15-Minute Fork-Tender Purple Asparagus Recipe

Looking for the perfect healthy side dish for any meal? Look no further. This is hands down the best purple asparagus recipe!

It’s simple, delicious, adaptable, and really allows that beautiful purple asparagus to shine. (If you’re loving purple asparagus, you should definitely check out White Asparagus, too!). Plus, it takes just 15 minutes and only requires just one sheet pan. Need I say more?

As a mom who loves gourmet food despite a hectic schedule, I love a simple recipe that can be tailored to my taste and whipped up quickly with little clean up!

Roasted Purple Asparagus Tips and Tricks

---

Purple Vs Green Asparagus

While green and purple asparagus taste very similar, purple asparagus tends to be a little more tender and sweeter.

If you love green asparagus, I’m confident you’ll be just as enamored (if not more so!) with purple asparagus.

Purple asparagus does tend to lose some of its beautiful color when cooked. Too much heat will turn your purple asparagus completely green.

How to Store Purple Asparagus

Once you find your beautiful asparagus and take it home, it will stay fresh for about a week if you store it correctly.

Place the asparagus in a jar, tips facing up, and fill it with about 2 inches of water as pictured below.

You can then place a bag on top and store the whole jar in your refrigerator to keep it fresh. You can use this same storing technique for green and white asparagus, too!

Prepping Purple Asparagus

Just like green or white asparagus, purple asparagus tend to have rough, or “woody” ends. It’s best to take the ends off before roasting.

But don’t throw those ends out! Save them in the freezer along with your other veggie scraps to make your own vegetable broth.

The easiest way to remove your ends is to hold the asparagus in two hands and snap it. It will naturally break where the ends start to get tough.

Sometimes Simple Is Best

I kept this recipe super simple because purple asparagus is so delicious on its own. You really only need a few key ingredients to make it shine.

Here’s everything you need:

• Purple asparagus. Consider organic to go with the most environmentally conscious choice.
• Olive oil. To coat the asparagus before roasting, to get the best texture.
• Salt & pepper. To amp up the asparagus’ natural flavor.
• Other flavor enhancers (optional). Some examples include Parmesan or any other type of cheese, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice, and/or butter.

Don’t Be Scared To Get Your Hands Dirty

In order to perfectly roast your purple asparagus, it’s important to make sure they have an even coat of olive oil. Spread your prepped asparagus out on a baking sheet and pour the olive oil on top.

Then, use clean hands to toss the asparagus and olive oil, making sure each piece of asparagus is completely coated.

Other Topping Suggestions

You can keep it as simple as salt, pepper, and olive oil, or you can add some other toppings to spruce your asparagus up! Pictured here, I simply added some shaved Parmesan for a little extra texture and salinity.

Some other delicious toppings include minced garlic, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice, and/or butter.

But don’t let me stifle your creativity! Go wild! Maybe some hot sauce for some heat, truffle oil to make it more gourmet. This simple recipe allows you to really make this purple asparagus your own!

Why You Should Make this Purple Asparagus Recipe

---

• It’s simple. Utilizing minimal ingredients to help the purple asparagus shine.
• It’s easy. Less than 30 minutes and only a sheet pan required.
• It’s tender! Purple asparagus is so naturally tender, it’s delicious after just a quick 8 minutes in the oven.