When the weather starts warming up, I switch from hot soups to cold soups because they make a refreshing summertime lunch. One of my favorite cold soups is this cold asparagus soup with lots of garlic. It’s a great soup to make anytime, but is a tasty solution for the large asparagus spears you find late in the season. Add a head of garlic and you have, not just a tasty soup, but an all around healthy soup.
This soup has everything I love about cold asparagus soup combined with my hot garlic soup. It has the best of both. We did find it is best “a little” cooler than room temperature rather than “‘cold”, right out of the refrigerator.; So, once it’s been chilled, you just need to let it set for about 20 – 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Cold Asparagus and Garlic Soup
If you love asparagus and garlic, then you’ll love this soup. A rich, creamy cold soup to help chilled out on a hot summer day.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information and substitutions.
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and chopped
- 1 pound fresh asparagus, coarsely chopped
- 3 cups water
- Juice from half of a large orange or ¼ cup orange juice*
- ½ tsp. salt or to taste
- generous amount of cracked white pepper
- ¼ cup half and half or milk substitute*
- Fresh herbs* (lemon thyme or tarragon work best, chopped)
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium low heat. Add onion and garlic. Slowly sweat the onions until translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Add asparagus. Increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.
- Add water. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
- Add the orange juice.
- Using a blender or immersion blender, puree the soup.
- Add the salt and pepper.
- Stir in the cream.
- Chill overnight. Remove from the refrigerator about 20-30 minutes before serving.
Ladle into soup bowls. Top with chopped fresh herbs.
Serve with garlic bread, cheese toasts, crackers of choice or a grilled cheese sandwich. This soup could also be served in cups as a starter to the meal.
Orange Juice – The amount of orange juice can be adjusted to your personal tastes. I usually find 1/4 cup juice adds just enough acid, but sometimes I need a touch more.
Cream or milk substitute – Just a little helps to yield a richer tasting but this ingredient can be omitted.
Fresh herbs – These are used for a topping when serving; therefore, you won’t need these until the next day. We have used a few different herbs, but have found lemon thyme to be our favorite, followed closely by tarragon.
Lemon thyme and cilantro – I have several friends that don’t eat cilantro because of that strange thing about cilantro tasting like soap. So I’ve been looking for a good substitute and I believe it might be lemon thyme. I say that because I have substituted lemon thyme in a few recipes that call for cilantro. In all cases, the lemon thyme was just as tasty. Granted, it yielded a little different flavor but it worked with the ingredients. It gave the dishes a refreshing taste, which is what lemon thyme does for any dish.
If you have an herb garden I would suggest growing lemon thyme. It’s easy to grow and grows fast. It is a perennial and a lovely little plant.
For more cold soup recipes, check out this roundup of more than 20 chilled soups.
This looks so pretty and very refreshing. I agree cold soups are fantastic in the warmer weather. I love your blue bowl and plate – gorgeous xx
Thanks Charlie! Those blue bowls are some of my favorites. 🙂
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Hi MJ,
What a beautiful soup, we have both lemon thyme and tarragon in our herb garden and they are very hardy plants. Your soup looks delicious! Hope you have a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
What a delicious combo and oh soooo good for you! Would love for you to come share your recipes with us at Kids in the Kitchen: http://younglivingoillady.com/home/kids-in-the-kitchen-link-up-week-16/ Thanks and hope to see you there!
Thanks for the invitation Carrie! All linked up!
What a lovely soup. I’ve never had it cold but I love asparagus. You have a wonderful looking site. I’m going to go look around now.
I would enjoy this cold or hot – what a wonderful soup! I really like the idea of adding the fresh herbs at the end, and the orange juice must add a wonderful zing this Asparagus and Garlic Soup.
This looks super yummy. Thanks for sharing at Creative Thursday last week. I can’t wait to see what you link up this week. Have a great day 🙂
Michelle
I know what you mean about summer and cold soups, they are so refreshing and full of flavor.
