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Sous Vide Asparagus is one of the easiest ways to prepare butter poached asparagus! It takes less than 20 minutes and the result is the most amazing, tender, crisp and buttery asparagus spears!
Asparagus is one of our favorite side dishes as it’s such a treat when it’s in season and pairs so nicely with so many dishes. You can serve it with a sous vide filet mignon for a fancy date night meal, or pair it with sous vide chicken breast or a sous vide whole chicken for a cozy Sunday family dinner!
We love this roasted parmesan asparagus, and for an extra treat, this bacon wrapped asparagus is always a crowd pleaser.
We also enjoy butter poached asparagus, and I’ve found that the sous vide is the simplest way to prepare it! Just seal it up with some butter and pop it in the sous vide water bath.
It’s so easy to overcook asparagus, but the sous vide method ensures it turns out perfectly tender with that classic vibrant green colour and all the buttery flavour locked in!
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It does the same for these amazing sweet and savory sous vide carrots!
Why this recipe works
- It’s a versatile side dish that comes together quickly for busy weeknights or pairs easily with your favorite protein for an elegant dinner party!
- It’s a hands off way to prepare asparagus. As asparagus easily overcooks, you usually need to keep a close eye on it. With sous vide cooking, it’s hard to overcook asparagus. Just set the water bath temperature and time, and you’re all set!
- It’s so flavorful! The asparagus cooks in a vacuum sealed bag with butter, so it absorbs all that buttery goodness as it gently cooks in a warm water bath. Then it’s topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh lemon juice. So good!
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What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.
Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.
To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."
What is the Water Displacement Method?
The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).
Use a clip (I use sous vide magnets) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.
Tools Used
You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!
Ingredients
You’ll need one pound of fresh asparagus for this recipe, and I recommend buying the freshest possible. When selecting asparagus, choose spears that have firm stalks and closed tips. Wilted and limp asparagus is not fresh and will not give you tender and crisp results.
The asparagus is cooked with 4 tablespoons of butter. You can use salted or unsalted. While the asparagus is cooked with 1 teaspoon of salt, if you use unsalted butter, you may wish to season the asparagus with additional salt before serving.
I like to serve this asparagus with a ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. For the best flavor, I use fresh Parmesan, but you can use pre-packaged grated cheese if that’s all you can find.
The lemon juice is optional but I love how it pairs with the Parmesan cheese.
Step by step instructions
Heat a sous vide water bath to 182F degrees.
Trim the woody ends off the bottom of the asparagus (about 1 - 1 ½ inches).
Place the asparagus in a vacuum sealable or ziplock bag, add the salt and place 1 tablespoon of butter in each corner of the bag.
Use a vacuum sealer to seal the bag, or use the water displacement method (see above).
Place in the water bath and cook for 9 minutes for thin asparagus spears, 11 minutes for medium-sized spears and 13 minutes for thick spears.
Remove the asparagus from the bag, mix with the Parmesan cheese and serve on a platter drizzled with the butter from the bag and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Seasoning variations
You can add some freshly minced garlic to the asparagus to cook along with the butter.
Fresh or dried herbs add a pop of flavor too. Sprinkle some dried oregano, basil or Italian seasoning on the asparagus before cooking, or serve it with chopped fresh parsley.
While Parmesan cheese is my favorite, you can also serve the asparagus with crumbled feta or goat cheese.
A sprinkle of crushed almonds, pecans or walnuts just before serving would be amazing too!
Expert tips
- For even cooking, make sure the asparagus is arranged in the sealable bag in a single layer.
- As we’re essentially butter poaching the asparagus, I like to use a lot of butter for this recipe. If you prefer, you can substitute olive oil. Just make sure it’s good quality as it will have the best flavor.
- The sealed bag of asparagus should be completely submerged in the water bath. If it isn’t, the asparagus may cook unevenly.
- When cooking vegetables in a sous vide water bath, they tend to release air as they cook, which causes them to float. For this reason, the water displacement method often works better when cooking vegetables because you can open the ziploc bag to let the air out.
- If you use a vacuum sealed bag and it floats, you can always cut open the bag, release the air and reseal it with the vacuum sealer.
