This vegan asparagus soup with spinach is easy to prepare and so delicious. Using lemon zest and juice, it’s bright, fresh and simply a perfect spring soup to enjoy seasonal produce.
This asparagus spinach soup recipe was originally posted in April 2016 but has been updated with new pics, more recipe details, and small recipe tweaks.
Hi friends!
Today I’m sharing a vibrant green vegetable soup that you’re going to love!
This vegan asparagus soup is such a great way to enjoy all the seasonal produce while making your belly happy at the same time.
This recipe just looks and tastes like a big bowl of springtime goodness. It’s a light soup that has a few simple ingredients and takes minutes to make.
When you have so few ingredients, they really shine through. Sometimes simple is best, don’t ya think?
Plus, when one has about 3 pounds of asparagus in one’s fridge, you know something asparagus-y has to happen, LOL.
Fan of green vegetable soups? Check out this broccoli spinach soup!
Why We Love This Asparagus Spinach Soup
- This vibrant green soup is made in about 30 minutes.
- It’s a one-pot meal so there’s minimal fuss and cleanup.
- It’s chock-full of veggies.
- It makes for a light lunch or side with dinner.
- Most importantly, it tastes delicious!
How to Make This Vegan Asparagus Soup
Full details on how to make this green vegetable soup are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- In a pot, cook onion in some olive oil.
- Then add and cook minced garlic and chili.
- Stir in asparagus, salt and pepper and give that a little cook.
- Pour in veggie broth and a little more salt, simmer, cover and cook until asparagus is nice and tender.
- Add baby spinach with a pinch of nutmeg.
- Give it a little stir to cook and wilt spinach.
- Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in lemon zest and juice. All that’s left to do is serve and enjoy!
Tip: Don’t skip the lemon here! It really brightens and lifts the soup. It adds a little something special.
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Can I Use Frozen Spinach Instead?
Absolutely!
You can thaw it out, drain and stir into the soup. Alternatively, add to the pot as is and simply cook until it’s heated through and wilted.
Delicious Garnish Options
- Reserve some of those asparagus tops for garnish! Simply cook in a pan with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. It only takes a few minutes or so (or until you’ve reached your desired doneness).
- Buttery croutons are so good! You get a nice textural component with the creamy soup.
- A swirl of coconut yogurt adds a creaminess.
- Drizzle of olive oil (lemon flavoured olive oil is so good here) adds richness.
- Freshly grated lemon zest adds a yummy pop of flavour.
- If you don’t need this to be a vegan or vegetarian asparagus soup, you can garnish with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, swirl in some cream, dollop with Greek yogurt, or top with crumbled blue cheese.
Tips for Making this Asparagus Spinach Soup
- Stalks of asparagus can vary in thickness. Cook until they’re tender.
- Don’t have fresh chili? Sprinkle in some dried red chili flakes. Alternatively, if you aren’t a fan of spice, feel free to omit.
- Don’t omit the squeeze of lemon juice; it really brightens the soup.
- Always zest your lemon before juicing. Things are much easier that way!
- Enjoy this soup for a nice light lunch or part of a multi-course meal.
More Yummy Soup Recipes
If you make this spring vegetable soup, be sure to leave a comment below!
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Vegan Asparagus Soup with Spinach and Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 Thai chili pepper , minced (optional)
- 1 pound asparagus (woody ends removed, stalks cut into 1.5 to 2-inch pieces)
- ¾ teaspoon salt , divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 5 ounces baby spinach (a little more than ¼ pound or about 145 grams)
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (plus more for garnish, garnish optional)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Lemon olive oil (garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
- Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and chili pepper (if using) and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
- Add asparagus, ½ teaspoon of salt and black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.Note: If you like, for garnish you can reserve some of the tops of asparagus and cook in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender. Garnish soup with asparagus tops upon serving. This is optional.
- Pour in broth and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir. Bring to a simmer, reduce to a medium simmer, cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes or until asparagus is tender.
- Stir in spinach and nutmeg and cook until spinach has just wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice.
