Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This asparagus soup tastes rich, yet it’s made without heavy cream – just veggies, broth, and a bit of Parmesan cheese purĂ©ed to silky perfection.
One of my favorite soup recipes, this creamy asparagus soup is made without heavy cream – just vegetables, broth, and a bit of Parmesan cheese purĂ©ed to silky perfection. It’s perfect for early spring when asparagus is in peak season and there’s still a chill in the air. Serve with a focaccia or a good artisan bread.
What you’ll need To Make Asparagus Soup
How To Make Asparagus Soup
Begin by melting the butter in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic.
Cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
While that’s going, prep the asparagus. Trim off the tips (you’ll use them for a garnish), then cut the remaining spears into 1/2-inch pieces.
Add the chopped asparagus to the pot, along with the chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.
Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, you can blend the soup in batches in a blender.
Return the soup to the pot and stir in the fresh lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese.
Finally, cook the asparagus tips in salted boiling water for a few minutes until tender-crisp.
The best way to preserve the bright green color of the tips and keep them crisp is to shock them in an ice bath, but you can also refresh the tips under cold running water.
Finally, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the asparagus tips, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs (if using), and freshly ground black pepper.
You may also like
- Green Pea & Asparagus Soup with Feta, Mint & Pita Croutons
- Creamy Zucchini, Walnut, and Dill Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheddar
- Spring Pea and Basil Soup
Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan
This asparagus soup tastes rich, yet it’s made without heavy cream – just veggies, broth, and a bit of Parmesan cheese purĂ©ed to silky perfection.
Ingredients
- 2 bunches asparagus (about 2¼ pounds), bottom ends trimmed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
- ½ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Handful fresh herbs, such as thyme, dill or basil (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
- In the meantime, cut the tips off of one bunch of the asparagus and set aside (you'll use those for a garnish). Cut the remaining spears and the other bunch of asparagus into ½-inch pieces.
- Add the chopped asparagus to the pot (minus the reserved tips), along with the chicken broth, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.
- Meanwhile, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the reserved asparagus tips for a few minutes, or until tender-crisp. Drain the tips and then place them in a bowl of ice water to "shock" them -- this stops the cooking process and preserves their bright green color. Once the tips are cool, drain them and set aside.
- Purée the soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to purée the soup in batches, then return the soup to the pot.) Bring the soup back to a simmer and stir in the lemon juice and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. To thicken the soup, allow it to simmer, uncovered, until the desired consistency is reached.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, then top each bowl with asparagus tips, Parmigiano-Reggiano, herbs (if using), and freshly ground black pepper.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: You can freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (The soup will freeze best if you add the cheese when reheating.)
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 160
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 593 mg
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I made this recipe for my son, who is lactose intolerant but can eat hard cheeses, substituting olive oil for the butter. It is delicious, extremely well written, and easy to follow even without the superb photos! Thank you!
Add a 6th star!
Simple, flavorful, a crowd pleaser!!
Thank you Jenn!
Amazing recipe! This is my family’s favorite veggie soup. So easy and delicious. LOVE!
Asparagus was on sale so I purchased a lot.
@This was so delicious!
I did add some cubed potatoes, because I was afraid it might not be creamy enough, and left the Parmesan cheese out so I could freeze the leftover soup.
Everyone had Parmesan Reggiano on the side to stir into the soup as desired.
A real winner!
Thank you!
Best asparagus soup ever. East and all my guests wanted more. Thanks
Thank you! I just finished a bowl of that delicious asparagus soup. I had some lemon basil in the garden I used for garnish. The lemon gave it a great flavor as did the parmesan. Nice for a fall lunch
Simply delicious! I’ve made this many times following the recipe, as written, to the delight of family and friends. I recently added cremini mushrooms (leftovers from a stuffed mushroom recipe), and found they added a thickness to the soup, as well as a richer, earthy flavor. I omitted the lemon and cheese because I didn’t have them, but it was still SO GOOD! Thank you for another great recipe!
Wonderful soup and very easy to prepare. Two small changes: Because I expanded the qty, I added a leek to avoid buying more expensive asparagus; I also sautéed the vegetables in a mix of olive oil and butter, not pure butter. Delicious!
This is far and away the best asparagus soup I’ve ever made–or tasted, for that matter. Thank you for the recipe!
Tried this recipe with broccoli (2 lb. bag) and it was just as good. Texture was perfect. Also tried it with the addition of 2tbsp of ground chia seeds for an extra shot of nutrition and thickening. Perfect! The chia seeds didn’t alter the taste and made it a little thicker. Love this recipe!
