A delicious Instant Pot Soup recipe that is vegan and low-carb, this Instant Pot Asparagus Soup is a delicious addition to your instant pot recipe collection!
Instant Pot Asparagus Soup Recipe
Soups are the unsung heroes of easy weeknight meals.
While many of us crave soups on cold, gloomy days, they often aren’t thought of as a filling, rich meal on their own – or a healthy alternative when you’re sick of salads or sauteed vegetables.
What I love about soups beyond their comforting ways, is that no matter how many veggies I stuff into my recipe, I never feel like I’m “eating vegetables” when I dig my spoon into a vegetable soup, so I can kind of trick myself (and the kids) into also pairing it with a salad or other veggie-rich dish without feeling over-vegged. (It’s totally a word…)
This super simple asparagus soup recipe only requires about 5 minutes of prep time and is ready to serve in less than 30 minutes. It’s the perfect soup recipe to just throw together on a busy night when you can’t spend too much time in the kitchen. Pair it with anything – from a side dish salad, to a sandwich, or a smorgasbord of healthy soup dippables.
The nice thing about avoiding adding cream or milk to this recipe is that it freezes incredibly well!
While I don’t mind leftovers, I don’t usually want to eat the same thing more than twice in a week – so I usually serve this recipe the night it’s made, save about half for leftovers, and freeze the other half for a busy night (or for when asparagus is crazy expensive). This recipe doubles and triples super well, too.
Why You’ll Love this Asparagus Soup Recipe
Ultra-quick prep and cook. With 5 minutes prep and 15 minutes pressure cooking, it’s ideal for rushed evenings without sacrificing flavor.
Vegan and versatile low-carb. Naturally creamy without dairy, it suits dietary needs and freezes well for easy batching.
Sneaky healthy comfort. Potatoes create richness that masks the veggies, winning over kids and picky eaters effortlessly.
Instant Pot Asparagus Soup is a creamy, vegan, low-carb delight ready in under 30 minutes, blending fresh asparagus with potatoes for a velvety texture that’s perfect for busy weeknights or spring entertaining. At just 15g net carbs per cup (or less with tweaks), it tricks veggie skeptics into loving their greens while freezing beautifully for meal prep.
Asparagus Soup Ingredients
Scroll down to the free printable recipe card for exact measurements.
- Oil – sautés aromatics for flavor base; use avocado for high-heat stability
- Asparagus, woody ends removed, chopped into 3″ pieces
- Onion, chopped – adds sweet depth when sautéed; yellow varieties caramelize best.
- Garlic cloves, chopped – adds a depth and a pungent kick.
- Vegetable broth (can use chicken broth, if preferred) – opt for low-sodium to control salt.
- Starchy potatoes, peeled and chopped – create natural creaminess; russets break down best for thickness.
- Bay leaf, optional – infuses subtle herbal notes (fresh or dried both work).
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Tip: acidity adds a nice balance to savory recipes like this, and lemon juice works great with asparagus – so if you want a little something extra, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Easy Swaps and Variations:
- Add a splash of coconut cream for dairy-free richness.
- Stir in lemon juice at end for zesty brightness.
- Add some spice with red pepper flakes during the sauté stage.
If you need to cut the carb count down even lower, you have two options:
- reduce the two potatoes called for in the recipe to one potato, and then add in a cream or a slurry (of 1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder mixed into 1 cup of the soup and then re-added back into the soup). With one potato, this recipe comes out to 10g net carbs per serving.
- or, leave out the potatoes completely – either adding in the slurry (of 1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder mixed into 1 cup of the soup and then re-added back into the soup) or some cream. With no potatoes, this recipe comes out to 5g net carbs per serving.
- Replace potatoes with cauliflower for 5g net carbs per serving
How to Make Asparagus Soup in the Instant Pot
- Prep vegetables: Peel and chop onions, garlic, and asparagus for the base.
- Sauté aromatics: Use Instant Pot sauté mode to cook onions until translucent, then add garlic and asparagus until fragrant (about 4 minutes total).
- Pressure cook: Add remaining ingredients (broth, potatoes, bay leaf, seasonings), deglaze the pot, secure lid, and cook on Soup/Stew for 15 minutes with natural or quick release.
- Blend and finish: Remove bay leaf, puree in a blender, then taste and adjust salt/pepper.