I have to look for lemon thyme, I love herbs and look forward to trying it
Cold soup I must admit is something I have never made! I love the color of this one plus it contains asparagus a vegetable I came to appreciate only very recently!
Loving the idea for this soup! The asparagus/garlic combo sounds like match made in heaven, and perfect for a cold soup. Pinned! Thanks for sharing this with Sunday Night Soup Night!
I have chosen this soup as one of my top 3 from Sunday Night Soup Night! I have tweeted it, pinned it and shared it on my Facebook page. It will be featured on Sunday Night Soup Night this coming Sunday. Thanks for linking up and I hope to see you again soon!
WOW – Thanks Debbie! Thanks for sharing this soup in SO many ways! I’ll be seeing you on Sunday and can’t wait for the start of Sunday Night Salad Night! Have a wonderful weekend!
I do grow lemon thyme, never though about it as a substitution for cilantro…great tip! This soup sounds extraordinary and I love the whole head of garlic, so delicious!
This soup sounds wonderful and the presentation is incredibly lovely!
BTW, I didn’t see a link back to one of the H&S Hop hosts, when you have a chance could you please add one?
Thanks Alea! I’ve added the link back to Hearth and Soup! Sorry about that. Just space it out! 🙂
I love the use of asparagus and garlic together in the soup – I’ve never had garlic soup or asparagus soup, let alone together, but the combination sounds wonderful. I definitely would not have picked mint as a garnish, but the tarragon or thyme would have been at the top of my list as well. Probably thyme first because it’s one of my favorite herbs…
Well, if you’ve never had either asparagus or garlic soup, then you really do need to try this! You’ll love it Javelin! Hope you’re having a great week!
Nice food styling! Great placement of the herbs on the soup. And the soup itself sounds terrific – really good combo of flavors. Adding the herbs at the end sounds just right to me – if you add them earlier and chill the soup, a lot of their flavor seems to disappear. Good recipe – thanks.
You can’t go wrong with asparagus and a whole head of garlic in a soup!
I just love the flavors in this! I love cold soups but for some reason rarely make them at home. must try this!
bookmarked! it’s whats for dinner this week!
Hi MJ – I can’t imagine not liking cilantro… I find it absolutely amazing. Have you tried subbing in “culantro”. The leaves are much longer and thicker. The flavour is similar to cilantro but there are subtle differences – personally I think it’s superior… has a certain… “je ne sais quoi” which cilantro doesn’t. I’ll need to find this lemon thyme – it sounds wonderful!
Love the look of the soup – I can imagine the lovely complex flavours with the asparagus and all that yummy garlic! 🙂
I love the color and flavors in this soup MJ!Looks really delicious and with all that garlic and fresh herbs it looks like a lovely combination and great for this weather!I need to get some lemon thyme soon!
I love lemon thyme and the flavor it adds. Your bowl of soup looks lovely, MJ! 🙂
Now I’m totally excited to try this recipe. We usually buy asparagus at every grocery shopping and always think what to cook with it. Here it is! I need to buy tarragon and lemon thyme though. Looks beautiful and I can’t wait to actually taste this soup!!!!
That fresh herb floating in the soup…is really making my stomach grumble….so very appetizing. We use lots of coriander leaves (cilantro) in our Indian cooking….it is a must in most curries….wonder why it tastes like soap…maybe its a different breed or so…..this soups sure must have tasted heaven with garlic, onion, and the fresh herbs. Have a great day MJ.
Nisa – they think the cilantro tasting like soap connection is genetic. They recently found that the next day smell from eating asparagus is genetic and apparently I have the gene for that one. Have a great weekend!
Mj, this sounds really delicious, especially now that it has gotten so warm out. I love that you put the whole head of garlic in there, that’s my kind of thinking. I just made a tomato gazpacho. Cold soup is nice.
