This Instant Pot Asparagus turns out perfectly tender-crisp every time, made with a delicious lemon, garlic and parmesan seasoning.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Asparagus – green or purple asparagus are best. You can try using white asparagus, but you might need to increase the cooking time since the stalks are thicker.
- Olive oil – swap out for another neutral cooking oil like avocado or grapeseed oil.
- Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch.
- Garlic – use freshly minced or jarred garlic. You can also use ¼ tsp. garlic powder.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Chili flakes – leave the chili flakes off if you’re not a fan of spice.
- Parmesan cheese – nutritional yeast is a great dairy-free substitute for parmesan.
How to cook asparagus in the Instant Pot
- Place the trivet in the pot.
- Add the asparagus and seasonings on top.
- Cook on high pressure for 0 minutes.
- Toss with parmesan, serve and enjoy!
Is asparagus good for you?
Asparagus is a super healthy vegetable to add to any meal. It’s low in calories and is packed full of nutrients.
Some of the health benefits of asparagus include:
- High in fibre, vitamin K and folate
- Low in calories
- High in antioxidants including vitamin C and vitamin E
Frequently Asked Questions
Using the Instant Pot to steam asparagus is a foolproof way to make sure it doesn’t get soggy. You’ll get tender but crispy asparagus in no time at all!
When you cook asparagus in the Instant Pot, it literally needs NO cooking time! You’ll just set it to cook on high pressure for 0 minutes. It typically takes 5 to 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, and during that time, the asparagus will steam.
Asparagus pairs well with just about every protein you can imagine. It’s delicious served alongside grilled steak, pork chops or tenderloin, chicken or turkey and seafood. It’s also fantastic on top of a salad or mixed into rice for an elevated side dish.
Storing and reheating
Any leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eaten within 4 to 5 days. If possible, avoid stacking the spears. Instead, lay them in a single layer in a Ziploc bag.
The best way to reheat cooked asparagus is in the oven. Asparagus is a very tender vegetable, so to prevent it from becoming mushy, you’ll want to avoid microwaving it. Set your oven to 450° Fahrenheit and place the spears in an even layer on a sheet pan then cook for about 5 minutes.
Can you freeze asparagus?
You can absolutely freeze asparagus, and it will usually keep well in the freezer for up to 8 months. To prevent it from becoming limp and soggy when reheating it, it’s important to freeze your asparagus as soon as possible after steaming it.
The freezing instructions will vary based on whether the spears are unseasoned or seasoned:
- Unseasoned spears: If there are no seasonings on the spears, simply plunge them into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. This is known as “shocking” the asparagus. After it’s been plunged in ice water, store it in airtight Ziploc bags or containers.
- Seasoned spears: If you prepare the recipe as written, your spears will have seasoning on them. In this case, you don’t want to submerge them with water or the seasonings will wash off. Instead, fill a large bowl with ice water (mostly ice) and nestle a smaller bowl inside of the large bowl. Place the cooked asparagus in the smaller bowl and allow it to stay on ice for 15 minutes to chill before freezing it.
When you’re ready to enjoy, let the asparagus defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 450° Fahrenheit.
More Instant Pot vegetable recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Here’s the steam basket trivet in case you lost the one that comes with your Instant Pot.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders to help add leftover asparagus to Ziploc bags.
- Reusable silicone food bags – These reusable food bags get the same job done as the plastic freezer and sandwich bags.
Perfect Instant Pot Asparagus {Tender-Crisp}
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
- Trivet
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 lbs asparagus, ends trimmed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Add the 3/4 cup of water to the bottom of Instant Pot and then place trivet inside the inner pot.
- Add asparagus, then drizzle with olive oil & lemon juice, sprinkling garlic, salt & pepper and chili flakes overtop of asparagus as well. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to low, then cook for 0 minutes. Yes, zero minutes is all that's needed to steam! The Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, then notify you it's done by beeping.
- Press the Cancel button then do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Carefully remove asparagus from Instant Pot and serve on a large platter, gently tossing with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy!