Alternative Stovetop Asparagus Soup Directions:
You can make this Instant Pot asparagus soup on the stove by turning it into a simple one-pot simmer-and-blend recipe on medium heat. The flavor, timing, and texture stay almost identical; you just swap pressure cooking for a gentle stovetop simmer.
- Sauté in a soup pot: Heat oil over medium, then cook onions until translucent (about 3–5 minutes), add garlic and asparagus and cook until fragrant and slightly bright green (2–3 minutes).
- Add liquids and seasonings: Stir in broth, potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer instead of pressure cook: Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 15–20 minutes until potatoes and asparagus are very tender.
- Blend and finish: Remove bay leaf, carefully blend (immersion blender in the pot or in batches in a countertop blender), then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, and optional lemon juice.
Instant Pot Asparagus Soup Recipe FAQs
While potatoes are usually persona non grata in low-carb recipes, they are necessary in this recipe to keep it vegan and creamy, without adding a whole slew of thickeners and pricey nut-based creams. The approximately 2 cups of potatoes that are in this recipe adds about 51g of carbs to the whole dish, but as this recipe yields about 6 cups of soup, the final carb count still works out to a less than 15g net carbs per 1 cup serving.
The woody end of the asparagus still has good flavor and is great in making broth, but it can be quite stringy, even when cooked. If you add the woody (white) ends of the asparagus to your soup, you may want to strain it after pureeing in case any stringy bits remain.
Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze portions up to 3 months; thaw and reheat gently.
Yes, but natural release keeps color brighter.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Asparagus Soup:
Here are some food pairing ideas to elevate your asparagus soup:
- Toasted sandwich (like a classic grilled cheese sandwich)
- Caesar salad
- Roasted Brussels sprouts
- Baked sweet potato fries
- Ham and Cheese Quiche
Pin this Easy Instant Pot Asparagus Soup recipe:
Grab your free printable for our Instant Pot Asparagus Soup Recipe (Printable Recipe Card):
If you tried this recipe and loved it too, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Instant Pot Asparagus Soup
A light and creamy vegetable soup made completely in the Instant Pot, this Instant Pot Asparagus Soup is incredibly simply to make but tastes absolutely restaurant-worthy.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 lb asparagus, woody ends removed, chopped into 3" pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth (can use chicken broth, if preferred)
- 2 starchy potatoes, chopped
- 1 bay leaf, optional
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Peel and chop your vegetables.
- Set your Instant Pot to saute and add your oil.
- You can either saute all vegetables immediately for 2 minutes, or when the oil is hot, add your onions and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and asparagus and saute until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. (Either way, the soup will turn out delicious - so decide based on how much time you have.)
- Turn off the saute setting and add the remaining ingredients. Stir to get any pieces of garlic, onion or asparagus that may be stuck on the bottom, and then secure the lid.
- Set the Instant Pot to the Soup/Stew setting for 15 minutes.
- I prefer to natural release, but you can quick release if you are under a time crunch.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Carefully transfer the soup mixture to a good quality blender to puree.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preference.
Notes
Add a splash of lemon juice to really amp up the flavor.
This recipe freezes well, and can be doubled or tripled, depending on your family's needs.
Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful
- Instant Pot
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cups
- High-powered blender
- Ladle
How to Make Asparagus Soup (Stovetop Version):
You can make this Instant Pot asparagus soup on the stove by turning it into a simple one-pot simmer-and-blend recipe on medium heat. The flavor, timing, and texture stay almost identical; you just swap pressure cooking for a gentle stovetop simmer.
- Sauté in a soup pot: Heat oil over medium, then cook onions until translucent (about 3–5 minutes), add garlic and asparagus and cook until fragrant and slightly bright green (2–3 minutes).
- Add liquids and seasonings: Stir in broth, potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer instead of pressure cook: Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 15–20 minutes until potatoes and asparagus are very tender.
- Blend and finish: Remove bay leaf, carefully blend (immersion blender in the pot or in batches in a countertop blender), then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, and optional lemon juice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 665mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g
This delicious instant pot asparagus soup recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or entertaining guests with different dietary needs/preferences.
For more delicious Instant Pot recipes, check out our Instant Pot Calico Beans or our Instant Pot Jamaican BBQ Pork.
