Nothing says, "Spring!" like this asparagus salad recipe. It's light and refreshing, made with crisp veggies, feta, and a creamy avocado dressing.
Each year, I make this asparagus salad recipe to celebrate the arrival of spring…which, in Chicago, is usually later than you’d think.
See, in all the years that we’ve lived here, it’s snowed on Jack’s April birthday. So when we have the odd warm day in March or early April, I don’t get my hopes up. “Winter isn’t over yet,” I tell myself, “Don’t get used to this.” But this year, Jack’s birthday arrived…and it didn’t snow. It was still a little chilly, but the air smelled clean and fresh, and tulips and daffodils bloomed around the neighborhood. Dare I say it? I think spring might really be here. Cue: this asparagus salad recipe!
This asparagus salad combines all my favorite seasonal produce – crisp radishes, asparagus, sweet peas, and fresh herbs. It’s easy to make, and it’s flavorful, bright, and refreshing. Enjoy it on its own for a light lunch, or serve it as a side dish with almost anything you like.
Asparagus Salad Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this asparagus salad recipe:
- Asparagus, of course! Look for 2 bunches with thin, snappy spears.
- Peas – To keep things simple, I use thawed frozen peas, but you could blanch fresh shell peas if you like.
- Garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt – I lightly dress the asparagus and peas in this mixture before I assemble the salad. It gives them a nice bright flavor.
- Radishes – For color and crunch.
- Avocado dressing – This rich, lemony dressing gives the salad a lightly creamy coating. If you want to get ahead, you can make the dressing up to a day in advance.
- Feta cheese – I love its tangy, salty flavor with the fresh spring veggies here, but if you’re vegan, feel free to skip it. Add a few pickled radishes to the salad instead.
- Pine nuts – For rich, nutty flavor and extra crunch.
- And fresh mint or basil – To take it all over the top.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
This asparagus salad recipe comes together in 3 easy steps:
- Cook the asparagus. Blanch it for 1 minute in a large pot of salted boiling water. Then, transfer it to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the asparagus and pat it dry.
- Next, season the veggies. At the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the asparagus and peas and toss to coat.
- Finally, assemble! Transfer the asparagus and peas to a platter, and drizzle them with the avocado dressing. Sprinkle on the radish slices, pine nuts, feta, and herbs, and season to taste.
That’s it!
Asparagus Salad Serving Suggestions
This asparagus salad recipe is my favorite spring side dish! Fresh, bright, and easy to make, it pairs well with all kinds of dinner recipes. Serve it with cookout fare like veggie burgers or black bean burgers, a pasta dish like Spaghetti Aglio e Olio or Fettuccine Alfredo, or any protein you like. It also packs up nicely for a picnic (just add the herbs at the last minute!). Pair it with a Chickpea Salad, Caprese, or Egg Salad Sandwich (see this post for a vegan version).
If you’re in the mood for a lighter meal, enjoy this asparagus salad on its own. I often eat it for lunch with a handful of crispy roasted chickpeas tossed in for extra protein.
More Favorite Spring Salads
If you love this asparagus salad recipe, try one of these fresh spring salads next:
- Bright Spring Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Carrot Salad
- Simple Green Salad
- Avocado Salad
- Strawberry Salad with Balsamic
- Best Broccoli Salad
- Or any of these 37 Best Salad Recipes!
Asparagus Salad
Ingredients
- 2 bunches asparagus, tender parts, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ garlic clove, grated
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- Avocado Dressing
- â…“ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 radishes, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- Fresh mint or basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the asparagus into the boiling water and blanch for about 1 minute, until tender but still bright green. Transfer to the ice water for 1 minute, then drain. Transfer the asparagus to a kitchen towel to dry and wipe out the bowl.
- At the bottom of the bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the asparagus and peas and toss until coated. Transfer to a platter, drizzle with some of the avocado dressing, top with feta, radishes, pine nuts, and mint or basil.
How many days does this salad lasts?
Hi Lori, it will keep for about 2 days in the fridge. If you’re making it ahead, I’d add the herbs right before serving.
Perfect spring/early summer side dish. Had the left overs the next morning with a poached egg on top!
What is the weight of 2 bunches of asparagus? 2 lbs?
Thanks
Can you make the salad ahead of time, just adding the avocado dressing just before serving?
Hi Mona, yep, you can!
Beautiful! I’ve made asparagus with a vinaigrette, but never in an actual salad. Great recipe!
Great main coarse salad for 3 along with a crunchy loaf of bread. No avocado on hand so I used a simple olive oil, lemon juice, dijon and garlic dressing for this salad.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious recipe! I used walnuts instead of pine nuts and it was still really good. Also love the avocado dressing!
Hi Susanna, I’m so glad you loved the salad and the dressing!
Made this tonight with tender spring asparagus and it was amazing! The avocado dressing is yummy and adds a bit of creaminess to the crispness of the salad; my avocados were on the smaller side so it took 2 to get to a creamy consistency. It is perfectly balanced and all of the ingredients come together to make a delicious salad that will become a regular in my kitchen all spring.
I’m so glad you loved the salad and dressing!
You have to click on “Avocado Dressing” to get the recipe for the dressing, which does have an avocado in it.
Wow — just wow! Made this tonight and the flavors really exploded in my mouth. So tasty and at the same time, healthy. Didn’t have time to make the avocado dressing, but the olive oil, lemon juice and garlic combo seasoned the salad beautifully. I chopped up some fresh basil and stirred it into the salad. It was all just so good!
I’m so glad you loved it!
You can use endamame in place of the peas, and using a favorite vinaigrette is just as delicious.
This is the first time we ever tried asparagus as salad. Wow, it looks & tastes so good! Everyone loves it. We used whatever stuff we had in our kitchen, so carrot, cut into slices, instead of radish, normal shredded cheese instead of feta cheese, dried basil instead of fresh ones. Plus it’s so easy to prepare. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I’ve made this twice recently for groups. It was a big hit at both a family gathering and a friend’s cookout. Sadly, there were no leftovers for me!
I’m so glad it’s been such a hit!
I know this is listed as a spring salad, but I just made it for a Christmas Eve gathering and everyone gave it 2 thumbs up. I’m looking forward to trying other recipes.
Asparagus is in season so I made this last night. A friend had made me a vinaigrette so I used that instead of the avocado dressing, but otherwise made the recipe as described. Paired this with pearl couscous with lemon, parmesan, and parsley. SO GOOD! Fresh, light, and summery. My husband and kids loved it too.
I’m so glad you all loved it!
Made this twice in the past week. The first time I made it just before sitting down to eat. The second time I made the salad components all beforehand and then just assembled when ready to eat. Came out great! Tastes like Spring on a plate!
Love it ! I never made asparagus like this, delicious
Looks so yummy. thanks for sharing.
Avocado dressing with no avocado?
There’s avocado in the dressing, if you click the blue link, it’ll take you to the recipe.
The ingredients list nor the directions mention avocado.
If you click the blue link above, it takes you to the dressing recipe. Also here: https://www.loveandlemons.com/avocado-dressing/