This cold asparagus salad with dill is the perfect summer dish - fresh, light, and bursting with flavor! Made with tender asparagus spears and a zesty dill dressing, it's a healthy and satisfying choice for any occasion. It is a sensational top 9 allergen friendly, gluten free, and vegan cold asparagus salad.
Jump to:
- Why We Love This Allergen Friendly Asparagus Salad Recipe
- Ingredients
- The Ingredient Low Down
- Instructions/ Directions and Tips
- Low Food Waste Tips
- Like This Recipe? Sign up to our Newsletter so you never miss a recipe.
- Substitution Ideas in Allergen Friendly Asparagus Salad
- Variations and Adaptations on Cold Asparagus Summer Salad
- Storage
- Top Tip
- FAQ
- What To Serve With
- Other Recipes You May Enjoy
- Have You Made Our Cold Asparagus Salad with Dill? Please Leave a Comment Below.
- Rate our Recipe.
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- Food Safety
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Why We Love This Allergen Friendly Asparagus Salad Recipe
This asparagus summer salad really surprised us. Our kids adored it and have been asking to have it all week! A good thing as we got a great deal on asparagus so we have been looking for ways to use it up that the kids love. This recipe is it.
We asked about different recipes that use asparagus from other food lovers. Amongst many other recipe ideas was a recipe by Once Upon a Chef. While we couldn't use that recipe as their raw asparagus salad has many of our allergens we got a ton of inspiration to create our own recipe for an asparagus salad. This salad has changed BBQs for us. It is now our go-to top 9 allergen friendly asparagus salad for picnics and early summer gatherings.
Ingredients
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Brown Sugar
- Coconut Aminos
- Lemon Juice
- Pumpkin Seed Oil
- Fresh Ginger
- Garlic
- Green Onions
- Fresh Dill
- Asparagus
- Sunflower Seeds, raw unsalted
- Garnishes: Grape tomatoes, Sunflower seeds.
See recipe card for quantities.
The Ingredient Low Down
Rice Wine Vinegar
This gives the cold asparagus salad side dish a fabulous fresh flavour and helps to break down the asparagus and tenderise it while it marinades. Other vinegars can be used but may change the overall taste of the cold asparagus salad with dill.
Olive and Pumpkin Seed Oil
We use these oils as they are safe for us. The olive oil can be replaced with avocado oil or canola oil. Pumpkin seed oil is a cold use only oil that has a strong seed taste and is popular in parts of Germany. It is a great salad oil that can be used to replace sesame seed oil. It has a very low smoke point and should never be used with heat or cooked.
The pumpkin seed oil can be replaced with grapeseed oil for a similar flavour. Another substitute would be avocado or canola oil for a milder taste. Usually it would be replaced with walnut or sesame oil but neither of those are top 9 allergen friendly.
Brown Sugar
Maple syrup or honey can be used in place of brown sugar. Make sure that whichever sugar you choose is allergen friendly. Some brown sugars can have high cross contact with allergens or be refined in a way that is not vegan. If making this allergen friendly asparagus salad recipe as a vegan recipe make sure to avoid honey as it is not a vegan ingredient.
Coconut Aminos
Coconut aminos are a tangy soy sauce replacement that is made from fermented coconut sap. It is not safe for those with a coconut allergy. It is this ingredient that gives the salad its umami taste.
Lemon Juice
Fresh squeezed right from the lemon is best in this recipe. The bottles lemon juice can be used, however, when ingredients are processed there are more risks for allergens in the product and in cross contact depending on the manufacturer.
Fresh Ginger, Dill, and Garlic
Fresh is what makes this vegan cold asparagus salad shine. Using fresh ginger, garlic, and dill brings a lot of flavour depth to this side dish.
These ingredients can be used if dried but they really will not give the same flavour. Dry spices need to be reduced by at least one third of what the recipe calls for. Another thing to check is dried spices are packaged and may come in contact with allergens. Always check with the manufacturer for cross contact between dry spices and allergens.
Green Onions
Whether they go by the name scallions, green onions, or spring onions they are a fabulous way to add raw onion to a dish without a huge onion flavour. For a softer flavour use only the greens of the onions and save the white ends for another dish or grow more scallion greens from them. To find out how to regrow the green onions check out this method from Gardening Know How.
Asparagus
Not many people know that asparagus can be eaten raw. It is usually cooked as it is a woody vegetable but the really small spring stemmed asparagus is perfect for this recipe. A tender small stalk will work best in this recipe rather than a large and woody one. If a stalk is really large it will be tough and hard to chew.
The asparagus used should be classified as small or very small in diameter with a measurement of less than 8/16 of an inch. For more information on asparagus sizing as per the USDA guidelines and other state guidelines check out this informative article from Fresh Point.
Sunflower Seeds, raw unsalted
We love this ingredient as it adds crunch and texture to the raw asparagus salad. It can be omitted if seeds are not safe for you. Pumpkin seeds (pepitas), poppy seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds could be used in place if desired or omitted entirely.
