If you are looking to find inspiration to cook with asparagus and level up your asparagus cooking skills, you’ve come to the right place.
Get the basics, tips, and tricks, and inspiration to cook asparagus in 10 different ways. These delightful asparagus recipes are easy to make, healthy, quick, and vibrant.
We’ve selected our best asparagus recipes that will give you ideas for your next side dish and dinner, including risotto, air fryer, pasta, steaming technique, and many more.
Browse through this list, and take your pick: these green and vibrant recipes will satiate and nourish you, and add bold flavor to your day.
Our best asparagus recipes
Baked Asparagus
Our first recipe on this asparagus list is crunchy baked asparagus. Whether you want to enjoy this for brunch, lunch, or dinner, oven-baked asparagus is a great healthy side dish to any meal.
Sautéed Asparagus
A great basic recipe for stir-fry, frittata, salads, and risotto. It's also perfect as a vegetable side dish served with vinaigrette or pesto.
Asparagus Soup
Creamy, light, and bright, this easy asparagus soup is great as an appetizer, side dish, and spring-friendly meal. Serve it with crostini, focaccia, or bruschetta and a sprinkle of gremolata for a restaurant-worthy meal.
Boiled Asparagus
A basic and easy recipe but loaded with flavor. We boiled them whole in a large pan with water and a little salt for best looking and best tasting boiled asparagus ever. Pair with olive oil or mustard dressing for a glossy finish.
Asparagus Pasta
Velvety creamy asparagus sauce and sauteed asparagus tips marry in this bright and scrumptious asparagus pasta. It takes just 20 minutes to cook, and it's great as a special weeknight dinner for spring and summer.
Grilled Asparagus
Get ready for BBQ and grill season with these grilled asparagus! Smokey, tender-crisp, bright-green, grilled asparagus is one of the best ways to enjoy this flavorful vegetable.
Steamed Asparagus
With this recipe, the asparagus turn out incredibly tender and buttery, and they keep all their flavor thanks to the gentle steaming.
Air Fryer Asparagus
This air fryer asparagus is slightly crispy on the outside while soft and juicy inside. Plus, they are ready in just 10 minutes.
Asparagus Risotto
This vegetarian (and with vegan suggestions) risotto recipe is a creamy and authentic Italian way to cook with asparagus. Asparagus risotto is indulgent, fresh, and satisfying dinner.
Asparagus Frittata (Vegan)
Our recipe is easy, and in less than 30 minutes, you can make this delicious dish and serve it as a starter, side dish, or as a quick and healthy lunch or dinner.
Vegan Pasta Salad
Picnic-friendly and great for meal prep, this vegan pasta salad is a vibrant and nourishing lunch idea.
How to Clean and Cook Asparagus
When in season, from late February through June, we eat fresh asparagus in all kinds of ways. There are numerous simple and easy ways of preparing them.
These recipes are fresh, healthy, crisp, and packed with flavor. You can serve them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; anytime you want to make your meals a little special.
Here’s the best way to prep and clean your asparagus before cooking them.
- Trim asparagus: Rinse asparagus under running water, then trim the woodier end of the stalks. You can do that by snapping it with your hands, one by one, or by cutting them with a knife on a cutting board. We prefer this way as it’s much faster.
- Peel the woody ends: If asparagus spears are thick, woody, and not so fresh, peel a couple of inches of the stalk. Use a vegetable peeler. This will make the asparagus cook more evenly, and they’ll be less chewy and more tender.
Once the basic cleaning and trimming are done, we can start cooking the asparagus.
How to select asparagus
When you look for asparagus, make sure the leaves on the tips of the asparagus are tightly closed and the entire tip is straight and firm.
The spear of your asparagus should be bright green and firm with a small amount of white by the stems. If the spears are wrinkled and soft, the asparagus are not fresh and might be bitter.
Stems should be unblemished and round in shape and not flattened. TIP: even if the asparagus stems are usually not eatable, you can use them for a vegetable broth for risotto and soups.
How to store asparagus
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can eat them cold, at room temperature, or reheat them in the microwave. We do not recommend freezing these asparagus recipes.
How to serve asparagus
Asparagus (sauteed, grilled, boiled, steamed) is a vibrant side dish that pairs perfectly with most sauces and main dishes. Take your pick here:
- Drizzle with a creamy dressing: choose between refreshing and vibrant condiments and dressings, such as our 5-minute basil, zucchini, or parsley pesto, mustard dressing, and easy salad dressings.
- Use in salads: asparagus is also great in fresh salads and grain bowls. Try adding them to a vegan pasta salad, to this tofu salad, or to our chickpea salad.
- Add to soups and stews: add asparagus to a chunky soup, such as this vegetable soup, lentil vegetable soup, or one of these easy soup ideas.
- Serve with pasta: and pair your favorite asparagus recipes with an easy pasta recipe.
- Serve with a protein-rich dinner: such as one of these chickpea recipes or tofu recipes.
Tips
Blanching: If you want a bright color for your asparagus, you can blanch them before e.g. sauteeing them. To blanch asparagus, cook them in salted boiling water for about 1 minute, then drain, and rinse under cold water for 20 seconds. Pat them dry with a kitchen cloth and sauté.
White wine: deglazing the pan with white wine adds acidity to the dish, which makes the asparagus flavor pop in your mouth. Deglazing simply means adding cold liquid to a hot pan. Use a dry white wine to deglaze the asparagus.
Crushed garlic: We’ve always found minced garlic to be quite annoying with asparagus. It tends to burn, turning brown and bitter, and it covers the asparagus flavor. Try adding crushed garlic instead. You’ll get plenty of garlic aroma, but more subtle.
For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.
How to Cook Asparagus
Ingredients
- Check each individual asparagus recipe for ingredients required.
- Cook your favorite asparagus recipe
Instructions
- How to store: Keep these meals stored in the refrigerator, ideally in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
- How to reheat: Warm it up on the stovetop or in the microwave. Before serving garnish with fresh herbs.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked these asparagus recipes, you might also enjoy:
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.
Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.
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