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. Your only concern as a cook? Avoid overcooking it!
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 - barely cooked and simply sprinkled with salt or dipped in melted butter. It's also the perfect vehicle for dips like cream cheese dip, sour cream dip, or Greek yogurt dip.
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 recipe. 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 (they tend to be fibrous), and the very thin ones are somehow less satisfying. See the photo below? The asparagus bunch marked as "Just Right" is the perfect thickness. However, if all you can get are thin spears, that's fine, too!
- 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 add to the cooked asparagus. 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.
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.
Expert 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. Steaming is 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 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 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
You can keep the leftovers 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 use them in a salad like this asparagus salad instead of trying to reheat them. Sometimes, I wrap them in prosciutto slices for an improvised cold version of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.
More Asparagus Recipes
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Recipe Card
Easy 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 any other 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.
Video
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. I find that the very thick ones are not as tasty (they tend to be fibrous), and the very thin ones are somehow less satisfying. However, if all you can get are thin spears, that's fine, too!
- You can keep the leftovers 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 use them in a salad like this asparagus salad instead of trying to reheat them. Sometimes, I wrap them in prosciutto slices for an improvised cold version of prosciutto-wrapped asparagus.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
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. 
Angie Saini
My dad is so picky and absolutely loves this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
Vered DeLeeuw
How wonderful! You're very welcome, Angie.