My steamed artichokes with cheese sauce are an easy vegetable appetizer or side dish anyone can make at home! The tender, meaty leaves of the whole artichokes make the perfect vessel for creamy cheddar cheese sauce! This recipe will convert even the most die-hard artichoke hater into an artichoke lover!
Jump to:
- Easy Artichokes With Cheddar Sauce For Dipping
- 🥘 Ingredients
- 🔪 How To Steam Artichokes & Make Cheese Sauce
- 💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- 🥡 Storing & Reheating
- ❔ How Do I Pick A Good Artichoke
- ❔ Can I Prepare Artichokes In Advance
- ❔ Can I Freeze Cheddar Cheese Sauce
- 🍽️ What To Serve With Steamed Artichokes
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 💬 Comments & Reviews
Easy Artichokes With Cheddar Sauce For Dipping
For a vegetable, artichokes are surprisingly 'meaty' and incredibly satisfying. Paired with a rich and creamy cheddar cheese sauce for dipping, it's easy to forget you're eating a vegetable at all!
The petals are the perfect shape for scooping, and once they're gone, you have a tender artichoke heart to look forward to. It's like a delicious prize for all the hard work and all the motivation I need to eat the whole thing!
Love artichokes? Check out my other amazing recipes: Parmesan Roasted Artichokes, Baked Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip, Lobster Artichoke Dip, and Instant Pot Artichokes.
🥘 Ingredients
Steamed Artichokes
- Artichokes - 4 large artichokes. I prefer the classic green globe artichoke variety for my steamed artichokes. Imperial Star, Big Heart, Lyon, Sangria, and Emerald are also great picks.
Cheddar Cheese Sauce
- Heavy Cream - 1 cup of heavy cream or a heavy cream substitute. Using heavy cream allows you to skip making the roux, as this dairy product is already thick and creamy.
- Butter - 3 tablespoons of butter or a butter substitute.
- Seasoning - ¼ teaspoon of salt & pepper (to taste), garlic powder, and onion powder or an onion powder substitute.
- Cheddar Cheese - 1 ½ cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese. See all of my favorite melting cheeses for more great cheese options!
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Steam Artichokes & Make Cheese Sauce
I've included easy steps for steaming artichokes in the microwave, on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, and in the crockpot. Grab one of those appliances or a pot and steamer basket, a bread knife, your measuring utensils, a large saucepan, and a spatula!
This recipe is for 4 steamed artichokes, but you can make more or less as needed! I plan on serving 1 artichoke per person.
Prep The Artichokes
Step 1: Slice the tops off. Use a serrated bread knife to slice ¾ to 1 inch off the top of each of the 4 large (648 grams) artichokes.
Step 2: Slice off the stem. Remove any small, unnecessary leaves from the base of the artichoke and slice off the excess stem.
Step 3: Rinse. Rinse and shake under cool, running water to remove dirt beneath the leaves. Be sure to pull the leaves away from the artichoke and rinse thoroughly.
Steam The Artichokes
Step 4: Steam the artichokes:
Stovetop (Pictured above): Fill a pot with 1-2 inches of water and place a steamer basket inside. Put the prepared artichokes in the basket, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer and steam for 20-25 minutes or until tender, and the base can easily be pierced with a fork.
Microwave: Put your prepared artichokes in a microwave-safe dish with 1-2 inches of water and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave for 8-12 minutes or until tender.
Crockpot: Place your prepared artichokes into your slow cooker with 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours until tender.
Instant Pot: Place the trivet in your Instant Pot with the trimmed side up and add 1 cup of water. Add your prepared artichokes and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure and use tongs to remove them from the Instant Pot. (see the full post here)
Make The Cheese Sauce
Step 5: Melt butter into cream. Add 1 cup (236.59 milliliters) of heavy cream, 3 tablespoons (42 grams) of butter, and ¼ teaspoon each of salt (1.5 grams), pepper (1.2 grams), garlic powder (0.75 grams), and onion powder (0.5 grams) to a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, stir to combine and remove from heat.
Step 6: Stir in cheese and serve. Gradually stir in 1 ½ cups (169.5 grams) of sharp cheddar cheese until fully melted, and serve with artichokes immediately.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- If your artichokes have little thorns or points on the tips of the leaves, you can use kitchen scissors to snip them off if desired. This is mostly for looks because the thorns will soften when steamed.
- The time it takes to steam your artichokes will vary based on the size of your artichokes and your steaming method. If the leaves easily pull off the artichoke, it's a good sign they are ready.
- To eat steamed artichokes, pull the outer leaves from the body of the artichoke and dip them in cheese sauce. Scrape the fleshy side of the leaves along your teeth to remove all of the artichoke 'meat,' then discard the remaining leaf shell.
