Wondering how to cook artichokes? And how to eat steamed artichokes once you’ve cooked them? Wonder no more! It’s actually pretty darn easy. And SO worth it.

Leaf after leaf after delicious leaf … and then finally the tender, melt-in-your-mouth heart – the ultimate payoff. They might be a little intimidating, but it’s so worth it to learn how to cook artichokes … let’s do it!

A cooked artichoke on a plate next to a bowl of dipping sauce

Table of Contents

Selecting Artichokes

When choosing your artichokes, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • You want brightly colored, vibrant green artichokes (a little frost burn is okay).
  • Your artichoke should have tightly closed leaves. If the leaves are wide open, the artichoke is probably older than you want.
  • Artichokes should feel a little heavy for their size.

Prepping the Artichokes

Congrats! You’re back home – but before you learn how to cook artichokes, first, you need to wash and trim them.

First, with a pair of kitchen scissors, snip off the tips of the artichoke leaves. They’re pokey, and that’s no fun.

Scissors trimming the tips of the leaves off of an artichoke

With a super-sharp, heavy-duty knife, lop off the top of the artichoke – about 3/4 of an inch worth.

Lopping off the top of an artichoke in preparation for cooking

Now, cut off the stem at the base of the artichoke so that it will sit flat. Remove the bottom row of leaves.

Cutting off the stem of an artichoke

Rinse well under cold water.

Washing the artichoke

It’s ready, and it’s a thing of beauty!

Prepped artichoke ready to cook

How to Cook Artichokes

The most common way to cook artichokes is to boil/steam them.

Fill a large pot with about two inches of water and set in the artichokes, bottom side down. Optional but tasty: add a bay leaf, a slice of lemon, and/or a garlic clove. Set on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature on the water to medium, reducing it to a simmer. Cover.

Two artichokes in a pot with water and a slice of lemon


Steam the artichokes for about 30 minutes, until tender. If you’re not sure they’re ready, pull one out and pierce the bottom with a fork. If it pierces the flesh easily, it’s ready!

Two cooked artichokes on a plate

Remove from water, allow to cool a bit, and serve with whatever dip you like (here are a few ideas!)

Oh, but just in case …

How to Eat an Artichoke

An artichoke leaf dipped into honey mustard sauce

One at a time, pull a leaf off by the top. See that meaty little bit of flesh at the bottom? That’s the tasty stuff. Dunk that part into some butter or dipping sauce, and then scrape the flesh off with your teeth. Some like to scrape with the leaf upside down, some right side up. Do what feels right!

Now discard the remaining leaf, and have another. And another. Until … (cue dreamy music) you get to the heart!

But first, you need to get rid of the fuzzy center. Pull off any remaining little leaves and then use a spoon to get just under that layer of fuzz. Scrape it all off and discard. What you’re left with is pure magic – the heart. Use a knife and fork to cut it up and enjoy every tender, scrumptious morsel.

That’s it! You’ve done it!

Artichoke Dipping Sauce Suggestions

If you’re looking for artichoke dipping sauce ideas, this post will have you covered! With recipes for everything from honey mustard to chipotle aioli to curry mayo, there’s a dipping sauce here that’s just perfect for you and your artichoke.

More Artichoke Recipes

Love artichokes? Try these:

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins

How to Cook Artichokes

5 from 2 votes
Welcome spring with the ultimate healthy appetizer. It's actually really easy to cook an artichoke – and worth every second you spend doing it. Here's how to choose, cook, and eat artichokes!
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Yield: 1

Ingredients

  • 1 Fresh artichokes (choose an artichoke that's brightly colored with tightly closed leaves, and feels heavy for its size)
  • 1 Slice of lemon
  • 1 Medium glove of garlic
  • 1 Bay leaf

Instructions

  • With a pair of kitchen scissors, snip off the tips of the artichoke leaves. They’re pokey, and that’s no fun.
  • With a super-sharp, heavy-duty knife, lop off the top of the artichoke – about 3/4 of an inch worth.
  • With the same knife, cut off the stem at the base of the artichoke so that it will sit flat.
  • Remove the bottom row of leaves.
  • Rinse well under cold water.
  • Fill a large pot with about two inches of water and set in the artichokes, bottom side down. Optional but tasty: add a bay leaf, a slice of lemon, and/or a garlic clove. Set on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temperature on the water to medium, reducing it to a simmer. Cover.
  • Steam the artichokes for about 30 minutes, until tender. You can check for doneness by inserting the tip of a knife into the bottom (if it goes in with only a little resistance they’re done) or by pulling off a tester leave (it should come off easily).
  • Remove from water, allow to cool a bit, and serve with whatever dip you like (here are a few ideas!)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1artichoke, Calories: 70kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 0.3g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 121mg, Potassium: 511mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 27IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 67mg, Iron: 2mg
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