Making asparagus in your pressure cooker is incredibly easy. This vitamin-packed vegetable steams for just 0-1 minute under pressure and then can be topped with salt, pepper, and drizzled with lemon. Instant Pot asparagus makes a delicious, simple side dish for any meal and can be customized with your favorite mix-ins.
This easy Instant Pot asparagus recipe is quick and delicious. This quick-cooking vegetable can be pressure cooked for zero minutes for a crunchy bite or 1 minute for a more tender bite. Air fryer asparagus is also a great for a crispier version. Pressure cooked broccoli is another easy vegetable that the Instant Pot steams perfectly in no time at all.
it in any size Instant Pot. It's so simple and delicious, and can be seasoned at the end or not. It's wonderful sprinkled with salt and pepper as much as it is drizzled with olive oil or butter. Grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and lemon juice make great mix-ins for asparagus, too. It's up to you and how you like to enjoy this delicious vegetable! Instant Pot asparagus soup is another way to enjoy this tasty vegetable.
Ingredients
- Fresh asparagus: medium thickness asparagus spears work best.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper: optionally added once cooked.
- Fresh lemon juice: also optional to be added once cooked.
- Additional toppings: grated parmesan cheese, roasted garlic, red pepper flakes, etc.
What Size Asparagus Should I Use?
I recommend using asparagus spears that are medium thickness, as they are less likely to overcook than if using thin asparagus. Very thick asparagus can sometimes turn out tough and will need longer to cook.. Avoid pencil thin asparagus as it will pressure cook more quickly. Very thick asparagus may need a 1 or 2 minute cook time. Your best bet is to choose asparagus with a thickness somewhere in the middle.
How To Make Pressure Cooker Asparagus
It's very simple to pressure cook asparagus. It's essentially a 3-step recipe with the option to season the asparagus at the very end.
STEP 1: Pour 1 cup of water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Wash asparagus and trim ½-1 inch off of the woody ends. Place the trimmed asparagus into a steamer basket (or on a steamer rack or in a silicone sling) and put into the inner pot.
STEP 2: Close the lid and seal. Set to pressure cook (manual) on high for 1 minute. For crunchier asparagus, set to high for 0 minutes.
STEP 3: When pressure cooking is finished, complete a quick release of the pressure. Open the lid and immediately remove the asparagus to a serving dish using tongs.
OPTIONAL STEP 4: Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon juice and serve warm. You can also sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, toss with roasted garlic, roasted tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, butter or enjoy plain without any seasonings.
Enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Avoid Overcooking: use a quick pressure release to avoid overcooking and remove the asparagus from the inner pot right away. If it sits in the hot pot it will continue to steam and may become more tender than you want it to be.
- Season After Cooking: In my opinion, steamed vegetables are better when seasoned after cooking. This way you have better control over the final taste.
Technically, you can add seasonings to the asparagus before cooking it. But be careful with something like salt. It can cause the asparagus to shrivel as it steams in the pressure cooker. - Storing: wrap in foil and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. When reheating, asparagus will lose some crispiness. Reheating in an air fryer or toaster will help it regain some crisp.
- Using Frozen Asparagus: add 1 minute of cook time for frozen asparagus. Take note of how thick the spears are, as if they are very thin you should be fine cooking them for the same time that you would cook thawed, raw asparagus.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but because you will be pressure cooking the asparagus in the water rather than steaming it, the asparagus will become mushier than when it is steamed above the water.
Yes, you can use low pressure when cooking vegetables in the Instant Pot. A good rule of thumb when using low pressure is to add 1 minute to the cook time. Once you make asparagus (or other vegetables) in your Instant Pot a few times, you'll get a good idea of how long and at what pressure level to cook them for you.
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Recipe
Instant Pot Asparagus
Equipment
- pressure cooker any size
- Steamer basket or trivet/silicone sling
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh asparagus medium thickness
- sea salt optional
- freshly ground black pepper optional
- freshly squeezed lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Wash asparagus and trim ½-1 inch off of the woody ends. Place trimmed asparagus into a steamer basket (or on a trivet/silicone sling) and place the basket into the inner pot.
- Close the lid and seal. Set to pressure cook (manual) on high for 1 minute. For crunchier asparagus, set to high for 0 minutes.
- When cook time is finished, complete a quick release of the pressure. Open the lid and immediately remove the asparagus to a serving dish using tongs.
- Optional: Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon juice and serve warm. You can also sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, toss with roasted garlic, roasted tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, butter or enjoy plain without any seasonings.
Addie
Such an easy way to make asparagus! This is a great healthy side dish recipe!
Agnieszka
I cooked asparagus for exactly 1 minute and it turned out absolutely perfect. So delicious and incredibly quick!
Amy Liu Dong
Wow! My kind of snack food. Definitely looks so delicious and yummy. Plus this dish is absolutely healthy and everybody will love it.
Jere Cassidy
Ok, what is wrong with me, I never thought to just cook veggies in my IP. I actually have asparagus in the fridge so I am cooking some for supper.
Jerika
I'm not a fan of asparagus but your recipe makes me want to try it seeing how easy it is to prepare and plus nutritious.:) I would try it. Thanks!:)
The Sudden Cook
We don't eat enough asparagus here and we so love them! Thanks for such an easy recipe.