Light, velvety, and full of greens, this vegan asparagus soup with sweet peas and savory chives is the best way to welcome spring!

An overhead photo of a pot of asparagus soup. Next to this is a small plate with lemon wedges, and a stack of 2 plates with 2 spoons on top.
Photo Credits: Mark Beahm

March may herald the start of spring, but I can still feel the lingering residue of winter calling me toward this rich and comforting soup. Asparagus, with its season running from early March into June, becomes its most flavorful just as the sun starts to shine again. 

This elegant asparagus soup, with its medley of spring vegetables, is ideal for the slow transition from the slumber of winter to the busy and bright summer months. But I need little excuse to make a spring soup–I love to enjoy soups and stews until the temperature reaches a level that my Middle Eastern bones consider warm! 

With this 30-minute recipe, I play on the sweet and savory nature of spring peas and asparagus with leeks, garlic, and onions. There’s no cream to dull the flavor, so the vegetables get their chance to shine. 

It’s also very versatile: Serve as a first course for a dinner party—either seated or in small cups for sipping in between cocktails. Or alongside crusty bread, pita bread, or focaccia for a light lunch. 

Ingredients for asparagus soup including asparagus, onion, garlic, olive oil, celery, a leek, vegetable broth, frozen peas, a bay leaf, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and chives.

Asparagus Soup Ingredients

This vegan soup may be packed with veggies, but the dominant flavor is the buttery, sweet and earthy asparagus. You’ll also need:

  • Extra virgin olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil to cook the vegetables and drizzle as garnish for this soup.
  • Onions, leek, celery, and garlic: Provide the base aromatics for the soup, complementing but not overpowering the asparagus, which is the true star of the show.
  • Asparagus: Look for stalks that are firm and bright green with tight tips. Reserve the tips to add to the blended soup to add texture and a nice presentation.
  • Frozen peas: Frozen peas are available year round, with no need to shuck. Fresh peas come into season in late spring-early summer–feel free to use fresh shucked peas if you prefer, which come into season in the late spring and early summer.
  • Bay leaf: These leaves, in fresh or dry form, impart a beautiful perfume and peppery flavor to the soup.
  • Vegetable broth: A low-sodium homemade vegetable broth contains a perfect combination of flavors to complement this soup, or you can substitute with store bought or homemade chicken stock but that obviously no longer makes this soup vegan. Remember to reduce added salt when seasoning if you are not using a low-sodium vegetable broth.
  • Lemon: A true friend of asparagus, fresh lemon juice enhances the flavor with complementary citrus notes. 
  • Salt and pepper: Seasoning for the soup.
A close up of a bowl of asparagus soup. Next to this is a small plate of lemon wedges.

How to Cook Asparagus Soup

This asparagus soup recipe is very simple yet elegant, so it’s great for a healthy lunch or dinner party first course. Here’s how you make it:

  • Cook the aromatics: In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, follow with 1 finely diced onion and cook until it turns golden. Add a pressed garlic clove and bay leaf and stir until the aroma from the garlic is released. Add 2 finely chopped celery stalks and 1 finely diced leek (white and tender green part only). Cook until they soften.Chopped onion, celery, garlic, leeks and a bay leaf being sauteed in a large pot with a wooden spoon.
  • Add the broth, peas and asparagus: Add 6 cups vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Add 1 1/2 pounds of trimmed and chopped asparagus stalks (reserve the tips), and 4 cups of frozen peas. Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. An overhead photo of the asparagus soup before the ingredients have been blended together.
  • Finish the soup: Remove the bay leaf and blend the soup using an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Add reserved asparagus tips and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. The cooked asparagus soup in a large pot being blended with an immersion blender.
  • Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle olive oil, and sprinkle freshly chopped chives on top before serving with some crusty bread.A close up of a bowl of asparagus soup. In the background is the pot of asparagus soup and a small plate of lemon wedges.

Variations 

You can vary the flavor of this asparagus soup by adding chopped fresh mint and stirring through just before serving to give this soup an even fresher and lighter flavor profile.

To make the soup more filling, sprinkle on some feta as a garnish and/or add a poached egg on top–see our technique for poaching eggs in our Çılbır: Turkish Poached Eggs recipe.

And if you love vibrant green soups that scream “springtime,” try our Watercress Soup with Peas and Mint.

An overhead photo of two bowls of asparagus soup, one with a spoon. Next to these is a small plate of lemon wedges.

What to Serve with this Asparagus Soup Recipe

The recipe below includes a simple garnish of a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh chives. You can also add some croutons for a lovely crunch.

Alternatively, you can serve this soup with some crusty bread or Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia or Garlic Bread. For an elegant yet casual dinner party, serve as an appetizer for Shrimp Salad.

An overhead photo of two bowls of asparagus soup with spoons. Next to these is a small plate of lemon wedges.

