Name: Simply Steamed Asparagus
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 bunch asparagus spears; 1 teaspoon butter; ¼ teaspoon salt; 3 cups water

Makes even tough asparagus, tender and tasty! Try using vinaigrette dressing in place of the butter too.

Simply Steamed Asparagus

asparagus spears

butter

salt

water

Place water in the bottom half of a steamer pan set. Add salt and butter, and bring to a boil.


Trim the dry ends off of the asparagus. If the spears are thick, peel them lightly with a vegetable peeler. Place them in the top half of the steamer pan set. Steam for 5 to 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus, or until asparagus is tender.


Great!  My first time making steamed asparagus-- I had no idea how long to steam.  This recipe really helped.

This was really good.  My husband said this is his favorite way of preparing asparagus.  Before I served this I sprinkled some lime juice over the spears for a little kick.  Make sure to do this right before you plan on serving...otherwise the acidity from the lime makes the drippings turn red.  Will use this often!!

It's a total waste of butter to add it to the water.  Add it to the finished product.

Asparagus is so simple to make and doesn't require anything fancy to taste great. I steam my asparagus like this in just a little bit of water, and then no steamer basket is needed. Then, once it is a bright green color I saute it in a tad of olive oil for about a minute and sprinkle with a little salt. Yum!

This is my first time to steam asparagus, so compared to other methods, I really don't know how much better this one is. However, the asparagus was very good &amp; I will make it again. I knew it was a hit when my husband ate the entire stalk of each one. Thinning the bases of the stalk with a vegetable peeler was a helpful hint.

Exactly as the name states.  I used "dill vinaigrette" (from this site) instead of the butter.  Basic, but good.  Thanks Kim.

I love vegetables with absolutely nothing on them, so this recipe was for me.  The asparagus turned out beatifully, not to mushy, not to bland.  I'll use it again!

This was my first time steaming anything, and my first time cooking asparagus. This recipe was a great base, though I agree with other reviewers that adding the salt and butter to the steaming water is just a waste.

I made this as a snack so I could try steaming asparagus. (:
I knew I wanted more of a kick of flavor rather than just plain steamed asparagus, so I sautéed about a teaspoon or two of minced garlic (I love garlic so I pretty much just put a dollop of it in) and a pinch of salt in about 3-4 tablespoons of butter in a separate pan. ((Be careful to not brown the garlic however, as it gets bitter.))
I drizzled this onto my steamed asparagus, but still wasn't satisfied with the amount of flavor, so I followed Josie's advice and put the juice of half of a lime on there. It was absolutely delicious! I will definitely make this again, though I might try sautéing the asparagus in the butter mixture after steaming, and maybe adding some more spices. (:

Simple and tasty! It is also good for steaming a large bunch to snack on cold at a later time- not too squishy.

I steamed asparagus for about 6 minutes (plain water works fine) then transferred to a fry pan with olive oil. Sauteed for about a minute or so, adding sea salt, cracked black pepper and a little garlic powder. Simple and delicious!

I just recently started eating asparagus so this easy to make and easy on me who had no clue how to cook it.

Just made it and it tastes fantastic.  Simple and elegant!  Oh just for kicks I did add two crushed garlic cloves to the water.  Awesome!

This was good but 10 minutes was nowhere near enough time for it to be cooked.  Next time I will steam it for at least 25 minutes.

very good. didnt add the butter to the water though. Instead I seasoned it after with onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and olive oil. YUM.

I didn't use the butter or salt for diet reasons.   Cooked 8 minutes and shut off heat and let sit in steamer to keep warm till the rest of the dinner was on the table.

Like the title says, simple steamed asparagus.  This was great, easy and yummy.

I simply steamed the asparagus for 8 minutes and lightly salted and peppered once on plate. No need for butter.

Adding salt and butter to the water in the steamer is pointless.  Add it to the asparagus at the end if you want to actually flavor them.  The only part of the butter that will evaporate and penetrate the asparagus is the water within.