- To prevent floating, you can also weigh down the bag with something heavy. I normally use a heavy duty binder clip to clip heavy butter knives to each side of the bag. You can also use sous vide weights.
Common questions
For crisp and tender asparagus, you’ll want to set your water bath to 182F degrees.
This depends on the thickness of your asparagus. For thin asparagus spears, it will take 9 minutes. For medium-sized spears, this increases to 11 minutes. For thick spears, you’ll want to cook it for 13 minutes.
The texture should be tender and a little firm and crisp. If the asparagus has a woody texture, you haven’t cooked it long enough.
You should trim the bottom 1 - 1 ½ inches off the asparagus to remove the woody ends and stringy part of the stalks. How much you cut off really depends on how thick your asparagus is, but usually cutting this much off will remove the tough ends.
Absolutely! While I love using fresh asparagus, frozen asparagus is a great substitute as it’s usually blanched and frozen at peak freshness. As blanching means the asparagus is partially cooked, you’ll just want to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes in the water bath.
While it is difficult to overcook vegetables in the sous vide as the temperature and time are precisely set, it can still happen. If your asparagus is mushy, it likely means it was left in the water bath for too long.
Since asparagus cooks quickly and you want to serve it while it’s tender and crisp, I suggest taking it out of the water bath once it reaches the recommended cooking time.
Serving options
Asparagus pairs well with chicken so you can serve it on the side with this chicken cordon blue or these ricotta stuffed chicken breasts.
Risotto is a familiar pairing with asparagus and we love it with this black truffle risotto or these crispy fried risotto cakes.
For date night, I suggest adding this asparagus to the menu with sous vide flank steak or teriyaki marinated grilled lamb chops.
And for some delicious comfort food, toss this asparagus with your favorite pasta, like this tuna and ricotta stuffed shells.
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Sous Vide Asparagus (Butter Poached)
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus ends trimmed
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 182F degrees.
- Trim the woody ends off the bottom of the asparagus (depends on the thickness of the asparagus but about 1 - 1 ½ inches).
- Place the asparagus in a vacuum sealable or ziplock bag, add the salt and place 1 tablespoon of butter in each corner of the bag.
- Use a vacuum sealer to seal the bag, or use the water displacement method (see above).
- Cook 9 minutes for thin, 11 minutes for medium and 13 minutes for thick asparagus.
- Remove the asparagus from the bag, mix with the Parmesan cheese and serve on a platter drizzled with the butter from the bag and a squeeze of lemon juice (optional).
Expert Tips:
- For even cooking, make sure the asparagus is arranged in the sealable bag in a single layer.
- As we’re essentially butter poaching the asparagus, I like to use a lot of butter for this recipe. If you prefer, you can substitute olive oil. Just make sure it’s good quality as it will have the best flavor.
- The sealed bag of asparagus should be completely submerged in the water bath. If it isn’t, the asparagus may cook unevenly.
- When cooking vegetables in a sous vide water bath, they tend to release air as they cook, which causes them to float. For this reason, the water displacement method often works better when cooking vegetables because you can open the ziploc bag to let the air out.
- If you use a vacuum sealed bag and it floats, you can always cut open the bag, release the air and reseal it with the vacuum sealer.
- To prevent floating, you can also weigh down the bag with something heavy. I normally use a heavy duty binder clip to clip heavy butter knives to each side of the bag. You can also use sous vide weights.
Nutrition
Beth
This recipe is perfect to go with our dinner tonight! We love asparagus and we can't wait to give this a try. Looks so flavorful and very tasty! Excited!
Danielle
Hope you love it!
Pam
I haven't thought of cooking asparagus in the sous vide. Brilliant idea!
Danielle
Thanks!
Natalie
This sounds so easy. And asparagus look really tender and delicious. I must give this a try. Thanks for sharing all the tips.
Danielle
It's super easy!
Mae
Turns out so great, Wil definitely making this again!
Danielle
So happy to hear it!
Gina
I've made asparagus in the Instant Pot before but never sous vide and the flavor with the butter poaching is just incredible!
Danielle
So glad you enjoyed it!