This asparagus tomato salad with avocado and feta is light, refreshing, and bursting with flavour! Marinated in a simple lemon vinaigrette, this cold asparagus salad recipe is a great make ahead option that can be made in less than 20 minutes! The perfect side dish to serve up at your next Spring or Summer BBQ, potluck or picnic! {Gluten-free & vegetarian}
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Cold Asparagus Salad Recipe
One of our favourite ways to serve up asparagus is in this Asparagus Tomato Salad!
Fresh chopped and blanched asparagus, colourful cherry tomatoes, basil, avocado and feta are marinated in a refreshing lemon vinaigrette for a light and refreshing side salad.
It pairs well with grilled chicken, salmon or burgers and is the perfect way to put that Spring and Summer produce to good use!
As an added bonus, this asparagus avocado salad can be made ahead of time and served up cold, so it’s a super low fuss dish that’s perfect for when you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.
Low maintenance and delicious? I’m in!
For more asparagus salad recipes, be sure to check out this Pearl Couscous Salad with Roasted Asparagus and Spring Mix Salad too!
Why We Love this Summer Asparagus Salad
- Nutrient-packed: Asparagus and tomatoes are a source of fibre and prebiotics, which basically means that they provide food for the probiotics or healthy bacteria in our digestive tract. The avocado provides a wonderful creaminess along with some healthy fats to the dressing and the feta pumps up the flavour, while adding some protein.
- Easy: The ingredients list is so simple and basic, but the taste is divine! The best part is, the asparagus cooks up in two minutes and then you simply have to assemble the ingredients!
- Perfect for entertaining: This is one of those salads that always gets rave reviews. It’s different than your typical salad, but is such a crowd pleaser, making it the perfect unique and refreshing salad to serve up at those summer barbecues, potlucks and picnics!
Ingredient Notes
- Asparagus: Be sure to wash the asparagus and remove the tough ends. Chop it into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
- Tomatoes: Can use grape or cherry tomatoes. I love using tri-coloured tomatoes for that extra pop of colour!
- Avocado: Use a ripe but still slightly firm avocado. We don’t want one that’s brown and mushy. That’s never appealing. Ever.
- Feta cheese: Can use light or full-fat feta cheese.
Scroll down for the full asparagus salad recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
Now the key to making this delicious salad is ensuring that the asparagus is cooked properly. There’s no room for mushy or overdone stringy asparagus in this salad!
How to cook asparagus for salad
- To cook the asparagus, boil a large pot of water. Add the asparagus pieces to the water and boil for 2 minutes.
- Immediately drain and place the asparagus in a bowl of ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process.
Assembling the asparagus salad with lemon vinaigrette
- Next, in a large bowl, toss together the blanched asparagus with the tomatoes, cubed avocado, feta and basil.
- Finally, we need to create the amazing flavourful lemon vinaigrette. Simply mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper.
- Pour that mouthwatering dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Recipe Tips
- Be careful not to overcook the asparagus: It should be bright green and crisp; not dull, soft and mushy.
- Blanch asparagus: After boiling the asparagus, immediately place it in ice cold water. You can add ice cubes to the water to cool it down. This helps to stop the cooking process so the asparagus stays firm.
- Let it marinate: If you have time, let the salad marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to combine.
- Make ahead tips: If you’re making this salad ahead of time, for optimal freshness, add the avocado and basil right before serving.
Storage Guidelines
Store in the fridge tightly wrapped with saran wrap or in an airtight container for up to three days.
Recipe FAQ
The asparagus is done cooking when it’s tender, but still vibrant green and crisp. If it’s dull and mushy, it’s probably overcooked.
To keep asparagus nice and crisp, shock it in an ice bath right after it’s finished boiling. Simply fill a bowl with cold water and ice cubes and immerse the asparagus in the ice bath for several minutes. This step will help to stop the cooking process and will keep the asparagus vibrant green, and tender yet crisp.
