Asparagus Soup
on Apr 18, 2022, Updated May 07, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This creamy asparagus soup is a terrific way to showcase one of the most lovable vegetables of spring in a slurpable way.
This creamy spring soup is smooth and creamy and fresh. It stars asparagus, the most-awaited vegetable of Spring, and gets a nice body from some cooked pureed potato and richness from a small amount of cream. It has the fresh, earthy taste of asparagus with a bit of sweetness from the sautéed celery and onions and a lush roundness from the cream.
We are devoted asparagus fans over here, and I developed this asparagus soup recipe to give us a change of pace from all of the grilled, steamed, and roasted asparagus I often make. This vegetarian soup is a lovely way to start a spring meal, and it can even hold center stage paired with some garlic bread and a simple spinach salad. If you find yourself with too much asparagus, this is a great way to make use of it!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Asparagus – Use young asparagus if possible, and peel off any thick skin from the lower parts so that it purees smoothly into a soup.
- Unsalted butter – The vegetables get sautéed in butter before being blended into the soup.
- Onions – Add sweetness and depth of flavor.
- Celery – Adds freshness.
- Thyme – A bit of thyme, fresh or dried, brings a nice herbal note (try other herbs as well, especially if you have other fresh herbs on hand).
- Potato – Adds creaminess and body.
- Vegetable or chicken broth – If you want the soup to be vegetarian, make sure to use vegetarian broth. I like using low-sodium brothg to be able to better control the level of salt in the soup.
- Cream – Use some version of cream to give the soup lushness and body. Light or heavy cream is fine, or even half-and-half.
- Parmesan cheese – To serve.
Variation: If you want to make this soup vegan, use vegan butter and vegan cream or half-and-half. Skip the Parm to serve, or find a vegan Parm.
The Best Asparagus for Soup
Thin asparagus is best for soup because the skin of the stalks isn’t as tough as it can be on thicker stalks, and the whole thing will puree up easier.
But you can use thicker asparagus in this soup; just make sure to peel the lower half of the stems. The skin might be thick, but underneath, the asparagus is perfectly tender, so if you are willing to spend a few minutes peeling off the tough skins, you will be rewarded with a silky soup.
Make sure to cook the asparagus until it is super soft, which will allow it to puree into a smooth soup. No al dente or crisp-tender asparagus here, please!
Kitchen Smarts
Since the asparagus is cooked until it is quite mushy, it won’t retain its bright green color. That’s absolutely fine, but just know your soup will have a kind of khaki olive color, though that will brighten up a bit when you add the cream.
How to Make Vegetarian Asparagus Soup
- Prepare the asparagus: Trim off the bottom of the asparagus stalks. Peel the bottoms if the asparagus is thick (see above). Trim off the tips of all the stalks and reserve them for blanching, then cut the rest of the asparagus spears into 1- or 2-inch pieces.
- Sauté the vegetables: Sauté the onion and celery in butter in a large pot.
- Simmer the soup: Add the thyme, potatoes, and broth. Bring the soup to a simmer, add the asparagus, then lower the heat and partially cover the pot. Simmer until the vegetables get super soft and tender, about 25 minutes, longer if needed.
- Blanch: Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus tips in boiling water. After a few seconds of blanching, run them under cold water to stop the cooking.
- Purée: Purée the soup with an immersion blender or blend in a food processor or blender to the desired consistency. Stir or whisk the cream into the soup and return it to medium heat.
- Garnish & serve: When the soup is hot throughout (don’t let it come to a boil!), serve in bowls garnished with Parmesan and the blanched asparagus tips. Top with a bit of additional freshly ground pepper, if desired.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Asparagus Soup
- Storing: Cream of asparagus soup will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container.
- Reheating: Reheat, stirring often, over low heat until just heated through. If you want to heat your soup in the microwave, do this in 30-second bursts, stirring between each session, just until it is warmed throughout. Do not let it boil, no matter how you reheat it.
- Freezing: Soups with a cream base tend to separate when they are frozen, then defrosted and heated. If you are planning to freeze some or all of this soup, it is best to do so before you add the cream. Just transfer the desired amount of the soup without the dairy into a freezer-proof container, leaving about 1/2-inch of space between the top of the soup and the lid (it will expand as it freezes). Asparagus soup (without the cream) will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- Thawing: Defrost frozen asparagus soup in the fridge overnight, and then reheat in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the cream at the end and gently heat the whole thing heat through without allowing it to come to a full simmer or a boil.
FAQs
You can use older or thicker asparagus to make asparagus soup if you take the extra time to peel, trim it well and peel the tough outer skin. Make sure to cut off the woody ends, at least the bottom inch or so, of the asparagus, which is usually super tough. Then, peel off the outer skin to access the sweet, pale, tender asparagus inside, peeling about halfway up the stalk until you reach the thinner skin at the top. If your asparagus is fresh, young, and thin, this step is not necessary.
Asparagus has great texture, but sometimes, it can tend to get stringy when cooked or blended. Two steps will prevent stringiness: First, peeling your asparagus will get rid of the tough stringiest bits. Second, chopping your asparagus into 1-inch pieces before cooking will prevent any long strands from making their way into the soup.
Soups that have dairy in them should just be heated through and not allowed to come to a full simmer or a boil. The boiling can cause the soup to curdle or separate. If your soup separates, you can try reblending it to make it smooth again.
What to Serve With Asparagus Soup
More Easy Asparagus Recipes
- Roasted Asparagus with Pesto Crème Fraiche
- Asparagus with Herb Dipping Sauce
- Grilled Asparagus with Vinaigrette
- Garlicky Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan
- Asparagus Remoulade with Egg
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Asparagus Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds thin asparagus
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (sliced)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 small potato (peeled and diced; about 3/4 cup)
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (preferably less-sodium)
- 1 cup light or heavy cream or half-and-half
- Freshly grated Parmesan (to serve)
Instructions
- Trim off the bottom inch of the asparagus stalks or any amount that seems woody, and discard. Place about half of the asparagus in a line and trim off the top 1 inch of the tips. Set those aside. Cut the rest of the asparagus spears into 2-inch pieces.
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft and lightly golden. Add the thyme, potatoes, and broth. Turn the heat to high, bring the soup to a simmer, add the asparagus, then lower the heat and partially cover the pot (place the lid on the pot so that there is about a 1-inch gap for steam to escape, but so the soup is mostly covered so the liquid doesn’t evaporate too quickly). Simmer the soup until the vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the reserved asparagus tips into a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Cover the pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat, simmer for 1 minute, then drain the asparagus tips in a strainer or colander and run them under very cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender in the pot, or in batches in a food processor or blender. If the soup doesn’t seem silky smooth enough, you can pass it through a mesh strainer, pressing the soup through, discarding any solids that are strained out. Return the soup to the pot, if necessary, add the cream and heat over medium heat. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like.
- When the soup is hot throughout (don’t let it come to a boil!), serve in bowls garnished with Parmesan and the blanched asparagus tips. Top with a bit of additional freshly ground pepper, if desired.
