Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli (Pressure Cooker Broccoli)
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Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli is slightly soft, slightly crunchy, and insanely easy to make. Just add the broccoli to the instant pot, set the timer, and you have freshly steamed broccoli in under 5 minutes!
I love cooking with fresh healthy ingredients, like my Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, and Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli!
Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli is one of the easiest ways to make steamed broccoli that I know of, and the fastest! You can make your broccoli anywhere from slightly crunchy to nice and soft. Bonus, you also free up the stovetop while it cooks. Plus, this is great for meal prep, because you can make a big basket at once and portion it for lunches all week long. Personally, I work full time, so anywhere I can save time in the kitchen is a plus for me. So, I use the instant pot to make big batches of steamed veggies, portion them with a protein, and freeze for the week!
How do you steam vegetables in an instant pot?
Steaming vegetables in the instant pot is the easiest thing you can do in your kitchen. All you have to do is add some water to the bottom of the instant pot, add your veggies to the steamer basket, and turn the instant pot on. How soft or crunchy your veggies are depends entirely on how long you set your instant pot for. Personally, I like my instant pot steamed broccoli to be a little bit on the bright green and crunchy side, so I set the pot for 0 minutes. Which basically means the broccoli cooks as the pot is coming to temperature. If you want it soft, set the pot for 1 minute.
Do you need a steamer basket for instant pot?
Whether or not you’ll need a steamer basket depends on what vegetable you’re trying to steam. If you’re adding large pieces, you can get away with just using the metal trivet that comes with the pot. If you’re doing something smaller like instant pot steamed broccoli, then I recommend getting a steamer basket that is specifically made for steaming vegetables in the instant pot ([eafl id=”12702″ name=”Amazon Instant Pot Steamer Basket” text=”HERE”] is the same exact steamer basket that I am using!).
How to make instant pot steamed broccoli without steamer basket
If you don’t have a steamer basket, you can still make instant pot steamed broccoli. The trick is to cut your broccoli into larger sized pieces. The idea is to keep the broccoli on top of the metal trivet, and above the water on the bottom of the pot. If the broccoli touches the water, it will cook as if it were boiled instead of steamed.
- Cut your broccoli head into quarters (or thirds, or whatever you think is good for the size of broccoli that you have).
- Place the metal trivet inside the instant pot, and add 3/4-1 cup of water. Don’t let the water come above the trivet, you want just below it.
- Place the broccoli on top of the trivet, not touching the water.
- Close the lid, and seal the pressure valve. Set the instant pot on high for 0 minutes.
- Once the pot beeps, release the pressure valve and let it go until all of the steam is out and your pot is depressurized.
- Remove the lid, cut broccoli into the actual size you want, and serve.
Tips for How to Make Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
- Cut the broccoli into even sized pieces, otherwise they will cook at different rates and won’t be the same texture and some may overcook.
- Adding water to the bottom of the instant pot is critical! Otherwise your pot may say “burn”, and the broccoli might not steam properly.
- Set your instant pot for “0” minutes for just soft but still slightly crunchy broccoli. Do 1 minute for a softer version. And 2 minutes if you want it to be really, really soft.
- Make sure you quick release the pot right away, because your broccoli will keep cooking while the pressure is coming down. Without an instant release, it will get pretty soft.
How can I make steamed broccoli taste better?
Make steamed broccoli taste better by perfecting your cooking time, the texture can have a big impact on the flavor of your broccoli. Do you want it crunchy? Then steam it for less time. Soft? Add a minute or two to your cook time. If you want even more flavor, add some seasoning like salt, pepper, and garlic powder just as you take the broccoli out of the steamer.
What is good to put on steamed broccoli?
Steamed broccoli is great for meal prep, but you can dress it up with a few simple additions!
- Sliced almonds or walnuts (bonus points if you lightly toast them first).
- Roasted garlic cloves
- Seasoning, try garlic powder, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, or a dash of cayenne pepper if you want it spicy.
- Cheese, glorious cheese! Try topping your steamed broccoli with shredded cheddar, mozzarella, or (my personal favorite) parmesan. Do this after it’s done steaming but while the broccoli is still really hot. You want to give it a chance to melt a little bit.
- Dried cranberries or golden raisins with a dash of balsamic vinegar for a holiday version.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
- Instant Pot Apple Butter
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[eafl id=”12884″ name=”Instant Pot” text=”Instant Pot”]
(This is the one I use. You can get more expensive ones if you want it to text you when it’s done, but I find this one does the job. If you’re new to the instant pot, check out some great safety guidelines here!)
[eafl id=”12702″ name=”Amazon Instant Pot Steamer Basket” text=”Instant Pot Steamer Basket”]
Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 cup water or vegetable broth (gluten free)
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- steamer basket
Instructions
- Place steamer basket into instant pot. Add broccoli to basket, and pour water over broccoli. Lock the lid and close the steam valve on the pot and set for 0 minutes on high. Once the pot chimes, release the pressure valve. When the pressure is gone, open the lid, cool for a minute, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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I wish I’d looked at a few recipes before i just jumped in and followed this one. Others say that if you want kinda crunchy broccoli, do 0 minutes on LOW pressure. I did 0 on high, as recommended here, and it took so long to release (manually) that it ended up incredibly mushy. Just thought I’d let you know. Thank you!
I make this one pretty often and haven’t had any issues with it turning mushy. Did you use fresh broccoli or frozen? Also, did you turn the valve immediately or did it have any additional time in the instant pot before releasing the pressure?