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Eating Raw Asparagus: Pros and Cons

If you want to eat asparagus raw, you should use thin spears. In this article you will find out what else you should pay attention to and the advantages and disadvantages of raw asparagus.

April to June is asparagus time in this country: this is when the healthy vegetables end up on the plates of asparagus lovers, often several times a week. Cooked asparagus is the most popular, but you can also roast or otherwise prepare asparagus.

What many people don’t know: You can also eat asparagus raw. We tell you what is important.

Eating raw asparagus: edible and healthy

Yes, you can also eat asparagus raw. The raw vegetable is neither poisonous nor indigestible. Raw asparagus is said to be particularly healthy:

100g of raw asparagus contains 2.2g of protein, 2g of fiber and virtually no fat. With a water content of 93 percent, asparagus in its raw form can help hydrate the body.
In addition, asparagus provides important minerals: 100 g of raw asparagus contain 24 mg of calcium, 14 mg of magnesium and 202 mg of potassium.
Of particular interest: raw asparagus is also rich in folate (52 µg per 100g), vitamin K (41.6 µg per 100g) and vitamin C (5.6 mg per 100g). In addition, asparagus provides vitamin E (1.13 mg per 100g) and vitamins B1 and B2. Many vitamins are heat-sensitive and would be largely lost during cooking.
A 2011 study confirms this. The scientists found that the longer asparagus is heated, the more nutrients are lost. The vegetables were even blanched – a preparation method that is considered gentle.
Asparagus has been shown to have a diuretic effect. This effect is said to be stronger with raw asparagus than in its cooked form – but we could not find any scientific evidence for this.
Note: It is of course not the case that cooked asparagus no longer contains any beneficial nutrients, as not all nutrients are heat-sensitive. Especially when it comes to vitamin C, vitamin B1 and vitamin B9, asparagus performs better in its raw form.

On the other hand, asparagus also contains ferulic acid, which according to the BBC, our body can only access well after heating. Ferulic acid has an antioxidant effect and can thus protect against oxidative stress. From a health point of view, it is therefore worth not always eating asparagus raw and instead varying the preparation methods.

Raw asparagus: taste and purchase recommendation

Raw asparagus does not differ from the cooked variant in terms of nutrients, but also in terms of taste: The typical asparagus aroma, which lovers appreciate so much, only develops under the influence of heat and is therefore missing in the raw preparation. Fresh asparagus is particularly juicy when raw and, in addition to the slightly nutty aroma, is also reminiscent of pea pods. Raw asparagus also tastes slightly sweet, which makes it particularly appetizing.

If you want to eat asparagus raw, you should prefer thin spears. The thicker the asparagus, the tart and bitter it tastes. In addition, asparagus tastes better the fresher it is. This is why regional asparagus is always ahead of imported goods.

You can eat both green and white asparagus raw. From an ecological point of view, however, green asparagus is more advisable, since white asparagus must be protected from the sunlight with plastic films when growing.

In general, we therefore recommend that you buy green asparagus regionally and seasonally. Organic quality is also important, as conventional asparagus is often contaminated with pesticides.

Prepare asparagus raw – it’s that easy

You always have to peel white asparagus. But don’t just throw away the peel: you can use it to prepare a delicious asparagus peel soup. If, on the other hand, you decide to use green asparagus, you should definitely leave the peel on. Most of the vitamins are just under the skin.

You can easily prepare raw asparagus:

Wash the asparagus.
If the lower end is purple-whitish and hard, you should definitely peel this part and cut off the mostly dried end.
If the asparagus is green all the way through, you only need to cut off the lower end a finger’s width. Alternatively, you can also break the asparagus – it usually breaks directly above the end that is too tight.
If the asparagus spears are very thick and the skin feels hard, peel only the bottom third of the asparagus.
You can then use the asparagus in any recipe.

You can eat the asparagus prepared in this way raw, for example, as follows:

