How to Cook Artichokes
A primer on how to cook artichokes, particularly the baby ones. A lot of people are intimidated by the process, or they think it's not worth the effort. But with a little patience, salt, and fat - you can absolutely cook some of the best artichokes of your life.
This is a primer on how to cook artichokes - if you're going to invest the time into cooking artichokes, you want them to be fantastic. Spring is the time I tend to cook them once or twice a week. And, although the process takes time and attention, I can't help myself. When artichokes are good, there are few things I'd rather be eating. 
Cooking Artichokes: Worth the Effort!
Many people are intimidated by the idea of cooking artichokes, or they think it's not worth the effort. My friends confirm this. The topic has come up a few times lately, and the conversations are typically punctuated by a confession that they never cook artichokes at home. I'm hoping to change this.
So(!) I thought I'd do a quick outline of how I handle these armored spring ambassadors. Eight times out of ten I use the cooking method I'm going to outlined in the recipe section below. It requires nothing more than good (baby) artichokes, olive oil or clarified butter, and sea salt. If you can pair those ingredients, with a bit of practice, a hint of patience, and a window of time, you can absolutely cook some of the best artichokes. Not kidding. Once you hit your groove with these wondrous thistles, few of you will look back.
A Case For Cooking Artichokes
Nutritionists celebrate artichokes for a long list of reasons. They're packed with fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients, and have long been known to support the liver. They don't get as much of the limelight as other ingredients - for example pomegranate, turmeric, acai, etc. - but they bring quite a lot to the table. It's worth incorporating them into your meals, particularly when they're in season.
Frozen Artichokes: A Worthwhile Shortcut
If fresh artichokes are off the table, all isn't lost. I recently discovered frozen bags of artichokes, and experimented to see if using them would be a worthwhile substitute to fresh artichokes. At the very least, this could be a way to extend artichoke season. I don't love canned or jarred artichokes. But! As it turns out, the frozen option is pretty great. You can cook them in a covered skillet in a bit of olive oil, straight from the freezer. Cook this way until they're cooked through, then remove the cover and dial up the heat. Keep going until there is nice, golden color on them. Season and serve. So good!
And lastly, I've been using leftover pan-blistered artichokes and a component in my on-the-go lunches. Here's where you can see them along with other feel-good lunch ideas.
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How to Cook Artichokes
More times that not, this is how I like to prepare artichokes. The method works for whatever artichokes look good at the market - baby artichokes are ideal. The gist is - trim, blanch, saute. You end up with beautiful, tender, succulent, golden-crusted artichoke hearts that can be enjoyed straight from the pan, or in any number of other preparations - I outline a few below.
- Artichokes
- 1 lemon
- Extra virgin olive oil or clarified butter
- sea salt
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Fill a bowl with water, squeeze the juice of the lemon into it. You'll add the artichokes to the water immediately after trimming.
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To trim your artichokes: Actually, before I get into the details of trimming, let's just establish what we're after. We're after the tender. Meaning, we want to trim any tough outer leaves, tips, and stem. We want to get down to the tender parts of the leaves, without trimming so much that we have little left. To start, trim the stem. Pull the outer leaves from the artichoke, until you get down to the more tender leaves. Cut off the top of the artichoke (roughly where it begins to taper in), you want to remove the tough part of the tips. I like to use a serrated knife for that cut. From here decide what shape you'd like your artichoke pieces to be. For this preparation, I cut each artichoke in halves, and/or quarters. If you are using larger artichokes, ones that have developed a fuzzy choke, you'll need to use a teaspoon (or mellon baller) to carve the fuzz out before moving on to your final cuts. Work efficiently, and get the trimmed artichokes in the lemon water as quickly as possible to reduce browning from oxidation.
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While prepping the artichokes, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Salt well, and use a slotted spoon to transfer them from the lemon water to the boiling water. Boil until just tender, typically a minute or two. Drain well, and set aside. Alternately, you can steam the artichokes - this will keep more of the nutrients intact. Either way, you want the artichokes to be cooked tender (and feel free to eat them at this point)!
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I can't resist a bit of crust and crunch to them, so... Heat a tablespoon of oil or clarified butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. When hot, transfer the artichokes to the pan in a single layer. Toss to coat, and add a pinch or two of salt. Allow to saute, tossing every few minutes, until the artichokes are deeply golden and crusted.
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You can enjoy these immediately, or at room temperature, or you can save them for a few day, refrigerated, in a coating of olive oil (drain before using)....
A few other notes:
Buying Artichokes: Your success here is going to depend on sourcing good artichokes. Look for tight, dense examples. This is a sign that they have been recently harvested. If you see the leaves have started to flower out, separate, or dry out, give them a pass.
Storage: Store artichokes in a bag in your refrigerator until ready to use. That said, try to use them quickly - within few days of purchase. The sooner the better.
