Quick & Easy Instant Pot Broccoli

Quick and simple Instant Pot Broccoli! This recipe for steamed broccoli comes together in just 10 minutes and is totally hands-off. 

How to make Instant Pot Broccoli 

Steaming broccoli in the Instant Pot is pretty foolproof—set it and forget it! To be frank—steaming broccoli in the Instant Pot isn’t faster than doing it on the stove top or even the microwave. But it is totally hands-off, which I find helpful when throwing together a complete meal on a weeknight. 

Step 1: prep the broccoli 

Cut the broccoli into medium-sized florets—about 1½-inch to 2-inch pieces is perfect. This recipe serves 4 as a side dish, if you’re serving more or want larger servings you can easily double the recipe—the cook time will remain the same.   

Reserve the broccoli stems for another use (salad, roasting, slaw, soup). 

Step 2: add broccoli to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 0 minutes 

Set the wire rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Your Instant Pot should have come with a round wire rack. This helps to lift the florets off the bottom of the pot and promoted even steaming. If you don’t have the rack—no worries, the broccoli will still come out delicious. 

Add the broccoli to the pot with water, a garlic clove, and a dried bay leaf. Close and lock the lid then flip the pressure release valve to the “sealing” position. 

Since broccoli steams fairly quickly, the short time it takes for the pot to come up to pressure is all the broccoli needs to be cooked through. Once the pot is to pressure (which takes about 5 minutes, depending on the volume in the pot), the broccoli is cooked through and perfectly fork-tender. For this reason, the cook time is 0 minutes—yes 0 minutes. 

(Yay for Instant Pot Broccoli, yea?!)

Step 3: quick release the pressure 

Once the pot is to pressure (and it beeps), quick release the pressure completely before removing the lid. To quick release pressure, flip the pressure valve to “venting.” Be sure to use a towel to protect your hand!

Step 4: use as desired

Simply season the steamed broccoli with kosher salt, black pepper, and a splash of olive oil for a super quick side dish. For a more composed side dish, use the steamed broccoli in this Healthy Broccoli Salad featuring red onion, pepitas and Cheddar.

What you’ll need for Instant Pot Broccoli:

• 6-quart Instant Pot or pressure cooker
• Wire rack that came with the Instant Pot 
• 2 large heads broccoli 
• water
• clove garlic (optional)
• dried bay leaf (optional)
• kosher salt, black pepper and extra-virgin olive oil 

Add some flavor

Make this more than just steamed broccoli. Dress up the fork-tender broccoli with some flavorful additions.

• Add regular or golden raisins 
• Toss in toasted nuts or seeds
• Add Cheddar, Parmesan or feta
• Toss with Classic Vinaigrette
• Add fresh herbs such as parsley, dill or tarragon 

Broccoli Recipes you may like…

• Garlicky Sautéed Broccoli
• Bulgogi Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Broccoli
• Instant Pot Orange Chicken & Broccoli
• Sheet Pan Apricot Chicken & Broccoli
• Easy Broccoli Quiche
• Healthy Creamy Broccoli Soup with Everything Spiced Cheesy Croutons

If you give this Instant Pot broccoli recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram. I love hearing about and seeing your ZK creations!

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