Marinated asparagus: Cut the raw asparagus into fine strips and leave them in a marinade for about 20 minutes. In a separate article, we present five recipes for delicious marinades. You can serve the asparagus marinated in this way with fresh lettuce and, if necessary, some cheese.
Asparagus sticks with dip: You can use whole or halved asparagus stalks for dipping. This goes well with homemade hummus or pesto, for example. Also, try our vegan dips.
Mushroom and asparagus salad: cut into fine strips, you can use raw asparagus with fried mushrooms, tomatoes, and a delicious dressing made from olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt and pepper to create a delicious salad. You can find the whole recipe in our How to Prepare Green Asparagus article – just skip the step of frying the asparagus.
Tomato and asparagus salad with mozzarella: A raw vegetable salad made from asparagus, cherry tomatoes, spring onions and mozzarella cheese is also delicious. Serve with vinaigrette dressing.
Asparagus and strawberry salad: In this country, asparagus and strawberries are in season at the same time. That’s why you can use these two ingredients to prepare a delicious, special kind of salad. Just follow our asparagus recipe and skip the step of frying the asparagus.
Smoothie with asparagus: Those who like to experiment with asparagus can also prepare a smoothie with asparagus. However, you should start slowly at first, as the asparagus taste can quickly become too intense if the quantities are too large.
Tip: Try eating raw ginger – it is particularly rich in vitamins and nutrients. The same applies to many other foods: You can also eat zucchini raw, for example.

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Vegan Sauce Hollandaise: The Asparagus Classic Without Animal Cruelty

You can serve vegan Hollandaise sauce wonderfully with asparagus. We’ll show you how to prepare the classic sauce – without egg and without butter.

If you’ve ever tried to make the classic hollandaise sauce yourself, you know it’s not easy. Because if the water bath or butter is too hot, the sauce will curdle very quickly. You are on the safe side from the start with our recipe for vegan hollandaise sauce.

If possible, use regional organic products for the ingredients for your vegan hollandaise sauce. You can use seals such as Demeter, Naturland, and Bioland as a guide, which follow stricter criteria than the EU organic seal.

Vegan Sauce Hollandaise: The recipe

Ingredients:

250g margarine
200 ml cold (asparagus) water
3 tbsp cornstarch (level tbsp)
200 mloat cream
1 pinch(s) of salt some pepper
1 pinch(s) nutmeg
0.5 tsp turmeric (optional)

Directions:

Pour the cold (asparagus) water into a measuring cup. Stir in the cornstarch with a whisk until there are no lumps.
Place the vegan margarine in a medium or large saucepan. Melt them on low. Make sure it doesn’t start bubbling.
While the margarine melts, briefly bring the water and starch mixture to a boil. So the dusty taste of the cornstarch disappears.
Gradually pour the water mixture into the melted margarine while stirring with the whisk. Stir until you get a thick consistency. Warning: You may not need the entire starch mixture for this – depending on how thick you want your vegan hollandaise sauce to be.
Stir in the oat cream and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Optional: Use some turmeric at the end to give your vegan hollandaise sauce a stronger color.

This is how you can use the vegan hollandaise sauce

Sauce Hollandaise goes wonderfully with asparagus, but also with various other vegetables or potatoes.

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Shelled Asparagus Soup: A Simple Recipe

You should never throw away asparagus peel, because you can use it to cook a tasty asparagus soup. In our simple recipe, we show you how easy it is to cook a delicious asparagus soup with just a few ingredients.

Cooking asparagus soup from asparagus peels – the ingredients

It is best to buy white asparagus during the asparagus season from mid-April to June. Make sure that the asparagus comes from the region, as long transport routes are bad for the climate. In addition, you should only use organic asparagus, since conventional asparagus spears are treated with chemical-synthetic pesticides. Organically grown asparagus is usually a bit more expensive, so you should definitely use the asparagus skin as well – for example for an asparagus soup. Because the peel is also very aromatic and you avoid wasting food. With three small changes to the recipe, you can also prepare the asparagus soup vegan.

For two servings you need the following ingredients:

Peel of 500 g white asparagus
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
10 g butter or vegan margarine
2 tbsp flour
optionally 1 egg yolk
50 g whipped cream or vegan cream
Pepper, nutmeg and chervil to taste

Recipe: cook asparagus soup from bowls

Wash the asparagus shells.
Put the peels in a saucepan with the salt, sugar and lemon juice and add enough water to cover the peels.
Bring the water with the peels to a boil and then let them simmer for about ten minutes.
Pour the soup through a sieve and collect the liquid in a saucepan. The asparagus shells are now boiled and you can dispose of them in the organic waste.
Then, in a tall saucepan, prepare a roux by heating butter in a separate saucepan, adding the flour and mixing well.
Then gradually add the asparagus peel water to the roux. Be sure to stir regularly and vigorously to avoid lumps later in the soup.
Season the soup with a little salt and then briefly boil it again.
Take the pot off the stove, mix the egg yolks and cream together and add both to the soup.
Tip: Asparagus contains bitter substances, especially under the skin. Therefore, do not cook the peel for too long. This way you avoid too many bitter substances going into your soup.

You can serve the soup now and serve it with chervil or grilled asparagus, for example. However, you should not boil the soup again, otherwise the egg would clump together.