Add-ins: This technique makes beautiful artichokes in their own right, but occasionally I like to flare them out with other things I have on hand. they have a great affinity for olives, orange zest, chopped almonds, chile flakes, fennel, anise, and lemon oil.
Great-on: Once you have a skillet of these, you can eat them on their own, or use them in/on all sorts of things. This artichoke season I've had them on farro risotto, quinoa, frittata, pureed cauliflower soup, and chopped into a ravioli filling. As I'm typing this, I'm imagining they'd be amazing as a component in a dumpling filling, or spring roll.
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don’t forget the stems. Steam those as well, and add them to the pan. Taste powerhouses, best of bests!
We absolutely love artichokes. Your buying tips are helpful, and we used heated oil (extra virgin olive oil) to add the crisp/crunch you suggested. I worked out very well.
This may be heretical, but I actually got it from a James Beard cookbook. The easiest way to cook artichokes is to steam them in the microwave. I buy the huge ones from Costco and they take 12-14 minutes. Just put a bit of water (or stock) in the bottom of a glass bowl and seal the top with plastic wrap. I don’t bother doing much prep beyond washing it and trimming the stalk, but you can trim the leaves if you’d like. I cut out the fuzz in the choke when I get to it and eat the rest with homemade paprika aioli.
The frozen Trader Joe’s artichoke hearts are better than the vinegary canned ones, but they’re pretty bland. I’m really biased toward whole artichokes. I don’t see the point in throwing away so much of the vegetable. I like eating it while I watch TV and it’s healthier than chips.
❤️ Artichokes! They go great with Spinach too. I think it makes for a great addition to this dish.
I think what’s off-putting about artichokes is the amount you throw away. It looks like even more when it’s all detached and piled up.
But they are so worth the work. We compost, so the pile of outer petals doesn’t really go to waste.
I like your method! Gonna try this way…going after the gold ! Thank you
Stunning! I’d love to prepare these. Although your instructions are very detailed, I’d feel a bit more confident with a video. Any chance you could squeeze these spring beauties into the rotation? Thank you!
HS: Sure! I’ve already made them three times this season. Happy to set up the camera sometime in the next week or so.
I’m actually a HUGE fan of canned artichokes but I hate them whole roasted! They’re just such a high maintenance vegetable. However, this is such a wonderful way to cook them–keeps things easy to eat but still delicious!
I try and pick them small enough so there’s no choke. Then I just trim them up a bit and throw them on the bbq. I don’t blanch them first. If I have my act together I’ll make River Cafe’s boiled lemon dressing for them.
Thank you for this. It seems like you always know what I need in the kitchen! Recently the Job’s Tears and now this-I am so bad at preparing artichokes. So thanks for the artichoke 101! And for the many 101s!
If you roast them you can eat the whole thing, including the thistle, no waste at all.
I love artichokes but I have to admit I have never made them at home – (I tend to order them whenever I see them on the menu of a nice restaurant). I think it is time to give it a go!
I am so intimidated by artichokes. And we have SO MANY varieties at the market in Carcassonne. I feel like the only one not buying them. I did try once, and they were OK, but they seemed to be little more than a delivery system for melted butter, which might be tasty but not very healthy.
Artichokes are a thistle and, just like a flower, will keep longer if the stem is in water. To store an artichoke, trim the bottom of the stem up past where it looks dried out—usually about 1/2 an inch. Then put the choke in a small bowl of water (preferably one which has a diameter less than the base of the choke). Put it in the refrigerator to store. After about an hour, you’ll notice how nice and squeaky the choke has become when you squeeze it—you’ve revived the plant with water. It’s amazing how much of a difference this can make even with overly soft, old artichokes.
If you don’t have space for such storage, use folded up wet paper towels to wrap the stems, then secure it with a rubber band. Now put them in a plastic bag and refrigerate. Depending on how long they’re stored this way, you may need to refresh the towel.
Oh do I wish I could get my hands on some baby artichokes. I live in the east (PA) and our produce is nothing like what you get out west 🙁
Thanks for posting this! Like many people, I’ve always wanted to make them at home but was too intimidated. I’ll be trying your method soon!
I’ve always prepared them just as you describe, but I’ve never steamed or put them in to boil. I just add them to the saute pan w/olive oil, lemon, etc., add a bit of water and cover, then uncover and let them crisp up a bit.
In France we eat young, tender artichokes raw, with vinaigrette !
It’s very common to eat Artichokes in Spain, specially in Catalonia. Most of the time cook them in the microwave. I peel some of the outside leaves, I hit them on the counter upsidedown to open the leaves a little bit. Place them in a microwave-safe dish. I cook about 4-5 pieces at the same time, not more than that. Just pour some good olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme on top of each one of them. You make sure that you put some extra olive oil inside each artichoke. Cook them on high for about 15-20 min. You will know they are done once you can peel one leave from the inside easily. Another way to add some extra flavour is put fresh sausage or pancetta inside each artichoke. It’s easy, and taste just great! It’s a very easy dinner recipe!!
