Smoky grilled artichokes are slathered with a lemon-spiked garlic butter in this simple side dish that’s perfect for any bbq or pool party.
Grilling Artichokes Is a Surprisingly Simple Process
If you’ve been eating your artichokes solely from a jar all this time, prepare to be blown away by the smoky, sweet, earthy flavor of fresh artichokes that have been lightly charred on the grill and doused in garlic butter.
This is one of those impressive appetizers that people associate with fancy restaurant menus without realizing artichokes are a breeze to prepare at home. The trick to softening the tough vegetable is to simmer it for about 20 minutes before finishing on the grill.
I don’t know if I’ll ever eat a ‘choke with plain butter and mayo again thanks to the caramelized garlicky chunks I now scoop up with each leaf. More napkins please!
Enjoy!
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Artichokes — Many recipes tell you to halve the artichokes, but I prefer quartering mine for maximum smoky flavor and easier eating.
- Aromatics — To infuse the ‘chokes with flavor while they simmer, I add whole black peppercorns, garlic cloves, and half a lemon to the water.
- Garlic butter — You can make your own by combining softened butter, pressed garlic, thyme leaves, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Or, make another flavor of compound butter.
How to Grill Artichokes
- Prep the artichokes. I find it easiest to cut the artichokes with a serrated knife. Quarter them, then scoop out the prickly center and discard (you can’t eat that part!).
- Simmer to soften. Place the quartered artichokes in a pot and cover with water. Add the aromatics and bring to a boil. The artichokes will need to simmer for about 20 minutes.
Heidi’s Tip: You’ll know your artichokes are ready to grill when the stems are tender and the leaves easily pull away from the head.
- Meanwhile, preheat your grill. You’ll be grilling the artichokes over direct high heat.
- Drain, season, then grill. Rub the artichokes with a little olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. They’ll need to be grilled for about 3 minutes per side, or until grill marks form. Simmering them will have cooked them completely, so we’re just finishing them on the grill for smoky flavor.
How Do You Eat Grilled Artichokes?
Just like crab or lobster, eating artichokes involves getting your hands messy. Simply pull a leaf off with your fingers, dunk it into the garlic butter, and use your teeth to scrape out the tender flesh. Discard the skin and move onto the next leaf!
Once you’ve eaten all the leaves, you’ll get to the artichoke heart, which is everyone’s favorite part because it’s so buttery and tender. You can also eat the stem of the artichoke, and once that’s done you’ll well and truly be in garlic butter heaven.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Grilled Artichokes with Garlic Butter
Ingredients
For the Artichokes
- 2 large artichokes
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon , halved
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
For the Lemon Garlic Butter
- ½ cup butter
- 2 lemons , zested and juiced
- 2 cloves garlic , thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6-8 fresh thyme (leaves only)
Instructions
- Prep the artichokes. With a serrated knife, cut artichokes into quarters and cut sharp tips of leaves off. Scoop out the prickly center part of the artichoke, and discard. Immediately rub the cut side of the artichoke with a lemon half to help avoid yellowing. Place artichokes in a large stockpot filled with cold water.
- Simmer until tender. Add peppercorns and garlic cloves. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the water and add the leftover lemon skin/peel to the water. Bring artichokes to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until artichoke leaves easily pull from the head and the bottoms of the artichokes are tender. Remove from the stock pot and drain.
- Season. Prepare a grill with hot coals or a gas grill over high heat. Drizzle artichokes with olive oil and kosher salt and pepper.
- Grill. When grill is hot, place artichokes on grill and cook for 3 minutes each side or until nice grill marks appear. Remove and serve immediately or at room temperature with garlic lemon butter (recipe follows).
- Make the garlic butter. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and allow the solids to cool slightly, then skim the fat solids from the clear butter below and discard the solids. Add lemon zest, garlic cloves, kosher salt and fresh thyme and cook on medium until garlic browns slightly and becomes aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice to butter mixture and mix well.
- Serve. Drizzle the garlic butter over the artichokes or serve on the side as a dipping sauce.
Nutrition
What to Serve with Grilled Artichokes
More Veggies Worth Grilling
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Sam
Yum! I can’t wait to get home and try some artichokes with this recipe! And beautiful photos as usual, thanks for sharing!
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carrian
Oh my goodness! This looks divine!
Bev @ Bev Cooks
Oh my guuuudness, those chokes are pretty.