Love this soup just as it is! Can I do the same with broccoli?
Glad you like the soup, Janet! I’ve never tried this with broccoli and not sure how it would impact the texture, but taste-wise, I think it will work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
This soup is amazing and I’ve made it so many times, I printed the recipe out for my book. My only complaint at the beginning was that bunches of asparagus vary so much in size that I found the ingredient “2 bunches” imprecise (I see now there is a weight given as well, but I never weigh things!). Now that I’ve made it so many times, I know how to adjust things like the lemon juice to taste depending on how much asparagus I have. Oh, also, once I got mixed up with my doubling of the recipe or something and put double the butter in – it wasn’t bad, I can tell you! So I don’t really measure the butter anymore either. I expect this soup to be in my life forever! Thank you!
As a chef, my goal is to have a repetoire of 50 recipes I make 50 times (I realize this probably makes me more of a nonna than a chef). Your asparagus soup recipe is one of my 50 and I am deeply appreciative. Thank you.
I’ve made this soup a few times now and love it. It’s super easy, delicious, and freezes well. I also adapted it for my instapot and it’s just as fabulous. Thank you!
Hi Deninne! Would you mind sharing how you cooked it in your IP?
Thanks.
I have just made this soup and it’s simply delicious. Can I give more than 5*?
The only thing different is that I grilled the tips on a fry pan, it gave a smoky flavour
Loved this soup hot and cold.
This is the best soup ever. I keep some in the freezer so I can satisfy the cravings quickly! I cool the soup, then use a NutriBullet to puree it. No strings at all. I’d give it 10 stars!!
Delicious, light summer meal paired with your Smoked Gouda & Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Thank you again so much, Jennifer!
Fantastic soup! Made it last night and loved it.
This was the most incredible soup!! I served it to a group of ladies and they all wanted the recipe. My husband, a non soup lover, actually enjoyed it and asked for seconds. I also made it with Beef broth the second time, as I had run out of chicken. It was every bit as good! Thank you!!!
Have made this and loved it. Question: it’s a hot July day, how will this be served cold?
I think it’d be excellent, Carol. đŸ™‚
As good as it is hot, it was even better cold. Made a couple of days in advance and by the third day, it had thickened up beautifully. Served in crystal goblets with a swirl of sour cream and chopped chives. Heavenly. Perfect on a hot summer night. Thanks Jenn
This is a wonderful soup to use asparagus ends
After we blend it in a standing blender I run it through a Foley Food mill to get all the little fibers out it makes the the soup very smooth
We also top it with grilled chicken or even a little ham when served
Thanks Greg
I loved this recipe! I don’t really like heavy cream soups. When I found this one, using chicken broth, lemon garlic and onions for flavor, I had to try it. It was easy with all of the ingredients in the pantry. The asparagus was fresh from a local farm and the flavor was excellent and I didn’t feel all weighted down from the richness of cream. Thank you!
Having 2 ladies for lunch serving your asp soup. What is the best salad to serve alongside?
Hi Gloria, I think this would pair well with this baby kale salad. Also, I have a feature on the website– for all main dishes, I suggest one or two sides that I think would pair nicely with them. To see what I’ve suggested, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe. Immediately under the recipe, you’ll see the dishes that I’ve suggested. Hope that helps!
This was Michelin star quality.
I subbed shallots for half of the onions (it’s what I had on hand) and used fresh thyme to finish. Yum. Thank you for sharing this. Can’t wait til next weekend when I can make it again.
Excellent! Great way to use the abundance of asparagus I have right now.
Delicious soup! I didn’t add the cheese but enjoyed the brightness of the lemon juice. I cooled the soup then pureed it in my blender. Thanks for a great recipe!
Great Recipe, Taste is amazing, Thank you!!(The only thing I added was a pinch of Nutmeg, “the Dutch Touch”)
Delicious
Have never made this before. Used your recipe as a starter base. It was wonderful! My additives were personal preference so I won’t share. Most went to the freezer for later. Just know I enjoyed the soup.
This is the second soup I have made from this site. I made the Potato Leek soup and now this one. These are both the most fabulous soups I have ever made. This can be served without the Parmesan Cheese and lemon, but adding those takes this soup absolutely over the top. Elegant, delicious, impressive.
Absolutely amazing and so…. easy.
Delicious! Turned out perfect . Love that it’s made without cream for a healthier version but the texture is so nice you don’t even miss it.
