How To Cook Asparagus Perfectly, 4 Ways

Asparagus is a delicious spring vegetable that can add a lot of flavor to your weekly meals. Like most vegetables, there are numerous ways to cook it no matter what tools you have available in the kitchen. If you’ve ever wondered how to cook asparagus perfectly, we’re going to dive into the four main ways to prepare asparagus.

Deciding how to cook asparagus will depend on what tools you have and how you’re including it in your meal. The various cooking methods include steaming, roasting, sautéing, and grilling. Keep reading to learn how to cook asparagus perfectly, no matter what meal you’re preparing.

Prepping Your Asparagus

Asparagus is an easy vegetable to make but there are a few steps to take before you start cooking. This unique vegetable is known for its long stalks. Some describe it as having a distinct grassy flavor but it can also taste delicious when you season it properly and it has numerous health benefits as well.

Before you start cooking, you’ll need to prep your asparagus. It’s typical to chop off the ends of the asparagus spears before cooking them. While it’s safe to eat the ends of the stalks, most people cut them off because they’re not as tender as the rest of the asparagus.

You can either break these end pieces off with your hand or use a sharp knife to cut them off. You can also keep and store the end pieces to make soup or broth later. Now that you know how to prepare asparagus, let’s look at some of the benefits of eating it.

Benefits of Asparagus

Are you trying to find ways to add more asparagus to your diet? Asparagus is the kind of vegetable that most people either love or hate. The flavor of asparagus is often described as mildly grassy and it can be slightly bitter as well. However, it’s worth finding a way to enjoy the flavor of asparagus because there are many benefits to eating it.

Even though asparagus is rich in nutrients, it’s also low in calories. Half a cup of cooked asparagus only has 20 calories. While the exact calorie count will vary depending on the ingredients you include, the calories will still be low if you add oil or butter.

Asparagus is also a good source of antioxidants and other nutrients. The antioxidants found in asparagus, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and glutathione, can help lower blood pressure and they also have anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, a half cup of asparagus has over 50% of your daily value of vitamin K. 

Another one of the benefits of eating asparagus is it’s an excellent way to support your digestive health. Asparagus has about 7% of your daily fiber intake in half a cup. While that doesn’t seem like a lot of fiber, when combined with other high-fiber foods, eating asparagus regularly can help you keep up with your daily intake of fiber.

Some of the other benefits of eating asparagus include:

• Good source of folate
• Excellent for pregnant women
• Easy to include a variety of meals

No matter what you’re eating for dinner, asparagus can easily be included in various stir-fries, sheet pan meals, or even casseroles.

How to Steam Asparagus

Steaming asparagus is a simple way to enjoy it for a variety of recipes. The steaming process makes the asparagus more tender, but it’s also one of the healthiest ways since you’ll just use water to steam it and it doesn’t require any oil or other ingredients. Here’s how to steam asparagus:

• Fill your pot with a few inches of water
• Insert a steamer basket in the pot
• Place the asparagus in the steamer
• Once the water is boiling, let it cook between 1-2 minutes
• When the asparagus is bright green and tender, remove the steamer basket
• Season it with salt, pepper, and any other desired spices or seasonings

Keeping the asparagus out of the boiling water allows it to cook but stay crisp since placing it directly in the water can make it soggy. However, if you don’t have a steamer basket, you can still steam the asparagus. In this case, you would:

• Add a small amount of water to a pan (enough to barely cover the bottom)
• Place the asparagus in the pan
• Cover the pan and cook over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes
• Remove the asparagus when it’s bright green and tender
• Season the asparagus with salt and pepper or any other spices

Steaming asparagus is a healthy and efficient way to cook it and it’s simple even if you don’t have a lot of extra kitchen tools.

How to Roast Asparagus

If you’re looking for another healthy way to cook asparagus without steaming it, roasting it is another simple method. Roasting your asparagus, when you include the right amount of seasoning, can lead to a delicious, oven-roasted side dish. Here’s how to perfectly roast asparagus in the oven:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F
• Place your asparagus on a baking sheet and toss it in olive oil
• Season it with salt and pepper
• Once the oven is preheated, bake your asparagus in the oven for 6-7 minutes
• Once the asparagus is lightly browned, remove it from the oven

There are some variations to make your asparagus a bit more interesting, but you can also leave it as is for a simple but delicious recipe.

How to Saute Asparagus

When you’re looking for a delicious way to cook asparagus quickly but with a bit extra flavor, sauteing is the way to go. You can saute asparagus no matter what kind of cookware you have and with just a few simple ingredients. If you’re ready to saute some asparagus for your meal, here’s how:

• Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat
• Add some olive oil or butter
• Once the skillet is heated, add your asparagus
• Season with salt and pepper
• Cook the asparagus in the skillet, stirring occasionally for about 3-4 minutes
• Remove the asparagus when it’s tender

To cook the asparagus more quickly, you can also cut it into smaller pieces before adding it to the skillet. There are many variations to this recipe as well. For some additional flavor, you might add some lemon juice or even some cooked bacon to the skillet.

How to Grill Asparagus

There are few things more delicious than vegetables cooked up on the grill. While this isn’t an option for everyone, if you happen to have access to a grill or you’re planning a cookout, grilled asparagus can be a game-changer. Here’s a look at how to cook asparagus on the grill:

• Preheat the grill to high heat
• Choose medium to large asparagus if possible, and toss them in olive oil or another similar oil
• Season them with salt and pepper
• Arrange the stalks on the grill to keep them from falling through
• Let them cook, flipping them occasionally to prevent them from burning
• Grill the stalks for 3-5 minutes until they start to become tender

If you don’t have a grill, it’s hard to achieve a similar flavor, however, if you’re cooking on your grill or even at a barbecue, try out this recipe for some tasty vegetables.

Best Ways to Cook Asparagus Perfectly

Asparagus is not only a delicious vegetable to enjoy with any meal, but it also has many nutritional benefits. Whether you have a grill or you’re only equipped with an oven and a baking sheet, there are plenty of ways to cook asparagus at home.

No matter what method you choose, season your asparagus well and cook it until it’s tender. If you’re looking for an idea for dinner tonight, check out some of the asparagus recipes below!

Asparagus Recipes

• Roasted Asparagus
• Sirloin Strips and Asparagus
• Bacon Rigatoni and Asparagus
• Stir-fried Scallops and Asparagus
• Stir-Fried Lemon Shrimp and Asparagus

The image featured at the top of this post is ©P Kyriakos/Shutterstock.com.