Steamed Broccoli–Instant Pot Recipe

Make Steamed Broccoli in the Instant Pot! It’s easy, nutritious, and delicious. 

Not all vegetables are created equally, and on the nutritional scale, broccoli is near the top. If it’s not already a staple in your diet, let me help you find more ways to prepare and love this nutritional powerhouse. Let’s start with this simple, yet delicious recipe for Steamed Broccoli using your Instant Pot pressure cooker.

This is a healthy side dish recipe for fresh vegetables the whole family will enjoy. The broccoli is perfectly seasoned and results in fork tender, never mushy, broccoli.

Nutritional Benefits of Broccoli

Before we get to the recipe, let me share the nutritional benefits of broccoli and why you should include more of it in your diet.

1. Broccoli is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K.
2. It’s also a good source of calcium, fiber, potassium, and folate.
3. Broccoli is a source of one of the most powerful phytochemicals, sulforaphane. This compound that has been shown to have cancer-preventing properties. Sulfaforaphane has been also been shown to neutralize toxins in the body and fight chronic inflammation. It is released when the vegetable is cut or chopped, and will not be formed if certain enzymes are destroyed in the cooking process. Eating your broccoli raw or when you cook it, steaming broccoli, like in this broccoli recipe, is the best way for making sure you get the sulforaphane.

Recipe Ingredients–What You Need

1 Bunch Fresh Broccoli

One bunch equals about 6 cups broccoli florets, chopped into florets. It could be one large broccoli head, or 2-3 smaller broccoli heads, depending on the size.

Seasoning: 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt + 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme+1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Okay I’m just going to say it. Plain broccoli taste isn’t the best. But! Add a few simple seasonings and it’s delicious! That’s what these ingredients are for. 😋

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Fresh lemon juice brightens up the flavor of the broccoli.

1 tablespoon olive oil

Adding olive oil gives the recipe some fat, which is great for flavor, and can also help your body absorb the nutrients.

Water for Steaming

You’ll need  1 1/2 cups of water for this recipe. The pot will come to pressure and do its job with just this small amount of liquid. If you have a 3 or 4 quart Instant Pot, just one cup water is all you’ll need.

That’s it! Now let’s get to the recipe.

How to Make Steamed Broccoli in the Instant Pot

Using the Instant Pot pressure cooker is the easiest way to steam broccoli. When you need an easy side dish for a busy weeknight, this recipe is just what you need! The instructions couldn’t be more simple.

1. Start by chopping your head of broccoli into florets. Add them to a medium bowl.
2. Add the seasonings, the lemon juice, and the olive oil and stir to combine.
3. Add the seasoned broccoli to a steamer basket.
4. Add the water to the inner pot, and put the trivet in the bottom of the pot. Place the steamer basket on top of the trivet. Make sure the pressure valve is set to the sealing position.
5. Press the manual button (for high pressure) and set the Instant Pot timer for zero minutes. I prefer to use this setting and got better results than using the steam function. The broccoli cooks quickly, so zero minutes is all that’s needed for tender broccoli.
6. Once the timer beeps, turn the steam valve to release the pressure. (quick pressure release)
7. Remove the pressure cooker lid and carefully remove the steamer basket using an oven mitt, and transfer to a serving bowl.
8. Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

More Broccoli Side Dish Recipes

Steaming is one of the best cooking methods for broccoli, but I have a number of other recipes for cooked broccoli. You can never have too many healthy broccoli recipes!

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

This recipe is irresistible! Even the broccoli haters love it.

Easy Sauteed Broccoli

I made this recipe all the time when my youngest, Luke, was a toddler. It was his favorite!

Broccoli Bites Recipe

This one is great if you have frozen broccoli. I haven’t tried frozen broccoli in the Instant Pot yet, so I’m not sure if it works well. If you have frozen broccoli, make this one!

Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Everyone who tries this soup raves about it! It’s a MUST try.

Healthy Broccoli Salad Salad

When you want raw broccoli, this is the recipe to make! I crave this broccoli salad!

If you try this Steamed Broccoli in the Instant Pot, or any of my other healthy recipes, please share it on Instagram  and I’ll feature you!

Also, if you try it, please leave a comment with a star rating below! Those star ratings are so helpful for my recipes getting discovered by more people searching for healthy recipes.  I appreciate you!

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