ¼ teaspoon dried
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pitted Medjool dates - sliced
- 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Put the sliced celery in an 8×8 baking dish. Toss with the olive oil and honey until coated.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the broth, apple cider vinegar, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour over the celery.
- Roast the celery on the center rack of the oven until tender and slightly browned, about 40 to 50 minutes. Stir the celery a couple of times throughout roasting.
- When the celery is cooked to your liking, remove it from the oven. Stir the sliced dates and blue cheese into the dish. Serve and enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Feel free to substitute another dried fruit, such as cranberries or cherries, for the dates. You can swap in feta or goat cheese for the blue cheese and also add chopped walnuts or pine nuts.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat this dish in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds until warmed through.
- Celery naturally contains sodium. If you are watching your sodium intake, you can omit the added kosher salt and cheese and/or use a low sodium vegetable broth to cut back on the sodium in the recipe.
- If you want to double or triple the recipe, use a 13×9 baking dish instead of an 8×8 one.
Nutrition
Enjoy this fresh take on celery! – Lizzie
Pam
This was amazing. The celery absorbs the flavors. Delicious and a great way to use up leftover stalks after you’ve only had to use one to make soup.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Pam, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe so much! It’s one of my favorites. Thanks so much for your review!
Debbie
Lizzie I love your recipes – can this be cooked in a crockpot?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Debbie, thank you so much! I haven’t tried it in the crock pot yet, but I suspect that it would work well. I would guess it would take 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low? Let me know if you try it!