Instructions/ Directions and Tips
1- In a large bowl measure in the rice wine vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, coconut aminos, lemon juice and pumpkin seed oil.
2- Mix well with a fork.
3- Add in ginger, garlic, green onions, and dill.
4- Mix again with a fork.
5- Add in chopped asparagus. Mix it in the dressing until all of the asparagus is covered.
6- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour. It can marinade for up to 24 hours.
7- After marinating, remove the plastic wrap, add the sunflower seeds to the salad and stir to mix them in. Garnish with halved grape tomatoes, if desired.Serve.
Low Food Waste Tips
Save the woody tips on the ends of the asparagus when making the vegan cold asparagus salad with dill and store in a freezer container. When enough are saved make our Low Waste Asparagus Soup.
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Substitution Ideas in Allergen Friendly Asparagus Salad
- Vinegar - instead of rice wine vinegar use another safe vinegar. Other vinegars that may be suitable, depending on your allergies white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or spirit vinegar.
- Flavoured oils and vinegars and herbs - to change the flavour palate of the cold asparagus salad with dill omit the coconut aminos and ginger and change up the herbs with a complementary flavoured oil or vinegar that is safe for your family.
- Sugar and Sweeteners - Replace the brown sugar or maple syrup with a liquid sweetener such as agave, honey, or liquid monk fruit. If using a sweetener such as monk fruit, Splenda, or Stevia start with less than the recipe amount. Sweeteners can be 3 times sweeter tasting than sugar.
Variations and Adaptations on Cold Asparagus Summer Salad
- Spicy - adding in red chilli flakes to the dressing will give it a bit of a spicy punch.
- Green Beans - Instead of asparagus try making it with blanched green beans.
- Oranges - Using mandarin orange segments, either fresh or canned, and add them to the salad before marinating.
- Gluten Free and Allergen Friendly Fried Onion Pieces - they are hard to find top 9 friendly but if you can have them they will add a good taste and crunch. Mix them in right before serving or as a garnish for the best flavour.
Storage
-Fridge
In the fridge the allergen friendly asparagus salad will keep for up to 48 hours or 2 days in an airtight container.
-Freezer
We do not recommend freezing this vegan cold asparagus salad side dish.
Top Tip
Make the cold asparagus sald with dill salad the night before a picnic, bbq or another large gathering. It will help save loads of time the day of as all it takes less than 5 minutes to finish preparing before serving.
FAQ
Yes, you can! We choose to marinate it to imbue it with flavour and help break down the woody stalks a bit. The acid in the dressing will help make the asparagus softer to eat. It is safe to eat raw asparagus. Blanching asparagus is another popular way to use it in salads..
Serving asparagus after grilling or steaming is one way to combat the woody texture this vegetable can have when eaten raw. Instead of cooking using baby or early season asparagus will help with this texture issue. The stalks should be very small in diameter rather than large as the smaller stalks are more tender and usually less woody. Also trimming the base of the stalks off will help.
For more information check out the article by Healthline.
What To Serve With
Asparagus dill salad is the kind of salad that is perfect for large gatherings and family dinners. It is a summer salad staple for barbecues and summer parties. This vegan cold asparagus salad is a great side dish with chicken (Garlic thyme chicken) and pork (pickle brine marinated) main courses or family favourites like Egg Free Meatloaf. We have garnished this asparagus summer salad with grape tomato halves to add colour to the dish.
Have You Made Our Cold Asparagus Salad with Dill? Please Leave a Comment Below.
Rate our Recipe.
We Love To Hear From You!
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsps Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tbsps Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- 3 Tbsps Brown Sugar or maple syrup
- 3 Tbsps Coconut Aminos
- 2 Tbsps Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
- 2 Tbsps Pumpkin Seed Oil or sunflower seed oil
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger grated
- 4 Cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Green Onions chopped
- ⅓ C Fresh Dill chopped
- 2 lbs Asparagus raw cut in 1-1.5 inch segments with the woody ends trimmed
- ¼ C Sunflower Seeds raw unsalted
- 8 Grape Tomatoes halved as garnish (if desired)
Instructions
- In a large bowl measure in the rice wine vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, coconut aminos, lemon juice and pumpkin seed oil.
- Mix well with a fork.
- Add in ginger, garlic, green onions, and dill.
- Mix again with a fork.
- Add in chopped asparagus. Mix it in the dressing until all of the asparagus is covered.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour. It can marinade for up to 24 hours.
- After marinating, remove the plastic wrap, add the sunflower seeds to the salad and stir to mix them in. Garnish with halved grape tomatoes, if desired. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Food Safety
- Contact the manufacturer of products, regarding cross contact and ingredients, to ensure they are safe for you
- Always check ingredients for allergens
- Do not use the same utensils on allergen free food, that previously touched allergens
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment and us know how much you liked it.