- To serve, divide the soup into bowls and top with reserved cooked asparagus (if you opted to reserve some), lemon zest and a drizzle of regular or lemon flavoured olive oil (all optional garnish). Alternatively, simply enjoy the soup as is!
Notes
- Stalks of asparagus can vary in thickness. Cook until they’re tender.
- Don’t have fresh chili? Sprinkle in some dried red chili flakes. Alternatively, if you aren’t a fan of spice, feel free to omit.
- Don’t omit the squeeze of lemon juice; it really brightens the soup.
- Always zest your lemon before juicing. Things are much easier that way!
- Enjoy this soup for a nice light lunch or part of a multi-course meal.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
David @ Spiced
I just saw my previous comment on this post, and it appears to be the first one I ever commented on. How cool is that! 4 years and counting! Either way, I’m glad you reposted this one as we are still doing soups for lunches here. It helps keep the calorie count down so we can splurge on the weekends! We’ve made asparagus soup before, and we’ve made spinach soup before – but we’ve never made asparagus spinach soup before. I’ll have to give this one a shot! It sounds super flavorful, Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Wow! Neat!! Thanks David! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Marissa
I love soup all year long – in fact, my husband teases me that I like to make soup on the hottest days of summer, lol! This one looks so springy and fresh and just look at that gorgeous color!! Putting this on the menu!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol! Right there with ya. 😉 Thank you, Marissa! Hope you enjoy!
Ambi
This looks super yummy!! Love the fact that its green 🙂 I Love trying new recipes for soups because my daughter loves soap. Would yoy like to follow each other Bloglovin and other social media 🙂 x
http://www.ambiinwonderland.com
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Ambi! Love soup too! Definitely a go-to meal for me 🙂
Smitha
Looks yummy. Soup is my favorite. I can gulp any amount of this soup. iam tuned to your blg for more recipes
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Smitha 🙂
Miriam - londonkitchendiaries.com
I love easy, healthy and delicious recipes and yours looks just like that! Hope you can activate your new BBQ soon 😉
[email protected]
Yes for delicious and fresh and seasonal and spring-y and soup….I love everything about this! I’ll take a ladle or two or five, please! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Sure thing, Annie 😉 Thanks so much for the comment! Hope you’re having a great week! Cheers girl!
All That I'm Eating
What a great colour, bet it tastes like a bowl of spring!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Caroline 🙂
demeter | beaming baker
Dawn, I just need like one big, gigantic bowl of this Springtime goodness. The weather is being a real pain in my pumpkin spice buns, ya know? So I feel ya. Hehe. Love that you created a vegan soup! Plus, I get happy just looking at it. 🙂 Pinning!
I am just the same with the 4lbs of asparagus. Imagine if you and I went grocery shopping together, it would be all over. Maybe they’d just hand us a huge pallet when we walked in. lol. Anyway, I hope you get to break in the BBQ soon. Fingers so crossed. 🙂 Have a great weekend Dawn! xoxo
Girl Heart Food
Oh my goodness, Demeter, that was so funny (pumpkin buns). Thanks for the pin, girly! If they handed us a palette, everyone would think we ran a restaurant or something, lol. Either that, or we love to eat, which I know I do. Maybe a little too much! I hope we get to break the bbq in soon too. Rain or shine, that baby is coming out within the next week or two. Have a great weekend too!! xo
David @ Spiced
Oh geez. I’ve put two BBQ’s together in my life…and that’s two too many. Those things come in about a zillion pieces. I swear it took me like 4 hours to put the last one together! But let’s talk soup and buying in bulk, shall we? I always buy in bulk. Sometimes on purpose. Sometimes on oops, why did I buy 15 pounds of potatoes? Great use of the asparagus in this one. This is most definitely a great spring soup! Nice to “meet” ya, Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
I know, don’t they? Hubby usually puts the bbqs together; I wouldn’t know where to start! I just usually get to enjoy the end product, lol 🙂 Some bulk items we can get through (like oranges), but others not so much; then I wonder what I’m gonna do with it. Don’t like to waste anything, that’s for sure. Thanks so much, David, for stopping by and for the lovely comments. Very nice to ‘meet’ you too! Have a great weekend 🙂
Tracy | Baking Mischief
Oh man, I have been there with the Costco produce trap. I know in my head that one person cannot possibly eat 2 dozen nectarines before they go bad, but my heart makes me buy them every time. 😉
This soup looks fantastic! I love that it’s vegan and am dying to give asparagus soup a try. Somehow I’ve gone my entire life without having soupified asparagus!
