Grilled Artichokes with Miso Butter
Grilled Artichokes with Miso Butter: How to Grill Artichokes perfectly to create a soft texture and smoky flavor! A simple grilled artichoke recipe slathered in warm Miso Butter melting into every fold.
Smoky Grilled Artichokes with Miso Butter
My family moved from San Diego, California to Tulsa, Oklahoma when I was just a toddler.
Along with their furniture, my parents brought a deep love for avocados and artichokes with them.
While most of the midwest was still eating TV dinners, my mom was steaming artichokes on the stovetop and teaching us to dip the leaves in butter then scrape them with our teeth.
Over the years simple steamed artichokes have remained one of my favorite dishes.
However, anytime we travel and I find artichokes on the menu, I love to try them and see how other people prepare this beloved veggie.
Today’s Grilled Artichokes with Miso Butter Recipe is an elevated version of classic steamed artichokes.
Grilling the artichokes, after steaming them, gives the leaves a slightly crispy texture around the edges, and infuses a smoky essence into their light earthy flavor.
Instead of dipping the artichoke leaves in butter, we’re applying the butter directly to the artichokes.
The butter is mixed with savory-sweet miso paste for a unique tantalizing flavor combination!
The most important thing to know about cooking artichokes is how to prep and trim them first!
Artichokes look weird. Correction, artichokes are weird… And eating them is a little bit of an adventure.
Yet don’t let this scare you away from the process. You can totally do this, and it’s worth the effort!
trim the leaves cut off the pointy top
How To Trim An Artichoke
- Pick the best artichokes. Look for bright green artichokes without dimples or bruised leaves.
- Have lemon wedges at the ready. Cut the lemon into wedges so you can use them to stop the artichokes from oxidizing.
- Work on one artichoke at a time. Artichokes brown fast, so it’s best to finish trimming one and rub it with lemon juice before moving onto the next.
- Trim the top and bottom. Use a large sharp knife to trim the stem. If the top is pointed, cut 1/2 an inch off the top, exposing the inner leaves. If the top is rounded there’s no need to cut it off.
- Trim the thorns. Use a good pair of kitchen shears to trim the points off each artichoke leaf. They can be a little prickly.
- Remove the choke. Cut the artichoke in half. Use a spoon to dig the fuzzy “choke” flower out of the center of the artichoke halves. You want to make sure to get it all, but leave as much of the heart underneath as possible. The artichoke heart is the wide flat base of the flower, just above the stem.
- Rub with lemon. Then quickly rub the entire surface of both halves with a lemon wedge. As mentioned, this stops the artichoke from turning brown.
cut in half 
spoon out the choke
How To Grill Artichokes
- Steam the artichokes. Yes, you do need to steam them before grilling, or those inner leaves will never quite get soft enough to eat.
- Preheat the grill. Make sure the grill is very hot before adding the artichokes.
- Brush with butter. It’s time to add on the seasoning in the form of Miso Butter.
- Grill flat-side-down first. That way when you finish cooking the artichoke flat-side-up, the cavity will hold in the miso butter.
- Flip. Turn the artichokes over and apply more miso butter. Grill a little longer so the butter melted down between all the leaves.
Get the Full (Printable) Grilled Artichokes with Miso Butter Below!
Can You Grill Artichokes Without Steaming Them First?
Even though this extra step takes a few minutes, it’s very important to steam the artichokes before grilling.
When you try to grill artichoke from a raw state, they either char black on the outside before the center is cooked through, or if you turn the heat down, they dry out while cooking.
However, steaming the artichokes helps to retain moisture so the leaves are soft and delicate, even after a few minutes on the grill.
Can You Eat The Whole Artichoke?
If you’ve never had the opportunity to enjoy whole artichokes, you might be confused about how to eat them.
The Edible Parts of an Artichoke are the:
- Heart. The top wide part of the stem.
- Stem. Trim the rough bottom, but leave most of it intact.
- Inner leaves. Those that are pale in color and soft from top to bottom.
- Bottom half of the outer leaves. The white section at the base of the green leaves.
The Inedible Parts of an Artichoke are the:
- Choke. The fuzzy center of the flower in each artichoke.
- Fibrous leaf tops. Think of them as handles.
How To Eat Artichokes
- Once they are cooked, pull the leaves out of the center with your fingers. You can eat the smallest softest leaves whole.
- When you get to the leaves that are tough and fibrous on top, use your teeth to scrape the tender flesh off the bottom of each leaf, and discard the rest.
See how easy that is? The soft base of each leaf is packed with comforting flavor.
Grilled Artichoke Recipe FAQ
No. No part of an artichoke is poisonous. Just because they look alien, doesn’t mean you need to fear any part of an artichoke. The “inedible parts” could technically be eaten, they just would not be enjoyable. The fibrous part of the leaves is also very hard to digest, so could cause some tummy issues later. Maybe that’s how the “poisonous” rumor started?
Actually, yes! You can keep them in the refrigerator and reheat them up to 3 days later and they still taste great!
You can either just steam them and use the miso butter for dipping. Or you can steam them, then roast them in the oven at 450 degrees F, for 5 minutes a side, in place of the grilling. Broiling them is another great option. Just be sure not to take your eye off the artichokes, or they might burn.
Yes, if your miso paste is gluten-free and/or grain free. Check the label… Some brands do include rice or barley.
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Grilled Artichokes with Miso Butter
Ingredients
- 4 large artichokes
- 1 lemon
- 8 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons white or yellow miso paste
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Set a large pot on the stovetop. Add 1-2 inches of water, and place a steam basket in the pot. Cover and set on high heat.
- Trim the Artichokes: Cut the lemon into wedges. Work on one artichoke at a time. Use a large sharp knife to trim the stem, and if the top of the artichoke is pointed cut 1/2 an inch off the top, exposing the inner leaves. Then use kitchen shears to trim the points off each artichoke leaf. Now cut the artichoke in half. Use a spoon to dig the fuzzy “choke” out of the center of the artichoke halves. Make sure to get it all, but leave as much of the “heart” underneath as possible. Then quickly rub the entire surface of both halves with a lemon wedge, because artichokes oxidize and brown very quickly. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
- Once all the artichokes are prepped, place them in the steam basket. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and steam the artichokes for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium-high. Place the butter and miso paste in a bowl and stir until the miso paste is worked through the butter evenly.
- Move the artichokes to the grill, flat-side-down. Brush the surface with about one-third of the miso butter and salt and pepper liberally. Grill for 3-5 minutes to form charred grill marks.
- Use large tongs to flip the artichokes over. Bush the surface and cavity of each artichoke with another one-third of the miso butter. Salt and pepper liberally. Grill for 3-5 minutes longer.
- Remove the artichokes from the grill and brush the remaining miso butter over the cavities while they are still hot. Serve immediately.
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You don’t need to steam and grill. Do it all in one. You can trim artichoke then coat with oil/butter/lard/fat, wrap in foil with cut side down and place in oven on rack or sheet pan. It will steam and grill all in one. The crispy bits are the best part!
I made these to bring to a cookout (I prepped and steamed them at home, and brought them along with the butter) and they came out great. Everyone loved them. I loved them so much I made it again for myself tonight and used extra miso butter on some sweet corn too. Thank you!
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Can’t wait to try these! I remember coming home from elementary school and my mom would also steam artichokes and melt butter and this was my FAVORITE after school snack!
Loved it!
I don’t like lemon at all. Would an orange or a line work in place of the lemon? (People say I won’t taste the lemon, but I do!). Thank you so much.
Hi Sharon,
It’s worth trying it with orange, or maybe even some rice vinegar. If you give it a try, please report back!