My favorite way to enjoy asparagus is to steam it, then dress it with a simple sauce of melted butter, lemon juice, and garlic.
It's a simple recipe that highlights the unique flavor and texture of the spears. Your only concern as a cook? Avoid overcooking them!
Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. I love its unique, delicate flavor. In fact, I like it so much that I sometimes eat it as a snack - simply sprinkled with salt or dipped in melted butter.
I make the occasional grilled or roasted asparagus. But my favorite way to eat this wonderful vegetable is the simplest. I'm a big fan of steaming it.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty side dish. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Fresh asparagus: I like to use medium-thickness spears when making this recipe. I find that the very thick ones are not as tasty, and the very thin ones are somehow less satisfying.
- 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.
Instructions
Steaming asparagus is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- Pour 1 inch of water into a saucepan. Fit a steamer basket into the saucepan. Bring the water to a boil.
- Trim the asparagus. Place it in the steamer basket. Cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes for thicker spears, and 3 minutes for thinner ones (like the ones photographed here).
- Season the cooked spears with butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Expert tip
If the asparagus is ready before you are ready to serve it (perhaps the main dish is still cooking), you should still remove it to a serving plate. 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.
Frequently asked questions
Not long! Once the water has boiled, place the spears in the steamer basket. Cover and steam until the spears are just barely tender, about 5 minutes. Thinner spears will require just 3 minutes of steaming.
Yes. Steaming is probably the gentlest cooking method you can use. I happen to think it's also delicious! As long as you don't overcook the asparagus, it comes out perfectly cooked and wonderfully tender-crisp.
I season it simply, with an easy sauce of butter, garlic, and lemon juice.
If you'd like a more elaborate sauce, you could top your asparagus with this easy-to-make hollandaise sauce. But I usually don't bother. I reserve hollandaise sauce for eggs benedict.
I actually think that when asparagus is young and fresh, it's delicious with no sauce at all - just a sprinkling of coarse kosher salt and black pepper!
Variations
The best way to vary this recipe is to change the dressing you add to the cooked asparagus. You could use olive oil, for example, instead of butter. And white wine vinegar can replace the lemon juice in this recipe.
You can also add various seasonings, including onion powder, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes.
Another tasty option is to sprinkle the finished dish with some dry-grated parmesan cheese.
Serving suggestions
Anything goes with this side dish. It's truly versatile. But I usually try to serve it with a main dish that 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
The leftovers keep in the fridge in a sealed container for about 3 days, but they won't be as good as fresh.
I prefer to chop them cold and add them to a salad, such as this asparagus salad, rather than try to reheat them. Sometimes I wrap them in prosciutto slices for an improvised cold version of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.
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Recipe Card
Perfectly Steamed Asparagus
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 fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Pour 1 inch of water into a saucepan. Fit a steamer basket into the 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.
- Once the water has boiled, place the asparagus in the steamer basket. Cover and steam until the asparagus are 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.
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Notes
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Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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