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This Sauteed Asparagus with miso butter is umami magic at its BEST! Caramelized brown butter miso sauce with perfectly tender and crisp asparagus…5 ingredients, out of the world delicious. So good that your friends will think it’s a special delivery from Momofuku!
Using frozen asparagus? You will love my frozen asparagus in air fryer recipe. They are buttery delicious!
Table of Contents
Sauteed Asparagus Recipe with Brown Butter Miso Sauce
Before you think this is a fancy asparagus recipe, let me tell you it’s not! Cooking with miso paste, in this case with chickpea made miso paste (product link in the recipe), is super common in Asian and Japanese cooking. There are loads of sauteed and roasted asparagus recipes on the internet so if you are wondering what else is out there with new exciting ideas and flavors to enjoy asparagus, this is it! 😀
The two – asparagus and miso – are match made in heaven! You can use regular organic miso paste or chickpea made miso if you are sensitive to soy. I’ll show you where to find it and how to use it.
What is Chickpea Miso, Taste, and Where to find
Chickpea miso is made from brown rice and chickpeas and is typically aged for 1 to 3 months. The flavor tastes stronger than white miso yet lighter than red miso. It’s perfect for people who can’t have soy.
I use a store bought brand called Miso Master (product link in the recipe card below). It tastes very similar to traditional miso and you’ll not notice the difference. Chickpea miso is a great substitute for people who have soy allergy.
A jar of miso lasts a long time in the fridge. You can use it to make miso soup, as a dipping sauce, as a glaze to roast salmon, cod, or even chicken.
You can find chickpea miso at WholeFoods, Amazon, or many health grocery stores. I include a product link below.
Can I use regular miso for this recipe?
Yes, you can! You can definitely make the pan fried asparagus recipe with regular miso. Ideally, organic white miso will work better than red miso.
What is miso butter? What does it taste like?
This genius flavor combination came from David Chang of Momofuku. Basically you combine the butter with miso paste in a 2:1 ratio to create a buttery-savory-salty-sweet umami flavor bomb. Once you taste it, you will want to use it on everything!
I simply use a fork to mash the softened ghee butter with chickpea miso paste in a bowl. You can take a big spoonful of this magic deliciousness over roasted vegetables, pan seared steak, roasted chicken, seafood, or even roasted potatoes. It goes well with both Asian and Western-flavored dishes. Super versatile.
How to make sauteed asparagus with miso butter
- Trim off the tough bottoms of the asparagus, about 1 to 2 inches.
- Hot water blanches the asparagus until bright green for about 3 minutes.
- Shock them in cold water to stop cooking and set aside to drain well.
- Combine the ghee butter with (chickpea) miso paste.
- Saute the miso butter with minced garlic.
- Add the asparagus and toss to coat the sauce. Transfer the asparagus to a serving plate.
- Deglaze the saute pan with stock to make a sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the asparagus.
What goes well with miso butter asparagus?
Sauteed asparagus is a wonderful side dish and miso butter is super versatile. The flavor goes well with both Asian and Western-influenced dishes. Here are some of my favorite suggestions:
- Sauteed Swiss Chard with Chickpea Miso Butter Walnut Sauce
- Miso sweet potato
- Miso butter pasta
- Sauteed mushrooms with cauliflower crumbles
- Potato gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce
- Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi with sage butter sauce
- Roasted cauliflower with lemon tahini cream sauce
- Halibut lemon piccata sauce
Friends! If you are looking for an easy way to add new flavor to asparagus, give my pan sauteed asparagus in brown butter chickpea miso sauce a try! With 5 ingredients only, and you can use either chickpea miso or regular miso, this is the asparagus recipe that you don’t want to miss this spring!
Sauteed Asparagus Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb asparagus
- 0.4 oz garlic cloves 2 medium
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 2 tbsp chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp butter
- 0.5 tbsp avocado or light olive oil
- 1-2 pinches of coarse salt or to taste
Instructions
Prepare the asparagus
- Rinse the asparagus under running water, especially around the flowery tips, then pat dry.
- To trim the woody ends, you can either bend one spear near the base and let it naturally snap, or cut off the bottom 1 to 2 inches where the color changes from pale white-green to a deeper green.
Prep the garlic and miso
- Finely mince the garlic. In a small bowl, combine the miso paste with the stock and stir well until the miso dissolves.
Sauté
- Preheat a large 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat until it feels warm but not smoking hot.
- Add the butter and oil and swirl to coat the pan. As soon as the butter melts, add the garlic and sauté for 10 seconds.
Add the asparagus
- Add the asparagus to the pan. Sauté by gently shaking the pan back and forth and using tongs or a wooden spatula to flip the spears so they cook evenly, about 2 minutes. You should hear a gentle sizzle the whole time.
Add the miso mixture
- Give the miso mixture another stir, then pour it into the pan.
- Keep tossing and sautéing for another 2 minutes, until the asparagus is coated and the sauce is well incorporated.
Check doneness
- For a crisp-tender texture, the asparagus should turn a bright emerald green and look lightly glossy on the outside.
- To test, insert a fork into the thicker bottom end. It should go in with a little resistance. When you bite into it, the asparagus should still have a slight snap. It should not taste raw, mushy, or overly soft.
Taste and adjust
- Turn off the heat and taste. Add another pinch of salt if needed.
Serve
- Transfer the asparagus to a serving plate and spoon the miso butter pan juices over the top. Serve warm.
Notes
- Asparagus thickness: Asparagus comes in different thicknesses, and thicker stalks need a little more time to cook through.
- Thin spears: 3 to 4 minutes
- Medium spears: 4 to 5 minutes
- Thick spears: 5 to 6 minutes
- Hybrid steam-sauté method: For extra thick spears, you can briefly cover the pan to help them cook through faster. After adding the miso-stock mixture, cover the pan for about 2 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time. This helps soften the center without overcooking the outside.
- Heat control: Keep the pan warm but not too hot. If the pan gets too hot, the butter and miso can burn and taste bitter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
That miso butter really makes it next level! I love such easy but flavorful sides like this!
OK, that butter tastes INSANE. Now I want to put it on everything.
This is so delicious with a big dish of steamed sticky white rice and pan-seared chicken, thank you! LOVE this spring comfort food!
I eat so much asparagus on a regular basis. Definitely trying this recipe, it’s got all my favourite ingredients.
So delicious! And that miso butter! Decadent !
Love the flavor of miso in this! Goes so well with asparagus.