This Instant Pot Artichokes recipe is so easy and healthy. You’ll love how fast it is to make them in a pressure cooker. Serve your cooked whole artichokes with a simple lemon mayo dip. This gluten-free and dairy-free recipe is also vegan-friendly.

plate with cooked instant pot artichokes with lemon and dip sauce.

Cooking whole artichokes in the Instant Pot is the absolute easiest way to cook this delicious, healthy vegetable. If you’re ever cooked them on the stovetop, you know that it takes forever to get them tender and cooked through!

With the pressure cooker, you literally just place the trimmed artichokes on your trivet stem side down, add a cup of water, and set the time.

When you open the lid, you’ll find perfectly steamed and ready-to-eat artichokes to go with your favorite dipping sauce. I promise you it’s this easy!

Why You Need This Recipe

  • Save tons of time by cooking fresh artichokes in the electric pressure cooker as opposed to the stovetop.
  • Artichokes are so healthy! They are a source of fiber, micronutrients, and antioxidants that support a healthy body. They also contain a type of carbohydrate known as a fructooligosaccharide that has anti-cancer properties.
  • This simple recipe tastes fancy and is perfect for a dinner party, special event, or just a casual family dinner. In fact, when I was growing up, my mom let my sister and me choose one special recipe on our birthdays. Mine was always artichokes served exactly this way!

Ingredients

photo with labeled ingredients for instant pot artichokes
  • Fresh artichokes are the base of this easy vegetable recipe. Look for round, green artichokes whose leaves are tight to the center. Don’t use Jerusalem artichokes for this recipe as they are a completely different type of produce. The type of artichokes you might most often at the store or the farmers’ markets are formally known as globe artichokes.
  • Water is necessary to get the pressure cooker up the pressure.
  • Mayonnaise makes the base of the dipping sauce. You can use regular or vegan mayonnaise in this recipe.
  • Salt and pepper help add flavor to the sauce.
  • Lemon juice adds a nice brightness of flavor to the sauce and goes so well with this green veggie. Serve your cooked artichokes with lemon wedges or lemon slices.

Please see the full recipe card below for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Recipe Steps

Let me show you exactly how to make these pressure cooker artichokes.

artichokes inside instant pot.

Step One

Wash and pat dry the artichokes. Lay them on a cutting board and cut off the stems up to the base with a sharp knife. You want to base of the artichokes to be flat so they can be served standing up.

You can also trim the tops of the artichokes by roughly cutting off the top 1/2 inch. This is a nice thing to do as the tops of the artichoke leaves can sometimes be very sharp.

Step Two

Place the stainless steel trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add 1 1/4 cups of water to the bowl for steaming.

Step Three

Place the artichokes upside down (flat side side up) on the trivet. Lock on the lid.

cooked artichokes inside instant pot.

Step Four

Use the manual setting to set the cooking time to 23 minutes on high pressure for large artichokes.

Depending on the size of your artichokes, you’ll either need more or less time (see below). You can also either use the quick release or the natural release. I like a really soft artichoke, so I use the natural release for at least 10 minutes.

If you are using a medium artichoke, you can decrease the pressure cooking time to 18 minutes. For small or baby artichokes, I like to cook them for just 10 minutes.

Step Five

Make your dipping sauce by combining the mayonnaise in a small bowl with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Serve your artichokes warm with the dipping sauce on the side.

I hope you agree that the Instant Pot cooks perfect artichokes every time and in a fraction of the time. It’s my absolute favorite side dish.

hand dipping an artichoke leaf into the dip.

Recipe Tips

  • It’s best to cook the number of artichokes that you want to serve right away. In other words, artichokes don’t necessarily re-heat that well as they can turn mushy after they have cooked and cooled.
  • You can try other types of dip or sauces for your cooked artichokes as well. Try a balsamic vinaigrette or just melted butter (or vegan butter) if you like. Some people also like to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on their cooked artichokes before serving.

Recipe FAQs

How do you eat an artichoke?

The best way to eat an artichoke is to pull off each leaf, turn it over, and use your teeth to scrape or bite off the last 1/3 of each leaf. You won’t be able to eat the whole leaves because they are too tough.

Once you get to the inside of the artichoke, called the artichoke heart, you will need to use a knife or a spoon to scrape out the fuzzy part. Then, you can eat the base of the artichoke, also called the artichoke heart. That is the best part, in my opinion.

How many artichokes can I cook in an Instant Pot at one time?

You can cook about two medium-to-large artichokes in a 3-quart Instant Pot or up to four medium-to-large artichokes in a 6-quart Instant Pot.

You can either use a trivet or steamer basket to keep them from touching the water in the bottom of the pot. If you don’t have either of these, you can several pieces of aluminum foil bunched up into square shapes to keep the artichokes off the bottom of the pot.

When are artichokes in season?

Artichokes peak season is from March through May in most part of the United States. In California, though, artichokes grow almost the whole year. A good artichoke will have the leaves tightly closed.

More Easy Instant Pot Vegetables Recipes You Might Like

Or, check out my entire index of healthy Instant Pot recipes.

Don’t Miss These Instant Pot Resources!

25+ Healthy Instant Pot Side Dishes

Instant Pot Meal Prep Gift Guide (Plus Recipes)

20+ Healthy Instant Pot Soup Recipes

How to Use the Instant Pot Duo (For Beginners)

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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instant pot artichokes with sauce

Instant Pot Artichokes with Creamy Dip

5 from 6 reviews

Print Recipe

This Instant Pot Artichokes recipe is so easy and healthy. You’ll love how fast it is to make them in a pressure cooker. Serve your cooked whole artichokes with a simple lemon mayo dip. This gluten-free and dairy-free recipe is also vegan-friendly.

  • Total Time: 48 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 large artichokes
  • 1 1/4 cups water (for cooking)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Cut off the stems of the artichokes with a sharp knife so the bases are flat.
  2. Add the stainless steel trivet to the base of a 6-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker.
  3. Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the bowl for steaming.
  4. Place the artichokes upside down (base side up) on the trivet. Lock on the lid.
  5. Use the manual setting to set the cooking time to 23 minutes at high pressure. You can either use the manual release or the natural release (use a natural release of at least 10 minutes for a softer cooked artichoke).
  6. To make the dipping sauce, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine.
  7. To serve the artichokes, use tongs to place them on a large plate with the dipping sauce on the side.

Notes

  1. You might need to adjust the time based on the size of artichokes you are cooking. For extra large artichokes, set the time for 28 minutes. For medium artichokes, set the time to 18 minutes. For baby or small artichokes, set the time to 10 minutes.
  2. The best way to eat an artichoke is to pull off each leaf, turn it over, and use your teeth to scrape or bite off the last 1/3 of each leaf. You won’t be able to eat the whole leaves because they are too tough.Once you get to the inside of the artichoke, called the artichoke heart, you will need to use a knife or a spoon to scrape out the fuzzy part. Then, you can eat the base of the artichoke, also called the artichoke heart. 
  3. The total cooking time for this recipe includes 10 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure, plus the cooking time and the natural release time.
  4. For vegan diets, use a vegan mayonnaise.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 artichoke
  • Calories: 146
  • Sugar: 0.9 g
  • Sodium: 217.3 mg
  • Fat: 12.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 7.4 g
  • Fiber: 3.5 g
  • Protein: 2.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 5.8 mg

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest is the author of the best-selling Instant Pot-authorized cookbook, The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook. She has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and receives over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.