Cooking Broccoli In An Instant Pot
Faq About Steamed Broccoli
HOW TO PICK FRESH BROCCOLI Look for fresh, green color broccoli heads with tight and firm stalks, without any yellow or black spots. The head of the broccoli should feel heavy. The ends of the stalks should be fresh looking.
HOW LONG DOES FRESH BROCCOLI STAYS GOOD Fresh broccoli stays good for up to 10 days in the refrigerator. Store the fresh broccoli, unwashed in a clean, dry, open plastic bag in the refrigerator. You can also use some vegetable bags to store the broccoli.
HOW TO STORE FRESH BROCCOLI Store the unwashed broccoli in a loose plastic bag in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Wash the broccoli just before consuming it. Wet broccoli can develop mold, which is not safe to consume.
CAN FRESH BROCCOLI BE FROZEN Yes, you can freeze the fresh broccoli. Wash the broccoli, cut the broccoli head into medium size florets. Store these broccoli florets into freezer bags. Consume within a month for best results.
CAN I USE FROZEN BROCCOLI FOR THIS RECIPE Yes, you can use frozen broccoli for this recipe. However, it frozen broccoli may not have the same taste and texture as to fresh broccoli.
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Can I Steam Broccoli In My Instant Pot Without A Steamer Basket
The steamer basket is one of the best and most useful Instant Pot accessories worth getting your hands on, but if you dont already have it, and are wondering if you can still steam broccoli in the Instant Pot, well yes, you can!;
You can either cut the broccoli into larger chunks and place them on the trivet, or into smaller, bite sized florets and then directly place them in the inner pot along with the water.;
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Can You Steam Frozen Broccoli
Yes, you can. I prefer steamed vegetables over boiled because boiled vegetables lack:
- Flavour You will notice the difference in flavour straight away when you go from boiled vegetables to steamed vegetables.
- Nutrients When broccoli is boiled the nutrients leave the broccoli and you dont get all the benefits that broccoli has to offer.
- Texture Because frozen broccoli has more water in it and you add boiling to this, you end up with very mushy broccoli.
I swapped boiling broccoli for steaming broccoli back in 2012 and couldnt imagine going back to boiled again now.
Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
Instant pot broccoli is one of the easiest side dishes youâll ever make!
It’s super easy to steam broccoli in an instant pot and it takes less than ten minutes between the warm up cycle, cooking time, and steam release.
This instant pot broccoli recipe is naturally:
Nut-FreeVeganDairy-free
So it works with just about any diet or food restriction, plus, this Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli is easy to make and nutritious.
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How To Serve Pressure
You can serve your broccoli as is right out of the steamer. You can also add other ingredients to your broccoli like:
- Seasoning toss with your favorite seasoning and add to your broccoli like taco seasoning, ranch spice blend, guacamole spice mix
- Cheese you can add cheese to decorate your broccoli. You can add parmesan, mozzarella, or shredded cheddar
- Garlic mince a clove of garlic and stir it through your broccoli
- Onion finely dice the onion and put it on the veggie
Why This Is The Easiest Side Dish
Sometimes, when youre cooking up a fancy meal for your family or friends, you dont want EVERYTHING to be fussy and difficult to make. Lets say youve cooked up some asparagus stuffed chicken breasts alongside some air fryer roasted potatoes, and youre looking for an easy yet delicious vegetable dish to finish off the plate. For todays recipe, Im going to show you how to steam broccoli in instant pot and its SO easy that you may never go back to cooking broccoli any other way! Its quick, its easy, its healthy, its DELISH. There you have it!
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How To Steam Broccoli In Instant Pot
Broccoli is a great tasting food, which is low in calories and rich in its nutrients value. Steaming broccoli is a breeze in Instant Pot, its quick, and a healthy way of making perfect steamed broccoli every time.; Instant Pot steamed broccoli is great for salads or even make a great side dish. Steaming broccoli helps in preserving its nutrients value, and at the same time reduces the risk of food bacteria, when consumed raw.
Steaming broccoli in Instant Pot can be done easily by using one of the steamer basket. I love this steamer basket, it fits easily in any size Instant Pot. If you are looking to purchase a steamer basket, heres the link on .
How Do You Steam Vegetables In An Instant Pot
Steaming vegetables in electric pressure cooker is easy but you will need a steamer basket.