We like the thin tender asparagus, and it only takes 2 1/2 mins to steam, take off heat and let stand 1 min. or so, place on serving plate and then a quick rub with the end of a refrigerated stick of butter over them (you don't need to add extra salt if you use salted butter). Butter in the water is a useless waste of butter. For garlic lovers, a slice or smashed garlic in the water is also great.  Yummo.

Simple perfection!  Thank you!  We have been steaming Asparagus for years without consistant results.  This will do it!

This is the quickest way to fix asparagus and also my favorite way....  I do add some Parmesan cheese before I serve.

This is how I've prepared my fresh vegetagles all of my life.  Tomorrow I'll fix my asparagus this way.  I recommend it to anybody.  Delicious.

This recipe helped me fall in love with asparagus, Thank you

This recipe is so simple to make, I just let it steam while cooking some chicken on the George Foreman. I prefer using margarine instead of butter.

lose the butter....Asparagus tates fine without it.

I just made this.  It was yummy.  I have never liked other asparagus recipes.  But here is what I did.  I had also made the Poppy Chicken II from this web site.  So I used the bay leaf from that recipe in this recipe's water.  I added a little olive oil.  Steamed for 10 mintues.  I had melted butter in a shallow baking dish ready with poultry season, salt, pepper, and Italian Herb Season Grinder mix flavoring the butter.  When the asparagus was ready, I added it to the melted butter.  Delis!

Very good.  I usually don't like asparagus, but this was really good.  I still added butter after it was done cooking.

Simple. Nice for light flavor, but a bit bland for those who like a bolder flavor. Might be better with a bit of garlic.

Easy breezy! This plain preparation (butter or olive oil) goes well with strongly salted foods that I make.

I do this recipe in my microwave steamer.  It's very tasty.

Five stars for simplicity, three stars for flavor.  We are trying to add more greens to our diet, and this is an easy way to do it.  Will make again when in need for a quick side dish.

I followed the directions exactly and had perfectly done asparagus after 7 minutes.  I served them with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

I didn't measure the ingredients but peeled a bit at the ends. I added olive oil, lemon juice and salt after steaming for 8 minutes.

Quick and easy way to prepare asparagus!  It tasted great.

I really enjoyed the asparagus.  This will be way I fix for now on, except when I put if on the grill.  Thanks KimRaej

Excellent recipe! I used raspberry vinaigrette instead of butter and drizzled a little lime juice in the water before boiling. A little pepper when fully steamed. Tasted fabulous! Thanks for the recipe.

This seems so easy, like I should know how to do this with out the recipe, but I always pan fried my asparagus. Thanks for the reminder that simple (and healthier) can be very tasty. Very Tasty. 

Easy and delicious! I only added a bit of salt and pepper, really brings the taste of the asparagus to the table instead of a bunch of seasonings.

I seasoned the water with salt but added more butter to the asparagus once it was cooked. Also fresh ground black pepper.

This was great, I used thin asparagus and tossed it in olive oil, and garlic before streaming it and then added a few slices of lemon for zest, it was fantastic.

If you are looking for a basic, easy recipe this is it! Steaming with butter, water and salt gives just the right seasoning without being overwhelming. I'm a fan!

Came out better than expected. I followed the directions to a T.   Thank You!

Very good and ridiculsously simple!  I used the steamer basket and 5 minutes was plenty of time.  Thank you!

Made this for my DH tonight! SO easy, quick - simple ingredients. Personally - I haven't ever even finished eating an entire spear of asparagus, until now! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

Awesome recipe. I followed the recipe exactly except I used distilled water instead of tap water and sea salt rather than table salt. I have no idea why, I guess I felt somewhat compelled to put my own mark on it.

Simple and delicious.  I just add a little kosher salt once done and serve.

I steamed the asparagus over just water for five minutes until they were tender-crisp.  I then put a tablespoon of margarine on them with sea salt and black pepper.  Delicious!!

My husband never liked asparagus till I tried this recipe. =-)

Simply good!  I used less water, but that is the only difference.  This was my first time trying fresh asparagus- and I can't stomach the canned mush that is presented as asparagus.  This has reconciled me to fresh! Thanks!

This was great and easy.  Thanks for sharing the recipe!

