This Cream of Asparagus Soup recipe is made without heavy cream for a healthy twist! Vegetables, broth, coconut milk, and seasonings are cooked and puréed into a velvety smooth texture. This vegan and dairy-free version is easy-to-make for a busy weeknight dinner!
One night I was contemplating what to do with a couple pounds of fresh asparagus.
Lemon Garlic Roasted Asparagus and these Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Bundles had already been done.
Then a memory popped up of the incredible asparagus soup I had while in Utah at a blogging conference!
While I have created both a Roasted Tomato Basil Soup and a Roasted Butternut Squash Soup recipe in the past, I had never thought to make a soup from asparagus… until that fateful dinner at the deli.
Only one problem, when recalling the flavors in the dish, I was almost certain it had heavy cream and probably a bit of Parmesan cheese in it.
So I set out to create a vegan version avoiding the dairy, and you’ll be happy to know it was a HUGE success! And just so happens to be the recipe you see below!
Ingredients
The simple ingredients you need to make this cream of asparagus soup recipe include:
- Asparagus. Two pounds of fresh asparagus are used in this recipe. Make sure you trim the ends to remove any fibrous pieces before cooking.
- Onion. A sweet onion tastes best, but a white or yellow onion will work as well.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic cloves are ideal, but garlic powder may be substituted.
- Fresh Herbs. A combination of rosemary and thyme add a herbaceous note to the flavor profile. Feel free to swap out the fresh herbs for dried herbs if that’s what you have on hand.
- Broth. Regular sodium vegetable broth makes up a large amount of the liquid.
- Coconut Milk. The secret ingredient for making a super creamy vegan dish that’s free of heavy cream and dairy! You can choose to either use full-fat coconut milk for a creamier soup or lite coconut milk for a lower-calorie recipe.
How to Make
The basic steps for making cream of asparagus soup are simple to follow. Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.
Sauté the Veggies
Place a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-heat. Start cooking the onion with oil for 3-5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent, stirring occasionally.
Mix in the crushed garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 1-2 additional minutes.
Add the remaining olive oil and asparagus pieces and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Sauté the onions. Add the asparagus.
Simmer the Soup
Pour in the broth, coconut milk, fresh herbs, and seasonings and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and simmer for 7-10 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender.
Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Add remaining ingredients. Simmer the soup.
Make it Creamy
Purée the soup until completely smooth with any of the following tools:
- Immersion (or stick) blender: This is preferable since you can keep all of the ingredients in the pot and blend away.
- Vitamix: The second best option as you do have to transfer the soup to a different appliance. However, the Vitamix will make it SUPER smooth!
- Food processor: The biggest downside with a food processor is you have to work in batches. It still gets the job done, though.
Purée with an immersion blender. Create a perfectly smooth consistency.
Serving
You can serve this dish warmed OR chilled!
For a chilled version, refrigerate the soup for 3-4 hours before serving.
Garnish the soup with homemade croutons or toast and finely chopped parsley or thyme.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: The flavor of soups improve with time, so make the entire recipe and chill until ready to enjoy.
- To Store: Seal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- To Freeze: Once it has chilled in the refrigerator, you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe airtight container.
- To Reheat: Defrost frozen soup in the refrigerator. Warn the soup in a pot on the stove or simply pop it in the microwave.
FAQs
While the solid ends are too tough to eat, you can use them to make a vegetable stock.
It is technically possible to freeze soup that contains cream. However, separation may occur and will change the original quality of the soup. You can mix well while heating which may fix it, or add it to a blender and blend it up.
If you’d like to add a little something extra try roasted peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, or even carrots.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Keep it in the pot. Using an immersion blender is not only less messy, but you have less of a chance of burning yourself.
- Trim the ends. Remove the tough, woody parts of the spears before cooking.
- Fresh is best. Garlic cloves and herbs have better flavor than dried spices.
- Try it cold. Let the finished soup chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.
- Work in advance. Make the soup ahead of time and simply reheat or enjoy chilled.
Make it a Meal
Much like other creamy soup recipes, this cream of asparagus soup pairs extremely well with the following:
- Homemade Croutons with Garlic Herb Butter
- Toasted Baguette with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- A side of Chopped Kale Salad
More Asparagus Recipes
Put those asparagus stalks to work in these other tasty dishes:
Lemon Garlic Roasted Asparagus
Cream of Asparagus Soup Recipe | Vegan
This Cream of Asparagus Soup recipe is made without cream for a healthy twist! Easily make this vegan and dairy-free version for a busy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet onion finely diced
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil divided
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ – 2 tsp. salt to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 lbs. asparagus ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tsp. rosemary fresh, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. thyme fresh, finely chopped
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 15 oz. can coconut milk full-fat or lite
- 1 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
- Parsley optional
- See this recipe in Meal Plan #7
Instructions
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In a Dutch oven or large pot combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and diced onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until onion becomes translucent.
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Add crushed garlic, salt, and pepper, and saute for 1-2 more minutes.
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Add remaining olive oil and asparagus pieces. Continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes.
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Reduce heat to medium-low and add herbs, broth, and coconut milk. Cover and let simmer for 7-10 minutes, or until asparagus are tender.
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Turn off heat and add lemon juice. Using an immersion blender* blend asparagus soup until completely smooth.
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Serve asparagus soup with gluten-free croutons or toast and finely chopped parsley. You can also refrigerate the asparagus soup for 3-4 hours and serve it chilled. Enjoy! See this recipe in Meal Plan #7.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- If you do not have an immersion blender you can add soup in batches to a food processor or high speed blender.
- To Store: Seal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- To Freeze: Once it has chilled in the refrigerator you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe airtight container.
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Teresa G says
Hi London, I just finished a bowl for lunch and mmmmmm very delicious!! Its quite a hot day here in Alberta Canada, but this light tasting soup certainly hit the spot.I had purchased fresh asparagus at the market, and found your recipe, IT WAS “SIMPLY” DELICIOUS…Thanks Teresa G
London Brazil says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Teresa!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating 🙂
Kathleen says
This looks WONDERFUL! I would like to make and take to Christmas dinner. Can it be made in advance and warmed up later without sacrificing taste or creaminess?
London says
Absolutely, Kathleen! In fact, I think most soups actually get better after about 24 hours – all of the flavors meld together! Hope you enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas!
Anonymous says
How much is 1 serving?
London says
Hi! Unfortunately I do not have an exact measurement for the serving size at this time. However, my estimate would be somewhere between 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Helen says
Great recipe, I want try cook it
London says
Yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think, Helen!
Sherrie San Juan says
Wow this was super easy to make and deeeelicious!! I used Himalayan salt, dried thyme and added cayenne pepper. I didn’t miss the dairy at all. Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe that I will use over and over!
London says
Yay, Sherrie! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. And what a great idea to add a little cayenne pepper! Thanks so much for your comment and rating!
Lynne says
I gave this 5 stars but I did reduce the stock and water content (by 2.5cups total) as it was already looking like an awful lot of soup, there are just the two of us. However, the fluid reduction might have changed the liquidity but gosh not the taste we loved it. More tonight and I will freeze the rest for another day. My husband is not big on soup prefers a casserole but he really enjoyed it and said it was “extremely flavoursome”. So thanks.
London says
So happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Lynne! Thanks so much for leaving your comment and rating 🙂