This sounds very tasty! We picked some chokes up on today’s hunting & gathering expedition. The price has been so high on chokes we have tended to not do them too much but hey, its spring and they’re in season again . So your method has caught my attention!
Another way I like to do them is to steam w/ lemon or apple cider vinegar to near doneness and then drain and cut them in half and put them on the grill to finish and develop a nice char. You get the leaves and then the heart. Yum! If your having guests the steam/ boil can be done a day or two ahead then refrigerated till grlling time.
Thanks. Really like your photogaphy of the dishes too!
I love to learn new ways of cooking artichokes but this method wastes so much of it. I typically trim the bottom, cut the very top off the leaves and steam the artichoke whole. It’s easy this way because there’s less preparation but the cooking time is much longer. I steam it generally for about 45 minutes depending on how many I’m cooking. It’s best to pull one of the leaves and scrape off the meat, if it’s soft enough, it’s ready. You will know. There are all kinds of sauces that can be used for dipping but you can never go wrong with simple melted butter. I also make melted herb butter using culinary sage and thyme chopped very fine. It’s fun to eat artichokes this way, leaf by leaf and at the end you get to savor the heart! I’ve been growing them and eating like this for years!
Yes! I love artichokes, but oh man, working with them can be intimidating. This makes it all seem really approachable. Now all I need is a knife sharp enough to actually slice right through those tough leaves… 🙂
I’m another voice for the whole veggie! I love artichokes, and grew up eating them leaf-by-leaf. If I’m going to eat just the hearts and the wholly-edible leaves, I’ll buy frozen ones.
Trim the bottom of the stem, take off a few of the small outer leaves near the stem, use a sharp knife to cut the top inch off so you get the prickers off the closed portion, then use kitchen shears to trim the other prickers off. Drop in acidulated water until they’re all done. Then steam, over water with a bay leaf in it (smells better in the house), until you can pull out a big leaf from toward the center and easily scrape off the meat.
My favorite sauce is sliced garlic toasted in olive oil. Then I melt butter into the hot oil, add a little salt and a huge squeeze of lemon.
I’m glad I was raised eating artichokes as they’ve never confused me at all. Now that we’re growing our own in Northern-northern California, the first step is to always turn them upside down to bang out the earwigs – preferably in the chicken coop! Then just steam them until the stem is tender to a knife and/or the leaves pull off easily. Dip in 1/2 yoghurt/1/2 mayo or olive oil with garlic salt/Italian herbs. Discard the fuzzy choke and enjoy the heart last. My bro-in-law spends the time cutting off each thorny end and pointy top to simmer them in water upside down with long stems attached. They stand up on their own on a serving plate that way. Very fun. Yours sound great too. Who doesn’t like crispy buttery crunch over tender smooth yumminess?
When cleaning artichokes, the larger ones at least, I personally find it is worthwhile keeping the stems, at least an inch or two of them. You peel the tough, stringy outer skin with a peeler. They taste just like the heart (which is no surprise, as they are a natural extension of it) and you can cook them along with the rest.
I made artichokes for the first time last night, thanks to you! They always scared me, but now I see how simple and delicious they are to prepare. My family thanks you :-).
Heidi, this is such a lovely post. You know, working with artichokes used to be a daunting task for me, but after I carefully figured out what works best, now it feels very easy and of course, I love eating artichokes! Can never have enough! Also, home cooked are so better than canned.
First catch your rabbit……. I do occasionally see massive artichoke plants in culinary gardens here, but have never seen artichokes on sale at any greengrocers. Any NZers [Aucklanders 🙂 ] reading this know where can get them in this quantity & size in spring?
The tutorial is great, thanks Heidi.
In New Orleans and probably most of southern Louisiana, we have a totally different way to prepare and eat artichokes. The stems are trimmed and only the very few small leaves are taken off. Then the artichokes are placed upright in a large pot with about 1 1/2 inches of cold water and put on medium heat until they come to a boil. Then they are simmered with the lid on fo at least 45 minutes. To test for doneness, see if one of the large leaves are loose and scrape with your teeth to see if the bottom part is tender yet. All of the leaves are eaten in this manner. Each leaf is removed, dipped in a vinegarette, and scraped in your mouth. When you get to the choke, take it off with a knife and cut the bottom into the dressing. This way each person has their own artichoke for a meal starter. The tough part of the leaves are discarded in a circle around the plate…nothing is wasted.
I’m definitely referring to them as “armored spring ambassadors” now. 🙂 Love this idea.
Yummy!