MJ…I am so with you on chilled soups at this time of year. Gazpachos are good. But I love trying new soups and this one is really a beauty! This will be perfect on those really warm nights when you definitely don’t feel like cooking! It’s such a pretty color and I’m glad you added your herbs to garnish! Love your photos and dishes as usual!!! : )
Looks like you used lots of garlic in this recipe and that really excites me because I love garlic. I could never have enough garlic and with the addition of asparagus? Sounds like a winner, MJ!
Never enough garlic, MJ. You’re right about that. I don’t think there is a day that goes by we don’t throw garlic into one of our dishes. Soup looks delicious and perfect for any fresh herbs like lemon thyme. Will have to try this one out. Thanks!
Mark – You’re my kind of cook! Everything starts with garlic! 🙂
Mj this just looks beautiful. I could sit down to a bowl of this right now.
This is great that I don’t have to bite on the Asparagus and just drink it as soup. Very good ideas.
Mj, thank you so much for sharing this. I have been craving soup, but it is has been too hot, can’t wait to try this one!
MJ, the photos are gorgeous! I love asparagus and have it several times a week when it’s in season. I have never tried pairing it with garlic. Thank you for the excellent idea!
I love everything in this soup, MJ…but I’m not so into cold soup so I would prefer this hot.
I especially love the fresh herbs lying across this soup and can just imagine you out in your sundrenched garden MJ… I just bought a lemon thyme plant on Monday and thought of you…I’m not sure there is anything that smells quite as good (although the neighbouring lavender plant is pretty close). I had no idea that cilantro was reputed to taste like soap. I have never found it so. Beautiful, spring fresh soup MJ!
Kelly – I hope you enjoy your lemon thyme plant! It dries quite nicely so you can have dried lemon thyme in the winter! Have a great weekend my friend!
I love cucumber cold soup. Since that is the only cold soup recipe I have tried 😉
This looks like a great chilled soup recipe. Thanks =)
mmm… yummy soup 🙂
Lovely presentation and an incredibly delicious sounding soup. You won’t believe this but yesterday I was wanting to try a cold soup and here I see your recipe!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Asapagus and garlic in a soup, thats a lovely combination. I love this
Oh..the soup looks so pretty with the perfect garnish, lovely color and beautiful serving bowl! You are lucky to have such wonderful herbs at hand, MJ.
Well, we are having some great sunshine over here. I would love to have this cold soup bowl with some amazing flavors.
I love that you went for the gusto and added the whole bulb of garlic!! “my hero”. 🙂 This sounds fantastic. I love how you garnished it too… it’s hard to photograph a bowl of green soup….but you made it look simply lovely. 🙂
I haven’t had cold soup before, not even gazpacho so I will have to give it a go when it turns warmer. The weather here is still erratic! There was even hail in London!
In the summer I usually make one cold soup a week – even if it’s just blend together a melon and some mint. Like a smoothie in a bowl. 🙂 Of course, you need to try gazpacho! There’s nothing like it! Hope your weather starts settling down. We’re into our day after day of beautiful sunshine and no moisture.
Lovely soup and I love how you plated it! I really like that blue bowl.
I adore lemon thyme! The soup looks really delightful and delicious! Love your serving bowl!
looks so dainty & pretty, esp the pastel green!
I love the info on lemon thyme! I will have to see if I can find some and plant it! Gorgeous pictures 🙂
Simple but delicious – and that soup has a gorgeous color. I’ve never experimented with lemon thyme, I’ll have to check it out since I’m such a huge cilantro fanatic and am aghast when people tell me they don’t like it.
I don’t make cold soups that often but this one looks great. Up until this week I would have agreed with you on the “there’s no such thing as too much garlic”. I made a recipe (that I’m posting tomorrow) that was way too garlicky … a first for me 🙂
I’m a huge cold soup fan in the summer – so refreshing. I hope you get to try it and like it. Headed over to check a recipe with too much garlic. 🙂
this dish sounds incredible! i would to have a hot one.