Grilled artichokes are marinated in a lemon garlic balsamic mixture and are grilled to perfection. All you need are few simple ingredients. For the best artichokes, we recommend dipping them in our homemade lemon aioli sauce, which makes them a great appetizer or summer side dish.
During grilling season we always make a point to add this easy grilled artichokes recipe to our line up. We love them next to a big juicy Tomahawk steak or grilled shrimp skewers. Even though the marinade is an extra step, don’t skip it! This process adds so much flavor and makes artichokes nice and tender.
These grilled artichokes also go great with Huli Huli Chicken. To round out your meal, stay cool with a delicious white wine slushie. and start the meal off with a peach burrata salad; it’s so light and refreshing!
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🧄 Ingredients:
- 4 medium artichokes or 2 large artichokes
- For the marinade: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, white onion or shallot, sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest.
- Freshly chopped basil for garnish
- Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
- lemons – we’re going to grill the lemons which makes them extra juicy and adds a unique punch of flavor
- mayonnaise
- freshly cracked black pepper
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Garnish grilled artichokes with a dash of freshly chopped basil or a little sea salt.
Substitutions and Variations
- Instant Pot – you can skip the stove top process to cook the artichokes and use a pressure cooker instead. Trim the stems, leaving about an inch of the artichokes base. Add 1-2 cups of water to the inner pot. Place the trivet inside and the artichokes on top. Place the lid on and turn the valve to the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 15-25 minutes depending on the size. Once done, release the pressure and follow the remaining instructions. The base of each petal should be fork tender.
- Dipping sauce – we love the creaminess of the mayo, but you can also use our garlic butter sauce that is a little lighter.
- Oil – for more flavor, swap the olive oil for lemon-infused oil.
🔪 Instructions to make Grilled Artichokes:
PREP: Rinse artichokes under cold water.
Step 1: Cut the stems off from the bottom of the artichoke, but leave about 1 inch. Remove the small tough, loose leaves from the base and stem. Cut one inch off the top of the artichoke using a sharp paring knife.
Step 2: Use kitchen scissors to trim the sharp points at the tips of the leaves. Repeat for the remaining artichokes.
Step 3: Add salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the artichokes, cover and simmer until they are fork tender at the base (about 40 minutes). Artichokes can also be cooked more quickly in a pressure cooker (about 20 minutes).
Step 4: Slice the cooked artichokes in half. Use a small spoon to scoop out the dense, fuzzy choke at the center (right above the artichoke heart) . Remove all of the hairs and the small leaves.
Pro Tip: If desired, you can make steamed artichokes by adding them to the bottom of the steaming basket over boiling water for 35-45 minutes. Drain and allow them to cool.
Step 5: Place artichokes in a bowl or large Ziploc bag.
Step 6: Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, minced onion, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and the zest of 1 lemon to make the marinade, in a small bowl.
Step 7: Pour the olive oil mixture over the artichokes. Cover or seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally.
Step 8: Heat the outdoor grill to high heat. Place the cut side of the artichoke on the hot grill grates in a single layer. Grill for a few minutes on each side so they are heated through and have nice grill marks. Place the flat side of the lemon halves down on the grill and sear until lightly charred.
Step 9: Squeeze the grilled lemon juice into a small bowl and whisk the mayonnaise in. Season with black pepper.
SERVE: Garnish the grilled artichokes with fresh basil or a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve with the dipping sauce as a delicious appetizer or as an easy side dish at your next dinner party.
- When shopping for artichokes, look for ones that have tightly knitted leaves. If it’s squishy, then it’s past it’s prime. For the freshest, try looking at your local farmer’s market.
- Marinating artichokes in a Ziploc makes it easy to move them around and redistribute the marinade without having to uncover and stir.
- For easy flipping, use a grill basket if you have one.
- Grilling lemons makes them extra juicy and adds a little more smoke flavor.
Fun Fact
Artichoke plants can grow up to 3 feet tall and flourish in warm weather; California grows the most.
Recipe FAQs
Start with the dark outer leaves. Peel off each one. Dip and bite into them, sliding the meat between your teeth. Work your way through to the inner leaves and enjoy the heart of the artichoke last since it’s the best part!
They have a slightly bitter, nutty, earthy flavor that may remind you of Brussels or asparagus.
The artichoke heart, the base of artichoke, and the artichoke leaves are totally fine to eat. The only part of the entire artichoke that is not edible is the choke, which is right above the artichoke stem, which you can see once you cut them in half. We remove the choke after cooking and before marinating the artichokes.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days. They are better cold after storing, but if you want to knock the chill off, microwave them for a few seconds.
More Amazing Grilling Recipes
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Grilled Artichokes
Ingredients
- 4 medium artichokes or 2 jumbo artichokes
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 4 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ cup finely minced white onion or shallot
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Freshly chopped basil for garnish
Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
- 1-2 large lemons cut in half
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse artichokes under cold water.
- Cut stem, leaving about 1 inch. Remove any small, tough leaves from the stem and base of the artichokes.
- Trim the top 1” from the artichoke with a sharp knife. Use kitchen shears to trim the thorny tips off of the remaining leaves.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place artichokes in the boiling water, cover, and simmer until a fork easily pierces the base of the artichoke, 30-40 minutes. Alternately, steam artichokes in a steaming basket over boiling water, 35-45 minutes. Drain water and allow artichokes to cool enough to handle.
- Slice artichokes in half. Scoop out the dense, fuzzy cluster of leaves, known as the choke, at the center of the artichoke. Remove all of the small hairs as they are inedible.
- Place artichokes in a bowl or large Ziploc bag.
- Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, minced onion, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and the zest of 1 lemon to make the marinade.
- Pour marinade over the cooked artichokes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Stir occasionally.
- After marinating, heat grill to high heat.
- Lift the artichokes from the marinade and place on the grill. Grill for a few minutes on each side, just enough to heat through and char the outside of the artichokes. Place lemon halves, cut side down, on the grill. Sear for a few minutes until lightly charred.
- To make the dipping sauce, squeeze the juice of 1 grilled lemon into the mayonnaise and whisk to combine. Season with black pepper.
- Serve grilled artichokes garnished with freshly chopped basil. Serve dipping sauce alongside.
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