These look delicious and artichokes are one of my favorite foods! But I never put this much effort into them. I cut off any protruding stem but don’t do any more trimming than that, then simply steam them covered. Next to the pot I place an oven-save dish with a little butter in it, which melts while they cook about an hour. You can’t eat the entire leaves, of course, but that means you have a handle (the top, inedible part of the leaf) for dipping in the melted butter! The heart is the best part, and just needs to have the hair scraped off and be cut up (and of course dipped in the butter).
Mostly I just love that you’ve named them “armored spring ambassadors.” 🙂
Thank you for this post!!! I have six artichoke plants that are teeming with artichokes and they can be a bear to cook properly. I have a pasta thing I wanna make and this looks like the perfect way to cook them. Love the sauté at the end.
Lovely post, Heidi. I’m looking forward to trying your cooking technique. One artichoke affinity that you neglected is GARLIC. As a 3rd generation Califoria Artichoke eater, I’m used to adding chopped garlic to the cooking water. Yum! With your version, it could be sautéed along with the chokes. Thanks as always, Heidi
Thanks Heidi. The tea is a revelation – what an idea! My liver could use it after prolonged and enthusiastic celebration of the return of Rose weather
I’ll try this! Thank you for your awesomeness, Ms. Swanson. Definitely one of my favorite sites! I winnowed down my email subscription recently; of course, you weren’t chopped! Looking forward to the book Near & Far.
thank you for both the detailed explanation, and the pictures – being able to see the outcome of each step is very useful!
Wait, I see all those leaves torn off and left aside – do you not eat them by biting off the tender bit towards the stem? Especially as a vehicle for melted butter? I can see thais prep if you have alot of smaller arty-chokes (does anyone remember-might choke Arty but it won’t choke Stymie). I have two large (LARGE) globes sitting in the fridge waiting for tonight. I can’t imagine throwing away a better portion of them by stripping the leaves off for just the two centers. Do you treat the big boys differently?
HS: Sometimes! I also like to boil the leaves into a nutritious tea, or broth, or use that as a sauce component. You can always steam the big globes, and then take the dunk and scrape approach.
This is the perfect! I have been waiting for a post on artichokes. Lovely! I am so looking forward to trying this. My daughter has hated most vegetables, but has always loved artichokes. I think having options cooking them is wonderful.
Can’t wait to try the blanching first. It sounds like the perfect thing for artichoke lasagna.
You are so right. Artichokes are intimidating to cook for many, I will admit to only cooking them once in a blue moon. The first I tried was in Colombia, where I’m from, and had no idea what to expect. Ended up tossing it out because I couldn’t figure it out!
Thanks for the advise!
I think the very best way to cook artichokes that you intend to eat without stripping the leaves (i.e. eating one leaf at a time dipped in melted butter) is to use a pressure cooker. The flavor is kept in the cooker and you get a bigger burst of artichoke flavor. Yummy.
I LOVE artichokes but have never had any luck with fresh ones……I just can’t figure them out. I recently found frozen artichokes and I’m in heaven. Much better than canned. I’m thinking I know what is for dinner tonight.
Thanks so much for this outline! Would love to read something similar for other slightly more complicated, not so intuitive, yet versatile ingredients. In Shanghai, where I am for a few months before returning to the Bay Area, my local market has a lot of daikon radishes, yam leaves, and king trumpet mushrooms. Can’t wait for next spring’s artichokes!
I usually cook the artichokes whole in boiling water with lemon & lemon juice and salt so it would be nice to cook them differently for a change. I just bought 8 artichoke at Trader Joe’s, here in Los Angeles, for a great price ($1 per large beautiful artichoke). Good post! Thanks
Such gorgeous photographs. But then, I’m a sucker for a pretty carciofo. But I have a question: why do you blanch them first? In Italy this is never done. Is it because the artichokes are a bit tougher in the States? I’m curious, because I never quite know what type of artichokes people are using when making my recipes.
HS: Good morning lovely Elizabeth! I like to blanch them for the texture – it lends a silky, succulent, tenderness that I just can’t get with a straight saute…More of a personal preference than anything?
Don’t toss the stem….it’s the best part! Try either leaving it on or chopping it off and incorporating into the final batch. Delicious!
Thanks for sharing! I’ve never prepared them myself and have been wanting to. I agree with Laura, I always order anything that contains artichoke when dining out but now I feel capable making them at home!
So glad you posted this! Cooking artichokes is one of those very intimidating things for me, although I love them. When ordering at a restaurant, I always try to get a dish with artichokes incorporated in them because I love them so much……just can’t cook myself. Always get a little sad when seeing “chokes” in the grocery store thinking to myself….hmmmm….would love to eat those just don’t know how to prepare =) Now I do! yay.
Omg thank you for this! I love artichokes but never knew how to prepare them properly. It no longer seems that daunting (: Saving this post!
xo Jia
Thank You so much Heidi! I am determined and have a bag of beautiful baby chokes already waiting in the fridge…
-Erin
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