Easy German Asparagus Salad – Oma's Spargelsalat

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

Published: March 16, 2011, Updated: April 11, 2025

Asparagus salad (spargelsalat) is a springtime classic in Germany ... light, fresh, and oh-so easy. Even Oma says it’s fancy without the fuss!

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This springtime asparagus salad is so easy to make with hard-boiled eggs, radishes, and green onions.

This German asparagus salad recipe, aka spargelsalat, is one of those great spring recipes. It makes a great luncheon meal that's both light and tasty. 

For about 6 weeks every spring, asparagus is THE vegetable throughout Germany. Even the finest restaurants have a separate spargel menu that has various dishes, all starring the tasty white asparagus that grows throughout the region.

For this recipe you can use either green or white asparagus. The only difference is in the preparation of the asparagus ... the white needs to be peeled and then cooked just a tad longer.

This salad is so yummy with its hard-boiled eggs, radishes, and green onions that complement the asparagus.

Top Tips For The Best Results

1. For a traditional touch, choose for white asparagus. Green asparagus is a suitable alternative—just remember to adjust the cooking time accordingly. 
2. White asparagus requires peeling and a slightly longer cooking time, while green asparagus only needs the tough ends snapped off before cooking.
3. Adding the eggs provides protein for this dish, making it an excellent meal all on its own. Or omit the eggs to make it vegan. In that case, though, this recipe would make enough for 2 - 3 people. As a side dish, it would serve 4.
4. Omit the eggs to make this vegan. Serve eggs on the side so non-vegans can add them if desired.
5. This salad is best enjoyed fresh. If preparing in advance, keep the dressing separate and mix just before serving to maintain the salad's crispness.

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Male and Female Asparagus?

Did you know that asparagus can be male or female? Interesting, huh? But how can you tell the two plants apart?

The female asparagus plants produce small red berries along with their spears. While male plants grow longer in size and produce larger flowers as females as well. 

When female asparagus is ready to be harvested, its stalks are more fern-like and the berries will be grown in. These berries are NOT edible. The berries produced by the female plant are actually very toxic to humans. They will start off as small green bulbs growing off of the spears, and with time become a bright red.

The berries grown from female asparagus plants can be toxic to humans.

When harvested and sorted, it is crucial to remove the berries from the spears. The male plants will never produce these berries, which does make them easier for harvesting. 

I know it's hard not to shoo the birds from your gardens. But birds will eat asparagus berries. It isn't harmful to them. So maybe they can help speed up the harvesting process by getting all those pesky berries off for you! ;)

Make The Asparagus Salad Traditional Or Vegan

Below, my 13-year granddaughter, Lydia, makes this as a traditional and vegan version, since for this dinner party we had some vegan guests.

Instead of putting the sliced eggs right into the salad and mixing it, she served them on the side. That way, everyone could enjoy this!

My granddaughter Lydia showing step by step how to make asparagus salad

Lydia Remembers ...

I have so many wunderbar memories in the kitchen with my Oma, and have had MANY of her most popular and traditional recipes, like this asparagus salad.

As you can see in the collage above, I grew up pretty familiar with this salad. I used to be skeptical about asparagus. But when Oma introduced me to this salad, I fell in love with its summery flavors and bold colors. It makes such a yummy statement piece for any dish! 

The best part? It's actually SO easy! 

Below, you can see my asparagus salad that I made just a few months ago for my family. It turned out just as good as Oma's! My family asks for this one often, and I have even introduced some other family members to it. It never disappoints. 

Lydia's Asparagus Salad :)

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Easy German Asparagus Salad – Oma's Spargelsalat

Asparagus salad (spargelsalat) is a springtime classic in Germany ... light, fresh, and oh-so easy. Even Oma says it’s fancy without the fuss!

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Cook Time:

5 minutes

Total Time:

15 minutes

Servings:

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds (680 g) asparagus 
• salt, pepper
• 2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped or sliced
• 4 - 6 radishes, sliced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon mustard (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions:

1. For white asparagus, peel, cut off tough ends, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Cook in simmering salted water for about 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. 
2. For green asparagus, snap off tough ends. Cut into bite-sized pieces and cook in simmering salted water about 5 minutes, until tender.
3. Drain asparagus and put into bowl.
4. Add chopped eggs, sliced radishes and onions to bowl. (Omit the eggs if you're making this vegan.)
5. In separate bowl, mix vinegar and oil (and mustard, if using).
6. Pour dressing over asparagus mixture. Mix gently, re-seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley to serve.

*  *  *  *  *

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Recipe updated: April 11, 2025

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.