Just made this soup but haven’t added cheese and lemon juice. But delicious already and silky smooth with immersion blender. No strings. But what I did is snapped off the woody ends of the asparagus by hand wherever the stalk naturally snapped. Hope this helps
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely go on my rotation list. My only caveat: my immersion blender did not do a good enough job, and left small stringy bits, even though I did chop the asparagus as directed. I put the leftover soup into my regular blender, which did the job. So next time, I will make the soup ahead of time so it can rest long enough for the extra air to go out after being blended. Thanks, Jenn, for another great recipe!
A ‘my bad’ addendum to my earlier 5 star review… I’m making this soup again today although this time I following Jenn’s rec to chop the asparagus into half-inch pieces, and smaller. I didn’t do that last time, thus the strings. They didn’t bother me taste-wise…. just wrapped around my immersion blender. Again, that was my bad.
I just made this with the season’s first asparagus. It was delicious! I didn’t do the asparagus garnish because I was limited on time – I just put all the asparagus into the pot with the chicken broth. The addition of the fresh lemon juice made this recipe pop. A keeper!
This is absolutely delicious! Creamy texture and savory flavor. Fantastic! We don’t care for Parmesan so after we’d each enjoyed a cup of the soup I suggested we add some chopped bacon. Not much, just some. Yum! They go very well together.
Great job, Jenn!! Thank you for another delicious and easy recipe.
This is THE best Asparagus Soup I’ve ever tasted. And without cream! The instructions were excellent, as usual. I believe the quality of the chicken broth is key, and the freshness of the asparagus. In-season asparagus is perfect. I might even try this recipe using a different vegetable, say broccoli or squash.
One of my favorite soup recipes. I’ve cooked it many times and my family loves it.
Excellent and none of the heavy cream. The lemon really helped to brighten the flavors. Can never go wrong with your recipes, Jenn. Keep them coming.
This soup is very tasty and very easy to make. I have made it twice in the past month and both times it was a big hit. Thanks again Jenn for another great recipe.
I made this delicious soup and it is easy and truly luxurious! I would recommend using a regular blender and keep on blending until smooth. The stringyness of the asparagus was the only thing that
I did not like and this was due to using a
hand held blender. The taste of the soup was delicious . I have shared it with my children and their spouses
Lol I made this last night and discovered the same about blender choice. Regardless, it was delicious!!
This asparagus soup is my new favorite food. I left the parmesan out initially (dairy intolerances for some family members) and forgot to add it in later, and it is delicious without the cheese too. I can’t recommend this recipe enough — even cold! Plus it is SO EASY to make! Definitely a keeper and guest-worthy. Btw, I had no trouble blending with a hand blender and no issue with ‘strings’.
Just finished making this as asparagus just showed up here (France) in the farmers market and the soup is fantastic. Will definitely make it again!!
The soup was wonderful! Since I’m trying to eat fewer animal products, I sautĂ©ed the garlic and onions in some of the vegetable broth that I substituted for chicken broth. I didn’t add the cheese but added two Yukon gold potatoes that were past prime. The lemon juice was a nice touch. Would love to see more vegan-type recipes, or exchanges to make them vegan.
great delicious soup. used asiago, always have it on hand, rather than parm.
Hi Jenn, to the asparagus soup can I add carrot and celery and parsley as well as onion
Sure, Anne, that would work. Depending upon how much you add, you may need to increase the other ingredients (butter, broth, salt/pepper, lemon juice, and cheese) a bit. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it with these additions!
I tried it both ways: with parmesan and lemon ,and without. Both are very good but I preferred it without these2 additions. It was still very creamy and absolutely delicious! Thanks for that scrumptious recipe
Hi Jenn, the soup is great but the strings of asparagus make eating it a bit difficult. It is a matter of cooking them more before blending or are there any other tricks to avoid this?
Hi Olga, Removing the woody ends of the asparagus helps a lot. And you also need to use a powerful blender. After that, if the soup is still stringy, it should be strained through a fine sieve.
My sister Julie introduced me to this lovely soup. Made a half recipe for lunch today for my husband and me, exactly as recommended. We both loved it but Jim licked the pan! It’s perfect. Thanks!
I enjoyed this soup very much–and shared it with neighbours!
A few notes:
1. Trimmed woody ends of asparagus.
2. Added sprigs of thyme to the broth–half a dozen sprigs secured with twine for easy retrieval/removal.
3. Also added 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes (chopped into small pieces) to the broth to provide a little more “heft” or “body” to the soup.
4. My immersion blender brought it all together into a creamy pot of goodness. No straining necessary; texture was perfect.
Thank you Jenn.
Easy and tasty. Definitely needs the herbs for a little extra.