Girl Heart Food
Totally there with ya! It just all looks so good and it’s hard to resist. I love your word ‘soupified.’ I had a little chuckle out of that one. It’s a great way to describe making soup of an ingredient, though, lol. Thanks for the lovely comments, Tracy!!
Serena @ Serena's Kitchen
Yum! That soup looks so good (and healthy!).I wouldn’t mind making some soup to get through the cold days (but I know spring’s around the corner… i hope!) … and I’m totally with you about going overboard with the “OMG.. MUST… BUY… EVERYTHING!” except for me it’s Bulk Barn. It looks like such a good deal until you realize you put 2kg of Reese’s Pieces in that little plastic bag LOL … Have a great week Dawn! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Serena! Bulk Barn is pretty awesome, too. I usually go there around the holidays when I’m doing a bunch of baking. Oh, those Reese’s Pieces are so good, aren’t they? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have any probably with having that much of them; they wouldn’t last too long, lol. Have a great week too girl 🙂
Kevin | Keviniscooking
I’m loving this time of year with everyones vibrant, colorful and tasty Spring recipes and this is no exception. I tend to go a bit overboard at this time of year buying all the fresh vegetables I can, but if I have too much and don’t use them up right away freezing and soups are their destiny!
Girl Heart Food
Me too, Kevin! Freezing is a great idea; makes for easy weeknight meals. Thanks for the comments and hope you have a lovely upcoming weekend 🙂
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks
I’m definitely guilty of diving into a pile of veggies at the grocery or farmers market and needing a truck to get them all home! This soup looks like the perfect use of what you stocked up on! I hope the grill survives that crazy wind!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Rachelle! I don’t like wasting food and when I can make a delicious recipe out of what I have, all the better, right? Hope you’re having a great week!
marcie
I do get crazy and buy too much produce at times — all the colors and varieties get me into trouble! This soup is such a pretty color that screams spring, and it looks so creamy and delicious!
Girl Heart Food
I’m glad I’m not the only one 🙂 Least it’s not junk food, right? Thanks for stopping by, Marcie and I appreciate the lovely comments!
Jill
Looks Delish, cannot wait to try.
Jill?
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Jill! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Shelby @ Go Eat and Repeat
What a great, healthy soup! The weather here in April thus far as been equally unpredictable. Windy. Two days ago 50, yesterday 75, today 45, and a chance of snow next week. What is this? I thought March was supposed to be unpredictable!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Shelby! I guess that means (hopefully) we are in for a good Summer 🙂
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table
Two of my favorite veggies in this soup! It’s so perfect for spring time when we’re doing that back-and-forth game between cold and warm days. Plus, it’s so light and fresh, which I’m all about this time of year! And um, yes, thanks for a recipe that I can tuck into bowl after bowl and not feel like a giant blob by the end of it!
Hope you get less wind, more sun and a chance to try out your new BBQ soon 🙂 Cheers girl!
Girl Heart Food
Hahaha….so true, Kathryn. Here’s to not feeling like a giant blob after eating 😉 I’m right there with ya….bring on the nice weather! I’d say nice weather or not, pretty soon that new bbq is coming out ’cause bbq and grilling is the best, isn’t it? Thanks for the lovely comments 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
Loving all the freshness in this soup! The color definitely says ‘spring’ I hope your weather turns into spring weather soon so you can try out that new grill! In the meanwhile, stay inside with a nice bowl of soup!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kathy! I know, so looking forward to using the bbq, that’s for sure! Won’t be long now 🙂 I like your thinking – staying inside with this soup sounds perfect 😉
Kate @ Framed Cooks
This is pretty much a soup bowl full of springtime if you ask me! And the perfect warm lunch for me, since it is (not fair!!) 21 degrees out this morning.
