Name: Garlic Butter Asparagus Recipe
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter; ¼ cup almonds (chopped); 4 cloves garlic (2 sliced and 2 minced); 1 lb asparagus (cut into 2" pieces (see notes)); Juice from 1 lemon; Sea salt (to taste.)

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Garlic butter asparagus is an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish you can whip up in less than 15 minutes. Chopped almonds and garlic are sauteed in butter, and the asparagus is cooked until crisp-tender. A little squeeze of lemon finishes the dish.

A pan of garlic butter asparagus with a wooden spoon taking a scoop.

Garlic butter asparagus is an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish I make when I want something special without much effort. Chopped almonds and garlic are sautéed in butter, then the asparagus is cooked until crisp-tender and finished with a squeeze of lemon. I usually cut the asparagus so it fits neatly in the pan, but you can absolutely leave the stalks whole if you prefer.

The result is crisp-tender asparagus wrapped in rich, garlicky butter that’s pretty hard to resist. Crunchy almonds add the perfect contrast, while garlic cooked two ways—crispy slices and finely minced—layers in big flavor. A little lemon juice brightens everything up, and from start to finish, this dish is on the table in just 15 minutes.

A few variations to try

While we love our garlic butter version, there are a few ways that you can switch things up to keep the recipe fresh and new each time that you make it.

Make garlic parmesan asparagus. Sprinkle a handful of grated Parmesan onto the asparagus in the last few minutes of cooking.
Italian. Add one teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the asparagus.
Spicy. Sprinkle with chili flakes while cooking.

Favorite asparagus recipes

Garlic Butter Asparagus Recipe

Prep: 2

Cook: 13

Total: 15

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Garlic butter asparagus is an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish that you can whip up in less than 15 minutes. Chopped almonds and garlic get sauteed in butter then the asparagus is cooked until crisp-tender. A little squeeze of lemon finishes the dish. We like to cut the asparagus so that it easily fits into a pan, but if you want, you can leave the stalks whole.

Ingredients

▢ 1 tablespoon butter
▢ ¼ cup almonds (chopped)
▢ 4 cloves garlic (2 sliced and 2 minced)
▢ 1 lb asparagus (cut into 2″ pieces (see notes))
▢ Juice from 1 lemon
▢ Sea salt (to taste.)

Instructions

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and garlic and cook until the almonds start to brown and the sliced garlic begins to crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
1 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup almonds, 4 cloves garlic
Add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 8 minutes.
1 lb asparagus
Once the asparagus is soft, add the almonds and garlic back into the pan and squeeze the lemon over the top. Season to taste with salt.
Juice from 1 lemon, Sea salt

Notes

You can prepare the asparagus whole if you prefer. Simply snap the tough ends off the asparagus and continue with the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 111kcal (6%), Carbohydrates: 10g (3%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 7g (11%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 8mg (3%), Sodium: 28mg (1%), Potassium: 342mg (10%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 3g (3%), Vitamin A: 951IU (19%), Vitamin C: 22mg (27%), Calcium: 64mg (6%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.