I love asparagus. To me, it’s the dish that best represents what spring would taste like if that were a thing. To keep your asparagus full of bright flavor and just crisp, you need to try sous vide asparagus. Overcooked vegetables are pretty much the worst. Undercooked vegetables aren’t much better.
Sous vide isn’t just for protein. Asparagus is one of those vegetables that has a narrow window between underdone and overdone, which makes it perfect for sous vide.
Cooking vegetables sous vide does come with a couple challenges. I’ll pass on what I’ve learned from my years of cooking sous vide asparagus.
Table of Contents
Simple Preparation
This is a simple asparagus preparation that plays up the natural taste notes of asparagus for that fresh spring flavor. We’re going for tender and bright yet crisp. I like to finish my asparagus with a bit of char.
Ingredients
- Asparagus
- Butter
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lemon (optional)
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions
In place of butter, olive oil can be used.
Lemon is optional.
Special Equipment Needed
- Sous vide machine (there are a lot of affordable options)
Step-by-Step Directions
- Set your sous vide machine to 185°F.
- Bag the asparagus. Aim for a single layer with butter, salt and pepper. Spread the added ingredients around the best you can.
- Use the water displacement method to void the bag of air and drop it in to cook.
- After 12 minutes, remove the bag from the bath and shake it to toss the ingredients. Remove asparagus from the bag and finish with salt and a squeeze of lemon, or…
- Put some char on it from a grill or searing torch and then finish with a squeeze of lemon and salt.
Expert Tips
- Weight the bag down. In addition to being light, vegetables emit gas while being cooked, which makes the bag float.
- Make sure to use high quality bags as seals are more prone to fail at higher temperatures, which we’re using.
- Use a lid of some sort on your sous vide container. It will dramatically cut down the time to get to temp.
- You can cook other vegetables, such as sublime carrots, broccolini, and sous vide corn at the same time.
If you plan on cooking vegetables sous vide often, this container is a real help. It removes the major obstacle of keeping bags fully submerged in scalding hot water:
- Universal Design: Compatible with almost all sous vide cookers (note, it does not accommodate the first generation of Anova Precision Cookers).
- Unique Feature: The adjustable overhanging rack is especially adept at keeping sous vide vegetables cooked evenly without using more water than you need.
- The lid helps you reach temperature quickly.
- The external handles help move the container around, which is especially helpful when cooking vegetables, which require higher temperature.
Sous Vide Asparagus
Equipment
- 1 Sous Vide Cooker
- 1 Sous Vide Container
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus woody ends trimmed
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 lemon optional
Instructions
- Set your sous vide machine to 185°F.
- Bag the asparagus with butter salt and pepper and spread the added ingredients as evenly as you reasonably can in a high quality bag (e.g. Ziploc freezer grade, vacuum sealed). Void the bag of air, trying to keep the asparagus in a single layer. Place the bag in the water when it reaches 185°F.
- After 12 minutes, remove the bag from the water bath and spread the melted butter seasoning within the bag all over the asparagus. Remove asparagus from the bag and either serve directly with a squeeze of lemon and salt to taste, or…
- Put some char on it from a grill or searing torch and then finish with a squeeze of lemon and salt.
Notes
- Thinner than usual asparagus: 10 minutes
- Normal sized asparagus (medium): 12 minutes
- Large/thick asparagus: 14 minutes
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