Repeat until you reach the fuzzy center or 'choke.' The choke is inedible and should be scraped off with a knife or spoon and discarded. Then, you can slice and eat the entire remaining artichoke heart.
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Cover and refrigerate your steamed artichoke hearts for up to 3 days. Once the cheese sauce has cooled to room temperature, put it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Put the artichokes back in a steamer basket over simmering water for 5-10 minutes to reheat. Alternatively, you can wrap each artichoke in foil and place it in a baking dish. Bake at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 15 minutes.
To reheat your cheese sauce, add it to a saucepan over low heat and stir frequently until warm.
❔ How Do I Pick A Good Artichoke
Choose artichokes that are firm, heavy for their size, and have tightly closed leaves. If you squeeze an artichoke and it feels mushy, or it has dry leaves or brown spots, you should move on to the next one.
❔ Can I Prepare Artichokes In Advance
You can trim and clean the artichokes in advance and refrigerate them until you're ready to steam them (steps 1-3 on the recipe card). Wait to steam them until just before serving to help maintain the petal's structure for scooping cheese sauce!
❔ Can I Freeze Cheddar Cheese Sauce
While you technically can freeze cheddar cheese sauce, I don't recommend it. Freezing cheese sauce made with cream can lead to changes in its texture and consistency when the dairy thaws
🍽️ What To Serve With Steamed Artichokes
These tender artichokes with cheese sauce make an excellent appetizer, vegetable side dish, or meal with side dishes of its own! See all of my favorite meal and side dish pairings for artichokes here!
1. Cabbage and Noodles
My idea of comfort food is a starter of steamed artichokes and cheese, followed by a big bowl of buttery egg noodles, cabbage, and bacon. Leave out the bacon for an easy yet satisfying vegetarian lunch or dinner!
2. Baked Salmon In Foil
Flaky salmon filets baked in a foil packet with lemon and garlic for a bright citrus flavor, which pairs beautifully with artichokes.
3. Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
In the spirit of vegetables that taste like comfort food, these air fryer zucchini fries are great for dipping and super crunchy!
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📖 Recipe Card
Steamed Artichokes with Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Steamed Artichokes
- 4 large artichokes
Cheddar Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Prep The Artichokes
- Use a serrated bread knife to slice ¾ to 1 inch off the top of each of the 4 large artichokes.
- Remove any small, unnecessary leaves from the base of the artichoke and slice off the excess stem.
- Rinse and shake under cool, running water to remove dirt from beneath the leaves. Be sure to pull the leaves away from the artichoke and rinse thoroughly.
Steam The Artichokes
- Stovetop (Pictured): Fill a pot with 1-2 inches of water and place a steamer basket inside. Put the prepared artichokes in the basket, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer and steam for 20-25 minutes or until tender and the base can easily be pierced with a fork.
- Microwave: Put your prepared artichokes in a microwave-safe dish with 1-2 inches of water and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave for 8-12 minutes or until tender.
- Crockpot: Place your prepared artichokes into your slow cooker with 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until tender.
- Instant Pot: Place the trivet in your Instant Pot with the trimmed side up and add 1 cup of water. Add your prepared artichokes and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Quick release the pressure and use tongs to remove them from the Instant Pot.
Make The Cheese Sauce
- Add 1 cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoon butter, ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon onion powder to a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, stir to combine and remove from heat.
- Gradually stir in 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese until fully melted, and serve with artichokes immediately.
Notes
- If your artichokes have little thorns or points on the tips of the leaves, you can use kitchen scissors to snip them off if desired. This is mostly for looks because the thorns will soften when steamed.
- The time it takes to steam your artichokes will vary based on the size of your artichokes and your steaming method. If the leaves easily pull off the artichoke, it's a good sign they are ready.
- To eat steamed artichokes, pull the outer leaves from the body of the artichoke and dip them in cheese sauce. Scrape the fleshy side of the leaves along your teeth to remove all of the artichoke 'meat,' then discard the remaining leaf shell. Repeat until you reach the fuzzy center or 'choke.' The choke is inedible and should be scraped off with a knife or spoon and discarded. Then, you can slice and eat the entire remaining artichoke heart.
- Cover and refrigerate your steamed artichoke hearts for up to 3 days. Once the cheese sauce has cooled to room temperature, put it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat the artichokes, you can put them back in a steamer basket over simmering water for 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can wrap each artichoke in foil and place it in a baking dish. Bake at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 15 minutes.
- To reheat your cheese sauce, add it to a saucepan over low heat and stir frequently until warmed through.
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