Storage

This asparagus soup recipe keeps well in both the refrigerator and freezer.

  • To refrigerate, wait for the soup to cool, then seal and store for up to 3 days. 
  • To freeze, allow the soup to fully cool. Seal in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, leaving space to allow it to expand in your freezer. 
  • If you’re reheating from frozen, defrost the soup in the fridge overnight. Reheat thawed or refrigerated soup in the microwave or over medium heat on your stove, adding more broth or water as necessary.

You’ll Also Like: More Asparagus Recipes

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5 from 6 votes

Asparagus Soup

photo of author mersedeh prewer.Mersedeh Prewer
An overhead photo of two bowls of asparagus soup, one with a spoon. Next to these is a small plate of lemon wedges.
A springtime soup full of greens and goodness. Perfect for a light lunch or dinner, or as an elegant dinner party appetizer.
Prep – 15 minutes
Cook – 45 minutes
Total – 1 hour
Cuisine:
American/Mediterranean
Serves – 6 to 4
Course:
Soup

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 large leek, finely diced (white and tender green parts only)
  • 6 cups homemade vegetable broth or low-sodium store bought
  • 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, woody ends trimmed and discarded, tips reserved, and remaining stalks roughly chopped
  • 4 cups frozen peas
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • Fresh chives, finely chopped

Instructions
 

  • Cook the aromatics: In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, follow with the onion and cook until it turns golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and bay leaf and stir until the aroma from the garlic is released, about 1 minute. Add celery and leeks and cook until they soften, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the broth, peas and asparagus: Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Add the asparagus and peas and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
  • Finish the soup: Remove the bay leaf and blend the soup using an immersion blender until smooth (or transfer to a blender, working in batches and with the steam cap off for safety). Add salt, pepper and lemon juice, taste the soup and adjust accordingly. Add reserved asparagus tips and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle freshly chopped chives on top before serving with some crusty bread.

Notes

  • For a more restaurant-style presentation (say, for a dinner party):
    Boil the asparagus tips separately in salted water until just tender, about 3 minutes. Place as a garnish on top of the soup just before serving.
  • Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.

Nutrition

Calories: 176.8kcalCarbohydrates: 25.9gProtein: 9.3gFat: 5.3gSaturated Fat: 0.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.8gMonounsaturated Fat: 3.4gSodium: 12.3mgPotassium: 530mgFiber: 9.5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1851.6IUVitamin C: 48.8mgCalcium: 68.7mgIron: 4.3mg
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Mersedeh Prewer is a Persian-British recipe developer born, raised and currently living in the United Kingdom. She is passionate about all cuisines but her writing primarily focuses on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. She is a recipe contributor to both The Kitchn and Simply Recipes.
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5 from 6 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Christopher D Packard says:

    I made this today. Great recipe with lots of creamy taste. I made mine with 1.5 lb asparagus ends from fresh asparagus I was preparing for freezing. I used Vitamix to purée and it worked great, very smooth and creamy tasting. Your ingredient combination is really great!

  2. Sharon Schurman says:

    5 stars
    This soup is delicious and perfectly flavored. Very rich and does not need cream like the typical recipes. I served this for a dinner party starter and everyone raved about it. It was truly a success! I will make again – and soon

  3. Lisa A says:

    5 stars
    This was a big hit with my women’s lunch group today. We loved the freshness and sense of spring that it brought. It’s flavorful and such a pretty green color.

    1. TMD Team says:

      Thanks, Lisa!

  4. A says:

    5 stars
    Flavor bomb galore! This soup was easy to put together and incredibly delicious! Definitely recommend and will make this recipe often no doubt. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Devin Fuller says:

      Hi again, Devin here from The Mediterranean Dish team. So glad you loved this soup as well!

  5. Cathy Markby says:

    Just cooking it now.
    Can it be eaten cold?

    1. TMD Team says:

      Hi, Cathy. You likely could, but it’s not something we’ve actually tried before.

  6. John Brandolini says:

    I haven’t yet tried this recipe; although, without the peas and bay leaf, it’s a lot like my own recipe so I am sure it’s good. I have a general question concerning seasonings. Recently I have discovered sumac spice. It is alleged to be used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. I have used it along with nutmeg (noce moscata) when making chicken or lamb. Do you use either spice in any of your recipes. If so I would be very interested in them.

    1. TMD Team says:

      Hi, John. Sumac is a staple in The Mediterranean Dish kitchen! You can find a lot of our sumac recipes in Suzy’s “What is Sumac” article. You can also type “sumac” in the search bar on our site to find even more recipes.

  7. Stu says:

    5 stars
    From reading the ingredient list I can tell this will be a 5-star recipe. It would be interesting to add just a small amount of one of your cumin forward seasonings as a surprising flavor note in the background.

    1. TMD Team says:

      Thanks, Stu! Hope you give it a try!