Vegan Creamy Lemon Asparagus Orzo! Asparagus and Hollandaise sauce are a match made in heaven, and this plant based twist takes this dynamic duo to a whole new level.

Rich and creamy with a touch of elegance, this Vegan Creamy Lemon Asparagus Orzo is brimming with bright flavors, earthy asparagus, and Spring vibes.  Tender orzo pasta and nutritious asparagus are coated with a delightful lemon, Dijon flavored sauce that is sure to please even the most distinguished of palates.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

So crazy yummy! We all fell in love with this deliciously creamy orzo dish. It’s incredibly tasty. It has an almost Hollandaise-like flavor to the sauce.

You gotta give this one a try!

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This creamy orzo dish is filled with beautiful lemony asparagus flavors.  It is Dijon mustard flavor forward. The sauce has a slight Hollandaise sauce feel to it.
• Amount of Dijon Mustard: Our family was completely divided over the amount of Dijon mustard, some wanted more, others wanted less.  If unsure, start on the lower end and increase to suit your personal preferences.
• Cashews: The cashews go into the skillet with the broth to cook as they will be blended with the other skillet ingredients.
• Cashew Substitutions: You can replace the cashews with other nuts or seeds, white beans, or silken tofu with the understanding that the flavor and texture will be influenced accordingly.
• Orzo Pasta: This recipe is designed specifically to use orzo pasta.  You can use other small pasta, but the orzo is tiny and gives this dish an almost risotto feel to it.   Do not use more than 12 oz. of orzo pasta.
• Orzo Cooking: Cook the orzo to al dente stage.  Al dente means “toothiness”, in other words, cook it to the point that it still has a tiny bit of chew to it.  It will soften up even more in the sauce.
• Cooked Orzo: If the pasta is done and set aside for more than 5 minutes before adding to the skillet (which is perfectly fine), you may wish to run the cooked orzo under cold water again and use your fingers to loosen it up to prevent a sticky clump of orzo.  Orzo really tends to stick together.
• Stir-In Spice/Herbs: Do not place the Stir-In Spice/Herb Ingredients into the high-speed blender as they can become over processed and bring a slightly bitter edge to the sauce.
• Sauce: Initially the sauce will appear to be very soupy.  This recipe is designed to be an almost porridge/risotto like in consistency.  The cashews will tighten up the sauce as it slightly cools.  Note:  If you substitute the cashews, the sauce may not tighten up.  You may consider using slightly less liquids.
• Frozen Asparagus: You can use fresh asparagus with this recipe; however, you will want to cook them first to the desired tenderness before adding to the sauce.
• Amount of Sea Salt: Our family was completely divided over the amount of sea salt that this dish needed to be perfectly seasoned.  Feel free to adjust the sea salt accordingly.
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese: Topping with Vegan Parmesan Cheese really took the dish to the next level of deliciousness.  It is not required, but it adds depth. We recommend a generous sprinkle on individual servings.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.

This dish freezes well.

Pantry Products:

• Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.  Feel free to use your favorite vegetable stock/broth.
• Dijon Mustard:  We used Koops Dijon Mustard.  Feel free to use your favorite Dijon mustard.
• Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Products Used:

• Stock pot (to cook the orzo)
• High-speed blender
• Large Skillet

If you try this flavorful dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Vegan Creamy Lemon Asparagus Orzo

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 20 Minutes
• Cook Time: 25-30 Minutes
• Total Time: 45 Minutes
• Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Rich and creamy with a touch of elegance, this Vegan Creamy Lemon Asparagus Orzo is brimming with bright flavors, earthy asparagus, and Spring vibes.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Skillet Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth *
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup [raw] cashews
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ cup unsweetened plain plant milk
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (+/-)
• 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard (+/-) *

Skillet Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) * 

Stir-In Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon dried basil (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-) 

Other Ingredients:

• 12 oz. orzo pasta *
• 16 oz. fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces 

Optional Toppings:

• Vegan Parmesan Cheese
• Chopped fresh basil

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Place the trimmed and cut asparagus into a large skillet with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a gentle simmering boil.  Simmer 5 to 7 minutes (more or less largely dependent on how tender/crisp you enjoy asparagus), then drain, rinse with cold water, set aside.  Note:  Separate ½ cup of the boiled cut asparagus and set aside until used later in Step 7.
2. Cook the orzo according to package directions (al dente stage *), drain, rinse with cold water, set aside.
3. In the meantime, place the Skillet Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, whisk to combine, set aside.
4. Place the Add-In Spice/Herb Ingredients into a separate small bowl, whisk to combine, set aside.
5. Add the diced onions to the large skillet that was previously used to simmer the asparagus, sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
6. Next add the minced garlic, sauté, stirring constantly for one minute, then add all the remaining Base Ingredients (including the cashews) and the Skillet Spice/Herb Mix. Stir well to mix, bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Simmer for 8 minutes.
7. After 8 minutes, remove the skillet from the stove and allow to slightly cool off, approximately 2 to 4 minutes, then place the skillet mixture into a high-speed, along with the reserved ½ cup of cooked asparagus pieces, blend on high for one to two minutes until smooth and emulsified. Then pour the blended skillet/asparagus (from the high-speed blender) mixture back into the large skillet and place on the stove.  Increase the heat to boiling, then immediately reduce to a simmer.
8. Add the Stir-In Spice/Herb Mix to the skillet, stir well to combine.
9. Add the remaining asparagus pieces and cooked orzo *, simmer for 4 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
10. Remove from the stove and allow to cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the orzo to absorb the sauce.
11. Top individual servings with a generous sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan Cheese and freshly chopped basil.

---

Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used. 

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.   

*Servings:  4 to 5

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.