This Cream of Asparagus Soup is incredibly creamy, velvety smooth, and bursting with fresh herb flavors. No one will guess it’s made with coconut milk for a vegan and dairy-free twist! Whip it up in one pot for an easy and quick weeknight meal everyone will love!
Table of Contents
One evening, I was pondering what to do with a couple of pounds of fresh asparagus. I had already made Lemon Garlic Roasted Asparagus and these Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Bundles.
Then, I remembered an incredible asparagus soup I had at a blogging conference in Utah!
There was just one problem, though: the soup likely contained heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, which I was trying to avoid. Determined to create a dairy-free version, I set out to make a vegan alternative using coconut milk.
I’m happy to report it was a HUGE success! And I promise, you won’t taste the coconut flavor one bit.
If you love creamy vegetable soups, you’ve got to check out this Roasted Tomato Basil Soup and Roasted Butternut Squash Soup next!
Ingredients
Notes about the ingredients needed for this Cream of Asparagus Soup recipe are below. Jump to recipe for the exact measurements.
- 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 a Creamy Asparagus Soup
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts. Jump to recipe for the printable instructions
1. Cook 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.
Pro tip: Remove the tough, woody parts of the asparagus spears before cooking.
2. 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.
3. Blend until 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.
Pro tip: keep it in the pot. Using an immersion blender is not only less messy, but you have less of a chance of burning yourself.
4. Serve it warm 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.
Storage and Freezing Directions
- Storage: Seal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Once it has chilled in the refrigerator, you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe airtight container.
- Reheat: Defrost frozen soup in the refrigerator. Warm the soup in a pot on the stove or simply pop it in the microwave.
What to Serve with Asparagus Soup?
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
Other Creamy Soup Recipes
Creamy soups are a warm and comforting way to use up the bounties of fresh veggies. Try these recipes when soup season rolls around.
- Creamy Beet Soup
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Healthy Cauliflower Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Crab Bisque
- Creamy Zucchini Soup
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Cream of Asparagus Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 sweet onion finely diced
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil divided
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tsp. salt plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 lbs. asparagus spears ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tsp. fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme finely chopped
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 15-oz. can coconut milk full-fat
- 1 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
- Parsley optional
Instructions
- 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. Add minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook for 1-2 more minutes.1 sweet onion, 4 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper
- Add remaining olive oil and asparagus pieces. Continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes.4 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 lbs. asparagus spears
- 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.1 tsp. fresh rosemary, 1 tsp. fresh thyme, 3 ½ cups vegetable broth, 1 15-oz. can coconut milk
- Turn off heat and add lemon juice. Using an immersion blender, blend asparagus soup until completely smooth. Alternatively, carefully add the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.1 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
- Serve asparagus soup with croutons or toast and finely chopped parsley. You can also refrigerate the asparagus soup for 3-4 hours and serve it chilled.Parsley
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Notes
- Prep-Ahead: Make the soup ahead of time and simply reheat or enjoy chilled.
- Tools: If you do not have an immersion blender you can add soup in batches to a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Storage: Seal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Once it has chilled in the refrigerator, you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe airtight container.
- Reheat: Defrost frozen soup in the refrigerator. Warm the soup in a pot on the stove or simply pop it in the microwave.
- To Serve Chilled: Let the finished soup chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks so much for this recipe and nutritional facts. What quantity is the actual serving size listed on the nutritional facts ? Thank you very much !
jim Marshall
Hi Jim! I do not have an exact serving size for this recipe, unfortunately. I would estimate it’s somewhere around 1 cup though. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can’t wait to give this a try – I actually just printed it out! Love this asparagus time of year!
Yay!! Can’t wait to hear what you think, Jules! It’s one of our favorite soup recipes for Spring 🙂
This is the first recipe that I’ve made that I not only didn’t have to throw away but was amazingly delicious.
You will never know how this recipe has reduced my stress levels.
With so many food intolerances it becomes challenging. I just knew if I kept looking there would be something yeah! Thank you so much x
Wow, Linda!! I am SO happy to hear that. Spending time and money on ingredients only to have a recipe come out bad can definitely be stressful. Please let me know what food intolerances you have and I’ll be sure to create more recipes you can enjoy 🙂
Hi. I’m made the recipe for a second time and noticed that it calls for four tablespoons of olive oil divided. What are we to do with the second two tablespoons? Thanks
Hi Jan! Thanks so much for the question. The additional olive oil gets added with the asparagus. I just updated the recipe to reflect this for you! However, if you enjoyed it the last time with only 2 tablespoons olive oil, then feel free to do that 🙂 Thank you for asking!
OMG! This was fantastic. I used homemade chicken broth, and dairy milk because I didn’t have the alternatives. I also added 1/4 tsp cayenne and extra pepper too.
So, while it was fantastic as a soup… It was divine as a pasta sauce! Like… Omg! Sooo good! Make a good pasta with my favorite noodles… Banza rotini made from chickpeas, then pour hot soup over and top with a generous helping of parmesan cheese! Sigh! Comfort food supreme! 💗💕💜
What a great idea to use it as a pasta sauce, Jen!! That is my kind of concoction cooking! Lol. I just did an Avocado Pesto Pasta that would probably be fabulous with this asparagus soup as a sauce instead, too! Thanks for your comment and rating 🙂
excellent recipe, fast easy and nutritious, thank you.
Sybil
Hi Sybil! I am SO happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for your comment and rating!!
This soup is delicious! I had no fresh thyme or rosemary so used the equivalent of dried instead. I did chop the dried rosemary into a powder before adding it to the recipe. I also used full-fat coconut milk. I’ll be making this recipe again!
So happy you enjoyed the soup, Jan!! Dried herbs work great when you don’t have fresh. Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
I made this simple, quick soup today for lunch. My husband and I both loved it. I added 1/3 the salt, doubled the rosemary, and drizzled a watered down vegan ‘sour cream’ (tofutti brand) as a garnish, as we did not have parsley in the house. It a lovely, versatile soup.
I bet it tasted delicious with your additions, Paige! Thanks so much for your comment and rating 🙂
We loved this light yet filling asparagus soup. I would love to see more whole grain, plant based, no added fat for cooking/serving.Thanks!!
That’s wonderful, Stephany! I will be sure to keep that in mind. So happy you enjoyed the soup 🙂
This looks so filling but super nutritious. I just got a stick blender and can’t wait to try it out with this recipe.
It’s super nutritious, Arielle! Hope you enjoy it 🙂