Soy Free Instant Pot Steamed Artichokes
Artichokes have a reputation for being fussy, but the Instant Pot completely changes the game — what used to take 45 minutes of stovetop babysitting is now a hands-off pressure cook with a natural release and you're done. The fragrant steaming liquid, built with smashed garlic, bay leaf, and fresh lemon, perfumes the artichokes from the inside out so every leaf pulls away tasting clean and bright. The real reward is that lemon-garlic butter waiting on the side — just unsalted butter, minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon, and a little parsley, melted low and slow so the garlic softens without burning. Leaf by leaf, you drag it through that butter and it is genuinely one of the most satisfying ways to eat a vegetable. For anyone navigating soy sensitivities, this recipe is naturally in the clear — every single ingredient is whole and straightforward, with no sauces, condiments, or processed shortcuts that tend to sneak soy in through the back door. It works beautifully as a starter, a light lunch, or an impressive side that looks far more labor-intensive than it actually is.
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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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