You dont need to buy a special steamer basket to make this pressure cooker broccoli. If you already have one at home just check if it fits in the inner pot of your instant pot. If it does, you are good to go.
However, if you are planning on using your pressure cooker more often for steaming, maybe investing in a special steamer basket for Instant pot that can hold a lot of veggies and you can take them all out without any fuss, might be a good idea.
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How Do You Cook Frozen Broccoli In The Instant Pot
Its best to use a steamer basket when cooking frozen broccoli in your pressure cooker.
If you dont have a steamer basket, you can use the trivet that came with your Instant Pot, but you may end up with a few pieces of broccoli that get soggy.
Use Your Steamed Broccoli
Steamed broccoli is an empty canvas. You can eat it with salt and pepper or serve it with some lemon wedges to up the ante. Use it in recipes that call for already cooked broccoli like this Broccoli and Red Onion Quiche or these Broccoli and Cheddar-Stuffed Potato Skins with Avocado Cream . You can also toss your broccoli into lunch salads and grain bowls straight from the fridge without even warming it up itll soak up dressing wonderfully.
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Learning How To Steam Broccoli In Instant Is Easy
Instant pot steamed broccoli is delicious!
Add the frozen broccoli to the steamer basket, and place the basket inside the steamer. Close the lid and set valve to Sealing.
Remember to cook for only 1 minute. If using fresh broccoli, cook it for less than a minute.
When the pot beeps, do the quick-release method to release pressure quickly. Pierce the broccoli with a fork. Cooked broccoli is fork pierce-able.
Note that when vegetables are overcooked, their color turns from vibrant green to drab olive green. Watch the time, and do not allow your broccoli to overcook. Broccoli cooked and removed at the right time is tender and crisp.
*See FAQs and specific tips following recipe below. .
- Bring 1 inch water inside of steamer pot to a boil.
- Add frozen broccoli to steamer insert.
- Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium. Let broccoli steam for 3-5 minutes.
- Cool under cool water for a minute to prevent broccoli from becoming mushy or serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
What Kind Of Instant Pot To Use
All pressure cooker brands vary! Heres the brand we use: an;Instant Pot 6 Qt Programmable Pressure Cooker. This recipe is customized for a 6 quart pressure cooker. We also cant speak to other brands and types of pressure cookers. For example, Instant Pot Mini works differently, so use it at your own risk! Let us know if you make this pressure cooker broccoli in the comments below!
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Place The Broccoli In The Instant Pot With Water Pressure Cook On High For 0 Minutes
Add the florets to the Instant Pot with ½ cup water. Then heres the fun part: set the timer to 0 minutes! It sounds counter-intuitive, but if youre an Instant Pot pro youll know how it works.
Every time the Instant Pot cooks something, it has to come up to pressure: kind of like preheating. Each recipe takes a different amount of time to preheat, depending on how much volume is in the pot. In this case, its about 5 minutes for the pressure cooker to come up to pressure. Once it does, the building pressure in the pot has already cooked the brocolli! The Instant Pot will beep and you can move to Step 3, which is
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Broccoli
Sometimes I fear Im oversharing the same boring thing, because I always talk about making Instant Pot broccoli on . Yet every single time I mention it, I get no less than 5 people ask how I make it.
This is one of those back to basics recipes that everyone should know, because its SO simple and easy! This is how I meal prep a large batch of broccoli
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How Long Does It Take To Steam Broccoli In An Instant Pot
Literally zero minutes- if you exclude the preheating time that is! To steam broccoli in your Instant Pot, youll first need to add ¾ cup of water into the pot, preheat it for 15 minutes, and then press the pressure cook button, set it to high and then cook the broccoli for zero minutes.;
Best of all, this doesnt just work for broccoli but almost any other veggie!;
How Do You Steam Broccoli In An Instant Pot Without A Basket
Notes
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How Long Do You Steam Broccoli In The Instant Pot
Because it takes time for the Instant Pot to pressurize and de-pressurize, broccoli cooks in just a zero minute cooking cycle. That means as soon as the pot pressurizes the cooking cycle will stop immediately, so you dont end up cooking the broccoli for too long.
While the cooking cycle is only zero minutes, the total time in the Instant Pot is up to 15 minutes when you take into account the pressurization aspect. So, be sure to set your expectations accordingly if you need to time the rest of your dinner.
Why Broccoli And Why Steamed Broccoli
Firstly, it is tasty. ;I love broccoli as a side along with my meal. ;Other than that, broccoli has great nutritional benefits.
