Asparagus Soup

Our asparagus soup recipe is easy to make in less than 30 minutes. It uses simple ingredients such as fresh or frozen asparagus, vegetable broth, herbs, and white beans.

You can expect a creamy soup with a rich asparagus taste and a light texture. You won’t taste the beans, which are there to add creaminess, protein, and wholesome nutrition.

Serve warm or chilled as a starter in small portions, or have a larger portion for lunch or dinner next to a slice of crusty bread, warm pita, or homemade focaccia.

What is asparagus soup?

Asparagus soup is a creamy and velvety soup where asparagus is simmered in a flavor base of olive oil, onion, garlic, and herbs until tender.

It’s the perfect springtime soup during the asparagus season, but you can also make it all year round with frozen asparagus.

We add canned or cooked white beans to make the soup creamy, wholesome, and packed with healthy plant protein.

You’ll love the combination of white cannellini beans and asparagus as they taste wonderfully together.

You can serve this asparagus soup recipe as an appetizer and side dish, or you can have it as a main dish for lunch or dinner.

We recommend having it with a slice of crusty bread, homemade focaccia, or warm pita.

Similar recipes: zucchini soup, cauliflower soup, carrot ginger soup.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Asparagus: you can use fresh or frozen asparagus spears.

Cannellini beans: they add creaminess and protein.

You can use canned or dry white beans that you soaked in water for 8 hours and then boiled until tender.

Here’s our guide on how to cook white beans, should you need it.

Substitute navy beans, great northern beans, baby lima beans, butter beans, frozen peas, potatoes, heavy cream, vegan cream, sour cream, vegan sour cream or blended cashews, Greek yogurt, and non-dairy yogurt.

Vegetable broth: substitute chicken broth.

Extra virgin olive oil: substitute regular olive oil, avocado oil, butter, vegan butter.

Garlic: fresh garlic is best.

Onion: white or yellow onion. Substitute shallots, scallions, green onions, or one leek.

Thyme: you can use fresh thyme or dried thyme. Substitute oregano, basil, chives, parsley, or dried Italian herbs.

Fresh lemon juice: substitute apple cider vinegar.

Salt and pepper: We recommend sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can optionally add a pinch of red pepper flakes to taste.

Optional toppings

1. Reserved asparagus tips, olive oil, fresh thyme sprigs, and black pepper.
2. Tahini sauce, toasted pinenuts, sumac (recommended).
3. Shaved asparagus marinated in lemon juice and olive oil, topped with crumbled feta cheese, or non-dairy feta.
4. Gremolata with lemon zest, parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

1. Prepare the vegetables

Chop the onion and the garlic into small pieces. Cut off and discard the woody ends, then cut the asparagus into discs.

Optionally, you can reserve some tips for garnishing the soup.

2. Make the flavor base

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven, then add the chopped onion.

Sauté on medium heat for 3 minutes, then add the chopped garlic and sauté one more minute. Stir occasionally.

3. Simmer until tender

Add chopped asparagus and sauté 3 minutes on medium-high heat.

Add vegetable broth, drained and rinsed cannellini beans, thyme, salt, and black pepper.

Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, crack the top open, lower the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the asparagus is fork tender.

It’ll take about 15 minutes.

4. Blend, taste, and adjust

Puree the soup with an immersion blender until you reach your desired consistency.

Stir in freshly squeezed lemon juice, then taste and adjust for salt and acidity.

If you like a thinner soup, add more vegetable broth. If you want a thicker soup, let it simmer on low heat for a few more minutes.

Tip: If you use a standing blender, we recommend letting the soup cool down for a few minutes first and keeping the top slightly open to allow the steam to escape.

Asparagus soup can be served warm or at room temperature. It’s excellent as an appetizer or side dish, served in small portions.

Thanks to the white beans, it’s also excellent as a main dish for lunch or dinner. It’s packed with wholesome fiber, protein, and nutrients, not to mention that it tastes delicious.

In all cases, we recommend serving it with a piece of bread on the side, such as:

• Homemade focaccia bread
• Warm pita bread
• Croutons
• Flatbread
• Crusty bread

Here are some of our favorite ways to garnish the soup:

Tahini and pie nuts topping

Make tahini sauce while the soup simmers. It takes 3 minutes, and all you need to do is whisk tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt until creamy.

Then, toast the pine nuts on a non-stick skillet for one minute, tossing them around often.

Serve the soup in a bowl, drizzle with tahini sauce, top with toasted pine nuts, and sprinkle with sumac.

Shaved asparagus topping

Wash three or four raw asparagus, cut off the woody end of their stems, and shave them with a vegetable peeler.

Add to a bowl and season with the juice of 1 to 2 lemons, a pinch of salt, and black pepper.

Toss and let marinate for 15 minutes while the soup simmers.

Top the soup with a pinch of marinated asparagus, crumbled feta, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Gremolata topping

Mix finely chopped parsley, grated lemon zest, and minced garlic in a small bowl.

Optionally, add a few tablespoons of grated parmesan or non-dairy cheese to make an even tastier gremolata.

Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of gremolata on the soup.

Simple topping

Reserve a few tips of the asparagus and boil them for a couple of minutes in a small pot with lightly salted water.

Set aside to cool down, then add them to the soup with some fresh thyme sprigs or fresh chives and a drizzle of olive oil.

Make ahead: asparagus soup is excellent for meal prep as it keeps well for several days.

Refrigerator: Let the soup cool completely, then transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for three days.

Freezer: Transfer the soup to a freezer-friendly container once cold and freeze it for three months.

Thaw and reheat: Defrost the soup in the microwave or the fridge over several hours.

Warm in the microwave or on the stovetop.