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Creamy asparagus ramp soup (or use garlic) is as springy, silky, and elegant as it gets. And it couldn’t be easier to make. Here’s how.
Why we love this recipe
I’m such a lifelong fan of this method of making asparagus that it took me a while to really care about cooking it other ways. Of course there’s the wonderful blender hollandaise approach, the occasional pizza, and even a rhyming rustic tart. Asparagus spears are so pretty that I hadn’t really gotten around to blitzing them in a blender until more recently. But man, for the past few springs, we can’t get enough of this silky, creamy asparagus ramp soup.
It’s:
- Great as a first course on its own
- Or as a more substantial lunch or dinner with the addition of some hefty garnishes
- Beautifully balanced
- Light yet satisfying
Ramps are a wonderful seasonal ingredient that dovetail with peak asparagus, but if you can’t find them, garlic makes a terrific substitution.
I first published this recipe here in 2018 and have since updated the post for clarity.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Buying ramp leaves rather than whole ramps with the bulbs still attached is the best way to ensure they’ve been harvested sustainably. That said, you can 100% use either version in this recipe.
- If it’s not ramp season, you can use tons of garlic instead.
- You can use thin or thick stalks of asparagus — whatever’s available. Remove any woody parts, then cut into segments.
- Use whatever stock or broth you like, from a good-quality boxed veggie broth (like this one) to homemade stock.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a great batch of creamy asparagus ramp soup. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Cook the onions in the butter until softened. Add asparagus, ramps, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender. It doesn’t take long.
- Off the heat, stir in cream, lemon juice, and pepper. Blend until perfectly smooth and creamy.
- If you like, you can sautée some halloumi for an epic garnish.
- Serve soup as-is or garnish with halloumi, cherry tomatoes, and microgreens or sliced ramp leaves.
Expert tips and FAQs
To make this soup really silky and creamy without any straining or thickeners, I blitzed it up in our Vitamix high-speed blender. It’s one of my favorite and most frequently used kitchen tools.
If you have a high-speed blender, this is the place to use it. If not, you can definitely use a regular blender or an immersion blender.
Just double-check whether the soup is perfectly smooth after blending, and if not, consider passing it through a fine-mesh strainer before serving. (Though let’s be honest — a little rustic aspect to a delicious soup doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.)
If you have ramps, use them. They’re wonderful. They add a verdant dimension to this soup, as well as some additional bulk. If you don’t have ramps, use garlic. It’s not a consolation prize in any way — just a slightly different, equally wonderful soup.
You can make this soup up to a few days in advance and reheat until just hot. Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for up to a year.
More favorite ramp recipes
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Creamy Asparagus Ramp Soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter
- 5 ounces (142 grams) ramps or 20 garlic cloves
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 pounds (907 grams) asparagus
- 4 cups (945 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To garnish, optional
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) safflower oil
- 8 ounces (227 grams) halloumi cheese
- 12 grape or cherry tomatoes
- Microgreens or sliced ramp leaves
Instructions
To make the soup
- Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
- Add diced onion to pot (along with ramp bulbs or garlic, if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften, just a few minutes.
- Trim woody ends from asparagus and discard, then chop asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
- Add asparagus to pot along with ramp leaves, broth, and salt.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer until asparagus is tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in cream, lemon juice, and pepper.
- Use an immersion blender or transfer soup to a blender (in batches if necessary) and process until perfectly smooth.
To garnish (optional)
- The soup is great by itself, but this substantial garnish makes it extra pretty and turns it into a more filling meal. Warm the safflower oil in a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium-high heat.
- Dice the halloumi, add to pan and cook until browned on a few sides, about 5 minutes.
- Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise.
- Pour soup into serving bowls and top with a few pieces of halloumi, some tomatoes and a small handful of microgreens or sliced ramp leaves.
Notes
- Buying ramp leaves rather than whole ramps with the bulbs still attached is the best way to ensure they’ve been harvested sustainably. If you’ve bought or foraged them with the bulbs attached, trim and discard the roots. Then cut the ramps to separate bulbs from leaves. Add the bulbs to the pot at the same time as the onion to give them a few extra minutes to mellow.
- If using garlic instead of ramps, roughly chop and add to the pot with the onion.
- You can use thin or thick stalks of asparagus — whatever’s available. Remove any woody parts, then cut into segments.
- Use whatever stock or broth you like, from a good-quality boxed veggie broth (like this one) to homemade stock.
- To make this soup really silky and creamy without any straining or thickeners, I blitzed it up in our Vitamix high-speed blender. It’s one of my favorite and most frequently used kitchen tools. If you have a high-speed blender, this is the place to use it. If not, you can definitely use a regular blender or an immersion blender. Just double-check whether the soup is perfectly smooth after blending, and if not, consider passing it through a fine-mesh strainer before serving.
- You can make this soup up to a few days in advance and reheat until just hot. Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for up to a year.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