I don't have a lot of experience with asparagus (not good experience anyway!) so I was happy to find these basic instructions.  I never would have supposed it would steam this fast.  No more overcooked asparagus!  (Is there anything more disgusting??)

The best!!! First time I cooked asparagus without undercooking or overcooking. Thanks

I left out the butter too.
Wanting tender spears, I was unsure whether I could steam the whole asparagus spear. My wife (Chinese) showed me how to find where the tender parts of the spear were and which was tougher. Simply bend the lower half of each spear. Above where the spear snaps cleanly is tender; below is the tougher part. No guesswork involved and no waste.

Yup. It's as easy and good as everyone says. Just a plain asparagus taste - nothing fancy, but good.

This was simple, I liked it. My first time eating asparagus and it made me a fan.

Excellent. I put into a steamer and so it didn't directly touch water. I used NO butter to lower the calories and I put in fresh mushrooms -- was awesome.

So easy and my husband loved it. I don't like asparagus so he had to be the judge.

No matter what I do, I can't make asparagus that I like.  Don't know what's wrong with me--I like it in restaurants!  Bf said they weren't cooked enough for him, but he says he likes them mushy--apparently overcooked.  He did seem to like these well enough--he ate over half.  Very quick and easy.  Thanks for the recipe. 

I made it according to the recipe and the asparagus came out perfectly. Tender but not too soft. I don't see that adding the salt and butter to the water did anything for the flavor, good or bad, so I will probably omit it next time and just use water. It was absolutely delicious with the Microwave Hollandaise Sauce recipe I also got on this site.

Easy and delicious. The butter was a nice touch.

Really easy and delicious. I added grape tomatos to the steamer basket as well - just be careful biting into them when piping hot.  :-)   I added a drizzle of soy sauce and dash of black pepper just prior to serving.  Yum. 

It was extremely easy and turned out perfectly, it is still great the next day!

The instructions were perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.

First time I have ever had asparagus, my husband found this recipe and we made it today...it came out great!  Will definitely have it again, we loved it.  We put about 2 tablespoons of butter seasoned with garlic salt in the serving dish and tossed it with the cooked asparagus. He added a dash of lemon juice to his, I liked mine without.  Even my grown son and teen daughter like it without the lemon juice.

No point in putting butter in the water to boil.  Makes your steamer pot messy with absolutely no benefit to the asparagus.  Steam with just water, then add a little butter and salt to the asparagus when you put it on the plate.

The asparagus steamed this way is great but adding butter and salt or anything to the water will do absolutely nothing. When water evaporates it leaves all impurities behind... that includes anything you may have put in the water. Put spices, butter, oil, lemon... anything you want on AFTER it's done steaming.

Why did we add butter into the water, and used the steamer.  Should we put the asparagus into the water instead?

Love this recipe. Easy and will make it more often..  Was looking for something simple and fast.

nice quick  and delicious way to make asparagus

I use chicken broth  instead of water. So good and quick.

Needed a little more salt before serving, but it was very simple.

Very Good!!!!!..... I Will make again often

I have been doing this a long time and never gave it a thought to add butter to the steaming water!  The recipe was tasty, I’d make it again for sure.

Not quite as easy as made out, but still delicious. Probably took twice the time but could also just be my stove. Its pretty old. Haha! Fantastic recipe though when you dont want all the greasiness from frying it!

This recipe was perfect - "tender and tasty" says it all!

My husband and I were cooking Aunday dinner and made this side dish to go with chicken stroganoff.  It turned out really good as well as the chicken stroganoff.

I will make it again. Simple and delicious.

YUUUMMM! 
At my age I'm just learning to cook. Thank you for this awesome page!! 
Yes I made it!  My 1st time too! 
However I kinda changed it a bit ??.   After making it per your recipe instructions, I then placed sparagus in frying pan with a bit of butter, xtr/virgen olive oil, slightly mashed fresh garlic, &amp; small sprinkle of salt.  
For my taste it came out delicious!

A quick, easy, and foolproof method for preparing asparagus.

Simply Steamed Asparagus

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Cost: $3.14 /serving

Author : KIMIRAEJ

Ingredients

Instructions

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