Instant Pot Broccoli

Making Broccoli in your Instant Pot is extremely easy! This post will take you through the process step by step, even beginner Instant Pot users will have no issues achieving perfectly tender steamed broccoli. 

Instant Pot Broccoli

Using your Instant Pot to steam broccoli is the perfect place to start if the Instant Pot is a little intimidating for you. Not only is it a recipe that doesn’t require a lot of ingredients or steps, but you can always rely on the results. 

One important thing to note about the Instant Pot: it doesn’t matter if you want to steam 1 cup of broccoli or 6 cups of broccoli, the cook time will stay the same. This is because we are cooking with pressure. This is a good rule of thumb for all recipes, unless the specific recipe states otherwise. 

Instant Pot Steamer Basket

I like to steam my broccoli while using a Steamer Basket and I suggest you do the same. I purchased my steamer basket on Amazon, you can also find them in most Walmart or Target stores.

My steamer basket is stainless steel and fills up pretty much the entire inner pot. Steamer baskets come in all sorts of sizes and even different materials! Silicone is safe to use in the Instant Pot, and there are a lot of smaller, flexible, silicone steamer baskets that people really love. Here is a link so you can look at all of the Instant Pot Steamer Baskets Amazon has to offer.

If you don’t have a steamer basket yet, put it on your birthday list or ask Santa for one! I seriously use mine all the time! My Salisbury Steak Meatball and Mashed Potato One Pot Meal is a great example of the versatility of the steamer basket.

How to Steam Broccoli in the Instant Pot without a Steamer Basket 

If you don’t currently have a steamer basket but still want to steam your broccoli ta-ta-taday, I’ve got your back! You can use your trivet (that ‘little metal thingy’ that came with your Instant Pot!). Just stack the broccoli on top of there and cross your fingers it does’t fall through! 😉 

You’ll want to keep the broccoli in pretty large pieces when steaming it in the Instant Pot so it doesn’t overcook, so falling through shouldn’t be a problem. 

How to make Instant Pot Broccoli

The first thing you’ll need to do is wash and cut up your head of broccoli. I usually just purchase the bag of pre-cut broccoli. Either way, you’ll want to keep your broccoli pieces a generous size. Cutting them down too small will result in overcooked broccoli.

If using your steamer basket, place the broccoli in the steamer basket. Then, add 1 cup of HOT water to your 6 qt Instant Pot (1/2 cup water for 3 qt and 1 1/2 cups water to your 8 qt). The reason we are adding HOT water is because it will cut down the cook time just slightly enough to keep that broccoli from overcooking. 

Add your steamer basket to the Instant Pot on top of the water (or use your trivet as explained above). Close and lock the lid into place, turn the knob to ‘sealing’. Then press ‘STEAM’ and adjust the time down to 0 (zero) minutes. This just means that the Instant Pot will come to pressure, and once it has reached the correct pressure on the inside of the pot the cook cycle will be over.

Once the cook cycle is over, turn the knob on top to manually release the pressure, also known as a quick release or QR. 

Once all of the pressure has been released, the pin will drop and your lid will unlock. (Woah, look who is a poet over here 😉 )

You now have perfectly steamed broccoli! 

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Check out my other Easy Instant Pot Recipes!

• Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
• Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
• Instant Pot Pot Roast
• Instant Pot Twice Baked Potatoes
• Instant Pot Creamy Ziti
• Instant Pot Chicken Lo Mein
• Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie
• Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
• Instant Pot Applesauce