The easiest way to cook artichokes and make them taste phenomenal. You don't need all the stuffing, just make these Easy Steamed Artichokes with less than 5 minutes of active work.
Looking for more easy sides? Try our Summer Farro Salad, Italian Pasta Salad, or Marinated Eggplant and Onion.
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Steamed vs. Stuffed Artichokes
Steamed Artichokes is a recipe I didn't grow up with. My family was always a stuffed artichoke family. But my wife introduced me to these easy steamed artichokes and I have been turned. Italian Stuffed artichokes have their place, but for me, I'm looking to enjoy the taste of the artichokes and this lets me do just that!
Steamed artichokes are so much faster and easier to make. You have one leaf, then a second, then a third, and next thing you know, you're eating the artichoke heart.
There's something inherently cool about eating artichokes. As a kid, I remember it being such an adult thing to do. So, now I equate eating artichokes to like the vegetarian version of eating raw clams. It's something different and so tasty. Try these easy steamed artichokes for your next dinner party. They are cheap, easy, and delicious.
How to Make Artichokes
Step 1: Peel the dryer leaves off the base of the stem. Then cut off the base at the stem so that it can sit up straight on its own.
Step 2: Cut the artichoke's head off about 1 inch down. Then use your hand to squeeze and stretch out the leaves a little bit. You can use shears to cut the pointy ends of the leaves if there are any left. You don't eat that part anyway.
Step 3: Place all four artichokes into a pot side by side. Add 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pot. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over each artichoke. Salt and pepper all of the artichokes.
Step 4: Cover the pot and place it on medium-high heat allowing the water to boil for 30 minutes. The artichokes are done when you can remove an artichoke leaf but there still remains some resistance when you pull. It should be like shimmying a really loose tooth.
Serve easy steamed artichokes as an appetizer before dinner!
How to Eat Artichokes
This is the fun part. You get to teach people who have never had them how to eat them. In my experience, most people who didn't grow up in an Italian household didn't eat artichokes. Just grab one leaf at a time and pull. When you pull a leaf out, it will have a little white meaty part at the bottom. Bite down easily on it and then drag your front teeth across it to remove the edible part. The closer you get to the middle of the artichoke, the easier it will be to just bite it off.
Once you eat all the leaves, there will be the little hairy heart left. Now, some people are more comfortable ripping all the little hairs off, but they are just as edible as the rest of the artichoke heart. I usually just eat it all because it's a pain to pull the hair off but you can do either.
Definitely serve them alongside our Spinach and Artichoke Dip No Mayo to get the full artichoke effect.
FAQs
30 minutes is my go-to answer but every artichoke is different. Artichokes are done cooking when you can pull a leaf off without much effort.
Yes, rinse them with cold water before cooking.
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More Appetizers!
📖 Recipe
Easy Steamed Artichokes
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven or small pot
Ingredients
- 4 artichokes
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Cut the artichoke's head off about ½-inch to 1-inch down. Then cut off the base at the stem so that it can sit up straight on its own. Use your hand to stretch out the leaves a little bit.
- Place all four artichokes into a pot side by side. Add 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pot. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over each artichoke. Salt and pepper all of the artichokes.
- Cover the pot and place it on medium-high heat allowing the water to boil for 30 minutes. The artichokes are done when you can remove an artichoke leaf but there still remains some resistance when you pull.
- Serve easy steamed artichokes as an appetizer before dinner!
Notes
- Once you get to the center of the artichoke rip the little hairy part off and eat the heart. It's the best part. The hair is edible but the texture is usually a turn off for people.
- The artichokes are perfectly steamed when you can pull a leaf off without much effort.
Carrie
We ate these as teenagers like this growing up. Either with mayo for dipping sauce or sometimes a buttery garlic dip. That's how I fell in love with steamed artichokes!
Vinny
This is such an easy side dish recipe and the best way to make artichokes. You'll love this recipe!