Sous Vide Asparagus - Cook it PERFECTLY every time

Sous vide cooking is a “low temperature, longer duration” cooking technique. It locks in flavor and cooks ingredients perfectly every time you cook. It’s a great way to cook asparagus (and other vegetables) because this method of cooking reduces the chance of under or over cooking your vegetables. This article covers all things sous vide asparagus – including the best sous vide temperature and time to use, tips on what to accompany it with and a guide to the best social channels to learn even more about creating the ultimate asparagus dish.

Related content: Keen to learn more about sous vide cooking? Head to our FAQ.

Can you sous vide asparagus?

You can and you should. Ever eaten wooden asparagus? What about super squishy asparagus? If you are after the perfect asparagus, then you need to take up sous vide cooking (3 gold stars for those of you who have already discovered the meal changing brilliance of sous vide cooking).

PC: Asparagus in salad from Unsplash

Sealing asparagus before cooking it in your sous vide water bath helps retain the natural plant sugars which would otherwise be diluted in a large pot of water. That means you can expect brighter colored asparagus and fuller flavor every time you cook it sous vide.

Here’s your ultimate sous vide asparagus cooking guide. Read on…

Preparing asparagus before your sous vide cook

Line the asparagus up on your cutting board, with the bottom of the ziploc or vacuum seal bag as your guide to how long your asparagus should be cut. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the asparagus so that the lengths are about the same size as the bag to enable the asparagus to fit snuggly.

Season the asparagus lightly with oil, salt and pepper. Place the asparagus into your ziploc or vacuum seal bag, so that the bottom of the asparagus is flat within the bag.

How to sous vide asparagus

Here’s the secret to tender, crisp and flavorsome asparagus. Sous vide it and create the most scrumptious asparagus every single time.

Water immersion method

Place the asparagus into your ziploc bag, so that the bottom of the asparagus is flat within the bag. With the top of the ziploc bag open, carefully submerge the bag into the bottom of the water bath, without allowing any water into the bag itself.

PC: Unsplash

The pressure of the water circulating around the outside of the bag should push any air out of your food pouch and form a seal around the asparagus. Using the side of the water container, carefully seal the bag and leave the asparagus to circulate in the water until the vegetables are tender, for about 40 minutes.

To serve: Using tongs, carefully remove the asparagus from your ziploc bag into a warmed platter and serve immediately.

Vacuum seal method

Prepare your asparagus as instructed above. Then place your asparagus in a vacuum sealer bag and seal it. Follow cooking instructions as above.

Recap of the basic steps you need to follow:

Firstly trim off the dry ends of your asparagus spears. Some sous viders use a vegetable peeler to peel the asparagus from the tip towards the base as well
Put your asparagus in your vacuum sealed bag or ziploc bag (both options work well. Check out our article about the difference between the two bagging methods to work out what method you prefer)
Cook the asparagus in your water bath or sous vide water oven as per the instructions of the specific sous vide product you are using
Remove the asparagus from the food pouch and serve

We’ve got a floater!

Asparagus spears are not very heavy. And vegetables containing more liquid and fibrous properties than proteins are prone to floating in your sous vide water bath.

This can cause a small problem when you are trying to keep your vac seal or ziploc bag under the surface of your water bath. Check out our hints and tips for keeping your food pouches under water for the duration of your sous vide cook. Floating food pouches equals uneven cooking.

Indicative time and temperature guides to cook perfect sous vide asparagus

The time and temperature you use to cook your sous vide asparagus depends on the brand of sous vide water oven or immersion circulator you are using.

Sous vide asparagus with steak

Look at any sous vide Instagram pics and you will notice that sous vide asparagus and steak is a super popular combination. For the perfect sous vide steak, check out our ultimate guide for cooking sous vide steak.

Sous vide asparagus with butter

The only thing better than sous vide asparagus is sous vide asparagus…with butter! You will find many recipes that suggest adding a little butter to your food pouch before you cook your asparagus in your sous vide water bath.

PC: Unsplash

Indicatively, for a bunch of asparagus you might add around 50 grams of butter. If you are feeling particularly indulgent you might add truffle butter instead!

