This Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli turns out perfectly every time! All you need is water and broccoli, and it’s ready in less than 15 minutes.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Broccoli – use another vegetable you’d like to steam such as cauliflower.
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
How to steam broccoli in the Instant Pot
Step 1: Add water and a trivet to the pressure cooker.
Step 2: Place the broccoli on top.
Step 3: Cook on high pressure.
Cook on low pressure for 0 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure.
Step 4: Serve and enjoy!
Remove the broccoli from the pot, season with salt and pepper, and serve!
Tips for the best Instant Pot broccoli
Here are some of my top tips for the best Instant Pot steamed broccoli:
- Try out different seasonings: Instead of salt and pepper, toss the broccoli with parmesan cheese and lemon juice, garlic and lemon, or garlic powder and olive oil (check out more seasoning ideas here).
- Cook for 0 minutes: The key to not overcooking the broccoli is to cook on low pressure for 0 minutes. Yes, 0 minutes, that’s not a typo! The broccoli will cook as the Instant Pot comes to pressure. If you’re cooker doesn’t have an option for 0 minutes for some reason, you can try 1 minute on low pressure.
- Swap out the water for broth: Try adding chicken broth or vegetable broth to the bottom of the pot instead of water, so the broccoli steams in the broth for added flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s better to steam broccoli, as boiling it will cause the vegetable to lose some of its nutritional value. Cooking broccoli in the Instant Pot it is the best way to ensure you’re still getting all those good antioxidants and vitamins.
To create a full meal, serve your Instant Pot broccoli with chicken breast, steak, or salmon seasoned to your preferences. Steamed broccoli is the perfect healthy side dish to any protein and carb to create a balanced meal. The steamed broccoli also goes really well on the side of a white sauce/Alfredo pasta.
I actually prefer to use a trivet versus a steamer basket for this Instant Pot broccoli recipe. That being said, both a steamer basket and trivet will work just as well!
If you use frozen broccoli, you’ll need to set the broccoli to cook for 1 minute on high pressure versus the zero minute cook time you’ll use for fresh broccoli.
If your broccoli is mushy, that means it’s been overcooked. Make sure you do a quick release of the pressure right when the Instant Pot beeps to ensure it’s not sitting in the steam and cooking for longer. You might also have cut your florets too small.
Storing and reheating
Once the Instant Pot steamed broccoli has cooled, you can store it in the fridge for 3 to 5 days in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat it, just sprinkle some water over top then pop it in the microwave for 1 minute – easy peasy!
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze both raw and cooked Instant Pot broccoli. All you have to do is transfer your broccoli into an airtight container or a freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To enjoy your frozen broccoli, transfer to the fridge overnight or sprinkle with some water and microwave straight from frozen for 1 to 2 minutes.
More Instant Pot vegetable recipes
- Instant Pot Steamed Vegetables
- Carrots With Brown Sugar Glaze
- Asparagus With Parmesan and Chili Flakes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on keeping your broccoli as a side dish.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 6 months.
- Here’s the steam basket trivet in case you lost the one that comes with your Instant Pot.
Perfect Instant Pot Broccoli
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 head broccoli
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add the 3/4 cup of water to the bottom of Instant Pot and then place trivet inside the inner pot.
- Add broccoli. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to low, then cook for 0 minutes – yes, I do mean zero minutes. This just means the Instant Pot will come to pressure, then turn off. It will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure, then notify you it's done by beeping.
- Press the Cancel button then do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Carefully remove broccoli florets from Instant Pot and serve, seasoning with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
