Natural form

Fresh asparagus spears showing tight scaled tips, ribbed stems, and pale cut bases.

Shows the plant's defining visual features — spear shape, scaled tips, and green coloring — so a reader can identify it immediately.

Produce

Asparagus

Tender green spears for roasting, grilling, and steaming

Grassy and tender, asparagus roasts and grills in minutes, its tips going crisp and sweet. Snap off the woody ends. Stand the spears in water in the fridge to keep them fresh.

Asparagus is the elegant herald of spring — tender green (or white, or purple) spears with a grassy, faintly sweet flavor and a satisfying snap. At its fleeting peak it needs almost nothing: a quick roast, grill, or steam until the tips go crisp-tender and the stalks turn vivid. It cooks in minutes and pairs beautifully with eggs, lemon, butter, and cured ham. Buy it in season, cook it simply, and eat it soon.

Measured in: g
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 5 days

Find it in

Produce

Types & varieties

Green

The common spear; grassy and all-purpose

White

Grown covered from light; milder, more delicate — peel it

Purple

Sweeter, nuttier; turns green when cooked

Wild / sprue (thin)

Pencil-thin spears; tender, quick-cooking

How to choose

Want firm, straight spears with tightly closed, dry tips (mushy or flowering tips mean it's old) and freshly cut, moist bottoms. Pick a bunch of even thickness so they cook at the same rate — thick spears are meaty and sweet, thin ones tender and quick; neither is 'better,' just different.

How to store

Asparagus is perishable and best eaten within a day or two. To keep it fresh, trim the ends and stand the spears upright in a jar with an inch of water, like cut flowers, loosely covered, in the fridge. This keeps them crisp far longer than lying in a drawer.

Eat as soon as you can after buying
Stand upright in water in the fridge
Trim the woody ends before cooking

How to trim and cook

The bottom of each stalk is woody — bend a spear and it snaps naturally where the tender part begins, or simply trim an inch or two off the base (peel the lower stalks of thick or white asparagus). Then cook fast: roast or grill at high heat, blanch briefly, or steam, just until the spears are bright and tender-crisp. Overcooked asparagus goes limp and drab.

Common uses

Roasted or grilled asparagusAsparagus with hollandaiseRisottoFrittata and quicheAsparagus and eggStir-friesSoupWrapped in prosciutto

Tips & pitfalls

Snap or trim off the woody ends — don't try to cook them tender
Roast or grill at high heat for the best, slightly charred flavor
Don't overcook; stop at bright green and tender-crisp
Peel the lower stalks of thick or white spears for even tenderness
A poached egg, lemon, and parmesan turn it into a meal

Nutrition

20kcal

Energy

84 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 35%Carbs 61%Fat 4%

Protein

2.2g

4% DV

Carbs

3.9g

1% DV

Fat

0.1g

0% DV

Fiber

2.1g

8% DV

Sugars

1.9g

of which

Sodium

2mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Vitamin K35% DV

Folate13% DV

Thiamin (B1)12% DV

Iron12% DV

Riboflavin (B2)11% DV

Vitamin E8% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · Asparagus, raw

View on FDC →

In the shops

Matched grocery products

White Asparagus
DESTAPA · kg · Bonpreu
€4.75
Fine Green Asparagus
250 g · Mercadona
€2.00
White Short Asparagus
CARRETILLA · kg · Bonpreu
€2.99
Green Thick Asparagus
300 g · Mercadona
€3.90
Thick White Asparagus
BONPREU · kg · Bonpreu
€4.45
Medium White Asparagus
Hacendado · 200 g · Mercadona
€1.50

Good to know

Peak season: Spring (March–June); green and white (espárrago blanco de Navarra) peak April–June. Outside that window, white asparagus is mostly sold tinned or jarred
Flavor: Grassy, green, faintly sweet and nutty; tender-crisp
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean; prized since antiquity
Nutrition: ~20 kcal/100g; folate, vitamins K, A, C; fiber
How to buy: Firm, straight spears; tight, dry tips; moist-cut ends; uniform thickness

Substitutes