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Asparagus Risotto: Simple Recipe for the Asparagus Season

You can prepare asparagus risotto with green and white asparagus. You also need risotto rice, of course. We will show you a simple basic recipe for asparagus risotto.

When the asparagus season begins in April, you can prepare the fresh asparagus from the region in many different ways. If you don’t just want to eat it as a vegetable side dish, you can also use it in an asparagus risotto. You can find an easy recipe for it here.

Make sure to buy the ingredients for your asparagus risotto in organic quality and regionally. We can particularly recommend the organic seals from Demeter, Bioland and Naturland, as they follow stricter criteria than the EU organic guidelines.

Asparagus risotto: ingredients for the recipe

For the asparagus risotto you can use white and green asparagus – whichever you prefer. You can also combine the two varieties, as in our recipe. For two portions of risotto with asparagus you need these ingredients:

250 g white asparagus
250 g green asparagus
2 shallots
150 g risotto rice
3 tbsp butter
100 ml white wine (e.g. organic wine)
500 ml vegetable stock (tip: make your own vegetable stock)
sugar, salt and pepper
the juice of half a lemon
a few walnuts
80 g (vegan) Parmesan

Tip: If you would rather only use one type of asparagus for your asparagus risotto, simply use 500 grams of the preferred variant. You can also use broken pieces of asparagus or leftovers of cooked asparagus from other dishes.

Recipe: Cook asparagus risotto in 7 steps

You should plan about an hour for the cooking of the asparagus risotto:

First you wash and peel the asparagus. Peel white asparagus completely, green asparagus you peel only the lower centimeters. You should cut off the woody ends.
Cut the asparagus into pieces about 3 centimeters long. You should not throw away the remaining skin of the asparagus. Instead, you can make an asparagus soup out of the shell.
Pour about 500 milliliters of water into a saucepan and add some sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and then add the asparagus pieces. Let the asparagus simmer on low heat for about ten minutes. Then drain well.
Peel and dice the shallots. Heat some butter in a saucepan and sauté until translucent. Add the risotto rice and steam it until translucent. But be careful: he shouldn’t get brown.
Pour the white wine into the saucepan and stir well until it has completely evaporated. Now gradually add some vegetable broth so that the rice is always just covered. This all takes about 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, you should keep stirring well so that nothing burns. At the end, the asparagus risotto should have a creamy consistency and not be too runny. So if you don’t use up all of the vegetable broth, that’s no problem.
When the risotto has reached the desired consistency, add the asparagus pieces, a tablespoon of butter, the juice of half a lemon and about 50 grams of grated (vegan) Parmesan.
Season with salt and pepper and gently stir the asparagus risotto. Divide between two plates and garnish with the remaining Parmesan and walnuts. Tip: You can roast the walnut kernels in the pan for a few minutes beforehand.

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Asparagus Casserole: Classic From the Oven

Asparagus casserole is a classic in the asparagus season. You can prepare the delicious dish both vegetarian and vegan – in both cases it is very easy and quick.

Asparagus is usually in season in Germany from mid-April. You can get some varieties from regional cultivation as early as March – but these often have a bad climate balance. Because in order to let asparagus ripen so early, fields are often heated. You can find more information here: Asparagus season: Beginning and end of the asparagus season in Germany.

We will show you a simple recipe for asparagus casserole with a vegan version.

Simple asparagus casserole: the ingredients

You can enrich this basic recipe for asparagus casserole with other seasonal vegetables as you wish. Here you will find a vegetarian version that consists of a combination of potatoes and asparagus.

For a casserole dish you will need:

  • 500 grams of potatoes
  • 700 g white asparagus
  • two sprigs of parsley or chives
  • 3 organic eggs
  • 200 g (vegan) cream
  • salt, pepper, nutmeg
  • optional: 100 g grated (vegan) cheese for gratinating

Vegan alternative: If you want the casserole to be vegan, you have to leave out the eggs and cream. In this case, you can make a sauce from oat cream and some vegetable broth, for example. You can gratinate the casserole with vegan cheese or yeast melt.

Prepare asparagus casserole in just a few steps

The asparagus casserole takes about 25 to 30 minutes in the oven. Including preparation, you should definitely plan an hour.

Peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water for 15 minutes.
Let cool, then cut into bite-sized cubes or pieces.
Peel the asparagus, remove the woody ends and cut into bite-sized pieces. Boil it in water for about fifteen minutes.
Wash and chop the parsley. Mix them together with the cooked potatoes and cooked asparagus in a bowl. Pour everything into a casserole dish.
Now mix the eggs with the cream and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Pour the egg and cream mixture over the vegetables
Bake the casserole at 165 degrees Celsius for 25 to 30 minutes. You don’t need to preheat the oven. When the asparagus casserole starts to brown slightly on top, you can remove it.

