Artichokes have never been easier to make, and yes, I said “easy!” Most people don’t cook artichokes at home because they don’t know how to, or their attempts at making them come out all wrong. For years I had no clue how to prepare an artichoke. I’ve tried boiling, steaming and microwaving the artichokes, and found none of these methods were tasty or inspiring. This roasted artichoke recipe and technique never fails. This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.
My kids and husband love artichokes, so I make them often, especially when they’re in season in March to June, and then again from September to October.
It brings me such joy that my family actually takes pleasure in eating a healthy vegetable that is full of fiber and a good source of folate and various vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, phosphorus, and magnesium.
When I see beautiful artichokes at Costco of the grocery store, I can’t help but add them to my cart.
When purchasing an artichoke, look for one that is green with only a few brown blotches, if any, and one with leaves packed tightly together. Splayed leaves, purple coloring, or too many soft brown spots are signs the artichoke is old and not as fresh.
Artichokes are prickly little things, and much of the vegetable is inedible, including the leaves and the fuzzy parts (aka, the hairy choke).
The part of the artichoke that is edible is the heart. As you peel the leaves out of the artichoke, you can use your teeth to skim the heart off the bottom of the leaves. When you finish all the leaves, you cut out the hairy choke and eat the remainder of the heart.
Most people will dip the leaves into melted butter, but I have found, when you roast them as I do, there’s no need for a butter dip. The oil and seasonings penetrate the artichoke, caramelize the heart, and taste amazing without having to add a thing.
Now that I’ve learned how to roast an artichoke properly, I’ll never go back to my uninspiring ways again!
How to Roast an Artichoke
I encourage you to watch this short video to see how easy it is to make roasted artichokes. I will also detail each step below.
Step #1: Remove the top third of the ‘choke. You will want to use a very sharp knife to do this.
This technique really opens up the artichoke and gets rid of the sharp leafy edges. You can also pull the leaves out a bit (spread them) so they are better prepared to receive the oil drizzle and seasonings.
Step #2: Drizzle some avocado oil (or other vegetable oil that is okay at high heat – if you’re unsure, read my article, Everything You Need to Know about Healthy & Gluten-Free Cooking Oils) along with kosher salt and pepper (or other seasonings of choice, have fun!).
Step #3: Place the artichoke on top of a piece of heavy duty foil, and seal the artichoke inside the foil. Doing so will allow the artichoke to steam in its own juices. Yummy! Can you just taste the delicious artichokes now?!?
Step #4: You’ll then want to place the wrapped artichokes on a baking sheet and roast them into a 400º F oven for about an hour. If your artichokes are on the large side, you may want to add a few more minutes, and if they’re small artichokes, check them at the 45 minute mark.
You’ll know they’re done when you can pull out a leaf with little effort. They will also turn a shade of dark green once cooked.
Your artichokes are ready to enjoy. When opening the foil-wrapped artichokes, beware of steam. You don’t want to injure yourself!
The artichokes will have this wonderful browning on the bottom when they’re done. This is my favorite part!
Just look at these beautiful roasted artichokes!
Most people serve artichokes along with a side of butter or some sort of aioli; however, when when you roast an artichoke with an oil drizzle and other seasonings, they are already full of flavor without the need for butter – or the added mess and calories. Just eat as is.
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Warm Roasted Butternut Squash Dip
Roasted Artichokes
Equipment
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 4 artichokes
- 4 tbsp avocado oil or other vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp kosher salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with foil, then tear off four additional squares sheets of foil and set aside.
- Using a sharp knife, cut off the stem and the top third of the artichoke leaves. You want to expose the inside of the artichoke and remove the prickly top parts.
- Set each artichoke in the middle of piece of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle with oil and seasonings of choice, then wrap the foil around the artichoke to seal it and trap in steam.
- Place individually wrapped artichokes on baking sheet and place in hot oven.
- Roast for about 1 hour or until soft. Larger artichokes may need more time, smaller artichokes will need less time. You can test for doneness by carefully opening the top of the foil (be careful of steam) and gently tugging on a leaf. If the leaf comes off easily, it's done! Serve immediately.
