When it comes to saving extra asparagus, freezing is the best choice. Even though you may find it challenging to cook frozen asparagus, it is effortless. Here is everything you need to know about how to cook frozen asparagus quickly. So, do check the blog below!
1. Why Should You Use Frozen Asparagus?
Asparagus is among the veggies that fit well in diets like keto, no-carb, vegan, gluten-free1, vegetarian, and Paleo2. You will certainly find fresh asparagus during spring, but you must rely on frozen asparagus in other parts of the year.
Frozen asparagus is readily available in any local grocery store, but it is not difficult to freeze it at home.
Frozen asparagus is equally nutritious as fresh asparagus, as veggies are flash-frozen at the peak of freshness. In fact, frozen vegetables last longer than the usual vegetables and yet retain all the nutrients.
No matter what time of the year you crave asparagus, you will get this delicious veggie on your plate if you use frozen asparagus. But you must know how to cook frozen asparagus on your own.
2. How to Cook Frozen Asparagus?
When it comes to cooking frozen asparagus, there are several techniques you can choose from. You can use air fryers, ovens, and skillets to roast, boil, and cook frozen asparagus as per your choice. Each of the ways is easy and doesn’t consume much time.
Here are a few ideas about how to cook frozen asparagus.
2.1. Ingredients List
Before cooking asparagus, you must know what ingredients you need because you don’t need last-minute hassle.
1. Asparagus– Take 1-2 packets of asparagus. 8-10 asparagus spears usually come in a single packaging.
2. Butter Or Olive Oil– You must add butter to your asparagus for proper cooking. You can substitute butter with olive oil or mix olive oil and butter to get your desired taste. Additionally, you can use some other neutral-flavoured oil for cooking asparagus.
3. Garlic Salt – Garlic salt is a perfect seasoning for asparagus, but you can substitute it with garlic powder and salt. Look for what’s readily available in your kitchen before cooking asparagus.
4. Lemon Wedges –
Lemon wedges are handy while baking and squeezing them while seasoning your ready-to-serve asparagus.
2.2. How to Prepare Frozen Asparagus in a Skillet?
- Place frozen asparagus in a skillet.
- Start by keeping asparagus in a large skillet with a lid.
- Add a little olive oil or butter to the asparagus.
- Add some garlic powder and salt as per your taste.
- Toss the asparagus spears to get a nice coating.
- Cover the skillet with the help of the lid and let the asparagus spears cook well.
- Saute on medium flame; don’t forget to stir at regular intervals.
- Let the asparagus cook for 10-12 minutes, and check if it’s as tender as you like.
- Serve the asparagus on a plate, and you’re good to go.

2.3. How to Cook Asparagus in an Oven?
1. Preheat your oven to 400 °F (200°C) before you start the cooking process.
2. Toss the asparagus well and check whether it’s adequately coated after adding butter, olive oil, and garlic salt.
3. Put the parchment paper on the baking tray.
4. Spread the asparagus on the baking tray in a single layer.
5. Additionally, you can put lemon wedges in the tray.
6. Start baking your asparagus spears in the oven and let them stay there for 15-20 minutes.
7. Once your asparagus reaches the desired tenderness, serve immediately on the plate.
2.4. How to Steam Frozen Asparagus?
1. Take water in a saucepan and check if it’s reaching 2 inches (5 cm) from the bottom of the saucepan.
2. Let the water boil properly on the medium heat.
3. Toss your asparagus in butter, garlic powder and salt. Check if it’s well-coated.
4. Then, take a colander or a steamer basket.
5. Put the frozen asparagus spears in the colander or steamer basket.
6. Place the basket in the saucepan. Make sure the colander is placed over the boiling water.
7. Cover the asparagus in the saucepan with a lid.
8. Let the asparagus spears cook for at least 5 minutes.
9. Check whether asparagus is tender or not. If not, let the asparagus cook for a little more time.
10. Now, it’s time to remove asparagus spears from the colander with the help of tongs.
11. Then, serve the asparagus on a plate after sprinkling your favorite seasoning.
2.5. How do you cook frozen asparagus by boiling?
1. Pour some water into a pot and simply place it on the stove. Let the water boil in the pot for a few minutes.
2. Add garlic salt to the water as per your taste while heating.
3. Now add asparagus spears to boiling water.
4. Let the spears cook for 3-5 minutes.
5. Then, check the asparagus for your desired tenderness.
6. Once cooked, drain the asparagus.
7. Now serve the asparagus.

2.6. How do you cook frozen asparagus with the help of an air fryer?
1. Prepare your air fryer by preheating it to 375° F ( 190°C).
2. Add butter, olive, or neutral-flavoured oil to the asparagus.
3. Add garlic salt to the asparagus and toss the spears well until you get a good coating.
4. Put the properly tossed asparagus in the air fryer basket. Avoid a double layer of asparagus in the basket.
5. Air Fry your asparagus for at least 5 minutes and shake the air fryer basket well.
6. Let the asparagus spears cook for five extra minutes.
7. Now, try to remove the asparagus from the air-fryer basket with the help of a tong.
8. Serve the delicious air-fried asparagus on a plate.
2.7. Extra Tips:

