An easy, creamy asparagus soup made in your Instant Pot. This comforting soup can be served either hot or cold, so it is perfect for enjoying all year round! Low Carb and Ready in about 30 minutes! Makes 4 generous servings.
I'm excited to share with you this easy, creamy soup recipe. It's perfectly seasoned and cooked in your Instant Pot, so you don't have to wait very long to enjoy a delicious bowl of homemade soup.
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Why We Love This
Asparagus soup is one of those year-round soups that's always a good, healthy choice.
Instant Pots allow you to whip up quick, easy dinner recipes with a fraction of the effort. This easy-to-make soup is comforting when served hot, and refreshing served chilled. It's a win-win meal any time of the year.
Have you purchased an Instant Pot, yet? If not, what are you waiting for? This magnificent kitchen appliance creates delicious meals in record time without sacrificing flavor or tenderness; meals taste like they've been simmering on the stove for hours.
What Goes In It
Here's a quick peek at the main ingredients. Always refer to the actual recipe card when making a recipe.
Asparagus - fresh asparagus works best for this recipe. It's available year round so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it at your grocery store.
Chicken or vegetable broth - use the boxed or canned version. You can also use bouillon cubes or make your own broth.
Heavy cream and butter - these are major ingredients and make the soup rich, flavorful, and creamy!
How to Make It
Here are step-by-step instructions for making my Instant Pot Asparagus Soup.
(1) Saute the celery and onion in butter until softened.
(2) Then add the garlic.
(3) Add the broth to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to loosen up the browned bits and pieces. Turn the pot off.
(4) Next, add the chopped asparagus and bay leaf, and give it a stir. Put on the lid and lock into place. Turn the steam vent to “Sealing” and set the “Manual” or "Pressure Cook" setting to 5 minutes.
(5) After the 5-minute cook time, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. Remove the lid and throw away the bay leaf.
(6) Add a small amount of the hot liquid to the heavy cream. This will prevent curdling. Stir to combine, then add it to the pot. Stir to combine and let cool for a few minutes.
(7) Carefully transfer the soup to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
(8) To serve, pour into bowls and garnish with a teaspoon of heavy cream and a couple reserved asparagus tips (or serve as chilled soup). Tip - create a fancy heavy cream swirl with a butter knife.
Recipe Variations
Keto Creamy Asparagus Soup - This recipe can be easily converted into a keto-friendly version. Simply use grass-fed butter instead of regular butter, and use bone broth instead of regular broth.
Vegan Asparagus Soup - For a vegan variation, substitute olive oil for butter and full-fat coconut milk for the heavy cream.
What to Serve with Asparagus Soup
Besides the obvious, a grilled cheese sandwich or saltine crackers, there are many foods that go well with asparagus soup!
- Soup and salad are always a favorite pairing. For added protein, add some cooked shrimp, sliced chicken, or sliced steak to your lettuce blend and top with your favorite salad dressing.
- Cornbread is a perfect companion for soup! Check out my Mexican Cornbread recipe! Easy and cheesy!
- Garlic bread or biscuits are more of our favorite things to eat with soup. Both can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store and oh so easy to prepare!
- Top cooked soup with croutons, cooked bacon, or parmesan cheese, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instant pots aren't a new thing, per se. I remember my mother using a pressure cooker many times back in the 70s! Thank goodness they've "reinvented" the old-time pressure cooker with the ever so popular Instant Pot! It's more than just a pressure cooker. It cooks quicker than the stove top and is best at tenderizing just about any kind of meat. It has 6 different uses: pressure cooker, rice cooker, and yes, even a slow cooker. You can steam, saute, and warm up food!
With so many brands of "instant pots" on the market now, how does one choose which one to purchase? Sometimes you can get away with purchasing the least expensive item on the shelf and it all works out fine, no problem. But for an instant pot, the safety features have to be of utmost importance; therefore, I would recommend sticking with a tried-and-true original. The Instant Pot brand has a minimum of 10 safety features. Let's face it, you don't want any mishaps when cooking food under such high pressure! Flashback to my childhood: the top of our pressure cooker flew off under the pressure; there was food for days on the kitchen ceiling!! Having said that, you just can't go wrong with the Original Instant Pot!
This soup freezes well. Allow the soup to completely cool off. Then place into a freezer container or sealable plastic freezer bag (write the date on the bag so you can easily remember it). Frozen soup will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge the day before you plan to eat if. Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.
Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I prefer to use BPA-free glass containers with locking lids. Check out this 18-piece set of glass food storage containers with locking lids from Bayco, available now on Amazon.
Recipe Tips
Here's a couple of tips when making this Instant Pot Asparagus Soup.
If you don't have a food processor or blender, an immersion blender works just as good! Just insert it into the Instant Pot to blend the soup until smooth (Step 7 of the recipe).
To avoid bitter soup, make sure to cook the asparagus for the specified time and allow it to naturally release the steam as indicated in the recipe instructions. Undercooked asparagus can have a bitter taste.
More Great Soups
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If you tried this recipe, please rate it and leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
Recipe
Instant Pot Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 bunches asparagus, tough ends removed and cut into chunks
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Press the saute button and cook the celery and onion in butter about 4-5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the broth to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to loosen up the browned bits and pieces. Turn the pot off.
- Next, add the chopped asparagus and bay leaf, and give it a stir. Put on the lid and lock into place. Turn the steam vent to “Sealing” and set the “Manual” or "Pressure Cook" setting to 5 minutes.
- After the 5-minute cook time, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. Remove the lid and throw away the bay leaf.
- Add a small amount of the hot liquid to the heavy cream. This will prevent curdling. Stir to combine, then add it to the pot. Stir to combine and let cool for a few minutes.
- Carefully transfer the soup to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
- To serve, pour into bowls and garnish with a teaspoon of heavy cream and a couple reserved asparagus tips (or serve as chilled soup). Tip - create a fancy heavy cream swirl with a butter knife.
Notes
- Soup and salad are always a favorite pairing. For added protein, add some cooked shrimp, sliced chicken, or sliced steak to your lettuce blend and top with your favorite salad dressing.
- Cornbread is a perfect companion for soup! Check out my Mexican Cornbread recipe! Easy and cheesy!
- Garlic bread or biscuits are more of our favorite things to eat with soup. Both can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store and oh so easy to prepare!
- Top with croutons and or parmesan cheese, if desired.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and was updated in 2022.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
Tracey L.
Absolutely delicious even when I forgot to put the bay leaf in
Anne Clark
Thank you, Tracey! I’m so happy you liked it 🙂
Katherine
Easy and delicious. I used 5% cream and it was still yummy.
P.S. I noticed that there is celery in your pictures, but not in the recipe...
MyKitchenSerenity
Hey Katherine. Glad to know the 5% cream worked out well for you. As far as the celery, I have corrected the recipe. Note that it goes in the IP with the onions. Thank you for pointing that out! I'm glad you liked the recipe! I appreciate the 5 stars!!