How to Cook & Eat Artichokes (6 Different Ways!)

Artichokes are a unique and delicious veggie. Have you wondered what to do with artichokes, or even how to prepare or eat artichokes? 

Below I’ve shared my tips for cutting/prepping, cooking, and eating this favorite veggie!

Artichokes are just as pretty as they are fun to eat. From the “thistle” category, artichokes can be steamed, stuffed or fried.

How to Buy

It’s pretty easy to select fresh, whole artichokes for cooking! Look for long stems, dark green leaves that are tightly packed around the globe. Make sure there are no blemishes or soft spots on the outside. Some of the leaves can be a bit purple, this is ok.

To Prepare

• Trim off the stem close to the base so the artichokes stand upright during cooking.
• Cut off the top of the artichoke, about 1″ or so.
• Use kitchen scissors to snip off the tips of each leaf.

How to Cook Artichokes

Rinse artichokes and snip off the pointy tips of the outer leaves or any leaves that look worn or withered.

Artichokes will brown if cut and left for a while (like a potato) so if you prepare them ahead of time, place them in water with a bit of lemon squeezed into it.

Oven:

1. Wrap whole, trimmed artichokes in aluminum foil and place directly on a middle rack in the oven.
2. Bake at 350°F for about an hour.
3. Remove from the oven and let them rest 5 minutes before unwrapping the foil.

Stovetop:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook artichokes for 20 minutes or until the leaves start to spread out.
2. Drain and serve.

Instant Pot:

1. Place cleaned and trimmed whole artichokes in the steamer basket.
2. Put water, chopped garlic, and lemon in the bottom of the instant pot.
3. Cook on high for 10-14 minutes and let the pressure naturally release.

How to Eat Artichokes

Eating artichokes is basically the same no matter what method is chosen to cook them. They taste amazing dipped in a small dish of melted garlic butter or aioili!

The petals (or leaves) of the artichoke are not fully edible but they do have a delicious pulp.

1. To eat an artichoke, pull off a single petal. Dip it in your choice of dips and gently bite down on the leaf while pulling it between your teeth to remove the pulpy flesh.
2. Once you have eaten all of the petals, you will be left with a choke in the middle. Remove and scrape off the fuzzy part.
3. The remaining part is the artichoke heart and it is not only fully edible but it is delicious!

Leftover Artichokes

• Cooked artichokes will keep in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
• Reheat them in the microwave, or cut out the heart to add to artichoke dip!
• Freeze artichokes only after they’ve been cooked because raw artichokes will turn black in the freezer. Label a zippered bag with the date.

How to Cook Artichokes

Author Holly Nilsson

Prepare

• Rinse the artichoke and trim the bottom of the stem.

• Cut off about 1″ of the top of the artichoke.

• Using scissors, cut the tip off of each leaf.

• Rinse artichokes under cool water.

Steam

• Place a steamer basket in a large pot and add about 1″ of water (so it is below the level of the steamer). Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and add artichokes.

• Cover and steam 30-45 minutes adding more water if needed.

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