No matter how good you cook, each dish or side dish undoubtedly demands different techniques. What would be better than you getting some expert tips for cooking asparagus?
- You don’t need to defrost or thaw asparagus before cooking.
- While tossing your asparagus, make sure asparagus spears are coated well with the seasoning.
- Don’t use asparagus spears if they’re stuck in clumps. Let the spears run under cold water for a little while. As a result, you will find all the clumps removed from the asparagus spears and easily cook separated spears.
- Don’t throw leftover asparagus spears if they’re fresh and raw. Put them on the baking sheet and flash-freeze them for 1-2 hours. Now, transfer these asparagus spears to an air-tight container.
- Oven-roasted and air-fried asparagus are the best choices for crispy asparagus.
- If you air fry frozen asparagus, some water will be left in the air fryer basket. Thus, it would be best not to dump the whole basket on your plate. You should remove asparagus spears with the help of tongs.
- If you want citrus flavor in your asparagus, you can squeeze the fresh lemon juice into your cooked asparagus.
- Red pepper flakes are the best while seasoning asparagus to spice veggies and add heat to your dish.
- If you love cheese, don’t forget to add shredded parmesan cheese to your asparagus.
- Sprinkle some black pepper if you don’t want to eat plain asparagus. Black pepper will spice up your asparagus spears without reducing its nutritional value.
- You can easily store leftover asparagus in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge, but you should try not to consume it after four days.
- You should avoid freezing these leftover frozen asparagus spears again. Freezing them again will make them mushy when reheating.
- You can also add some fresh herbs as seasonings to enhance the flavor of your dish cuisine.
3. Health Benefits of Asparagus
Now that you know how to cook frozen asparagus, you must know what makes asparagus worth talking about. Asparagus is not just about the aesthetic look on your plate; it has several health benefits that can help you in the long run.
3.1. Richness of Antioxidants
Asparagus has lots of antioxidants to keep your skin young and helps in proper body functioning. Asparagus has anti-aging3 properties that can make your skin look younger because of these antioxidants.
In addition, purple asparagus has anthocyanins4, which help your body fight free radicals.
However, it would be best to remember that overlooking asparagus spears will reduce antioxidants. It is best to roast or boil asparagus for around 4 minutes to understand how to cook frozen asparagus.
3.2. Richness of Folic Acid
Your body requires enough folic acid to create new cells. But, during the pregnancy phase, folic acid plays a vital role. Folic acid5 prevents defects in the baby’s spine and brain, and you must take folic acid before getting pregnant.
The dangers of premature delivery are also reduced by taking folic acid supplements, and asparagus spears are rich in folic acid.
You must know asparagus spears can quickly fulfill 22% of your body’s demand for folic acid. Thus, asparagus is crucial for reproductive health.
3.3. Reduces the Risk of Depression
When the world is fighting depression, it is significant to understand what food could lead to better mental health. Asparagus is one such food item that helps reduce the risk of depression.
Homocysteine6 stops the proper flow of blood and nutrients to the brain. With the help of folate, your body eliminates the extra formation of homocysteine, and asparagus is rich in folate. Thus, eating asparagus helps in fighting depression. Asparagus can also help to lift your mood and increase your appetite.
3.4. A Good Source of Vitamin E & Vitamin K
Asparagus is rich in both Vitamin E & K7. Vitamin E in asparagus strengthens your immune system.
Vitamin E is also known to protect your cells from free radicals. In addition, vitamin E in asparagus protects you from cancer, liver disease, stroke, and heart disease.
The presence of Vitamin K in asparagus is good for bone health. It helps in producing bone-related proteins and managing bone reabsorption.
Coagulation in the body also helps to stop bleeding after a cut, and Vitamin K in asparagus helps in coagulation.
3.5. Enhances Digestive Health

Asparagus is rich in dietary fiber, essential for adequately working the digestive system.
Asparagus has a high proportion of insoluble dietary fiber, which will help you in regular bowel movements. In addition, soluble nutritional fiber makes a gel-like mixture in the digestive tract.
Soluble fiber is also suitable for growing friendly bacteria like Bifidobacteria8 and Lactobacillus9. The increased number of friendly bacteria helps strengthen the immune system.
You must know that the right fiber intake can naturally reduce the risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
Eating asparagus can fulfill your body’s fiber needs and keep you healthy.
4. FAQs
4.1. Are Frozen Veggies Equally Healthy?
Yes, frozen veggies are no less healthy than fresh veggies. Since frozen veggies are stacked up at the prime of freshness, it is not so surprising that they have equal nutritional value.
Frozen veggies last longer, and you can easily consume them from the season. Roasting these veggies is another way of retaining nutrients and makes it easy to understand how to cook frozen asparagus.
4.2. Do I need to defrost frozen asparagus?
Well, the answer is No. You don’t have to defrost asparagus before you start cooking. You can easily cook frozen asparagus straight from the freezer and enjoy a healthy meal.
4.3. What is the cooking time for frozen asparagus?
Cooking time for frozen asparagus varies according to the method you choose. You can boil or steam frozen asparagus for 5 to 10 minutes.
If you’re going for a skillet, cooking frozen asparagus may take 10-15 minutes. In addition, you can air fry or roast frozen asparagus within 20 minutes.
It’s up to you which method you want to take while cooking your frozen asparagus.
4.4. What is the texture of frozen asparagus?
Your cooking method decides whether you will get crispy or tender asparagus on your plate.
You can use an oven, air fryer, or skillet if you want a crispy or caramelized texture for asparagus. Boiling or steaming is the best choice for the tender texture of your asparagus.
4.5. Should I store the leftover asparagus?
Once cooked, you must not consume asparagus after four days. It gets stale and may also harm your body.
4.6. Can I use Asparagus in other dishes?
Of Course! Even though asparagus makes a delicious side dish, you can’t ignore its ability to complement other recipes. You can add asparagus to quiches, soups, risotto, and casseroles.
You will love how asparagus brings a unique flavor to different dishes.
Final Note
Now that you’ve learned how to cook frozen asparagus, share your chosen method. Did you boil, bake, or roast frozen asparagus? Let us know in the comment box!
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Last Updated on by Sanjana
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