Learn how to cook asparagus directly on the grill grates. The key is to choose thick spears and lay them perpendicular to the grates so they don’t fall through.
📋 What's New In This Post (7/1/25) - Added a couple more tips and links.
First Asparagus of the Season
Asparagus — another veggie that’s available in stores year-round, but one I don’t like buying year-round. For about half the year, asparagus comes from Peru, and I just don’t find the flavor to be very good. So I usually avoid it.
When asparagus from Mexico starts showing up in late winter or early spring, I’ll grab it if the price is right. But nothing excites me more than when local asparagus finally arrives. The flavor is unmatched, and I can usually find the thicker spears I love most.
This year, I picked up some local asparagus in Oregon in April and threw it on the grill that very night. When you’ve got peak, in-season asparagus, there’s not much you need to do to make it incredible.
I hope you get to experience that same joy.
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Ingredients
You don't need very much here to make a delicious side dish.
- Asparagus - I only buy asparagus when it's in season which typically runs from March through at least June, sometimes to the start of July. Check out my post to read more about When Asparagus Is in Season. You also could grill purple asparagus.
- Oil - Whatever cooking oil you are comfortable with using should be fine as long as you pick something with a high smoke point.
- Salt - I typically sprinkle the spears with some kosher salt before putting onto the grill.
You can always squeeze on a little bit of fresh lemon juice at the end or pick any seasoning off my list of Best Spices for Asparagus.
Preparing the Asparagus
Before you cook the asparagus it's important that you trim the bottoms off the asparagus. They are too fibrous and I find that I have a hard time chewing them. There are many schools of thought on how to do this, some people like to bend them until they snap. You could do that sure, but you end up with different lengths and often take off more than you need to.
I prefer to pull out a ruler and cut about 1 ½ to 2 inches off the bottom. This seems to work well. If your asparagus is larger, I would go more towards the 2 inch length.
Don't toss the asparagus ends! You can save then to use to make vegetable stock, like a do for my Asparagus Ends Broth Potato Soup.
Grilling Tips
Make sure to arrange your spears so that are going the opposite way of the grates, so they don't fall down. Before you fire up the grill put a spear on the grates and see how it fits. If your asparagus is too small and it's just going to fall through there are other ways to cook it on the grill. Check out my post on How to Cook Asparagus in a Foil Packet on the Grill.
Aim for grilling your asparagus on a grill that is around 400-425 degrees. You will need about 7-9 minutes to cook it. You just want it to be tender with some char. It cooks it about half the time it would if you were roasting it in the oven.
How to know how hot your grill is - If you're looking to measure the temperature of your grill, I recommend using an infrared thermometer. I don’t really trust the built-in temperature gauge you often find on the hood of a grill—it’s not always accurate because grills tend to have hot and cold spots. I like the ThermoWorks Industrial IR with Circle Laser because it has a circle that shows you exactly where it's measuring the temperature from.
Grilled Asparagus on the Grates
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh asparagus green or purple
- 2 tbsp cooking oil with a high smoke point
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to around 400–425°F.
- While the grill is heating up, trim the bottom 2 inches off the asparagus with a knife—this part is tough. You can save the ends to make vegetable stock.
- Place the asparagus on a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and season with kosher salt to taste.
- Using tongs, place the asparagus on the grill perpendicular to the grates so they don’t fall through. This works best with thick spears.
- Cook for 7–9 minutes until charred and the spears have softened. Rotate the asparagus to ensure even cooking. If it's charring but still too hard, move it to a cooler part of the grill.
- Remove the asparagus when done and transfer it back to the sheet pan. Serve immediately.
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