How to Cook Asparagus (2024)

Fresh, green asparagus is a well-loved vegetable, delectably crisp and sweet. When it’s available at the market or grocery, use it in abundance. Asparagus is amazingly versatile: it can be steamed, simmered, roasted, battered, grilled, sautéed or wok-fried. Thinly sliced, it’s even wonderful raw in a salad. The cooked spears can sport a variety of guises, from simple salt and pepper seasoning with butter or olive oil, to more complex sauces like beurre blanc. But it also holds up quite well to bold spicy treatment — anchovy, garlic, olives and chiles are all highly asparagus-compatible.

1. Asparagus is best and freshest in spring from a local source. Generally, the West Coast season runs from February to May; East Coast asparagus appears in May and June. Asparagus from Peru is available year-round, of course, but it is not as good.

2. At the market, look for spears that are brightly colored and have compact, tightly closed tips. Spears that are ridged or look dry have lost their flavor. Check the root ends to see how dried out they are; if they are truly brown, reach for a different bundle.

3. For stovetop cooking, a stainless steel or enamel-coated cast-iron pot is best. If you’re stir-frying, you’ll need a wok or a deep-sided cast iron skillet. For roasting, use a baking sheet or a small roasting pan.

4. Asparagus cooks quickly, so make sure to have all your ingredients ready by the stove. It’s best served warm or room temperature; ice-cold asparagus is unpleasant.

Buying & Storing

Asparagus comes in different shades and sizes, and each has its strengths. Here are some tips on how best to choose, clean and store it.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

1. Green, Purple, White

   There are three colors of asparagus: green, purple and white.

   Green asparagus is by far the most common and is available year-round in American supermarkets. You’ll find thin, medium and fat green spears in almost any market. Whatever its thickness, green asparagus should be cooked al dente.

   White asparagus is more common in Europe. It is white because the plants are covered in mulch to prevent them from developing chlorophyll, which gives plants their green color. White asparagus must be completely peeled from tip to tail, and, unlike green, should be well-cooked. It is a mistake to cook green and white asparagus together.

   Purple asparagus has a beautiful violet skin that turns dark green when cooked. Its taste is similar to that of green asparagus.



Karsten Moran for The New York Times

2. Thin, Medium, Thick

   Asparagus usually comes in three sizes: Pencil-thin, medium and jumbo. The thickness of the asparagus does not indicate its maturity; a thin asparagus spear does not grow into a fat one. What you’ll choose is based on personal preference and what you’re cooking. Some describe thin spears as grassy or thicker ones as meaty.

   Thin asparagus is great for stir fries and sautéing.

   Fat asparagus is good for roasting or grilling, and best when you want to serve whole spears, even simply steamed.

   See Also

   A Guide to Cooking Every Asparagus, From the Straggly to the ChunkyHow to Blanch Asparagus Like a ProIs it safe to eat raw asparagus?Does asparagus make your pee smell weird? Here's what that means about your health

   Medium spears work in almost any cooking method.



Karsten Moran for The New York Times

3. Storage

   Store your asparagus in your crisper drawer, wrapped in a damp paper towel and then in a plastic bag, no longer than three days. Do not clean it first.

   Or you can store asparagus upright in a container with an inch of water. Place it in the fridge, uncovered.

Snapping & Peeling

Before you begin cooking, take a minute to snap or cut off the tough bottom ends of the asparagus. If you have nice fat spears, peel their tough skin away too. We’ll show you how.

1. Snapping

   Snapping off woody asparagus bottoms gives you spears of slightly different lengths, but guarantees no tough ends when you sit down to eat.

   To snap, hold a spear with both hands and find the natural bending point near the bottom of the stalk. Then snap. Make sure your hands really are near the bottom, or you risk discarding too much; a stalk will snap in the middle if you’re not careful. The spear should break at a point where the asparagus has started to lose its moisture.

   Cutting your spears is fine as long as you take care to avoid the woody ends. (But please, don’t use the discarded ends to make anything but compost.)



Karsten Moran for The New York Times

2. Peeling

   The skin on larger asparagus spears doesn’t soften with cooking, which is why it’s best to peel the lower stalks of medium or fat spears, both green and purple. Always peel white asparagus.

   To peel, place the spear flat on your work surface. Using a vegetable peeler, preferably one with a swivel blade, peel the asparagus from about halfway up the spear toward the root end. Never peel the tips. Use a light hand, or you’ll peel off too much of the sweet core.

   Asparagus can be peeled a few hours ahead of time, wrapped and refrigerated.

Roasted

Roasting asparagus allows for a slight caramelizing of the vegetable’s skin, and it’s just luscious. It’s also a fast way to get delicious asparagus on the table without standing at the stove.

1. Here’s a very simple method for roasting that just requires olive oil, salt and pepper, but you can add other spices as well: cayenne, red pepper flakes or smoked salt. Or try chopped walnuts, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

   Heat your oven to 425 degrees, and dress asparagus spears lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan in one layer and roast until lightly browned and sizzling, and just firm-tender. If you are roasting on a baking sheet, that should take 10 to 12 minutes, or about 15 minutes in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan. The trick here is getting the spears nicely colored without overcooking them, and you should always err on the undercooked side — asparagus will continue to cook off the heat.