Broccoli, part of the Brassica family, is considered a cruciferous vegetable. ;Broccoli is known for its;antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-detoxification capabilities, which have disease fighting capabilities. ;Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse, rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. ;Broccoli is also low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.
A ½-cup portion of steamed broccoli contains 31 calories, 6 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of protein and no fat. ;Because it has such little fat, carbohydrates and calories, broccoli is often considered a free food, which means you can consume an unlimited amount of it and not feel guilty. Isn’t that great?
Broccoli is most nutritious when eaten raw, however I am not a big fan of eating raw broccoli. ;If you cook it, the cooking method will determine how much of the broccoli’s nutrient content is maintained. ;The next best is quick-steaming broccoli, so that is what we are going to do here.
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Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli Ready In Minutes
If you love a quick side dish, youre going to love this Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli. Steam up perfect broccoli florets in under 5 minutes with minimal effort and perfect crispness with your Instant Pot!
Does your family love to eat steamed vegetables? Its one of my favorite ways to prepare fresh vegetables because its such a fast way of cooking and the vegetables retain so much of their nutritional value.
And steamed broccoli is one of my familys favorites! I count myself lucky that everyone of us, even the girls, love to eat broccoli. The girls will tell you its one of their favorite vegetables!
I think its so important to introduce kids to vegetables at a young age and keep serving them as they grow up. I can definitely tell that the more they are exposed to a food, the more likely they are to eat it.
Broccoli is one of those foods that I serve at least twice a week, and I think thats the main reason they love it so much. I used to steam broccoli in the microwave and that definitely works, but once we tried instant pot steamed broccoli, we found a new favorite!
If you dont have an instant pot, you can always steam broccoli in the microwave as well, but if youre like me, you love this multi-function cooking appliance!
This post may contain affiliate links where I earn a small commission from your purchase. See;full disclosure;for details.
Trim The Broccoli And Cut It Into Florets
Many people cut off and discard broccoli stems, but you can actually steam and eat them too. If the end of the stem is dry, youll want to trim off that bit. Then peel off the outer tough skin with a vegetable peeler. Slice the peeled stem into rounds until you get to the part of the stem where the florets branch off. Using your chefs knife, slice down through the head of cauliflower to whittle off florets, turning the head as you go. Try to cut the florets into even sizes so they cook at the same rate. Now its time to start steaming your broccoli .
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Facts About Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli
Every time the Instant Pot is cooking something, there is a pressure build up. This pressure is co-related to the amount of liquid and cooking time. Pressure level also contributes in this process. Thus, quantity of water, time and pressure level are important factors contributing to the texture, color and taste of the steamed broccoli.
For example, lets consider two scenarios:
Scenario A: Cooking with 1 cup of water for ZERO minutes.
Scenario B: Cooking with 1/2 cup of water at ZERO minutes.
Here, it will take longer for scenario A to come to pressure than scenario B. Which means, A is cooking for longer than B, because of more liquid, it will take more time to come to a pressure.
For crisp broccoli, I prefer 1/2 cup of water, ZERO minute at LOW pressure.
How To Store Cooked Broccoli:
- Refrigerator: Keep your broccoli in an airtight container in the fridge 3-5 days.
- Freezer: Cooked broccoli can be stored in the freezer up to 12 months. Keep in mind though that thawed broccoli looses its crunch. It’s probably best for adding to soups, sauces and pasta dishes, such as this Broccoli Cheddar Pasta.
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Why Use Frozen Broccoli Instead Of Fresh Broccoli
I like to use frozen broccoli purely for convenience.
We buy frozen broccoli from Costco and pull it out of the freezer for easy side dishes as needed.
Here are some other reasons why using frozen broccoli makes your meal prep easier:
- You dont have to chop veggies!
- You dont need to wash your veggies before preparing.
- You dont have to worry about your broccoli going bad.
- Better nutrition broccoli is flash frozen right after being picked. That means it doesnt lose much of its nutritional value while being transported to your grocery store.
How To Quick Release Instant Pots
To quick release instant pots, you’ll first need to wait for the cooking cycle to end. Once it’s ended, turn the venting knob from the sealing to venting position. This will quickly release steam.
Make sure the steam has stopped flowing and the floating valve has dropped before opening the lid.
Depending on your instant pot model, you can also turn the venting know to vent and press down to quick release instant pots.
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