Asparagus Fries with Parmesan + Panko
Asparagus Fries are Panko and Parmesan crusted asparagus spears that are breaded and baked until crispy and golden brown for an addictive, healthy side dish or snack!
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I have to admit that I often get stuck in a rut when it comes to serving my family veggies. So it's nice to come up with a new recipe every so often that's a little bit different, easy to make, and downright delicious. Have you ever had Asparagus Fries? Each spear boasts a crunchy, golden coating and a tender interior. Everyone will love this flavorful, wonderfully textured side dish or snack that's actually oven-baked and healthy, despite tasting fried!
Ingredients
It takes just a handful of ingredients to make these simple, delectable Asparagus Fries:
- Flour. All-purpose.
- Eggs. Beaten.
- Garlic salt + freshly ground black pepper. For seasoning.
- Panko breadcrumbs. For a crunchy coating.
- Parmesan cheese. Fresh and finely grated.
- Asparagus. Medium-thickness spears are preferred for this recipe, so that the asparagus takes the same amount of time to get tender as the breading does to turn crunchy. If your asparagus is too thin, it will overcook and become mushy. If your asparagus is too thick, it won't adequately soften by the time the coating has browned.
How to Make Asparagus Fries
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
Making Asparagus Fries is as simple as coating asparagus spears in grated Parmesan and crispy Panko bread crumbs, arranging 'em on a rack, and then roasting in the oven at a high temperature. Let's break it down, shall we?
- Preheat oven, line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, and place a wire rack on top.
- Measure flour into a shallow dish. Season with garlic salt and black pepper and stir to combine.
- In a second shallow dish, season some eggs with more garlic salt and black pepper and beat well.
- In a third shallow dish, combine Panko crumbs and grated Parmesan.
- Wash and dry asparagus and trim off the tough ends.
- Working with a few pieces at a time, dredge in flour.
- Coat with eggs.
- Finally, roll in the Panko/Parmesan mixture until well coated.
- Arrange asparagus on your wire rack-topped baking sheet so that there's a little bit of space between each piece.
- Bake asparagus on the middle rack for 7 minutes. Move the baking sheet to the second-lowest rack and bake for a few more minutes, or until the Asparagus Fries are crispy and golden.
- Serve immediately with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce!
Dipping Sauce Options
My kids enjoy dipping their Asparagus Fries in ketchup, à la regular French fries, because that's the way we roll around here.
However, I can think of lots of alternative dipping sauces -- from garlicky aïoli to lemony Hollandaise to creamy horseradish -- that would be yummy.
Or just enjoy these babies sans sauce! They're plenty flavorful perfectly plain and straight out of the oven.
Whether you're a fan of asparagus or about to become one thanks to this recipe (ha), these Parmesan Panko Asparagus Fries would be a perfect side dish to add to your rotation all spring and summer long.
I think these spears would be tasty alongside burgers, grilled grub, steak, baked chicken, pork chops...the sky's the limit!
Hope y'all love this new twist on asparagus. 🙂
More Asparagus Recipes
- Classic Roasted Asparagus
- Cheesy Garlic Roasted Potatoes & Asparagus
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies
- Springtime Asparagus Tart with Ham & Mushrooms
Asparagus Fries with Parmesan + Panko
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt, divided
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound asparagus, of medium thickness
Instructions
- Arrange oven racks to that they are in the center and second-lowest positions. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a 13- by 18-inch sheet pan with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack.
- Place flour in a shallow dish. Season with ½ teaspoon garlic salt and a generous amount of black pepper; whisk to combine. In a second shallow dish, beat eggs and season with remaining ½ teaspoon garlic salt and more black pepper. Mix together panko and Parmesan in a third shallow dish.
- Wash asparagus and trim off the tough ends. Working with a few pieces at a time, dredge in flour, then coat with eggs, and roll in panko/Parmesan mixture. Arrange asparagus on wire rack-topped baking sheet so that there's a little bit of space between each piece.
- Place baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Move baking sheet to the 2nd lowest rack and bake for 3 to 5 minutes more, or until asparagus are crispy and golden. Serve immediately.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Choose asparagus of average circumference for this recipe. If your asparagus is too thin, it will overcook and become mushy. If your asparagus is too thick, it won't adequately soften by the time the coating has browned.
- Cooking the asparagus on a rack set over a sheet pan, and moving the pan to a lower rack once almost done, will allow the asparagus to crisp up on all sides without burning on the top.
Nutrition
Post originally published on May 10, 2015, and updated on February 14, 2020, and April 11, 2023.
These asparagus fries were crunchy and super delicious. It was a nice change for enjoying asparagus.
I had never had asparagus fries before. We all loved how these turned out. So crispy and delicious!
I'm going to go ahead and give 5 stars - not trying to rain on you parade - but this recipe is insane. 3 dishes to bask in, and panko...great. My kids are running around the house like insane people and I have egg and flour and panko all over the place, and the counter is a mess. Why am I making this recipe?? Oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder will go on the asparagus next time, in the oven, boom done.
Someone had to say it, sorry.
Ha, David...there's no pressure to give stars or even make this recipe in the first place! I also fall back on roasted asparagus nine times out of ten, but this is a fun way to change it up when we want something different. And yes, seeing as how the traditional "breading method" requires three separate dishes, definitely avoid this recipe if you're going for minimal dirty dishes! 😉
Delicious , will make a lot
This was a delicious recipe... thanks so much!
These were very, very good! I was out of Parmesan cheese so I used what I had on hand - a blend of cheddar, Colby and Monterrey jack cheeses. I didn't have a wire rack either so I lined the pan with foil and just laid them out on it and sprinkled the remaining Panko-cheese mixture I had over them before baking. In hind site, I should have sprayed the foil before I put them on there because it was a tricky task to remove them because of the types of cheese I used (but not impossible and they were very tasty). The cheese and Panko gave a wonderful crispiness to the dish and we loved every bite. I even took the extra crispies that were left in the pan and put them on my dogs' food, they loved it, too! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for a nice quick way to make asparagus. Went well with my baked salmon and au gratin potatoes.
Sounds delicious! What kind of entrée would go well with this?
Just about anything you like, Alison. 🙂 Ham, chicken, steak...something simple so as not to detract from such a yummy side! 😉
I love asparagus and I am always looking for different side veggie dishes. This is a BINGO in my book.
Great idea. The way I love asparagus, I will probably be just eating this and nothing else. Lol---I'm serious.
No issues with that, Carol...I ate so many of these when I first made them that it pretty much ended up being a stand-alone meal -- ha! 😉 Thanks for stopping by and hope your week is going well!
Oh my these look so yummy! I will definitely try them. I made asparagus and eggs this weekend, but I like this for something different 🙂
I hope these are a hit with your crew, Kristin! Asparagus and eggs sounds like a yummy combo, too! I make a tart combining those ingredients, but I've never just served asparagus on the side with eggs. I'll have to try that next...thanks for the inspiration! 😉
What a great way to prepare asparagus! I usually roast it or steam it, but it's always fun to switch things up!
Thanks, Megan! This was a new preparation method for me as well, but one that we'll definitely be adding to the regular rotation. 😉 Hope you enjoy it if you have a chance to try it!