Grilling makes almost everything taste better, including artichokes! The trick to making a great grilled artichoke is doing most of the cooking before it ever hits the grill. The artichoke should be steamed and cooked till fully tender, but not overly soft. Brush them with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill till you char some grill marks into the stem. The result is a tender, flavorful artichoke – a nice change of pace from the steamed variety.
Recommended Products:
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
How to Grill Artichokes
Give your artichokes a smoky flavor by finishing them on the grill. Learn how to clean, prep, steam, grill and sauce for tender, smoky results.
PRINT RECIPE
Email Me RecipesServings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 artichokes
- 1 lemon
- 1/8 cup grapeseed oil, or any oil with a high smoke point
- Salt and pepper
NOTES
You will also need: Serrated knife or sharp chef's knife, melon baller, large pot with lid, steaming basket, pastry brush, tongs, grill
Instructions
- For each artichoke, rinse under cold water. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Remove any stray leaves from the stem of the artichoke.
- With kitchen shears, or sharp scissors, remove the thorny tips from the leaves.With a sharp chef's knife or serrated knife, cut about an inch off of the top of the artichoke.Keep a lemon handy to rub onto the exposed areas so that they do not oxidize and turn brown.
- Remove the bitter, fibrous end of the stem with your knife, leaving about an inch left on the artichoke. Be sure to rub a lemon onto the exposed end of the stem.
- Peel the outer skin from the remaining stem. The stem can have a more bitter taste than the rest of the artichoke and removing the skin helps to take away some of the bitterness. Rub exposed peeled stem with lemon.Run the artichoke under cold water, pulling apart the leaves to carefully rinse out the vegetable and remove any impurities.
- With a sharp chef's knife, cut the artichoke in half. Remove the furry, inedible choke with a melon baller or spoon. Rinse the artichoke to remove all pieces of the furry choke, if needed. Be sure to keep exposed areas covered with lemon juice throughout process.
- You can grill the artichokes as halves, or slice them into quarters. Quarters will cook a bit faster; halves make a nice presentation.
- Boil a large pot of water with a steaming basket inside. Be sure that the water level doesn’t touch the bottom of the steaming basket. When water boils, place as many artichoke halves or quarters as you can fit into the basket in a single layer, exposed side down. Steam artichokes for around 45 minutes, or until they are nice and tender (but not overly soft or falling apart). Steaming time will vary based on the size of your artichokes; quarters will cook faster than halves. You should be able to easily insert a knife into the stem. Taste test the base of a leaf to make sure they are cooked enough to eat, as they will not cook much on the grill-- grilling is done to impart a smoky flavor, and won't make them much more tender.
- Preheat grill. With a brush, coat exposed area of artichokes with grapeseed oil, or any oil with a high smoke point.Sprinkle with salt and pepper.Place artichokes, exposed side down and leaf side up, onto the grill over medium heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until you have nice grill marks.
- To eat the artichoke, pull off the upper leaves one at a time. For each leaf, place the edible meaty area at the base of the leaf between your teeth, then scrape off the soft edible flesh. Discard the rest of the leaf. Once you've finished eating the leaves, enjoy the meaty base of the artichoke known as the heart, as well as the stem.
- Once grilled, artichokes can be served with a variety of sauces. Of course, they go great with the traditional sauces, like hollandaise.Olive oil-based dressings like vinaigrette also work well. I particularly love serving them with fresh lemon herb sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
How to Grill Artichokes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 75
Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Sodium 60mg3%
Potassium 261mg7%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin C 17mg21%
Calcium 33mg3%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Note: Strictly kosher Jews have their own guidelines for cleaning and consuming artichokes, which differ from the tutorials that appear on my site.
These instructions were very helpful. Thank you!
Great photos! Really helped me follow along with your recipe. They turned out great, goodbye steaming artichokes hello grilling!! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve tried many different recipes for grilled artichoke and yours was by far the best. Every layer was perfectly cooked. Thanks Tori.
Fabulous! So glad to hear it.
Can you do the steaming ahead of time or does it have to be right before grilling?
Hi Kim, you can do it ahead, but note that the longer a steamed artichoke sits the more it takes on a uglier “pea green” color– it doesn’t look as fresh. But you can cook it up to 24 hours ahead with no ill effects, other than appearance.
I saw artichokes for the first time and I liked it. The heart was like a bloosming flower. I’m scared to try your recipe I need tips please.
Hi Andrew, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. This post is quite thorough and has photos to help guide you through the whole process. If you have a specific question about anything, feel free to ask.
hi,
Thank you.
If I use canned artichokes and want to grill it, what would you suggest the best way around?
Helen
Hi Helen, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I’m not sure I’d recommend grilling canned artichokes, since their texture is much softer.
I added two cloves of galic into the steamer with the artichokes and it was excellent with the garlic and lemon. This is a great grilling receipe, the best artichokes I have ever made.
I harvested several chokes from my garden this morning and couldn’t wait to try this. It was incredible, so much more flavor imparted by the grill. Great tips and info, thanks!
Just had awful artichokes. Hubby skipped steaming and went straight to the grill. Simply put: Don’t do it. Steam first!
Excellent presentation. Love you step by step instructions and colorful photographs! This recipe turned out delicious and perfect. (I even have the same Pier One red square plates!) Thank you for sharing. A++
If you use the baby chokes, you don’t need to remove fur or cut tips and the leaves are more tender. I use only kosher salt. I make a creamy sauce composed of a mayo base with some mustard, a dash of cayenne, Worcestershire and a small spoon of horseradish. This is similar to something I had at Houstons restaurant.
Ps: I have broiled the leftovers the next day but best got off grill!
These look delicious! Thank you for the beautiful step by step instructions. I don’t have an outdoor grill, however. Is there a way to prepare theses in the broiler?
Great question Dorothy. Honestly I’ve never tried it; we have a grill and I love the smokiness from grilling, so I never had a need to substitute the method. It may work, but I hesitate to give you specifics without testing it myself. Perhaps another reader will have some insight.
You can in desperation. I do with leftovers. Not sure what the grill is really adding. Easy to experiment.
I sometimes cheat by finishing the steamed artichoke in a cast Iron Pan. Steam first, then add butter and or olive oil with desired seasonings (Salt/garlic) to a medium hot pan and sear similar to how you’d do a steak. Sear the flat side until it looks right then roll the rounded side in the seasoned butter / oil for flavor. It doesn’t take long. I serve with a dollop of your chosen dip in the hollow where the choke fibers were.
Thanks for sharing this post -I always have trouble with artichokes but thanks to you I had myself some delicious, perfectly cooked grilled artichokes last night! Amy x
You’re welcome Amy, happy to help!
Great post! I love artichokes but almost never eat them for some reason. Grilling them sounds like a fabulous idea.
The first place that I had this was around the area of the Temple in Rome. I have been making this for about 30 years.
Picked up a few great tips, thanks. Cutting off the tops and also grilling them. I don’t need any sauce, they’re great plain.