Make this simple cream of asparagus soup recipe with only 15 minutes of prep, and serve it hot or cold. It needs only 6 ingredients including 2 garnishes, and is very flexible.
The garnishes of fresh dill and chives elevate this soup to something truly special, so don't leave them out.
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Asparagus season is the best! Yes, it's available all year round, but asparagus is particularly tender and sweet in the spring months - from March to June. In some parts of the country, you can get great asparagus even in February.
All spring I add asparagus to salads, eggs, and pasta with abandon.
I adore creamy soups, like this creamy cheesy cauliflower soup and this avocado soup with Mexican crema. And this creamy asparagus soup is one of my favorite soup recipes in Spring.
You can make this same soup using other vegetables, and if you want to learn the steps to making any soup with what you have on hand, read this article on how to make soup.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Simple ingredients. This recipe needs only five ingredients plus olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Fast. Make this soup in 30 minutes or less.
- Low- carb. This dish fits into a ketogenic diet.
- Flexible. Make it for lunch or use this soup as a started for a dinner party.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.
For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions for this creamy soup, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Garlic - either smash and mince garlic cloves, or purchase garlic paste.
- Fresh asparagus - regular-sized asparagus works better in this soup than fat spears and the skinny pencil asparagus I sometimes see. Look for spears that are firm and a nice bright green color. Leave the floppy spears behind. The tips, which are the flower buds, should be dry, firm and held closely to the stalk.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - if you use sea salt or table salt, cut the amount of salt in half, and then adjust to taste.
- Vegetable broth - either purchase broth or use water + Better Than Bouillon Paste .
- Sherry - or sherry wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar to sharpen the flavors.
- Heavy whipping cream - half and half may be substituted.
- Fresh dill and chives - the fresh dill in particular makes the soup incredibly special.
🌱 Is asparagus low carb?
Yes! Asparagus is loaded with nutrients we need, and they're all wrapped up in a low carb package. So if you want to reduce the carbs in your diet, asparagus is a perfect vegetable to use.
Some details:
- 1 cup of chopped asparagus has 2.5 grams of net carbs and 2.8 grams of fiber. This vegetable is a great choice if you follow a keto diet.
- Asparagus is a very good anti-inflammatory food.
- And it's rich in one of the most potent antioxidants.
For more details, check out this article.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
Heavy pot or Dutch oven
Chef's knife
Tabletop blender or Immersion blender
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this asparagus soup are in the recipe card below, but here's a quick overview!
Step 1
Sauté. Sauté the garlic and asparagus in butter.
Step 2
Add broth. Stir in the vegetable broth and simmer until the asparagus is tender.
Step 3
Purée. Purée the soup in a countertop blender or use an immersion blender with some herbs.
Step 4
Finish the soup. Pour the soup back into the pot, stir in the cream, and rewarm. Season as needed with additional salt and pepper.
Step 5
Serve: Serve warm, garnished with additional herbs and a drizzle of cream.
💡 Can I make this soup without cream?
Yes. Here are some ways to make it without cream.
- Make it lighter using half and half. I don't recommend going even lighter with milk. The texture of the soup will be too liquid-y.
- Peel and dice Yukon gold potatoes, and add them to the soup. When puréed, they add a velvety texture to the soup that's wonderful. The tradeoff, of course, is the soup ends up much higher in carbs.
- Add cooked rice to the soup, and purée. This approach has the same tradeoff as potatoes - the soup will be higher in carbs.
- Use white beans to get a creamy soup, as in this vegan asparagus white bean soup.
🙋♀️ FAQ
There's a lot of fiber in asparagus, so this can be a very real risk if you use too much of the spear. The further down the spear, the more fibrous it is. I trim at least 2 inches off the bottom, and in summer I trim a good 3 inches from the spear.
You can also use the bend and snap method. Hold an asparagus spear in both hands, and bend it. It will naturally snap where the spear becomes more fibrous.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or jar for up to 3 days.
A flurry of freshly grated Parmesan is a wonderful touch. Or melt some brie cheese in the soup.
📇 More Recipes with Asparagus
For a super fast asparagus side, make this air fryer asparagus with Parmesan.
Or toss cooked asparagus into a potato salad. In spring, I make an asparagus quiche to celebrate, well, spring! In fact, I like it so much, I have two recipes for a spring-time asparagus quiche.
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Keto Cream of Asparagus Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste or minced garlic
- 18 ounces sliced fresh asparagus* * See note below
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth plus more if serving cold
- ½ cup heavy cream plus more for garnish
- 2 teaspoons freshly chopped chives
- 2 teaspoons freshly chopped dill
- 1 - 2 teaspoons sherry or use sherry wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Sauté the soup base. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic or garlic paste. Cook for no more than 1 minute -just long enough that it's fragrant.Trim the stalky ends of the asparagus, and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to the pot, including the spear tips. Lightly season and sauté for a few minutes until they just barely start to brown. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Add broth. Stir in the vegetable broth, cover and simmer until the asparagus is very tender.
- Purée.There are at least 2 methods you can use to purée the soup. 1. (My preferred method) Pour the soup into a countertop blender, and whirl like crazy for 1 - 2 minutes, or 2. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup. The drawback to this method is that it takes longer than in a blender, and doesn't get the soup completely smooth.Note: I like to throw 1 teaspoon each of the chives and fresh dill into the blender with the soup, saving some for a garnish. But you can also use the herbs only as a garnish.
- Finish the soup. Pour the soup back into the pot and stir in the cream. Heat back up if the soup has cooled off significantly, but don't bring it to a boil. Season as needed with sherry (to sharpen the flavors), and additional salt and pepper. The sherry sharpens the flavors and counteracts the bitterness that asparagus can have.
- Serve: Serve warm, garnished with additional chives, dill and a drizzle of cream.If you serve this as a cold soup, which I've done a few times on a warm evening, you may need to thin it a bit with additional broth or water.
Anjali
This was the perfect springtime soup for lunch today! It was creamy but not too heavy, and had great flavor too!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so happy you liked it!! Thanks so much for letting me know!!
Jamie
This soup was so creamy and delicious! The asparagus flavor really came through. Thank you!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yay!! I'm so happy it worked for you!
Kathleen
Looks so creamy, smooth and delicious. I appreciate the advice on the drawbacks of using an emersion blender. Will use countertop instead.
Megan
Best asparagus soup I've ever had!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so glad!
Tavo
I loved this soup. It was super creamy and the balance of flavor was perfect. thank you.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yay!! I'm so happy it worked so well for you!