Instant Pot Artichokes Recipe (With Garlic Butter)

Name: Instant Pot Artichokes (With Garlic Butter)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 quarts water ((approximately) for immersing the artichokes during prep); 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice; 2 large globe artichokes; 1 cup water (for the pressure cooker); 1 small lemon (sliced); 4 cloves garlic (sliced); Herb sprigs such as thyme and rosemary (optional); Lemon wedges (for serving, optional); 1 stick unsalted butter; 2 cloves garlic (minced); Salt (to taste); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

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5 from 1 vote

30 minutes

Don't boil away the delicate flavor of artichokes! Steam them in the Instant Pot instead! These Instant Pot Artichokes are super easy to make and they're ready in about 30 minutes. A simple garlic butter dipping sauce is the perfect accompaniment!

Instant Pot Artichokes (With Garlic Butter) in white oval serving bowl with lemon wedges.

How Do You Eat an Artichoke?

Artichokes can look intimidating, but they're the perfect finger food! The edible parts of an artichoke are the fleshy parts at the base of each petal, the "heart" which is in the center and the tender part of the stem.

Artichokes are delicious hot or cold.
To eat a whole artichoke, start with the outer petals and peel the petals off one at a time.
Dip the base of the petal into the sauce you're serving or this delicious garlic butter! Pull the base of the petal through your teeth to remove the soft, pulpy portion. Discard the remaining petal. Continue until all the petals have been removed.
When you get to the center, don't stop there! Spoon out the fuzzy "choke" and discard. The bottom or the "heart" of the artichoke is entirely edible and the best part. Cut the heart into pieces and dip in your sauce.

Why This Recipe is a Keeper!

I don't get my Instant Pot or the other electric pressure cookers I own out too often. However, when it comes to cooking artichokes quickly, the Instant Pot is a must because it's so quick and easy!

Microwaving artichokes as in this Italian-Stuffed Artichoke recipe speeds up the process of tenderizing these buds from a plant related to the thistle and roasted artichokes are a truly lovely way to go.

However, this Instant Pot artichoke recipe is:

Practically foolproof! The cooking time is for two large globe artichokes but the time is easily adjusted for smaller artichokes.
So easy!
Ready in about 30 minutes!
Because they're steamed in the Instant Pot, the delicate flavor of artichokes doesn't get boiled away.
The garlic butter is quickly made in your microwave so no complicated sauce techniques are required!

Let's make 'em!

Instant Pot Artichokes (With Garlic Butter) in white oval bowl with lemon wedges.

How to Make Instant Pot Artichokes (With Garlic Butter):

Recipe Ingredients:

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this Instant Pot artichokes recipe along with the garlic butter and how to prep. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Artichokes (With Garlic Butter).

Ingredient Notes:

Globe Artichokes: Artichokes are the immature flower bud of a thistle plant. Green globe artichokes as shown here are the most common type of artichoke readily available in almost any produce department. The prime season for artichokes is from March through May with a second season occurring in October and November. Nearly all the artichokes consumed in the United States are grown in central California so you can feel good about buying and enjoying this mostly U. S. crop. Look for large, round artichokes with thick bottom stems and tight, intact leaves. See the FAQs below for more tips on how to select a good artichoke.
Lemons and Lemon Juice: Artichokes turn brown (oxidize) quickly after being cut so the acid in lemon juice helps reduce that. Artichokes and lemons are also a culinary match made in heaven so the lemon slices infuse flavor into the artichokes as they cook in the Instant Pot.
Garlic: The garlic infuses flavor into the artichokes as they cook and are a must for the garlic butter.
Unsalted Butter: I always use unsalted butter when I cook so I can adjust the salt level more to my liking.
Parsley: I always use Italian (flat-leaf) parsley in cooking as the flavor is superior to curly-leaf parsley which I consider to be more of a garnish.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

Gather all the ingredients.
PREP THE ARTICHOKES: Fill a large bowl with approximately 2 quarts of water or enough to cover the artichokes when immersed. You will need to immerse the artichokes after each cut to prevent browning.
Add the lemon juice.

Stainless steel bowl with lemon water in it.

Trim the stem end from the artichokes so they will sit flat on the rack in the Instant Pot. Immerse the artichokes in the lemon water after cutting off the stem end.

Two artichokes with stems removed by chef's knife.

Cut approximately ¾ to 1 inch from the top. Immerse the artichokes in the lemon water.
Using kitchen shears, trim the tips of the remaining leaves to remove the sharp thorns. Immerse in the lemon water.

Two artichokes with leaf tips cut off by red-handled scissors and laying on marble surface.

Two artichokes in lemon water in stainless steel bowl.

COOK THE ARTICHOKES: Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the Instant Pot or use 1 cup of the lemon water from immersing the artichokes.
Add the lemon slices and sliced garlic. Some fresh herbs would also be a nice touch. Place the steaming rack in the Instant Pot.
Drain the artichokes by turning them upside down then shake off any excess water. Place them in the Instant Pot with the top of the artichokes facing up.

Four lemon slices and sliced garlic in Instant Pot.

Uncooked artichokes set into Instant Pot.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn and lock it. The release valve should be in the SEAL position.
Using the MANUAL setting if your Instant Pot has it, set it to HIGH PRESSURE then set the timer to 20 minutes. Let the Instant Pot do its thing for 20 minutes.
When the Instant Pot is finished and beeps, place a kitchen towel loosely over the steam valve to prevent the water from splattering and QUICK-RELEASE the steam.

That's it!!
The artichokes are done when you can easily remove a leaf with tongs then use the tongs to remove the artichokes from the Instant Pot.

Two cooked artichokes in Instant Pot with tongs pulling one of the leaves out.

MAKE THE GARLIC BUTTER: Cut the butter into pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the garlic.
Cover with a paper plate. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir then place the paper plate back on top and microwave on HIGH for 10 seconds. Stir again.
The time may vary with the wattage of your microwave. What you don't want is for the butter to boil or separate.
Add salt to taste then stir in the parsley and serve with the artichokes.

Butter slices and minced garlic in glass bowl.

Serve some lemon wedges on the side to bump up the flavor even more!

Instant Pot Artichokes in white oval serving bowl with Garlic Butter and lemon wedges.

Chef Tip:

Choose artichokes that are uniform in size so they cook at the same rate and in the same amount of time.
If the artichokes are extremely thorny, hold the artichoke by the stem to trim the leaves and cut the stem off last.

Instant Pot Artichokes in white oval serving bowl with garlic butter and lemon wedges in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How can you tell if an artichoke is good?

>>Look for large, round artichokes with thick bottom stems.
>>Because artichokes are basically the flower bud of a thistle plant, the leaves (petals) should be closed, tight and intact with only a small amount of separation. As the artichoke ages, the leaves open up.
>>Artichokes should feel heavy when you pick them up. If not, they've dried out and the leaf bottoms won't be as fleshy as they should be.
>>The leaves should "squeak" on a fresh artichoke.

How do you store fresh artichokes?

If the fresh artichokes meet the criteria for a good artichoke above, they can be stored loosely wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator for up to a week.