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.
The best soup. I made it with half asparagus, half celery and a 1/2 cup of frozen peas. The fresh basil took it to the next level!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! That sounds delicious. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Just made a large batch of this with our asparagus harvest in full swing. I chose this recipe because most others included potatoes, which I didn’t have and didn’t want to use, in hopes of keeping the soup a little ‘lighter’. I did add some marjoram from the herb garden as well, and the result was fantastic! Thanks!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Our family loved this recipe. It was an easy weekday meal. I try to avoid coconut milk. We made it with tofu coconut milk (tofu, coconut water, and coconut extract) instead. Next time I’ll try substituting cauliflower cream for the milk, to get some cruciferous goodness into the kids.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Brian! Let me know how it turns out. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Made this tonight and it was wonderful. I did not use the olive oil as I am WFPB no oil. I don’t miss it at all.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Caron! I’m glad it worked out. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
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
Yay! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Teresa!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating 🙂
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?
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!
How much is 1 serving?
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 🙂
Great recipe, I want try cook it
Yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think, Helen!
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!
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!
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.
So happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Lynne! Thanks so much for leaving your comment and rating 🙂