Yes! In fact, it’s incredibly refreshing to eat this asparagus salad straight out of the fridge since the asparagus will be cool and crisp.
Yes! The beautiful thing about this salad is that it’s not the type of salad to get all soggy or wilted in the fridge like a spinach or lettuce salad might. It’s a pretty hardy salad. For best results, add the avocado and basil to the salad right before serving.
Serving suggestions
Another bonus is that this refreshing cold asparagus tomato salad pairs well with so many things and is perfect for Spring and Summer when asparagus is in season!
If you’re looking for some ideas, you could try serving it with:
- Grilled chicken (marinated in one of these healthy chicken marinades)
- Roasted Garlic & Feta Burgers
- Healthy Turkey Burger Recipe
- Pesto Chicken Burgers
- Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken
- Walnut Crusted Salmon
- Avocado & Jalapeno Burgers
- Or as an addition to any barbecue, potluck or picnic!
Recipe variations
- Add some protein: Try adding some grilled chicken, bacon or beans for an extra dose of protein.
- Switch up the cheese: Instead of feta, try mozzarella, goat cheese, parmesan, or halloumi.
- Add some grains: To make it a heartier salad, try adding some cooked quinoa, couscous, farro or mix in some pasta like orzo or tortellini.
- Add extra veggies: Try adding cucumber, diced peppers or blanched green beans to the salad.
- Use different fresh herbs: Try subbing in fresh mint instead of basil.
More similar recipes
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!
Cold Asparagus Tomato Salad with Avocado & Feta
Ingredients
- 2 pounds asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes in varied colours halved
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 ripe avocado cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and place the asparagus into a bowl of ice water for several minutes.
- Next, combine the asparagus, tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese and basil in a large bowl. Toss until evenly distributed.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the asparagus mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for later.
Notes
- Be careful not to overcook the asparagus: It should be bright green and crisp; not dull, soft and mushy.
- Blanch asparagus: After boiling the asparagus, immediately place it in ice cold water. You can add ice cubes to the water to cool it down. This helps to stop the cooking process so the asparagus stays firm.
- Let it marinate: If you have time, let the salad marinate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to combine.
- Make ahead tips: If you’re making this salad ahead of time, for optimal freshness, add the avocado and basil right before serving.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in April 2016 and was updated in May 2022 to include better tips and photos.
Judy Scheuerman says
I had some asparagus and avocados that were perfectly ripe and would like any recipe using both. I wasn’t confident I would find anything good — not ingredients I normally put together. I was pleased to find your combination — and had all ingredients. It turned out above fantastic. If there were more than five stars, I would like to use it. Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious. I still can’t believe it was healthy, too.
Elysia Cartlidge says
Your comment made my day! I’m so happy you found a recipe with all of the ingredients you had on hand. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a kind review!
Sue S. says
I added bocconcini minis instead of feta and added blanched green beans as well. My dressing was a little bitter so I put a couple of tsps of honey in it. Turned out great! Thank you for the recipe.
Elysia Cartlidge says
Love the substitutions! Happy to hear that it worked out with the bocconcini minis too! Thanks for stopping by to comment :)
Sharon says
I bet you could add some red onions and yellow squash to this. Parboil the squash with the asparagus? Thanks for the idea. Looks delicious.
Elysia Cartlidge says
Thanks Sharon — you could definitely add some red onions and yellow squash! I bet it would be delicious and so colourful! Let me know if you have a chance to try it out!
Paula says
Delicious salad. I can’t wait to try some of the other recipes on this site. Thank you!
Elysia Cartlidge says
Thanks so much Paula! Glad you enjoyed it!
Barb says
I will be making this salad for tomorrow nights dinner. I’m sure it will taste as good as it looks!!
Elysia Cartlidge says
Hope you enjoyed the salad Barb!
Keith @ How's it Lookin? says
Looks great. A nice healthy salad, thanks for the idea
Elysia Cartlidge says
Thanks Keith! Hope you enjoy the salad :)