Want the fastest way to cook broccoli? Steaming it in the Instant Pot! Yes, this recipe has a zero minute cook time. A zero minute cook time? Is that even a thing? Turns out, you set the Instant Pot timer for 0 minutes. After about 5 minutes of “preheating,” your broccoli is done! This means this Instant Pot broccoli takes under 10 minutes. As the final flavoring, we like to add olive oil, red onion, and feta cheese. It’s the easiest side dish we’ve ever made!
How to make Instant Pot broccoli: a tutorial
Now, there’s really hardly anything to say about making Instant Pot broccoli because it’s really that simple. This one isn’t actually that much faster than steaming broccoli on the stovetop: they’re both very quick! But the Instant Pot method is even more hands off: all you have to do is chop the broccoli and press Go. It’s one of our favorite broccoli recipes because it’s just that easy!
Step 1: Chop the broccoli into florets.
Use a Chef’s knife to cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets. Here we used 2 large heads broccoli, which is enough for 4 small servings. Feel free double it: it’s still the same cook time!
Step 2: Place the broccoli in the Instant Pot with water. Pressure cook on High for 0 minutes!
Add the florets to the Instant Pot with ½ cup water. Then here’s the fun part: set the timer to 0 minutes! It sounds counterintuitive, but if you’re an Instant Pot pro you’ll know how it works. Every time the Instant Pot cooks something, it has to come up to pressure: kind of like “preheating”. Each recipe takes a different amount of time to preheat, depending on how much volume is in the pot. In this case, it’s about 5 minutes for the pressure cooker to come up to pressure. Once it does, the building pressure in the pot has already cooked the brocolli! The Instant Pot will beep and you can move to Step 3, which is…
Step 3: Quick release, and add flavorings as desired.
Then you’ll perform a quick release by immediately letting all the steam out of the top valve. Once it’s come out, you can open the lid and taste your broccoli. It comes out perfectly steamed, bright green and crisp tender!
How to serve it
After you’ve made Instant Pot broccoli, how to serve it? We created this recipe to show you how to quickly dress up steamed broccoli as a side dish. It takes just a few simple ingredients to transform this veggie from good to incredible! Here’s what we did here:
Olive oil & kosher salt. Mix with just enough olive oil and kosher salt to perfectly flavor it. Or, substitute your favorite type of oil or butter. Feta cheese. What veggie’s not better with cheese? A sprinkle of feta cheese takes it up a few notches. You could also use Parmesan cheese or goat cheese. Red or green onion. Onion adds just the right savory flavor and crunch! If you use red onion, try soaking it in water while you make the recipe: it removes the onion breath! Or use thinly sliced green onion as a substitute.
What kind of Instant Pot to use?
All pressure cooker brands vary! Here’s the brand we use: an Instant Pot 6 Qt Programmable Pressure Cooker. This recipe is customized for a 6 quart pressure cooker. We also can’t speak to other brands and types of pressure cookers. For example, Instant Pot Mini works differently, so use it at your own risk! Let us know if you make this pressure cooker broccoli in the comments below! More ways to cook broccoli? Try our Sauteed Broccoli, Roasted Broccoli, and Boiled Broccoli. Head to How to Cook Broccoli for more.
Want more easy side dish recipes?
This Instant Pot broccoli is one of our very favorite easy side dishes! A few more we might recommend: our Parmesan potato wedges are seriously good, this BEST kale salad is delightful, and these Instant Pot Brussels sprouts are super quick. And then of course, our best green salads are always a hit.
This Instant Pot broccoli recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan (without the optional feta). 3 from 5 reviews
