Steamed asparagus, dressed with a simple sauce of melted butter, lemon juice, and garlic, is delicious. It's a simple recipe that highlights the unique flavor and texture of the asparagus.
This steamed asparagus is ready in 15 minutes. It's truly easy to make - your only concern as a cook is to avoid overcooking it. It's delicious with melted butter and lemon juice and is also the perfect vehicle for dips like cream cheese dip, sour cream dip, or Greek yogurt dip.
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
- Fresh asparagus: I like to use medium-thickness spears when making this recipe. I find that the very thick ones are too fibrous, and the very thin ones are too flimsy. See the photo below? The asparagus bunch marked as "Just Right" is the perfect thickness.
- Melted butter: You can also drizzle the asparagus with olive oil.
- Lemon juice: For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is to change the dressing. You could use olive oil, for example, instead of butter, and white wine vinegar can replace the lemon juice. You can also add a generous pinch of various seasonings, including onion powder, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes.
Another tasty option is to sprinkle the finished dish with grated parmesan cheese or bacon bits.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Pour 1 inch of water into a saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Trim the asparagus and place it in a steamer basket.
Carefully place the steamer basket in the saucepan, cover, and steam the asparagus until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes for thicker spears and 3 minutes for thinner ones.
Drizzle the asparagus with butter and lemon juice, and season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tip
If the asparagus is done before you are ready to serve it (perhaps the main dish is still cooking), you should still remove it to a serving plate and cover it with foil to keep it warm. It's better to serve it crisp at room temperature than to overcook it in an attempt to keep it warm.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but white asparagus is thicker and more fibrous than green, so you'll need to peel it and steam it for longer, until it's tender.
Yes. Grilled or roasted asparagus is delicious, but steaming is a gentler cooking method. As long as you don't overcook the asparagus, it comes out perfectly cooked and wonderfully tender-crisp.
I use an easy sauce of butter, garlic, and lemon juice. If you'd like a more elaborate sauce, you could use hollandaise sauce, but I usually don't bother. I reserve hollandaise sauce for eggs benedict.
Other options include ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, and tahini. When asparagus is young and fresh, it's delicious with no sauce at all - just a sprinkling of coarse kosher salt and black pepper!
Serving Suggestions
Anything goes with this side dish. It's truly versatile. But I usually try to serve it with a main dish I can make on the stovetop so that I don't have to use both the oven and the stove. So, I often serve steamed asparagus with any of the following main dishes:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days. I don't like them reheated. I prefer to chop them cold and use them in a salad like this asparagus salad. Sometimes, I wrap them in prosciutto slices for an improvised cold version of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.
Recipe Card
Simple 15-Minute Steamed Asparagus
Video
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus - medium thickness, about 20 spears
- 2 tablespoons butter - melted
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Pour 1 inch of water into a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil.
- Chop off about an inch from the bottom of the asparagus. There's generally no need to peel them since we're using medium-thickness spears, but if some of the spears are very thick or woody, go ahead and peel the bottom.
- Place the asparagus in a steamer basket. Once the water has boiled, carefully place the basket in the saucepan. Cover and steam until the asparagus is just barely tender, about 5 minutes. Thinner spears will require just 3 minutes of steaming.
- Immediately remove the asparagus from the steamer and transfer it to a serving platter. Drizzle it with melted butter and lemon juice, and sprinkle it with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Serve immediately.
Notes
- It's important to avoid overcooking asparagus. If it's done before you are ready to serve it (perhaps the main dish is still cooking), remove it to a serving plate and cover it with foil to keep it warm. It's better to serve it crisp at room temperature than to overcook it in an attempt to keep it warm.
- I like to use medium-thickness spears when making this recipe. The very thick ones are often fibrous, and the very thin ones are flimsy.
- You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days. I don't like them reheated. I prefer to chop them cold and use them in a salad.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Angie Saini says
My dad is so picky and absolutely loves this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
Vered DeLeeuw says
How wonderful! You're very welcome, Angie.