Roasted asparagus gets a leg up on the basic side dish with a drizzle of nutty browned butter and the crunch of buttery marcona almonds. Make this easy yet elegant asparagus with almonds for weeknight dinners and holiday gatherings alike.
There’s nothing better in cooking than to take an easy, basic recipe and give it just a little twist to move it up a notch.
In This Post
Basic oven-roasted asparagus is one of my meal-making staples. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s delicious.
But sometimes I’m craving just a bit more flavor. So when I’m feeling flush and lush, browned butter made even more nutty is my asparagus drizzle got-to.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Roasting asparagus in the oven gives it a sweet, caramelized flavor.
- Browned butter, or as the French call it beurre noisette, seems to make everything better. From savory to sweet, the nutty flavor from this simple cooking process elevates everything it’s drizzled in or on to, including roasted asparagus.
- When paired with nutty browned butter and mellow marcona almonds, roasted asparagus gets more than double its usual buttery bite quotient.
What’s in This Recipe?
- Asparagus — Whether thick or thin, choose fresh, snappy sprigs.
- Butter — I use salted butter but unsalted works if you want to be in control of your sodium.
- Lemon — Fresh is lightyears better than bottled and a little squeeze is all you need.
- Marcona almonds — Now we’re getting to the real flavor. Imported from Spain, these shorter, flatter almonds are sweeter and softer than the California variety.
- Tarragon — I love the slightly anise and licorice flavor of tarragon that brightens and lightens the butter fat.
How to Make Brown Butter Roasted Asparagus with Almonds
- Roast the asparagus. Drizzle the spears with olive oil and season simple with salt and pepper. Roast until done to your liking (I suggest no more than 10 minutes at 450ºF).
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter over medium heat, then continue to cook for 2-4 more minutes. Add the marcona almonds once the butter has melted. You’ll recognize the change happening before your eyes as it turns a deep golden brown, as well as smell the nutty aroma of the butter as it browns.
- Finish the sauce. Remove the browned butter and almonds from the heat before adding the fresh tarragon and lemon.
- Bring it all together. Toss the asparagus with the almonds in brown butter sauce.
FAQs
Regular almonds have a bolder flavor and become super crunchy when toasted, while Marcona become soft and buttery (both in flavor and in texture).
While I much prefer pairing my baked asparagus with Marcona almonds, you can replace them with regular sweet almonds in a pinch. Choose almonds that are raw (i.e. not roasted beforehand) and don’t contain salt.
Always cut off the last half inch or so of your asparagus stalks. The ends are woody and won’t soften much even after being roasted. Cut ’em off and enjoy the rest of the tender spears.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use a stainless steel skillet or pot to brown the butter. A lighter color skillet allows you to better judge the coloring of the butter as it melts and begins to brown.
- Don’t overcook the butter. It can go from browned to burn quickly so keep an eye on it.
- Keep it together. The milk solids will separate from the golden liquid as it browns. You can strain the milk solids if you like, or leave in like I do because once again fat adds flavor.
What to Serve With Asparagus to Make a Meal
- 30-Minute Pork Scallopini
- Broiled Miso Cod With Vegetables
- Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (Instant Pot or Stove Top)
- Marinated Flank Steak with Asian Chimichurri Sauce
- Crab Cakes
- Creamy Skillet Lemon Chicken
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Roasted Browned Butter Asparagus with Almonds
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus , trimmed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup Marcona almonds , chopped*
- juice of half of a lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon , chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, coating spears evenly, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 8-10 minutes—depending on thickness of spears—or until tender.
- While the asparagus cooks, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and stir frequently until the butter begins to turn light brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice and tarragon.
- Toss the asparagus with butter and almonds and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Asparagus Side Dishes to Make Now
- Roasted Asparagus
- Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise
- Grilled Asparagus
- Spring Asparagus Risotto
- Asparagus Orzo Salad
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Medina
Mmm, so delicious! Do you know this feeling, in the pit of your stomach?
fruitandcake
What a gourmet recipe. And I love love love your photos. Thanks for a fine work.
Brian @ A Thought For Food
I want that asparagus dish in my belly!
Cassie
Asparagus is my favorite but you nailed it by adding brown butter. Love this Heidi!
Wendy@chezchloe
Beautiful. Can’t wait…
Kathryn
The real question though is whether you can turn down a jagerbomb? ;)
marla
Brown Butter should rule the universe. From sweets to savories it adds oh so much greatness! Lovely asparagus. Can’t wait to see the next FoodieCrush magazine!! You are amazing to take on that project ~ so worth it though :) Thanks for the ping pong on the July 4th link too!
Kalyn
Asparagus + browned butter sounds like an inspired combination!
carrian
I loooooove asparagus. Until Cade and I got married, I had never, ever had it. In fact I was a little afraid of it. It looked like a weed to me. Now I love it. LOOOOOOOOOVE it. We almost always grill it with evoo and sea salt or lemon pepper, but brown butter! Whole new level dear! I can’t wait to try it!!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
I love browned butter anything, delish!
Bev @ Bev Cooks
Thaaaaat is stunning. I’m almost mad about it. But then not.
(Just sent you my iphone pic!)
erin
so glad you were inspired! you’ve inspired me to get my hands on some more cherries for the weekend. those guys look incredible.
Ali @ Gimme Some Oven
Mmmm….love the brown butter! I always make mine with olive oil, but this sounds like a perfect way to kick things up a notch. Beautiful pics!!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Now these little sticks are just pretty! Browned butter makes the world go ’round.
Katrina, I really couldn’t agree more! Let the world roll.
Averie @ Averie Cooks
the asparagus looks wonderful and too funny you linked up Marla’s post…I just linked it up like an hour ago!