Tender and smoky grilled asparagus is an ideal vegetable side dish for most grilled entrees. Grilling asparagus on a gas grill is easy and quick, needing only a few ingredients.
🥣Ingredients
Asparagus—medium thickness
Olive oil
Garlic—powder or fresh
Salt and pepper
Serving options—grated Parmesan cheese, slivers of almonds, pine nuts, feta cheese, or blue cheese
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Grilling asparagus is simple, requiring minimal preparation and less than 10 minutes on the grill with a grill pan or directly on the grates—no aluminum foil needed. The grill temperature pairs perfectly with grilled chicken or pork.
👨🍳How to Grill Asparagus on a Gas Grill—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Preheat the grill to 450° surface temperature.
2. Wash and trim asparagus.
3. Mix the coating of olive oil with garlic powder or fresh crushed garlic, salt, and black pepper.
4. Pour the oil mixture on the cleaned asparagus and coat well.
5. Spread the asparagus on a well-oiled grill pan or on the grates.
6. Flip every 3 minutes and grill until it gets brown spots and is tender—8 to 10 minutes for medium-thick asparagus.
7. Serve immediately. I like a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to add even more taste.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏲️How long to grill asparagus
The total grilling time for medium-thick asparagus will be 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the grill temperature, the thickness of the spears, and your preference. Thick asparagus will take a few minutes longer, while thinner spears may take as little as 5 minutes.
🤔When is asparagus done
Asparagus is done when it has some browning on the surface, char marks, and tenderness to your preference—use a fork to check. Also, pick up a spear and see if it flexes. If unsure, aim for an internal temperature of 135° with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the spear.
Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan
Easy Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan only needs a few ingredients and about 12 minutes in your convection oven for crispy asparagus with garlic and Parmesan—perfect for any meal.
🤔Make it right every time
Get the grill temperature right. Too hot will burn the outside before the core is done; too low will lead to overcooking the center before the outside looks done.
Aim for 450° grill surface temperature, but 400° to 500° will work, medium on most grills, which is the range you should use for chicken and most pork. See Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill for more information.
Grilled asparagus is excellent with beef, but the grill is too hot. So if using with beef steak, turn done one side of the grill before cooking asparagus.
A grill pan or tray works well, but you can lay the steaks directly on the grates or thread them onto skewers.
I find fresh garlic hard to distribute well across all the spears, so I use garlic powder. It also does not tend to burn like little chunks of garlic.
😊Picking the best asparagus for grilling
- Look for vibrant color—dark green with a tinge of some violet on the top is best.
- The best fresh asparagus for grilling is medium-thick, not the thin shafts you sometimes see. If you use thicker asparagus, thin the thick end with a peeler.
- I then look at the cut ends to ensure they are not drying and the stems are firm and not limp. Lastly, squeeze the bunch, and it should squeak a bit.
🔪To snap or cut—how to trim asparagus
For years, "common knowledge," said snapping off the asparagus stalk at the base will magically break at the correct point. The idea was that the rigid base meets the tender asparagus at this natural breaking point.
Well, not so much, it turns out. According to Cooks Illustrated, you are throwing out lots of your tasty asparagus. Cutting 1 inch off the end with a sharp knife will not waste as much since the snap method is inaccurate about where it breaks.
If your asparagus is thick and woody, use a vegetable peeler on the woody end to thin it down some.
🍽️How to serve
Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, slivers of almonds, pine nuts, feta cheese, or blue cheese.
The perfect side dish for Grilled Ribeye Steak, Grilled Filet Mignon, Grilled Chicken Breasts, or Grilled Porterhouse Steak.
And check out some other grilled side dishes like Grilled Mixed Vegetables, Grilled Baby Potatoes, or Potatoes on the Grill Without Foil.
❓FAQs
You are overcooking and may be using too low of a temperature.
To get the outside browning without overcooking the inside structure, you may need to cook at a higher temperature for a shorter time. Also, if the grill temp was OK when you started, all the flipping with opening and closing the lid may lower the grill temp.
Yes. As long as you can control the grill temperature and watch the endpoint of cooking, a charcoal grill will work.
👨🍳Recipe
Grilling Asparagus on a Gas Grill
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Ingredients
- ½ lb asparagus - medium thick
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder - or crushed - about 2 cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 450° surface temperature, which is the preferred temperature more most chicken and pork recipes—medium-high heat on most grills—clean and oil grill grates.
- Wash and trim asparagus. Cut off ½ inch of the bottom of the asparagus shaft.
- Mix olive oil with garlic powder or fresh crushed garlic, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the oil mixture on the cleaned asparagus and coat well. Clean hands work well here.
- If using a grill pan or basket, add a light coat of higher-temperature oil. Spread evenly over a grill pan or on the grates.
- Flip the asparagus and grill every three minutes until they get brown spots. The total cooking time can vary from 8 to 10 minutes. Variables include your exact grill temperature, the grill pan, the thickness of the asparagus, and your taste. If you are unsure, aim for a final internal temperature of 135°.
- Serve immediately. I like a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to add even more taste.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This recipe is written for two. Just double all ingredients for the usual one-pound bunch.
- Use medium-thickness asparagus. Thicker can be used, but will take longer to cook and may need to be thinned some with a vegetable peeler. Thinner will cook faster.
- A thicker grill pan may significantly affect this recipe. A thin or wire pan or grate can go on with the asparagus. A thicker pan should be preheated.
- The olive oil coating will usually not smoke, but the oil on the pan needs a higher smoke point.
- I prefer to cut the base off the asparagus spears, but snap if you wish.
- You can cook at a higher temperature if it matches your needs but may cook much faster.
- Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, slivers of almonds, pine nuts, feta cheese, or blue cheese.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Originally Published March 28, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi folks, welcome to the comment section. This is a nice small recipe I use frequently, but during the last update, there was a database error, and the ratings and comments all disappeared. So, I'm leaving a rating to get it restarted.