Instant Pot Artichokes are easy to prepare. Instant Pot Whole Steamed Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables. You can make pressure cooker artichokes in less than an hour, then get your favorite dipping sauce ready, because you will want to make these!
Instant Pot Artichokes
If you have eaten artichokes before, then you already know how time consuming it can be to prepare them.
Artichokes can be easily steamed in the Instant Pot! I will give you the step-by-step directions.
When Are Artichokes in Season?
Artichokes are in peak season from March through May. In the USA, our artichokes are mostly grown in Northern, coastal California.
How to Choose an Artichoke
The tighter the petals are packed on the artichoke, the fresher they are. However, I have had loosely packed artichokes that tasted just fine.
When you choose an artichoke, you will see that there are both loosely and more tightly packed petals.
There are also various sizes. It makes a difference in cook time, so try getting consistent size, and density of leaves when you are choosing your artichokes.
Larger and more tightly packed artichokes can take up to 25 minutes or more to cook in the Instant Pot. The small, less tightly packed artichokes take about 10 minutes to cook.
Here are the steps to make Instant Pot Whole Steamed Artichokes:
How to Eat an Artichoke
• Artichokes can be eaten hot or cold.
• After you eat the petals, you will get to the heart, the best part (in my opinion). You can just use a fork to eat the artichoke heart.
• To eat, pull off the outer leaves (actually petals) one at a time.
• Dip the base of the petal into melted butter (or a dip).
• Pull the petal through your teeth, soft, pulpy side down (so you are using your bottom teeth to scrape off the pulp).
• Discard the remaining part of the petal.
My favorite dips for Instant Pot Artichokes are:
Lemon Mayo - Mix some mayo and lemon juice together.
Plain Mayo (my favorite)
Melted Butter - Melt butter in a microwave safe dish.
Garlic Butter - Sauté a couple of pressed garlic cloves in butter.
Instant Pot Buttered Cabbage
Instant Pot Asparagus
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Instant Pot Broccoli
If you make Instant Pot Whole Steamed Artichokes, please let me know. Leave a comment with a star rating in the comments section below.
I'd love to know how you liked them.
Instant Pot Whole Steamed Artichokes are a faster and easier way to cook artichokes. Pressure cooker artichokes are tender and ready to dip in your favorite sauce!
- 1-4 Artichokes
- Lemon Wedge
- 1 ½ cups Water (for the 6 qt pressure cooker, 2 ½ cups for the 8 qt, 1 cup for the 3 qt)
- ½ Lemon, sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
- 2 small Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ Sweet Onion, sliced
- 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary (optional)
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Remove small outer leaves that are dry, and cut the stem off, leaving about ¼". Then use a really sharp serrated knife to cut the top inch or two off of the artichoke. This exposes the inside and will allow the steam to penetrate it.
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Rinse the artichokes and pat dry with a paper towel. Then rub some lemon on the cut surface to prevent browning.
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Add the water to the stainless inner liner. Then add the aromatics, optional, (garlic, bay leaves, lemon slices, salt, onion, and rosemary).
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Place the trivet/rack into the pot.
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Place the artichokes into the pot, stem side up (cut side down). Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual Button or dial, then the + or - button or dial to select the cook time (cook times may vary*):
Small artichokes - 10 minutes
Medium Artichokes - 15 minutes
Large artichokes - 25 minutes
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When the cooking cycle is finished, do a Quick Release of the steam/pressure by turning the steam release knob to the Venting position, or pushing the release button, if applicable (If you like softer artichokes, let the pot naturally release the pressure).
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You can tell when the artichoke is done when a knife slides into the bottom easily.
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Lemon Mayo - Mix some mayo and lemon juice together.
Plain Mayo (my favorite)
Melted Butter - Melt butter in a microwave safe dish.
Garlic Butter - Sauté a couple of pressed garlic cloves in butter.
*Cook times will vary based on the size of the artichokes, as well as the density of the leaves. Tightly packed, denser quantity of leaves (and a heavier artichoke) will take longer to cook.
You may need to do a test to find your perfect cook time.
Resources to Make Pressure Cooker Artichokes and More
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Marie T
My Italian family always made stuffed artichokes for Easter. They are stuffed with Romano cheese , garlic and a drizzle of olive oil, they need to be pressure cooked upright, the are soooo delicious!
Sandy
Sounds delicious!
Norma Moran
They are soooo good cooked stuffed. Brings back memories, whenever I make them
Jeanie
Yes, I make it this way too but add wine with lemon, broth and or water and use for my dipping. So good. Can’t wait to try in an insta pot.
KarenB
I had 2 different types of artichokes. One was really round. Like a kids nerf basketball size. The other is more pointy tip. They must be large or extra large as two wouldn't fit facing downwards on the trivet side by side. Had to put them on their sides. I set the 6 qt IP for 27 min and will do a quick release. If not done, will do a few more min I am warming up leftover scalloped potatoes from the night before in the oven. And will pan fry 5 oz pork loin (boneless) chops in the cast iron. I always do my artichokes on stove, but fell asleep watching TV. Dinner is gonna be late honey! Lol
Karl
Love these recipes! Now I will contribute one of my own: We once had a French exchange student for just a couple of days while he toured Arizona. He didn't speak much English, and my 4 years of French in HS 50+ years ago wasn't much help except for laughs. BUT: His family in France owned a winery, so I thought this kid probably knows how to eat, and maybe cook. That night I was steaming an artichoke, and asked if his family served/ate them. YES he nodded. What do you dip them in, I asked? He started to point out ingredients (only 3) and we've NEVER gone back to any of the old standbys for artichokes. Here it is:
Equal parts of each: Olive oil, Basalmic vinegar, and yellow mustard. Stir until it forms a brown sauce. THAT'S IT. About a tablespoon of each will be enough for one artichoke. Healthy and tasty - yes, I know - it's rare today to find both haha. Enjoy!
Sandy
Oh neat! That sounds delicious!
Lynn
I made this to add to a spinach artichoke dip . I cooked for 15 minutes since it was a larger artichoke. It came out super tender but I adjusted the recipe to what I had for aromatics still came out wonderful thanks …
Suzanne Perron
This was the easiest and best recipe I have found. Had old lemons and limes in the fridge. Threw them in with bay leaves and garlic. Delicious. I always serve my artichokes with a sriracha aioli.
Michelle
Thank you for these helpful instructions. Another option I grew up with in my Italian family is mixing Italian breadcrumbs with olive oil and placing in each leaf. It's absolutely delicious.
KarenB
Wish I would have known i could do that. My garage fridge had a whole vegetable drawer full of old lemons from my tree I just threw out! ðŸ˜
Andrew
You have to try may with some lemon juice and a little bit of dill weed; it's absolutely amazing!
Jon
Have you tried Mayonnaise and Balsamic Vinegar for a dip??? Sounds odd, but is DELICIOUS!!! I prefer Mayonnaise over butter, but both is good... but, Mayonnaise and Balsamic Vinegar is the Bomb!!!
Try it... you might just like it!!??
Sandy
That sounds tasty!
Dottie
I used larger artichokes. Took approximately 18 to 20 minutes to cook well. It her than that your recipe was enjoyable