Instant Pot Artichokes Recipe with Lemon Garlic Aioli

Make easy Instant Pot artichokes with dipping sauce– a delicious appetizer or side dish! With homemade lemon garlic aioli, these steamed artichokes will win over any crowd! Perfectly tender artichoke hearts and petals every single time! 

What Makes This Recipe Great

Do you all love artichokes as much as I do? I get so happy when it’s artichoke season—one of the best parts of summer! Oh, I could just eat them every day. There are so many methods for cooking artichokes, but I have found an easy method that speeds up the cooking time and yields the most tender and delicious vegetable– your handy electric pressure cooker!

These Instant Pot Artichokes are served with delicious lemon garlic aioli, my absolute favorite dipping sauce! I’ve included instructions for the traditional way of stovetop steamed artichokes and the Instant Pot version, which cooks them in a fraction of the time – you can’t go wrong either way!

Plus, this recipe is gluten-free and can be made vegan with a couple of easy swaps! 

Ingredient Notes

• Whole Artichokes: This recipe calls for two medium to large artichokes. When in season, you can find fresh artichokes at the farmer’s market or grocery store. 
• Chicken Broth: I love Kettle & Fire, but feel free to use your favorite. If vegan, use vegetable broth instead. 
• Mayonnaise: Use your favorite or make my quick and easy homemade mayo! If you’re vegan, use your favorite vegan mayo. 
• White Wine: Any white wine works. If you don’t have wine, you can use all water and stock.
• Water 
• Lemons: You’ll need lemons for both the poaching liquid and the lemon garlic aioli. 
• Garlic cloves
• Cayenne Pepper
• Salt and Black Pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prep the artichokes with trimming. First, cut off the top 1″ of the artichoke, removing the tough outer leaves and the bottom ¼ inch of the stem. Then, snip off the pointy part of each leaf to get rid of the thorns at the top of the artichoke and discard the cut portions. You can use kitchen shears, a serrated knife, or another sharp knife. 

Instant Pot Artichokes

1. In your 6 or 8-quart Instant Pot, heat up all ingredients with the poaching liquid on the saute function.
2. Add in the artichokes, stem side down so the top of the artichokes faces up. Turn off saute mode. 
3. Cover with the Instant Pot lid, turn the valve to the “seal” position, and pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes for small artichokes, 15 minutes for medium artichokes, and 25 minutes for larger artichokes. Adjust the time depending on the size of your artichokes.
4. After the artichokes are fully cooked, release valve manually (quick release) until all the steam is released.
5. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the artichokes from the Instant Pot and turn them cut-side down on a dishtowel or paper towels to drain off excess liquid.
6. Allow your cooked artichoke to cool for 3-5 minutes before serving. 

Stovetop Artichokes

1. In your Dutch oven (or any large pot with a lid), heat all the ingredients and the poaching liquid over medium-high heat.
2. Add in the artichokes, stem side down so the top of the artichokes faces up.
3. Cover with a lid, and simmer the artichokes over medium heat for 45-50 minutes.
4. After the artichokes are fully steamed, remove them with tongs and turn them cut side down on a dishtowel or paper towels to drain off excess liquid.
5. Allow cooling for 3-5 minutes.

The BEST Lemon Garlic Aioli

Artichokes are all about the dipping sauce, and this lemon garlic aioli is the BEST dipping sauce for them. Its base is mayonnaise, but it’s infinitely better when you add grated garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. It’s full of flavor and the perfect pairing for meaty artichokes. You can always dip in melted butter, too, but this aioli is AMAZING and definitely one of my favorite dips. 

1. In a small mixing bowl, add all ingredients and stir to combine.
2. The lemon garlic aioli will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Use it to dip your artichokes and so much more!

Expert Tips

• Doubling the Recipe: You can easily double or triple this recipe. You can cook as many artichokes as your pot can hold.  You may need to cook in batches or use 2 different pots to get more than 4 artichokes to fit at a time.
• Making Ahead + Storing: You can steam the artichokes and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for at least a week. They’re actually delicious cold. The lemon garlic aioli will also last for at least a week in the refrigerator.
• Serving: Serve warm or cold with the aioli for dipping. Work your way from the outer petals to the tender heart of the artichoke. Feel free to serve these artichokes as an appetizer on their own or alongside a protein to make a complete meal!

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