Tip: If you don’t like potatoes in the casserole, you can simply leave them out. Instead, you use about twice the amount of asparagus.

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Freezing Asparagus: How to Make It Durable

You can freeze fresh asparagus and eat it out of season. This works just as well with white asparagus as with green asparagus. We show you what you have to consider.

You should always buy fresh asparagus during the asparagus season and from the region. Because imported asparagus causes high CO2 emissions, which are not necessary. If you also want to eat asparagus out of season, you can freeze the asparagus spears.

When buying, make sure to choose organic asparagus, as conventional asparagus is often contaminated with chemical-synthetic pesticides.

Tips for freezing asparagus

Before you freeze the asparagus, be sure to peel it. You can find out more about this here: Peeling green asparagus and peeling white asparagus. You don’t have to throw away the peel – how about an asparagus soup made from the peel as a starter?
You should also cut off the woody ends now.
Don’t blanch or cook asparagus before freezing it. Because otherwise it loses its taste.
It is best to freeze the asparagus in portions and airtight. So you can easily remove it without having to defrost all the sticks at once.

After freezing: Thaw and prepare asparagus

While many foods should be thawed gently, exactly the opposite makes sense with asparagus:

It is best to put the still frozen asparagus directly into the boiling salted water. If the asparagus thaws beforehand, it loses its taste with the melted water. The asparagus needs about eight to twelve minutes in the boiling water until it is cooked.
Frozen asparagus is also good for grilling: after freezing, asparagus cooks a little faster than fresh spears. After about five minutes on the grill, you can eat it.
If you want to fry the frozen asparagus, you should cut it into small pieces before freezing. After about five minutes they are done.


You can also use the frozen asparagus for salads or vegan chicken fricassee. This is a good alternative if the asparagus has lost too much flavor during freezing.
After freezing, the asparagus can be kept for at least six months.

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Storing Asparagus: Store Them Properly for More Freshness

Storing asparagus properly will help the vegetables stay fresher for longer. We give you tips for white and green asparagus and also show you how to store asparagus dishes.

How long you can store asparagus depends on its condition: peeled, unpeeled, or already cooked. In this article, you will find out how best to store white and green asparagus and what you should pay attention to when storing prepared asparagus dishes.

Vegetable asparagus is one of around 200 species from the genus asparagus. You can find the young shoots of the plant in stores. Germany is the largest asparagus producer in Europe and one of the five largest asparagus producers in the world.

The asparagus season in Europe runs from April to the end of June. In order to avoid long transport routes and to protect the environment and climate, you should only buy asparagus regionally and seasonally. Buy organic asparagus to be sure they are free of synthetic chemical pesticides.

Store white asparagus correctly

In the trade, you usually get white asparagus packed in bundles that are fixed with a rubber band. To keep the white asparagus fresh for a long time, proceed as follows:

  • Remove the rubber band from the asparagus. The rubber cuts into the asparagus spear and prevents fluid exchange between the cells. This will dry out the asparagus faster. Tip: Don’t throw away the ribbons, but keep using them, for example to make Easter eggs.
  • Check all asparagus spears for rotten or moldy spots and cut them off if necessary. Pay particular attention to the sensitive asparagus tips and the cut.
  • Remove spoiled asparagus spears.
  • Wrap the asparagus in a damp, clean kitchen towel to keep it fresher longer.
  • It is best to keep white asparagus unpeeled and lying flat in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator.

Stored in a damp cloth in the refrigerator, white asparagus stays crisp for up to 4 days.

Tip: You can freshen up slightly dried-out spears by cutting off the dry ends and briefly placing the asparagus spears in cold water.

Store green asparagus correctly

Green asparagus stays fresh best when stored upright.

As already described for the white asparagus, remove the rubber band from the asparagus.
Check all asparagus spears for rotten or moldy spots and cut them off if necessary. Pay particular attention to the sensitive asparagus tips and the cut.
Remove spoiled asparagus spears.
Place the asparagus spears in a vase or jug of cold water.
You can also wrap the tips in a beeswax wrap to protect them from wilting. Tip: You can also make oilcloths yourself.
Place the “bunch of asparagus” in a cool place out of direct sunlight. The refrigerator, the cellar, or the pantry are also suitable for this.
Green asparagus will keep in a cool vase for 3 to 4 days.

