This vegan asparagus soup is creamy, garlicky, and tastes like spring decided to climb into a bowl. It use the simplest ingredients: asparagus and white beans get pureed together into something silky and elegant that takes about 20 minutes and uses one pot plus a blender. It’s delicate and also impressively fancy, which is a combination I’m always chasing.
The white beans do double duty here. They make the soup thick and creamy without any cream, cashews, or coconut milk, and they add protein so this is actually a meal and not just a pretty appetizer. A little tarragon gives it that subtle anise-y note that makes asparagus taste even more like itself, and a good squeeze of lemon at the end brightens everything up. Serve with plenty of crusty bread.
I love the little drizzle of olive oil on top. Because it looks like it is being served in a restaurant and it makes the soup even more yummy.
This recipe is originally from I Can Cook Vegan.
Tips for the Best Vegan Asparagus Soup
Use the whole bunch of asparagus, stems and all. The stems have tons of flavor and they disappear completely once you blend. Just trim off the woody bottoms (about an inch). Save a few tips to sauté separately for garnish. They look beautiful on top and give you a little texture contrast.
To prevent thin soup, start with 3 cups of broth and add a fourth to thin if needed.
The tarragon is doing real work here, so don’t skip it. Dried tarragon has a warm, slightly peppery flavor with a gentle anise note that deepens the broth as it cooks. If you’d rather, fresh tarragon is brighter and more aromatic, adding a greener, almost springy lift to the soup (use about a tablespoon). Thyme or marjoram can work in a pinch, but the flavor will shift a bit.
ASPARAGUS SOUP FAQ
Can I use other beans? Yup. Cannellini, great northern, butter beans, whatever white bean you can find. They all blend smooth and creamy. if you blend long enough Just drain and rinse them. If youre cooking the beans from scratch make sure to get them really tender.
Can I use frozen asparagus? You can, but fresh is better here. Frozen asparagus tends to be waterlogged and won’t give you the same bright, spring-y flavor. If frozen is all you have, don’t thaw it first, just add it straight to the pot.
Can I substitute the tarragon? Thyme or marjoram are your best bets. Fresh dill works in a pinch but it’ll give the soup a different personality. Don’t skip the herb entirely though, it needs a little sumthin.
Can I freeze this soup? For sure. Let it cool completely, then store in airtight containers for up to 3 months. It might separate slightly when thawed. Just reheat on the stove and give it a good stir or a quick re-blend.
Is this gluten-free? Hells yeah. Everything here is naturally gluten-free. Serve it with GF bread or crackers.
Is this soy-free? Yup. No soy anywhere to be found.
Can I make this ahead? Yes. It keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and reheats well on the stove. The flavor actually deepens overnight. Add a fresh squeeze of lemon when you reheat.
Can I use canned asparagus? Naw dog. Canned asparagus has a completely different flavor and mushy texture. Fresh is the whole point of this soup.
Garlicky White Bean & Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- 1 bunch asparagus rough bottoms removed, tips trimmed (about 2 inches), stems thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion medium dice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fresh black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives plus extra for garnish
- 3 cups vegetable broth (plus more to thin)
- 15 oz can navy beans drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat a 4 quart soup pot over medium heat. Saute asparagus tips in oil with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes. Remove about 10 tips for garnish and set aside.Turn the heat up a bit, add the asparagus stems, onion, garlic, tarragon, salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until onion is soft and garlic is golden.
- Add chives, 3 cups broth, beans and lemon juice and bring to a boil for 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a blender and puree until completely smooth. The soup will be very hot so turn off the blender and remove the lid every 10 seconds or so to let steam escape. Serve into bowls and garnish with asparagus tips, extra chives and a swoosh of olive oil, if desired.
Made this tonight and we licked our bowls clean.
The flavor was excellent, but I found the consistency to be super liquidy. I believe I used all the right amounts…I might add potatoes to increase thickness next time or use less broth.
Try instant potato flakes?
Agreed. Would use less broth next time.
Oh my word. This is delicious.
The flavor was excellent, but I found the consistency to be super liquidy. I believe I used all the right amounts…I might add potatoes to increase thickness next time or use less broth.
I made this with a little modification (added two small cubed potatoes and boiled for 20 minutes). Delicious thank you for sharing the recipe!
I was hoping to make this recipe tonight, but realized I’m out of tarragon. What would be a good substitution that would create the same flavors?
Hey Mary,
To me, tarragon has a kind of licorice-like flavor… fresh fennel or marjoram would be a tasty substitution!
Lisa
Lol, same thing happened here- did fines herbes, chervil and marjoram. It was delicious!
Yum yum yum, as usual. I woulda actually upped the asparagus and lemony to make it more bright and springy, and maybe fresh tarragon? It’s super yum yum but very earthy – perfect for a wet April, but maybe come summer a little more acid and herbs and vegetables?
I’m going to try this tonight. It was hard to find navy beans. Would any white beans do?
I made it tonight..yummy! I’m glad I followed recommendations to reduce the broth, only used 2.5 cups. I accidentaly used thyme instead of tarragon but threw some in while blending. I’d add more lemon next time but this recipe is a keeper!
Would it freeze well? I’d like to double it next time.
Mmm. Looks delicious !!!
I love so many of Isa’s recipes and have given “Isa Does It” to many people! This soup – though – did not work for me at all.
It was like a pea green baby food…I know that asparagus is not in season in Baltimore in early ’19 but . . .
Just wondered if anyone else had this experience. I wanted to love it AND do love most of these recipes.
This is good
Delicious. Can’t wait to make it again!
I made this for lunch today and it turned out quite well. I’m glad I followed other commenters’ suggestions and used half of the broth it called for. I didn’t have any tarragon so I subbed in thyme and umami powder. Instead of veggie broth I used “no chicken” bouillon base. I shouldn’t have added any extra salt – it didn’t need it as the broth was plenty salty.
A great way to use up asparagus before it turns.
This was fantastic! I used three cups of broth instead of four and since I didn’t have everything on hand (and didn’t feel like trekking through the snow to the market), I substituted marjoram for tarragon, fresh parsley with stems for chives, butter beans for navy beans, and a shallot with half a leek for the onion. Turned out beautifully.
I didn’t reduce the broth but wish i had either done that or doubled white beans first. I made a Korean take on it and added chili crunch, gochujang, and a few Nasoya Korean BBQ dumplings. Which was also pretty tasty. 🙂
Can I use canned white asparagus instead of Fresh?
How many servings?
Just lovely
This soup didn’t turn out for me, unfortunately. Even with the asparagus and beans blended up, the soup was thin and an unappealing color. Taste was great! Just not an appetizing final product.