Spring is springing and with it comes all the beautiful produce we've been missing for the last 6+ months. High on that list is a freshly Steamed Artichoke. We've covered Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette here on WGC before, but today let's tackle a really simple steamed version with a creamy caper dipping sauce so we can all feel confident in our spring artichoke endeavors. While you're shopping the spring produce aisle, my Best Crispy Roasted Asparagus Recipe is the easiest spring vegetable side in the rotation. Want every spring vegetable in one place? My 20 Asparagus Recipes plus the Best Roasted Asparagus roundup has you covered. And to make a full spring meal of it, my Spring Gnocchi with Peas and Asparagus is the move.
Steamed Artichokes at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 51 minutes (10 min prep + 41 min steam)
- 👪 Servings: 4 (one half-artichoke per person as a starter; one whole as a main)
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: American / California Spring
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Earthy and tender artichoke with a creamy, briny, mustard-and-caper dipping sauce
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian and gluten-free; contains dairy in the dipping sauce
- 📦 Storage Notes: Cooked artichokes keep airtight in the fridge for 3 days; serve cold or warm gently. Caper dipping sauce keeps for a week and gets tangier as it sits
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: A fancy-looking spring starter that takes 10 minutes of prep and zero fussing while it cooks. The caper-pickle-mustard dipping sauce is the kind of thing you'll want to make in a triple batch and put on everything else for the rest of the week. Once you nail steamed artichokes, you're set for spring entertaining.
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Why I Love This Recipe
If you live in the vicinity of any Hillstone restaurant, you know that artichoke season is major. There's nothing better than rolling up to the bar during happy hour and getting some Steamed Artichokes, a cold glass of rosé and hanging with your best friend. NOTHING CAN BEAT IT - TRY TO FIGHT ME.
But as someone whose happy hour days are few and far between, hello having a toddler and running 2 companies, I must break out the scissors and make these incredible steamed artichokes at home. Here's the deal - once you're confident in trimming an artichoke (detailed description is below) you'll be making these left and right. The sauce is easy. The result is perfection. And all that delightful artichoke fiber is downright good for you!
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Ingredients
- Globe artichokes - look for the big ones that leaves are TIGHT and compact. Once they start to gently pull apart, divert and go find them elsewhere.
- Lemons
- Bay Leaf
- Butter
And for the Steamed Artichoke dipping sauce:
- Capers
- Dill Pickles
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
- Garlic grated
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper freshly cracked
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
Substitutions & Swaps
🌿 Aromatics in the Steamer
- Garlic cloves, smashed (4-6) - Drop in the steaming water; the artichokes pick up a subtle garlicky background
- Fresh thyme or oregano sprigs - 2 to 3 sprigs in the water; gentle herbal note that comes through in the steam
- White wine (½ cup) - Replace some of the water with dry white; my pick for entertaining, gives the artichokes a more wine-bar quality
- Whole peppercorns and a pinch of fennel seed - Court bouillon style; warmer, more aromatic finish
🥄 Dipping Sauce Base
- Greek yogurt (whole milk) - Sub for half the mayo; lighter and tangier, holds up to the capers
- Crème fraîche - Sub 1:1 for the sour cream; richer and more luxurious
- Aioli (homemade or jarred) - Skip the mustard step entirely; the garlic is already built in
- Drawn butter with lemon - The classic, no-recipe move; melt ½ cup butter, add a squeeze of lemon, dip directly
🌶️ Sauce Punch-Up
- Anchovy paste (1 tsp) - Stir in with the mustard; adds savory depth, tastes nothing like fish
- Calabrian chili paste - ½ to 1 teaspoon; adds heat and a fruity edge
- Fresh dill or tarragon - 2 tablespoons chopped; takes the sauce in a more spring-y direction
- Horseradish (prepared, 1 tsp) - Sharper and bolder; my pick when serving with grilled meats alongside
🍋 Bright Finishes
- Lemon zest in the sauce - Microplane half a lemon's zest in; brightens the whole bowl
- Preserved lemon, minced - 1 tablespoon; complex, briny, North African pivot
- Capers fried until crispy - Fry the capers in olive oil until they bloom and crisp; sprinkle on top of the sauce as a textural finish
How to Make Steamed Artichokes
Step 1: For the Creamy Caper dipping sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Step 2: Make a lemon water bath in a large bowl of cold water just deep enough to cover the artichoke, add the juice of two lemons, reserve the skins for the steamer. Clean and prep the artichokes. Place into the lemon water while you prep the remaining artichoke.
Step 3: Set a large pot on the stove and fill it with 1-2 inches of water, drop in the spent lemon peels and the lay leaf and drop the steamer basket in, make sure the water sits just below the basket.
Step 4: Turn the heat to medium high and place the artichokes into the basket, put the lid on the steamer and cook the artichokes for about 45-55 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke. You want the stem to be easily pierced with a knife and the leaves to peel off easily.
Step 5: Remove the steamed artichokes and allow them to cool enough so you can handle them. Slice the artichoke in half from top to bottom. Use a spoon to remove and discard the fuzzy choke the very center part of the leaves. Serve the artichokes with the creamy caper dipping sauce or one of your favorite dipping sauce like butter, garlic aioli or just regular mayonnaise.
How to Store Steamed Artichokes
These are best eaten fresh but you can store them in the fridge for a couple days.
🌿🍋🥄 Tips & Tricks for the Best Steamed Artichokes
Tender steamed artichokes with a creamy caper dipping sauce, the easiest fancy-looking spring starter
- Pick artichokes that feel heavy and squeak. Heavy means they're full of water (still fresh). Tight, squeaky leaves mean they're young. Loose, dry, opening leaves mean they're past their prime.