Girl Heart Food
Oh, that’s awesome, Kate! We have snow coming today/tomorrow. Thanks so much for stopping by & appreciate the comments 🙂
[email protected]
I just bought 3 pounds of asparagus today – I couldn’t help myself! First bunch of it got made tonight – my oldest daughter and I love it – everyone else, not so much. Ha – more for us! Turns out our chickens love asparagus ends – those chickies are in luck 🙂 Your asparagus spinach soup sounds (and looks) absolutely delicious. I’m thinking I’m gonna have to run out for spinach this week….
Meghan | Fox and Briar
Yum, this is such a springy soup! I totally buy the produce at costco and then sometimes end up wondering what I was thinking. I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing what we can eat before it goes bad and what we can’t. I actually have bought asparagus there TWICE this spring, and had no problem using it up though! (Might be the recipe testing that helped with that, ha!). Anyway, totally digging this spring soup, and your photos look great by the way! Pinning!
Girl Heart Food
Costco is so great, though, isn’t it? The recipe testing would certainly help with using up your produce, that’s for sure! And I do love asparagus. I guess this time, it is got away from me where I had a bunch of other produce in the fridge. Oh well! Least I got a chance to make this delicious soup, right? It was a beautiful day when I took these photos, so I lucked out with some great natural light. Thanks so much for the comments, Meghan 🙂
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
This definitely looks like a perfect bowl of springtime goodness, Dawn! I love the combination of asparagus and spinach. I’ve never had a soup like this before, so this is totally calling my name! Sounds so delicious and fresh!
Girl Heart Food
It definitely is, Gayle! Hope you get a chance to try it soon. Thanks for the comments 🙂
Amanda | Yum In Your Tum
Oh this looks and sounds delicious! I just seen this on twitter and re-tweeted it. 🙂 I love that you made it have a little kick to it. I like my soups a little spicy! You are in Canada so I assume you are in the bad weather my mom called complaining about. Down here in Georgia is beautiful right now…don’t mean to rub it in, lol! I will happily enjoy soup on a hot day though! LOVE THIS!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Amanda! Appreciate that 🙂 I like my soups a little spicy too. We are supposed to get so much snow tonight/tomorrow. Can’t believe that it’s April and we are still getting snow. Unreal. I bet it is super warm in Georgia! So nice! Thanks so much for the comments, girl. Have a great week!
Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'!
All this soups needs is some crispy buttery croutons! Hehehe! 😛 I love the simple ingredients turned fantastic meal. Just perfect!
Girl Heart Food
Oh, yeah! That would be totally awesome too ’cause I loves me some buttery crispy bread! Yum! Thanks for the comments, Erin 🙂 Have a great week!
Maddy
I’m obsessed with making and eating soup. And I love both spinach and asparagus. So I pretty much NEED to make this. I’ve been on a health kick lately and this looks so yummy, healthy, and easy to make! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Awesome, Maddy! You’d love this soup then! Enjoy 🙂 Have a lovely week!
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
It hasn’t been very Spring-like around here in NH lately either. Snowed yesterday and snowing today. Boooooooooooo! Freaking ridiculous BUT I do have fresh asparagus and spinach that I just bought at the grocery store. Gonna make this soup and the pesto on the side (cos that’s a genius idea) 🙂
Can’t wait to see pics of the new grill in action!!! Woooohoooo!
Girl Heart Food
Ugh, that sucks. Snow here tomorrow! Bring on the nice weather, right? Hope you like the recipe, Karrie! Love to hear if you try it. Stay tuned for some bbq pics in the coming months. Pizza on the bbq is an absolute favourite of mine!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
When springtime rolls around I can’t help but buy all the spring produce, so I’m with you girlfriend! This soup looks scrumptious! Loving that you kept it simple and let the asparagus & spinach shine! Springtime eats up in here! Cheers!!
Girl Heart Food
I know, so hard not to buy one of everything in the produce aisle! Thanks for the comments, Cheyanne 🙂 Appreciate it!
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking
Helloooo Spring indeed! I love it so much. And your soup sounds delicious, so healthy! I’d like a bowl please. 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Vivian! It sure is 🙂 Have a great week, girl!