Artichoke hearts rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 250 recipes to cook with them.
Key Points
Tender artichoke core sold three ways: water or brine canned, oil-marinated in jars, and frozen.
Rinse and squeeze canned hearts to wash off the sharp, metallic packing brine before using.
Frozen hearts taste cleanest and hold their shape; roast them at 425°F (220°C).
Use marinated hearts raw on antipasto and sandwiches, not in delicate cream sauces.
Opened, keep in a covered container under fresh water and use within 4 to 5 days.
What are artichoke hearts?
Artichoke hearts are the tender core of the globe artichoke, what's left once the tough outer leaves and the fuzzy choke are stripped away. They are pale and meaty, with a faint nutty sweetness.
And there's none of the work of eating a whole artichoke.
Most cooks never buy them fresh. They come three ways: packed in water or brine in a can, marinated in oil and herbs in a jar, or frozen. Each behaves a little differently, and picking the right one matters more than the recipe usually admits.
Using Artichoke Hearts
Canned and water-packed hearts are the neutral workhorse. Drain them and give them a quick rinse to wash off the tinny brine, then squeeze gently before chopping so they don't water down whatever they join.
Marinated hearts already carry oil and seasoning, so treat that liquid as part of the dish. Eat them raw on antipasto plates and sandwiches like Chicken & Roast Beef Muffulettas, and fold them straight into warm pasta without extra dressing.
Frozen hearts have the cleanest, most artichoke-forward flavor and the firmest bite. Roast them at 425°F (220°C) until the edges brown, or simmer them into braises and stews. They hold their shape where canned ones would collapse.
For something heartier, they bake into custards and gratins, as in this Artichoke Quiche.
Pairing and Common Mistakes
Artichoke has a quiet, vegetal sweetness that loves bright, salty company. Lemon is the classic partner, the way it lifts Lemon Artichoke Chicken. Garlic, Parmesan, capers, olives, and white wine all flatter it, and a final squeeze of acid keeps the dish from tasting flat.
The most common mistake is skipping the rinse on canned hearts. That sharp, metallic packing brine carries straight into your dish if you tip the can in liquid and all.
The second mistake is using oily marinated hearts where you wanted clean artichoke flavor. That garlicky oil is welcome on a salad and distracting in a delicate cream sauce. Match the pack to the job.
Substitutes
Out of one form, reach for another first. Frozen, canned, and marinated hearts all swap into most cooked dishes; just adjust for the marinade's oil and acid when you use the jarred kind.
Fresh baby artichokes, trimmed and simmered until tender, give the truest flavor if you have the patience. Canned or frozen artichoke bottoms work too; they are firmer and a touch less tender than hearts.
In a pinch, hearts of palm bring a similar pale color and mild bite to salads.
Buying and Storing
Canned hearts come whole or quartered, with quartered the most useful default for cooking. Choose water- or brine-packed when you control the seasoning, and marinated jars when you want the flavor built in.
An unopened can or jar keeps in the pantry for a year or more.
Once opened, move leftover hearts into a covered container, cover water-packed ones with fresh water, and refrigerate; use both within 4 to 5 days. Frozen hearts keep for several months and cook straight from frozen, no thawing needed.
Add them to soups and braises while still icy, or roast them on a hot sheet pan so the surface moisture flashes off and the edges caramelize.
Types of artichoke hearts
Specific kinds of artichoke hearts and the recipes that use them.
Artichokes are a perennial vegetable that is related to the thistle.
The base of the artichoke is eaten after the inedible central "choke" has been removed. The inside bases of the leaves cradle a bit of tender flesh that can be eaten.
Each leaf is dipped in a small amount of dressing or sauce and the edible tender part is scapped off with the teeth or nibbled off with the tough part of the leaf being discarded.
The heart of the artichoke is a clump of very close packed tender imature leaves that are completely edible.
Artichokes are of best quality during the summer. Choose ones that are firm and heavey with tightly packed leaves. They may appear blue-green, purple-green or brilliant green. The artichoke is a flower, and as such, open leaves indicate that it is past its prime and may be hard and have too large of a choke. If kept for too long the tops of the leaves or scales begin to turn black.
Uncooked, they may be kept for 2 to 3 days if their stalks are placed into water, treated similar to a flower. If this in impractical, place them into the salad area of your refrigerator. After cooking, artchokes will keep for about 24 hours.
Large artichokes are steamed or cooked in water and can be served whole, hot or cold, after removal of the central choke and accomponied by a vinaigrette or sauce. They are eaten by pulling off the leaves, dripping and eating the base of the leaves and discarding the remainder. Once the leaves have been consumed the base is eaten.
Very young and tender artichokes may be served au gratin, fried or even sliced in an omelettefilling. Bottoms of prepared and mature artichokes can be stuffed, used as a garnish, added to salads, marinated or cooked à la barigoule.
Marinated artichoke hearts have become quite popular. Marinated in a brine of water, olive oil, lemon, thyme, coriander and bay leaf. They are found jarred and canned in most well stocked supermarkets.
Spread some pizza sauce over a few slices of toast, arrange a few marinated artichoke hearts and half fried egg over each toast. Drizzle a bit hot sauce on top. A quick, easy and tasty crostini is ready within 10 minutes.
Feel too lazy to cook? Try a quick delicious and refreshing salad, serve it with a few slices of crusty bread. A quick simple and tasty yet light meal within about 6 minutes.
These corn blinis are topped with roasted bell peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, olives and arugula leaves. They are so cute, easy to pick up and pop into your mouth. A great appetizer when you have company to come over or host a party.
