Honey Free Instant Pot Steamed Artichokes
Artichokes have a reputation for being fussy, but the Instant Pot completely changes the game — what once required a big pot of boiling water and constant attention now comes together with a simple lock-and-seal. The steaming liquid gets layered with smashed garlic, a bay leaf, and fresh lemon, so the artichokes absorb real flavor from the inside out before they even hit the dipping sauce. Speaking of which, the lemon-garlic butter here is genuinely the kind of thing you'll want to drizzle on everything — just butter, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, and a little parsley, melted together low and slow so the garlic softens without burning. Every single ingredient in this recipe is naturally free of added sweeteners, so there's no label-checking or substitution required — it's just clean, honest cooking. Pulling the leaves one by one and scraping the tender flesh through that warm butter is one of those slow, satisfying rituals that makes a weeknight feel a little more special. Whether you're serving these as a starter or a light main, they're impressive enough for company but easy enough to make on a Tuesday.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the artichokes
- 4 medium artichokes (about 10–12 oz each)
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 cup water
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp salt
For the dipping butter
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Trim the artichokes: slice off the top 1 inch of each artichoke with a chef's knife, then use kitchen shears to snip the sharp tips off the remaining outer leaves. Cut the stem flush with the base so each artichoke sits flat. Rub all cut surfaces immediately with the cut side of one lemon half to prevent browning.
- 2
Pour 1 cup water into the Instant Pot insert. Squeeze the remaining lemon half into the water, then drop in the spent lemon half, the smashed garlic cloves, bay leaf, and salt. Place the trivet or steamer basket in the pot and set the artichokes on it stem-side down.
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