Thinking of throwing a barbecue anytime soon? You might as well reach for the foil and add this tender grilled asparagus to the party.
By sealing all the flavour into neat little foil parcels, you'll create a steam trap that softens the stalks while your other barbecue items do their thing next door.
Looking for more plant-based recipes to try on the grill this summer? Check out these grilled king oyster mushrooms, grilled carrots, and this teriyaki grilled aubergine.
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Jump to:
- Why I love it 💚
- Test notes 📝
- Ingredients 📋
- Step by step 📷
- To serve 🍽️
- FAQ ❓
- Variations 🔀
- More ideas 💡
- Recipe 👨🍳
Why you'll love it
- The asparagus will cook evenly and become very tender
- You'll get an infusion of aromatics from the lemon and garlic
- It's easy to throw together and place directly onto the barbecue
- Cooking in foil means there's no risk of burning or catching on the grill
Recipe testing notes
Avoid overcrowding: Place the asparagus on the foil in a single layer to ensure even cooking. If you have a large batch, use multiple foil parcels (I ended up with two here).
Cooking time: This will depend on the thickness of your asparagus. I've used a relatively young variety that's quite thin, however some asparagus – such as the white varieties I remember seeing in Germany – are much wider and so may require a longer cooking time.
Preheat the grill: Make sure the grill has had enough time to heat up before adding the asparagus (the time will depend on the type of barbecue you're using).
Grill placement: If using a charcoal grill, place the foil parcels on the indirect heat area. For gas grills, use the middle rack and/or adjust the burners to maintain an even temperature.
What you'll need
To make this delicious BBQ asparagus, you'll need:
- Asparagus spears with any hard woody ends trimmed away
- Lemon for citrus flavour
- Garlic for its sweet aroma when cooked
- Olive oil to help coat the stalks
- Salt and black pepper for basic seasoning
How to make grilled asparagus in foil
Begin by preparing the asparagus (if necessary). If there are any hard woody ends, you can trim these away or bend the spears until they snap at the natural breaking point.
Take two long rectangular pieces of aluminium foil. Fold each in half into a square to double its strength, then lay flat on a surface.
Divide the asparagus between these, making sure they’re in an even layer and not stacked more than two high (I found that two parcels were enough for this amount of asparagus, but you may need more).
Crimp up the edges of the foil then add half of the minced garlic and half of the olive oil to each parcel.
Season with a little salt and pepper and move the asparagus around to coat each spear with the other ingredients.
Once coated, divide the lemon slices and place these on top of the asparagus.
Fold up the pieces of foil to create parcels and seal tightly by pinching the ends together.
Like I say, I found that two parcels were enough but you can simply create more if needed or if increasing the quantities.
Preheat the barbecue/grill to a medium heat.
Add the foil parcels and grill for 10-15 minutes or until the asparagus is tender with a little bit of bite.
You can carefully open up one of the parcels during cooking to check (the thickness of your spears will play a big part in how long they'll need).
Once done, remove the foil parcels from the heat. Carefully open them up, give the spears a little mix in the juices, and serve.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy the lemon grilled asparagus as a side along with your favourite barbecue mains – this vegan can highly recommend tofu skewers, meaty grilled tempeh, and teriyaki tofu steaks.
You could also top with the likes of vegan parmesan or cashew lime crema, and include other sides such as couscous salad, three-bean salad, mayo-free potato salad, or easy chickpea salad.
Recipe FAQ
I'd recommend cooking for at least 10 minutes before carefully opening the foil packet and checking the tenderness with a fork (tender with a little bit of bite). If it needs more time, simply reseal the parcel and continue cooking for a few more minutes.
If you're wanting to use an oven instead of a barbecue, simply preheat to 200°C (400°F) and follow the same steps. Note that it may take slightly longer to cook this way – anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your spears.
No – the idea here is to keep the parcel sealed and trap steam for cooking.
Cooking in foil like this is intended to result in tender asparagus. If you found it too mushy, next time you can reduce the grilling time and check for doneness more frequently (also, note that thinner spears will cook more quickly than thicker ones).
Yes – you can follow the recipe steps before grilling and simply store the parcels in the fridge for a few hours before you're ready to cook.
Yep – just ensure your other veg is prepared to a similar size and that your parcels don't become too overcrowded.
Yes – this recipe is gluten-free as written.
Once cool, store the asparagus in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.
Variations and tips for grilled asparagus in foil
- Other seasoning: Herbs such as thyme or rosemary would make for nice additions here.
- Plant-based butter: You could easily use this instead of the olive oil.
- Lemon flavour: If you don't want the sharper flavour from the lemon juice, simply add grated zest instead of slices.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
You can also check out my full list of vegan barbecue recipes.
Full recipe
Easy Grilled Asparagus in Foil
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) asparagus spears
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ lemon, cut into thin slices
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the asparagus (if necessary). If there are any hard woody ends, you can trim these away or bend the spears until they snap at the natural breaking point.
- Take two long rectangular pieces of aluminium foil. Fold each in half into a square to double its strength, then lay flat on a surface. Divide the asparagus between these, making sure they’re in an even layer and not stacked more than two high (I found that two parcels were enough for this amount of asparagus, but you may need more).See process photos above for pics of how I did all this. 👆
- Crimp up the edges of the foil then add half of the minced garlic and half of the olive oil to each parcel. Season with a little salt and pepper and move the asparagus around to coat each spear with the other ingredients.
- Once coated, divide the lemon slices and place these on top of the asparagus. Fold up the pieces of foil to create parcels and seal tightly by pinching the ends together.
- Preheat the barbecue/grill to a medium heat. Add the foil parcels and grill for 10-15 minutes or until the asparagus is tender with a little bit of bite. You can carefully open up one of the parcels during cooking to check (the thickness of your spears will play a big part in how long they'll need).
- Once done, remove the foil parcels from the grill. Carefully open them up, give the spears a little mix in the juices, and serve.🌱 Serving suggestions >📸 See recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
Nutrition
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