Spicy pureed guacamole dip with green chiles, hot sauce, and a splash of mayo for creamy richness. Made in a blender, chilled, and served with artichoke hearts or chips.
This quick, easy and delicious tortilla pizza is made with whole wheat tortilla, basil pesto, fresh vegetables, pickled jalapenos and mozzarella cheese. Perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Marinated artichoke hearts, warm pasts, crunchy cucumber, and juicy tomatoes are tossed together with the marinade juice from artichoke hearts, some red pepper sauce, and fresh cilantro. Quick, easy, and refreshing.
Add feta cheese, sun-dried tomates, marinated artichoke hearts, mushrooms, olives, fresh cucumber, onions and bell peppers into cooked macaroni. Serve it over a bed of mixed greens, super tasty and refreshing.
Don't feel like cooking up a storm, make this delicious sandwich with store-bought whole wheat English muffin, basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and swiss cheese. For extra heat, add a few slices of picked jalapenos.
It smelled so good when the pizza was baked in the oven, and it tasted so good. The topping ingredients were so yummy, perfectly delicious together. Goat cheese added creaminess and cheesiness. It lasted a few minutes once the pizza came out of the oven...
Easy spinach artichoke dip: spinach and artichokes baked into a three-cheese, Alfredo-based dip until hot and gooey. A warm, crowd-pleasing party appetizer for chips and bread.
Mediterranean pasta with chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, olives, and rosemary in tomato sauce over vermicelli. Crumbled feta on top. Weeknight dinner classic.
Adapted this recipe from Emeril of Foodnetwork. Bread pudding not only can be a dessert, but also a savory main dish. This bread pudding is cheesy, tasty and packed with flavors. Spinach, artichokes and swiss cheese with milk and eggs make this bread pudding delicious yet wholesome.
This filling yet delicious bean salad is very easy to make. Put the salad in the frige for a couple of hours or overnight, the flavor will be even better. Of course you can always have some right after you make it to satisfy your caving before it grows too big :)
Next time when you have some fresh beet greens, or kale or any similar greens, make this easy yet tasty salad with marinated artichoke hearts, pomegranate seeds and creamy fresh mozzarella.
Freshly baked pizza makes the entire house full of great smell, that's why we like making pizza at home. This pizza is topped with fresh pineapple cubes, olives, marinated artichoke hearts, and a few fresh veggies. Homemade pizza sauce makes it taste even better.
Instead of taking-out pizza, make this easy yet delicious pizza at home. Roasted bell pepper, marinated artichoke hearts, salty olives, fresh mushrooms and some red onion rings are topped over pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle more cheese over. Nobody can resist this freshly baked pizza!
Everyone loves pizza, in this recipe we put marinated artichoke hearts, cooked fresh baby spinach leaves, freshly grated lemon zest and mozzarella cheese together, amazing taste, not only just for vegetarian, everyone loves it!
Toss the cooked pasta and rapini with sauteed shallots, red peppers, sun-dried tomato, marinated artichoke hearts, and olives; sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. A quick, easy yet tasty one-pan Mediterranean meal.
Vibrant salad combining peppery arugula, chickpeas, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts with citrus vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan. Fresh, colorful, and packed with Mediterranean flavor.
This homemade pizza is simply delicious. Spread some pizza sauce over pizza dough, top with freshly sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and onions, and sprinkle some mozzarella cheese. Within about 25 minutes, this freshly homemade pizza is ready to serve.
Love this salad. We jut had some leftover wild rice, and we didn't have sweet bell pepper, so used the picked hot cherry pepper instead, also added some sliced celery and smoked tofu. It came out delicious. A very good side dish or can be a wholesome and tasty main dish as well.
Instead of pizza sauce, used basil pesto, and the combination of the toppings worked deliciously well together. Cheddar and parmesan really added tons of yummy cheesiness, which was absolutely delicious with the toppings.
This quick and easy salad is very flexible, you can put whatever your favourite vegetables in, and this miso dressing almost goes well with all the veggies.
This much quicker and easier to prepare version of the classic Eggs Benedict. Reduced fat but equally as decadent as the original. This is a variation of a vegetarian version of the same recipe, see links below.
Moist and flavorful bread topped with marinated artichoke hearts, black olives, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh red chili peppers, shaped and baked in a casserole dish. It's delicious all by itself.
This salad deserves five stars. We made the salad with some leftover roasted lamb leg. The mint-basil dressing was terrific, and it went so well with the lamb. The salad had lots of great texture and flavour...
This delicious couscous salad has so many layers of flavors and textures. Marinated artichoke hearts and mushrooms, olive-oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, and salty feta cheese together with couscous deliver a satisfying dish that's also eye pleasure too.
Making your own pizza gives you more options to choose your favorite toppings. Spread with pizza sauce or tomato sauce, top with marinated artichoke hearts, roasted bell pepper and fresh mozzarella. Absolutely delicious.
Too lazy to cook, but still want something tasty, this Mediterranean pasta salad will fit your need. Pasta is tossed with olive oil, roasted bell peppers, marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and olives.
Discover Ronald Reagan's favorite beef stew recipe: easy, hearty comfort food with tender beef, artichokes, and mushrooms in a rich wine broth. Perfect for beginners—stovetop, oven, or Instant Pot directions included for stress-free dinners like "easy homemade beef stew for families" or "classic presidential beef stew with vegetables."
Mediterranean foods are not only delicious, but they are also good for you. This Mediterranean pasta salad is packed with goodness with lots of great flavors. Serve it as a side dish or a simply delicious main dish.