Store peeled asparagus correctly

You should prepare peeled asparagus within a few hours.

Store peeled asparagus in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Process the peeled asparagus within 3 to 4 hours.
If you have already peeled the asparagus and then prefer not to cook it, you should freeze the asparagus to prevent spoilage. Fill the cut asparagus in portions into freezer cans or into a glass dish with a lid. Tip: Freeze food in a jar: this is how it works

Frozen asparagus will keep for up to 6 months. Use frozen asparagus for your meal without defrosting it first.

Recipe ideas for the preparation of asparagus

Asparagus can be prepared in many different ways as a starter, soup, salad or main meal. You can find recipes for it here:

  • Shelled asparagus soup
  • Asparagus Cream Soup
  • Recipe ideas for asparagus salad
  • Asparagus risotto
  • asparagus bake
  • Asparagus quiche
  • Springlike asparagus tarte flambée
  • Asparagus strawberry salad
  • Fried noodles with asparagus
  • Asparagus casserole: classic from the oven
  • and more asparagus recipes

You can eat asparagus raw, but there are a few things to keep in mind. Or get creative with the following cooking methods:

  • Grilled asparagus
  • Roasted asparagus
  • Cooked asparagus
  • Asparagus from the oven

Store asparagus dishes correctly

Asparagus dishes should be eaten as fresh as possible. Even cooked asparagus only stays fresh to a very limited extent. If you store cooked asparagus for too long, bitter substances will develop.

If something is left over, do the following:

  • Pack the asparagus dish in a well-sealable tin. Alternatively, you can store asparagus sauce or asparagus soup in a small saucepan with a lid.
  • Store the asparagus dish at refrigerator temperature.
  • You should eat the asparagus dish within a day.
  • Reheat the dish fully before eating.
  • An exception is the asparagus soup, which stays fresh for up to two days.

Tip: If you know that you won’t finish your asparagus dish within a day, simply freeze the meal in portions.

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10 Amazing Facts About Asparagus

Asparagus is a perennial herb from the Asparagus family. Asparagus is known by all as a delicacy product and “the queen of vegetables”. How much do you know about Asparagus?

  1. Asparagus is a perennial crop. With proper care, it can grow in one place for up to 17-20 years and maintain excellent productivity.
  2. Asparagus has a very low-calorie content. One stalk of asparagus contains 4 calories. In addition, asparagus is 91% water. It also contains vitamins A, B, C, E, potassium, zinc, and folic acid, which makes asparagus an indispensable product for your beauty and health.
  3. We all know that asparagus comes in three varieties: white, green, and purple. White asparagus is grown underground without sun exposure to prevent chlorophyll from developing. White asparagus is sweeter and more tender but contains less fiber than green asparagus. As the stems germinate above the ground, they gradually turn green under the influence of sunlight. Purple asparagus are special varieties that contain a lot of natural sugars. Also popular are asparagus hybrids without anthocyanins, natural dyes. Asparagus of these varieties has delicate juicy lime-colored stems.
  4. The quality of the asparagus on the market in the European Union is monitored by the relevant authorities. By standards, the asparagus stalk should be straight and flat, 22 cm long and 16 – 26 mm in diameter, and the asparagus flesh should be tight and taut. Asparagus is divided into four quality classes, depending on the thickness of the stem.
  5. Asparagus grows very quickly. For 1 day, the stalk of asparagus can grow up to 10 cm, under favorable conditions.
  6. Asparagus, a dioecious plant, is divided into “male” and “female”. Farmers prefer to cultivate hybrid varieties of asparagus, which are 100% male due to their higher yields.
  7. Before harvesting asparagus crops, you need to be patient. After all, 3-4 years of careful care pass between sowing seeds and removing the first stems. Buying asparagus seedlings will significantly bring you closer to the coveted harvest – the first asparagus stalks can be harvested from 2-3 years of age. However, given that the asparagus plantation remains productive for up to 20 years, we believe that “the game is worth the candle.”
  8. Asparagus is a very delicate plant. The stems are harvested exclusively by hand, avoiding the sun’s rays, early in the morning and at sunset.
  9. In growing, asparagus is unpretentious. Asparagus is frost-resistant (tolerates even severe frosts) and drought-resistant. Cold winters only stimulate the growth of asparagus. She perfectly tolerates temperature changes. Only dense clay soils and soils with high groundwater levels are unsuitable for growing asparagus.
  10. From an adult plant of 3-4 years of cultivation, 40-50 shoots about 20 cm long can be removed. The yield of asparagus is 2.1 kg / m², in particularly successful years 3.5-4 kg / m².
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