   See Also

   Enjoy Spring's Most Perfect Veggie by Avoiding These Asparagus Common Mistakes

Steamed, Simmered or Blanched

Simply steamed or simmered asparagus is delicious, and you can dress the spears however you like: in a bagna cauda, or a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil, or nothing at all. These are very easy cooking methods, and any size spear will work, although medium is best. We’ll also tell you how to blanch asparagus, a useful method when incorporating the vegetable into other dishes.

1. Steamed

   It’s easy to cook asparagus in a steamer. Bring one inch of well-salted water to boil in a pot with a steamer insert, and place the spears in the steamer in a single layer. (If necessary, work in batches; do not pile in the asparagus or try to cook too many at a time.) Cover the pot and cook for about 3 minutes, depending upon size of spears. Err on the undercooked side — asparagus will continue to cook off the heat.

   Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs and blot the excess water away with a towel.

2. Simmered

   Simmering asparagus is another easy way to cook asparagus quickly, and a good option if you don’t own a steamer.

   In a wide pot, boil a few inches of generously salted water and add your asparagus. Cook at a rapid simmer for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the size of your asparagus. Again, don’t cook too many at one time; a dozen in the pot at once is plenty. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs and blot to remove any remaining water.

   Old recipes sometimes call for using twine to tie asparagus into bundles, to make it easier to retrieve them from the water. If you do, blot the cooked bundle, transfer to a platter and snip the twine with kitchen shears.

3. Blanched

   Some recipes, such as spring pasta dishes, call for blanching asparagus. It’s easy to do.

   In a wide pot, boil a few inches of generously salted water and add your asparagus, either whole stalks or cut into pieces. Cook at a rapid simmer for 1 minutes. Then immediately plunge the spears into a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking and to keep them green. Remove from ice water and blot, otherwise risk waterlogged asparagus.

Raw

Tender, sweet asparagus can be delicious raw and dressed simply with olive oil, lemon and salt. And you don’t even need to turn on your stove.

1. Fat asparagus works best in raw preparations, like this fast recipe for a delicious asparagus salad.

   Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, slice 6 to 8 fat asparagus spears very thinly on the diagonal. (Alternatively, you can cut them on a mandoline, or use a peeler to slice them lengthwise into long, thin ribbons.) Pile them into a bowl and dress with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Toss and serve.

Sautéed or Stir-fried

Asparagus is great quickly stir-fried or sautéed over high heat. You could sauté spears in butter or olive oil with delicious results, but throwing some chopped herbs or sliced chiles into the pan adds wonderful flavor. Both of these methods produce juicy asparagus that retains its crunch.

1. Thin spears are best for sautéeing or stir-frying. For Asian recipes, use a wok if you have one; otherwise, a cast-iron skillet or large sauté pan will work fine.

   Here’s a simple method for spicy wok-fried asparagus (you can leave out the spicy elements if you wish):

   Cut 6 to 8 cleaned and trimmed medium asparagus spears into 2-inch lengths. In a wok or cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until nearly smoking. Add the asparagus to the wok or skillet, season generously with salt and pepper and cook about 2 minutes until it is bright green, stirring constantly and making sure that the asparagus is coated completely with oil. Then, add 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon grated ginger and one finely chopped serrano or other hot chile pepper. Cook for another 30 seconds or so, then transfer to a serving platter and scatter on top a handful of chopped fresh basil, mint or cilantro leaves (or all three.)

   And here’s how to sauté asparagus:

   Heat a skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cut 6 to 8 cleaned and trimmed medium asparagus spears into 2-inch lengths. Add olive oil or butter to pan; when hot, add asparagus, season generously with salt and pepper and cook about 3 to 4 minutes, until bright green, shaking or stirring the pan frequently. The key is to cook the asparagus just enough so that the exterior browns a bit, but the interior remains crunchy. Finish it with anything you like: a squeeze of lemon, a favorite sweet vinegar, a fistful of chopped herbs.

Tempura

Frying asparagus is easier than it sounds, and results in crispy, tender spears that you won’t want to stop eating. Don’t forget a good dipping sauce.

1. You’ll need a deep heavy-bottomed pot, like a Dutch oven, to make tempura, and a thermometer to test the temperature of your oil. Medium spears work best. Here’s an easy method:

   In your heavy-bottomed pot on the stovetop, heat three inches or so of vegetable oil until it reaches 360 degrees. While it heats, in a bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 2 tablespoons corn starch and ½ teaspoon salt.

   In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups ice water and 2 eggs, lightly beaten, and then add that to the flour mixture. Mix it briefly with a fork or chopsticks, but do not overbeat; lumps are fine.

   Dip your cleaned, snapped asparagus spears in the batter and drop them gently in the hot oil. Fry for about two minutes, until the spears are just lightly browned. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon or tongs and drain on absorbent paper.