Hints and tips for the best sous vide asparagus in town

Adding the asparagus peelings into your food pouch will ensure there is no flavor loss when you cook your asparagus sous vide
Once you’ve cooked your asparagus sous vide, you can serve immediately, or place the food pouch in ice water until cold (usually takes around 2-3 minutes). You can keep it in the fridge for up to three days
Try cooking your asparagus with fats other than butter including rapeseed oil or hazelnut oil for extra flavor
To check if your sous vide asparagus is ready, gently squeeze the base of a spear – it should give a little but still be firm

Sous vide asparagus with Chefsteps – Joule Precision Cooker instructions

As we mentioned earlier in this article, sous-vide cooking times may vary based on the device being used. Please consult your device’s owner’s manual for proper food-handling and safety procedures.

Chefsteps recommends you preheat your Joule to 180 °F / 82 °C and for “exquisitely snappy stalks”, they recommend cooking at 180 °F / 82 °C for 10 minutes.

Sous vide asparagus with Anova – Instructions for your Anova Immersion Circulator

Looking to mix things up a little? Check out this sous vide garlic parmesan asparagus dish for those of you who have an Anova immersion circulator.

This recipe suggests setting your Anova to 185°F (85°C) and cooking your asparagus for 14 minutes.

Sous vide asparagus companions

Whether you top your sous vide asparagus with an egg or pair it with your favorite grilled protein, it will taste delicious. Here are a few ideas to get the taste buds going.

Sous vide bacon wrapped asparagus

Move over bacon and hello bacon dust. Yep. That’s a thing.

Check out this awesome looking dish from Sansaire – Asparagus with Sous Vide Egg, Pancetta, and Hollandaise

PC: Sansaire | Sous Vide Asparagus with bacon and sous vide egg

And this sous vide asparagus with mint recipe from I Am the Maven.

Or this Classic Duck Breast and Asparagus from Mellow.

Sous vide pickled asparagus

Photo credit: A Duck’s Oven | Pickled Asparagus with Lemon

Up for a little sous vide pickled asparagus making? Of course you are. Here is an awesome recipe from A Duck’s Oven if pickling asparagus is “your thing”.

White asparagus sous vide temperature

There is a difference in taste between white asparagus and green asparagus. Most people report that green asparagus has a “vegetable” or “grassy taste” which people don’t taste in white asparagus. White asparagus tends to have its own distinct taste, which is less pronounced than in green asparagus.

White asparagus is grown underground and is not exposed to chlorophyll from the sun. It’s more tender than green asparagus but is prone to becoming stringy if its a little old when you buy it. Some say that green asparagus contains more nutrients than white asparagus (due to being grown in the dark).

If you want to experiment with sous vide white asparagus, here’s a white sous vide asparagus on a St George’s mushroom mayonnaise foam recipe from FusionChef to inspire you.

Sous vide asparagus Reddit threads

Reddit has a very active sous vide cooking community who enjoy sharing their hints, tips, successes and the occasional sous vide cooking fails with other sous vide enthusiasts. Here are a couple of Reddit threads about sous vide aspsaragus you might find helpful:

Best asparagus I’ve ever had

Sous vide asparagus flavor boosting topper ideas

Sous vide asparagus – Can I reheat it?

Most sous viders prefer to eat their sous vide asparagus straight from their sous vide water bath. Whilst technically you should be able to “rethermalise” (reheat) asparagus, many find that this can make your asparagus a little mushy and it can lose a lot of its beautiful green color.

Given asparagus takes between 10-15 minutes to prepare (depending on your sous vide machine of choice), it makes sense to eat it fresh each time if you can.

Cooking sous vide asparagus in a mason jar

For those of you who love to cook sous vide but don’t want to use any plastic, you can prepare sous vide asparagus in mason jars. Canning jars are of course reusable so you cut down on your waste.

Related article: More of a sweet tooth? Sous vide cheesecake in mason jars might be more your thing.

Sous vide asparagus on socials

The community of sous vide cooks out there is huge. Sous viders LOVE sharing their sous vide cooking escapades on various social platforms. Try using #sousvide to see an enormous community of people who will help you with any sous vide hints and tips you might need.

Try using #sousvideasparagus for asparagus hints, tips and ideas as well as #sousvidevegetables for other sous vide vegetable recipe inspiration.

For more hints, tips, recipes and product reviews, join the Sous Vide Hub community today by clicking here. We would love to share your sous vide cooking journey with you.

Sous Vide Asparagus – Cook it PERFECTLY every time