Looking for new recipes with spring greens? This Instant Pot asparagus dish is super quick and easy and makes for a great side accompaniment to both meat, seafood and plant-based mains. This recipe is vegan, paleo, Whole30 and keto-friendly.
WHY COOK WITH ASPARAGUS?
Asparagus is such a lovely vegetable: it’s tasty, looks beautiful and is very nutritious. As well as being high in vitamin K (great for bone health), vitamins E and C (powerful antioxidants), folic acid (essential for healthy pregnancies) and iron, asparagus is low in calories and high in fibre, making it great for weight loss and managing blood sugar levels and it helps to balance your hormones. See the full nutrition breakdown below the recipe.
When in season, it’s a wonderful vegetable to cook with and you can make everything from asparagus risotto and soups to lovely fresh salads and side dishes.
HOW TO COOK ASPARAGUS IN INSTANT POT
There is a trick to cooking green vegetables such as asparagus in your Instant Pot: using a LOW-pressure setting and setting very little to no time. Otherwise, it is very easy to overcook and let’s face it, soggy asparagus is not very appetizing. In this recipe, we show you how to make a simple Instant Pot asparagus side dish seasoned with garlic, lemon and cracked pepper.
CAN I USE FROZEN ASPARAGUS IN INSTANT POT?
Yes, of course! Frozen asparagus is often already partially cooked, so make sure to check the labels. If it is, then you can leave exactly the same settings as before. If it’s not cooked and frozen, then add 1 extra minute to the cooking time.
MORE INSTANT POT VEGETABLE RECIPES
- Green Beans
- Green Bean Casserole
- Asparagus & Fennel Risotto
- Glazed Carrots
- Steamed Broccoli
- Instant Pot Beets
Instant Pot Asparagus With Garlic, Lemon & Pepper
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: European
Description
Looking for new recipes with spring greens? This Instant Pot asparagus dish is super quick and easy and makes for a great side accompaniment to both meat, seafood and plant-based mains. This recipe is vegan, paleo, Whole30 and keto-friendly.
Ingredients
1 cup of cold water
2 bunches of asparagus, hard ends trimmed off
Trivet or a steamer basket
To finish
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tsp)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt (sea salt is best)
Instructions
Add the water to the Instant Pot and place the trivet or the steamer basket on top. Layer the asparagus on top of the trivet or inside the steamer basket. Place and lock the lid, set to Steam setting and make sure to change the pressure setting to LOW. Adjust the time ZERO (0) minutes. Even though the time is set to 0 minutes, there will still be plenty of cooking going on while the Instant Pot is building the pressure.
Once the timer goes off, perform the quick release to let off the pressure and open the lid. Remove the asparagus to a large dish, remove the trivet and get rid of the water.
Place the pot back inside and set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Once the bottom is hot, add the lemon zest, garlic, and olive oil and saute for 1 minute, stirring a few times. Add the cooked asparagus, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss through to coat. Serve right away.
Notes
Lower-calorie version: You can skip the final Sauté stage and omit the olive oil. Simply toss the asparagus with lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt and pepper and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5-6 spears
- Calories: 94
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 234.5 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.7 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 1.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
SAVE THIS ASPARAGUS RECIPE TO PINTEREST
Great recipe, thanks! I use this foldable steamer basket, space-saving design, plus it’s much easier to clean. much better than the metal ones, I got it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WDJB5W8/
★★★★★
Great recipe , since it contained Asparagus It is healthy also. Definitely I ell try and will share the experience with others. Thanks for sharing.