Name: Microwaving Artichokes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 fresh artichokes ((Note 1)); 1/2 cup water; 5 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon dijon mustard; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne; olive oil; ground black pepper and sea salt; dried thyme

Summary:

This is one of my favorite low carb appetizers, and is excellent when paired with a garlic mayo dipping sauce. Cooking artichokes in the microwave is easy and convenient compared to stovetop or oven methods. Includes notes on selecting, preparing, and eating artichokes.

Microwaving Artichokes

4.5 from 6 votes

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Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

▢ 2 fresh artichokes (Note 1)
▢ 1/2 cup water

Dipping Sauce:

▢ 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
▢ 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

Optional Toppings:

▢ olive oil
▢ ground black pepper and sea salt
▢ dried thyme

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare Artichokes: Rinse artichokes. Snap off and discard any errant outer leaves on stems. Snip off any large thorns on leaves using kitchen shears. Saw off and discard top-third of leaves (inedible leaves furthest from stem) using serrated knife. Cut off and discard lower part of stem, leaving at least 1 inch attached to artichoke (Note 2).
Cook Artichokes: Place both artichokes in microwave-safe dish with water. Cover with lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high until very tender, about 8 minutes for small artichokes or 9 minutes for medium to large artichokes (Note 3). Artichokes are done when outer leaves can be easily pulled off and toothpick can be inserted into stem with little resistance. If not done, microwave for another minute and test for doneness again. Set artichokes aside until cool enough to handle.
Make Dipping Sauce: Whisk or vigorously stir all dipping sauce ingredients in medium mixing bowl until very smooth, with no mayonnaise clumps remaining. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve: Slice cooled artichokes in half, through stem, handling carefully to avoid breaking off tender leaves. Scoop out and discard fuzzy needle-like white centers and purple leaves from each artichoke half using spoon. Arrange artichokes on serving plates. Optionally, lightly brush cut surfaces with olive oil and season with pepper, salt, and thyme. Serve with prepared dipping sauce and empty plate for discarded leaves (Note 4).

NUTRITION

Makes 2 Servings

Amount Per Serving (1 artichoke with dip):

Calories 410 (83% from fat)
Total Fat 37g	57%
Saturated Fat 4g	18%
Cholesterol 25mg	8%
Sodium 1020mg	43%
Net Carb 6g
Total Carb 13.5g	5%
Dietary Fiber 7.5g	29%
Sugars 1.5g
Protein 4g

Vitamin A 4% · Vitamin C 26% · Calcium 5% · Iron 9%

PHOTOS

microwaved artichokes served on plate with dip

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Selecting Artichokes. Use globe artichokes, which are green, round, and large (about 1 pound each), not the elongated types. They should be fresh, whole, and raw, available in the produce section of grocery stores, not canned or pre-cooked. Select ones with tightly formed leaves and a vibrant green color, avoiding any that look dry, have very woody stems, or have loose or split leaves. Ideally, the artichoke should have at least 1 inch of stem still attached. Artichokes are in season from March to May, although you can find them in many U.S. grocery stores year-round. Selecting fresh, high quality artichokes makes a huge difference in this dish; if you select a bad artichoke, it can taste dry or tough even if you nail all of the cooking steps. Once you bring your artichokes home, store them unwashed in a produce bag in the fridge. Plan to use them within a few days.

(2) Preparing Artichokes. You should cut off only the brown woody part of the stem. Try to leave intact as much of the green stem as possible because it’s one of the most delicious and tender parts of a cooked artichoke.

(3) Microwaving. The artichokes are cooked in the microwave by effectively steaming until tender. For 2 artichokes, it takes 8 minutes (small artichokes) to 9 minutes (medium to large artichokes). For 1 artichoke, it takes 6 to 7 minutes. For 3 artichokes, it takes 11 to 12 minutes. Since microwaves vary, the best way to know if artichokes are done is to perform the leaf and toothpick tests described in the instructions.

(4) Serving. To eat, peel off one leaf at a time (starting with the outermost leaves), dip into the sauce, and use your teeth to scrape off the meat of the leaf. Repeat until all of the leaves are gone. Only the heart and stem should remain (the best parts); the heart is completely edible, and the stem is edible if it’s tender and not too woody. For leftovers, cover and refrigerate, reheating using the microwave.

(5) Other Cooking Methods. Microwaving is the fastest way to cook artichokes, and for some people, the most convenient. Other methods include boiling and pressure cooking, which may produce better and more consistent results.

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Mimi

Well this is a new one for me! I would never have thought to cook artichokes in the microwave! I usually steam mine as opposed to boiling them so they don’t get water-logged, but I can’t wait to try your method! My dijonnaise-style mayo is exactly like yours!!!!

Meredith

Thank you for the microwave tips and times for cooking!!❤️

emmae

Yum! Thank you for this. I love artichokes, too. I’m looking forward to browsing your recipes for other vegetarian ones 🙂

Melissa

It worked! And dinner was served 30 minutes earlier than it would have been cooking the ‘chokes in the steam basket. Thank you for the time saver!

Nan

So much easier and perfect every time! Thanks!

Chelsea

Not sure what kind of subatomic microwaves y’all have but it took over an hour of microwaving with basting every 10 minutes. Worked in the end though

Eliza Cheesborough

This is a tasty addition to the recipe book for artichoke lovers. I really liked microwaving them rather than stove-top steaming, esp. in the heat of summer with a gas stove. Much quicker and cooler! And the dipping sauce is very good. As a variation, I would recommend substituting yellow curry for dijon mustard, and garlic powder for minced. It makes a nice variation. I found the (optional) black pepper and thyme a bit superfluous with the dipping sauce. But what a nice way to kick off artichoke season! Thank you very much for posting.

Mary K. Collen

I use mayo,curry,lemon peel and minced garlic with seed mustard and a smidge of anchovies paste its delicious.

Microwaving Artichokes