Make perfect Instant Pot Asparagus for a quick and healthy side dish. It’s so easy to whip up this easy pressure cooker asparagus in minutes.
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Perfectly cooked asparagus is a thing of beauty. And thanks to the Instant Pot, you can have it ready and on the table in minutes.
If you are new to pressure cooking and the Instant Pot, check out this post on easy recipes for Instant Pot beginners.
Ingredients & Variations
You’ll find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This recipe is rocking:
- fresh asparagus
- olive oil or butter
- minced garlic
- kosher or another flaky salt
HOW TO MAKE Instant Pot ASPARAGUS
*I’ll walk you through it here, and you’ll also find a detailed and printable recipe card at the bottom of this post
Trim asparagus to remove the woody ends.
Add 1 cup of water into the insert of your Instant Pot. Add a steamer basket or place the asparagus directly on the metal trivet that came with your Instant Pot.
Place the trimmed asparagus in the steamer basket or on the trivet. If you’re using butter (or olive oil) and minced garlic, add that on top of the asparagus.
Lock the lid into place, and set the vent to “sealing”. Press manual, high pressure, and move the time to “0” minutes. Yes, 0 minutes!
When it has finished cooking, carefully flip the steam release handle to “venting” and allow pressure to be released.
Serve as is or top the finished asparagus with shredded Parmesan cheese.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO Cook Asparagus IN THE INSTANT POT?
When you cook pressure cook asparagus you’re setting the Instant Pot to cook for 0 minutes. That’s not a typo, 0 minutes! In the time it takes to come up to pressure and depressurize, your asparagus is perfectly cooked. Magic!
Including time to come to pressure and depressurize, it should take about 6-8 minutes to cook your asparagus in the Instant Pot.
Thick asparagus will need to be cooked for 1 minute at high pressure.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT ASPARAGUS
Store fully cooled asparagus in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To reheat, I love to use my air fryer to cook the asparagus for 2 minutes at 390F. You can also microwave it for 30 seconds, or cook it in a hot skillet on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes.
How to Trim Asparagus
Hold one stalk of asparagus with both hands, and try to snap the end off. Where it snaps is the natural breaking point.
You can snap each stalk individually, but to save time, I usually cut all the ends off at about the same point with a sharp knife.
Do you soak asparagus before cooking it?
There is no need to soak asparagus unless you are using wild-harvested asparagus or homegrown asparagus that looks especially dirty or has a lot of bits of soil stuck to the stalks and tips.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS RECIPE
There are so many options! I’m a sucker for a perfect Dry Brine Chicken, Paleo Salmon Cakes, or Air Fryer Frozen Shrimp.
This instant pot asparagus recipe is also delicious served alongside Lemon Garlic Pasta, Ham and Swiss Quiche, Air Fryer Chicken Cordon Bleu, Instant Pot Chuck Roast, Air Fryer Cornish Hens, and Instant Pot Beef Tips.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- If you add additional asparagus, the cooking time will remain the same. Word of caution: increasing the amount will require a longer time to come up to pressure which will likely result in over-cooked asparagus.
- Optional: place steamed asparagus on a sheet pan under the broiler on high for 1-3 minutes to add some delicious char.
- I do not recommend cooking the asparagus directly in the water. It gets mushy and you have the potential for a burn notice due to using so little water. I used the trivet that came with my pressure cooker.
- I do not recommend using frozen asparagus in the Instant Pot. If that is all you have to work with, try the “steam” setting if your pressure cooker has it, or low pressure. Set it for 0 minutes and use very hot water in the insert to allow it to come to pressure faster. Instead of steaming it, I would recommend making Air Fryer Asparagus as it can help the frozen veggies crisp up really well.
- To make the process even faster, use frozen minced garlic to season.
MORE DELICIOUS SIDE DISHES YOU’LL LOVE
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving of pressure cooker asparagus has 0 WW Freestyle SmartPoints (assuming you do not use the optional butter).
Easy Instant Pot Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 lb asparagus {woody ends trimmed}
- 1 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced {optional}
- 2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces or olive oil {optional}
Instructions
- Remove the woody ends from the stalks.1 lb asparagus
- Pour 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot insert. Place a steamer basket or trivet in the insert.1 cup water
- Place asparagus on the trivet. (If using minced garlic and butter, place on top of asparagus now).2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 tbsp butter, cut into pieces or olive oil
- Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>0 minutes. (or 1 minute for thick asparagus)
- When it has finished cooking, carefully flip the steam release handle to “venting” and allow pressure to be released.
- Remove the lid and season to taste.
Notes
- Aim for cutting the spears to a uniform size if possible. It will allow for more consistent cooking.
- Thick asparagus will need to be cooked for 1 minute at high pressure. Thin spears for 0 minutes at low pressure.
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Place your oven rack in the lowest setting and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
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Lightly mist the sheet pan with olive oil.
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Place your asparagus on the pan, mist with olive oil
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Roast for 6 minutes, flip, and cook for another 4-7 minutes.
