Easy Instant Pot Asparagus with Lemon Butter

Make asparagus in a jiffy with this easy Instant Pot Asparagus recipe – it is drizzled with a delicious lemon butter sauce!

Vegetables are the one food group I have always struggled to get enough of in my diet.

I can only eat so many raw vegetables on their own (and I’m sure dipping them in a ranch dressing dip isn’t usually the best idea).

When I had Gestational Diabetes, I added a lot more vegetables in my diet, and I discovered how delicious cooked vegetables can be.

But the key is figuring out exactly HOW to cook them. It’s been fun to figure out a few recipes that I really enjoy (such as my Longhorn Steakhouse Broccoli recipe!)

I’ve always really enjoyed asparagus, and I feel like it can be prepared in a variety of ways.

My mom would oven cook it in the oven with parmesan cheese on top…so good!

Because I love using my Instant Pot, I thought it would be fun to find a good way to cook asparagus in there.

I don’t have a steamer for my stove, and while I know there are ways around that (or you can use the microwave), I figured my Instant Pot was my best bet.

I think steaming vegetables in the Instant Pot is the best – it’s really fast, and the results are delicious.

Variations

You can really mix this up in various ways just by changing the spices.

If you want it to have a bit of a kick, you could add a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes.

As I mentioned above, my mom loves to make asparagus with parmesan cheese on top. I think that would be a great addition to this recipe.

You could just sprinkle some shredded parmesan cheese on top, or you could place all of the asparagus on a baking sheet, put shredded or shaved parmesan cheese, and broil it for about a minute. So yummy!

What to serve asparagus with?

You can serve this with just about anything! We recently served it with smoked brisket, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

The thing I like about asparagus is that it’s a pretty light dish, so if you are having a heavier main dish (such as brisket), it can be a much-needed addition to your meal.

It also always feels so fancy when I have it – which is nice, because I love easy dishes that seem fancy. I had this some asparagus at Longhorn Steakhouse recently with my parmesan crusted chicken, and it was almost my favorite part of the dish!

How to Prepare Asparagus

You do have to put in a little bit of prep work in order to get your asparagus to taste just right.

Sometimes people will refer to asparagus as “woody” – and that’s because part of the vegetable is!

However, by removing this, and even shaving down the sides of your asparagus with a vegetable peeler, can make your asparagus taste much better. And you can avoid that woodiness!

You also want to make sure you pick the right asparagus bunch. The asparagus in these pictures were rather thin (I guess that’s what happens when you rely on grocery delivery people to pick it out). I prefer to find asparagus that is thicker. Just keep in mind that not all bunches are created equally.

Here is how you can prepare your asparagus before cooking it in the Instant Pot:

Wash the asparagus thoroughly.

Bend asparagus – where it breaks is where the woodiness begins – discard that part.

If you desire, you can use a vegetable peeler to remove some of the outsides of the asparagus. I never do this, though.

Lemon Butter Asparagus

Equipment:

• Instant Pot
• Instant Pot steamer basket

Ingredients:

• 1.5-2 lb Asparagus
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 cup water

Directions:

Prepare your asparagus according to the instructions above.

Place 3/4 cup water into the pot of your Instant Pot.

Place asparagus in the steamer basket and put it into your Instant Pot.

Place lid on Instant Pot and set to sealing.

Select the steam setting and set it between 0 and 2 minutes. We did two minutes, but we like our asparagus really soft. If you prefer it to be a bit crisper, consider 0-1 minutes.

Once the timer goes off, quick pressure release all the extra pressure.

Carefully open the lid after the pressure is released and remove the steamer basket. Dump out the extra liquid and put the pot back into the Instant Pot.

Set Instant Pot to saute and add butter, lemon, pepper, salt, and paprika and melt together.

Pour over the top of your asparagus and toss to cover everything completely.

Enjoy!

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FAQ

What Instant Pot do you use? I have an Instant Pot DUO 60 and an Instant Pot Ultra 8 quart.

Can I make this without a steamer basket? I just use a steamer basket, but I have read other recipes where people just throw it straight into the pot. I just think it’s easier to take out using the steamer basket.

Can I really set my Instant Pot to 0 minutes? I know this sounds a little bit weird! But for some vegetables, when you don’t want them to get too soft, the process of getting up to pressure is enough to cook them to be tender enough to eat. So you can! In this recipe, I suggest setting the Instant Pot between 0 and 2 minutes, depending on the degree of softness you’d like them to be.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

• How To Make Microwave Corn on the Cob
• How to Steam Green Beans (and other veggies too!)
• Copycat Longhorn Garlic Parmesan Broccoli Recipe
• Instant Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Easy Crock Pot Baked Beans with Bacon

Enjoy this easy-to-make asparagus with delicious lemon butter in your Instant Pot for your next meal!