- Trim the stem flush, but save it. The stem is the same flavor as the heart. Peel off the tough outer layer, save it, and steam it alongside; serve it sliced with the artichoke.
- Cut off the top inch with a serrated knife. The top leaves are spiky and inedible. One straight cut across the top removes 80% of the work.
- Snip every leaf tip with kitchen shears. Each leaf has a tiny thorn at its point. Two minutes of trimming makes the dish presentable and keeps fingers safe.
- Rub everything with lemon as you trim. Cut surfaces oxidize and turn brown in seconds. Halve a lemon and rub every cut as you go; the citric acid stops the browning.
- Drop the trimmed artichokes in lemon water until ready. Same logic as rubbing, just on a longer timer. A bowl of cold water with the juice of one lemon holds them prep-clean for up to an hour.
- Steam stem-down, leaves up. Sets the heart in the densest steam zone (closest to the water). Cooks the heart through without overcooking the leaves.
- Test doneness with the leaf-pull test. Pull a leaf from the middle of the bunch. If it slides out easily, it's done. If it resists, give it 5 to 10 more minutes.
- Add the bay leaf and lemon to the steaming water, not the artichokes. The aromatics are subtle in the steam itself; piling them on top of the artichokes barely registers. The water carries the flavor.
- Serve warm, never hot. Five to ten minutes of resting after steaming makes the leaves easier to handle and the sauce cling instead of slide off.
- Eat the heart with a fork and knife. Once you've worked through all the leaves, scrape out the fuzzy choke with a spoon, then quarter the heart and dip generously. That's the prize.
FAQs
How long does it take to steam artichokes?
Approximately 45-60 minutes.
What's the best way to cook artichokes?
Steaming artichokes is the most common way to cook an artichoke. Grilling an artichoke is also delightful. Enjoy with a dipping sauce of your choice.
What are the best sauces for dipping with an artichoke?
Lemon butter, garlic aioli or a quick caper creamy sauce.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Steamed Artichokes
Ingredients
- 2 large globe artichokes
- 2 lemons
- 1 bay leaf
For the Creamy Caper Dipping Sauce
- 2 tablespoons capers rinsed and chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped dill pickles
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons whole grain dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped or grated
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Creamy Caper dipping sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
For the Steamed Artichokes:
- Make a lemon water bath in a large bowl of cold water just deep enough to cover the artichoke, add the juice of two lemons, reserve the skins for the steamer. Clean and prep the artichokes. With a pair of kitchen shears remove the sharp pointy tip of each leaf and remove any small leaves from the stem portion. With a sharp knife remove the top 1 inch of the artichoke by carefully slicing it off. With a vegetable peeler peel the outer layer of the stem and slice off the very bottom of the stem with your knife. Place into the lemon water while you prep the remaining artichoke.
- Set a large pot on the stove and fill it with 1-2 inches of water, drop in the spent lemon peels and the lay leaf and drop the steamer basket in, make sure the water sits just below the basket.
- Turn the heat to medium high and place the artichokes into the basket, put the lid on the steamer and cook the artichokes for about 45-55 minutes, depending on the size of the artichoke. You want the stem to be easily pierced with a knife and the leaves to peel off easily.
- Remove the steamed artichokes and allow them to cool enough so you can handle them.
- Slice the artichoke in half from top to bottom. Use a spoon to remove and discard the fuzzy choke the very center part of the leaves. Serve the artichokes with the creamy caper dipping sauce or one of your favorite dipping sauce like butter, garlic aioli or just regular mayo.
Notes
- Pick artichokes that feel heavy and squeak. Heavy means they're full of water (still fresh). Tight, squeaky leaves mean they're young. Loose, dry, opening leaves mean they're past their prime.
- Trim the stem flush, but save it. The stem is the same flavor as the heart. Peel off the tough outer layer, save it, and steam it alongside; serve it sliced with the artichoke.
- Cut off the top inch with a serrated knife. The top leaves are spiky and inedible. One straight cut across the top removes 80% of the work.
- Snip every leaf tip with kitchen shears. Each leaf has a tiny thorn at its point. Two minutes of trimming makes the dish presentable and keeps fingers safe.
- Rub everything with lemon as you trim. Cut surfaces oxidize and turn brown in seconds. Halve a lemon and rub every cut as you go; the citric acid stops the browning.
- Drop the trimmed artichokes in lemon water until ready. Same logic as rubbing, just on a longer timer. A bowl of cold water with the juice of one lemon holds them prep-clean for up to an hour.
- Steam stem-down, leaves up. Sets the heart in the densest steam zone (closest to the water). Cooks the heart through without overcooking the leaves.
- Test doneness with the leaf-pull test. Pull a leaf from the middle of the bunch. If it slides out easily, it's done. If it resists, give it 5 to 10 more minutes.
- Add the bay leaf and lemon to the steaming water, not the artichokes. The aromatics are subtle in the steam itself; piling them on top of the artichokes barely registers. The water carries the flavor.
- Serve warm, never hot. Five to ten minutes of resting after steaming makes the leaves easier to handle and the sauce cling instead of slide off.
- Eat the heart with a fork and knife. Once you've worked through all the leaves, scrape out the fuzzy choke with a spoon, then quarter the heart and dip generously. That's the prize.
I never knew about slicing the artichoke in half. Thank you so much.
Can't wait for local artichoke season!!! This looks delicious!!