How to Eat an Artichoke

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A step by step pictorial showing How to Eat an Artichoke! This vegetable can be tricky your first time eating it, but don’t be scared! It’s actually pretty easy!

I have had a few requests on how to eat an artichoke, so today I’m going show you how to do that. I also have had people ask how I got my kids to eat them. I don’t really know how, but 2 of my 3 kids LOVE them! In fact my middle boy, will literally request one for an after school snack! I think it probably has to do with the fact that they are fun to eat. 

HOW TO EAT AN ARTICHOKE

First, cut the stem off right near the bottom.

There are 2 ways I have cooked them.

STEAMED ARTICHOKES IN A LARGE POT

In my pre-Instant Pot days, I would steam our artichokes. To do that place a collapsible steamer in a big pot and place the artichokes inside the steamer basket. I add enough water to cover the steamer basket by about an inch or two. Be sure to check the water level about half way through, because you do not want the pot to run dry! I get the pot to a good boil and then turn the heat down to medium/low and keep it nice and steamy. I steam them for about an hour or until a fork can be poked into the bottom very easily. If they are big ones they will need an hour and a half

INSTANT POT ARTICHOKES

Place 1 cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Place your artichokes in the Instant Pot and put the lid on. Close the valve. Set the timer to cook for 8 minutes. Once the timer goes off, open the valve to release the pressure. 

Then we put one on each plate and put a large bowl in the middle of the table to discard the artichoke leaves after you eat the meat off them.. I also melt a cube of better and squeeze half of a lemon into the melted butter. Then I divide the lemon butter into dishes for each person to dip in. I personally only dip the heart of the artichoke into the butter and eat the leaves plain. But, the rest of my family dips the whole thing into the butter.

To eat an artichoke you peal off one leaf at a time and scrape the meat off the leaf.

Don’t be alarmed if the first leaves are a little tough and don’t taste as good. That can happen. The rest of the artichoke will be tasty! I sometimes peal off the first two layers or so and discard them. The leaves will get softer and easier to eat as you get closer to the heart.

When you get to the heart it will have something like hair covering the heart that you have to remove.

Once you have it removed you can eat the “heart” of the artichoke. It’s the best part! We may or may not have had food fights over them!

By the time the meal is done you should have a big bowl full of the discarded leaves.

And that’s how you eat an artichoke!

They are a favorite snack or side around our house and one of the only times I don’t have to bribe my kids to eat and they ask for more and more! Each of them also asks for this as their special birthday dinner. 

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!