Instant Pot Broccoli Recipe – Pressure Cooker Steamed Broccoli (2024)

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Instant Pot broccoli is perfectly steamed, bright green with a slight crunch and so delicious! Instant Pot cooks broccoli in minutes – such an easy and effortless process!

Eating more broccoli is so easy when you have such a great tool for cooking it! Making steamed broccoli in the Instant Pot pressure cooker is extremely quick and easy! Aside from cooking broccoli in the microwave, Instant Pot is the easiest method for making steamed broccoli!

If you look on the Instant Pot forums, people often say that Instant Pot is not good for cooking broccoli and it makes broccoli mushy – well, it’s because they haven’t been cooking it the right way! There is a secret for perfect Instant Pot steamed broccoli which I’m about to reveal!

So, what is the secret for cooking broccoli in the Instant Pot so it doesn’t end up overcooked? Drumroll….. the secret is – setting the cooking time to ZERO minutes! Yes, zero! Even one minute cooking time is too long.

You might be thinking – is this a joke? Does “zero minutes” means you don’t cook it in the Instant Pot at all? :) No, no, no! Since Instant Pot is a pressure cooker, zero minutes means zero AFTER the Instant Pot comes to full pressure. So the Instant Pot still has to heat and come to pressure with the broccoli inside! The broccoli gets fully cooked in the Instant Pot while the pot is coming to pressure, and once it does, the cooking must be stopped immediately to keep the broccoli perfectly steamed and still slightly crunchy!

Another part of the perfect Instant Pot broccoli secret is using just 1/2 cup of water. Using any more water makes it take longer to come to pressure and overcooks the broccoli. Half a cup of water is just right! To take it a step further, I use hot tap water instead of cold, so it comes to pressure as quickly as possible!

How To Cook Broccoli In The Instant Pot

Here’s the process in a nutshell:

• Put broccoli florets (any amount) and 1/2 cup of hot tap water in the Instant Pot
• Close the lid and turn the valve to Sealing position
• Select “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” button and set the cooking time to zero
• When the Instant Pot comes to pressure, it will beep that it’s ready since the cooking time is 0. Do an immediate Quick Release (QR) of the steam, drain the steamed broccoli and run the cold tap water over it to stop the cooking process. Sprinkle the broccoli with salt and pepper and enjoy!

If you like this Instant Pot steamed broccoli, you will also love these easy healthy recipes:

Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli– tastes exactly like Chinese takeout and super easy to make in your Instant Pot!

Roasted Broccoli With Almonds – broccoli is rubbed with garlic and olive oil, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and almonds and oven roasted to perfection – delicious!

Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole – awesome one-dish dinner that incorporates healthy broccoli!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes – once you try making mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot, you’ll never make them any other way! Super fast and easy, and no need to drain the potatoes!

Instant Pot Brown Rice – Instant Pot completely replaces a rice cooker as it makes perfect rice with no effort from you whatsoever! If you want to incorporate more healthy brown rice into your diet, it’s so easy when Instant Pot cooks it for you!

Roasted Broccoli Stems – don’t throw out the broccoli stems when you are making this Instant Pot steamed broccoli! You can roast the stalks in the oven and they are delicious!