Baked Or Air Fryer Stuffed Baby Artichokes Recipe

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Do artichokes seem difficult? Wait until you learn how to cook baby artichokes! This baby artichokes recipe is easy to make and easy to eat, since the entire baby artichoke is edible. They make a delicious starter or side dish. These air fryer artichokes are quick to make with just 7 simple ingredients, plus I’ll give you oven instructions if you don’t have an air fryer.

I’ve been using my favorite Ocean Mist Farms artichokes for several recipes this spring, including Italian sausage stuffed artichokes and easy roasted artichokes. But developing this recipe was my first time cooking baby artichokes (I tested it a few times), and I’m definitely a fan!

You can roast or braise these, but I opted for a stuffed baby artichoke recipe. And what better combo than spinach and artichokes, right? These remind me of a spinach artichoke dip, with the baby artichokes used as the dip vessel.

What Are Baby Artichokes?

Baby artichokes are fully mature artichokes, just a smaller variety. In the United States, you can use the Ocean Mist Farms store locator to find them in the produce section of a store near you.

Some people think that baby artichokes are a large artichoke that hasn’t grown all the way, but that’s not true. They are their own variety that are just small even when fully grown. Their leaves are more tender than traditional artichokes.

How To Cook Baby Artichokes

This is an air fryer artichokes recipe, but I’ll also show you an oven option below, in case you don’t have one.

Here is how to prep them and how to cook baby artichokes in the air fryer:

• Prep the artichokes. Prepare a large bowl with water and lemon juice (make sure the bowl has room to add artichokes!). Rinse the artichokes in a colander.

• Trim baby artichokes. Remove the stems of the baby artichokes, leaving about 1/4 inch. Cut off about 1/4 inch of the tips and remove any tough outer petals.

TIP: Make sure you remove a few layers of leaves on the outside, otherwise they will be too tough after cooking. If this happens, you can just remove the tough outer leaves as you eat.

Then, slice them in half:

You can watch a video on how to trim them here.

• Soak baby artichokes. As you trim and cut them, immediately place them into lemon water, cut side down, as you go along. This prevents browning.

• Make spinach filling. In a small bowl, mash together cream cheese, frozen spinach, and minced garlic with a fork.

• Stuff baby artichokes. Take the artichokes out of the water and pat dry. Transfer to a large bowl. Add olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
• Assemble artichokes. Spread spinach mixture over each artichoke. Sprinkle grated parmesan on top of each one and place the baby artichokes in the air fryer in a single layer. Cook in batches if necessary.

• Air fry stuffed baby artichokes for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees F, until a fork or toothpick inserted into the artichoke base goes in with little resistance.

How To Cook Baby Artichokes In Oven

If you don’t have an air fryer, this roasted baby artichoke recipe can also be made in the oven:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Follow the same prep process above, but don’t sprinkle with parmesan.
• Bake for 10 minutes without the parmesan.
• Sprinkle with parmesan and bake for another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick goes into the artichoke base with little resistance.

Can You Make This Recipe With Globe Artichokes?

Yes! If you can’t find baby artichokes, you can make the same air fryer artichoke recipe using globe artichokes.

The filling should be enough for approximately 2 globe artichokes, and the baking time may take a bit longer. It’s best to wait to sprinkle the parmesan until 5 minutes into air frying, so that it doesn’t burn with the longer cook time.

Can You Eat A Whole Baby Artichoke?

Yes, you can eat the whole baby artichoke as long as you trim it, as shown above. They are easier to eat than the larger kind, since the leaves are fully edible.

Whole baby artichokes remind me of artichoke hearts in both taste and texture. So good!

Do Baby Artichokes Have Choke?

Baby artichokes do have a choke, but it’s an edible one, so you can eat it. Some baby artichokes that are harvested very early have no choke at all.

When Are Baby Artichokes In Season?

You can cook baby artichokes at anytime of year, because they are available year round. However, their peak season is spring, March through June.

Baby Artichoke Nutrition

This baby artichokes recipe has 176 calories and 7.6 net carbs per serving – that’s 4 stuffed artichoke halves.

Baby artichokes have expansive nutrition benefits, similar to all artichokes, as well as immune boosting qualities. And like all artichokes, they contain both prebiotics and probiotics, which have been shown to positively impact the composition of gastrointestinal microbiota, leading to improved immunity, digestion, and nutrient absorption.

Find more info about their nutrition benefits here.

Can You Make Air Fryer Artichokes Ahead?

The air fryer artichokes are best made fresh, but you can prep the stuffing ahead of time. Simply mash together the cream cheese, spinach, and minced garlic. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook your artichokes in air fryer.

You can also prep the artichokes a few hours before serving to make assembly better. You can trim and slice the artichokes a bit ahead of time if you toss them in extra lemon juice and store in the fridge. If you can store in the lemon water, that’s even better to avoid browning.

More Keto Air Fryer Recipes

If you like these air fryer artichokes, you might also like some of these other air fryer recipes:

• Air Fryer Broccoli – Tender on the inside, perfectly crisp on the outside.
• Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings – One secret ingredient that makes your wings super crispy!
• Air Fryer Keto Onion Rings – These are as crispy as the real ones and made with just 7 ingredients!
• Air Fryer Keto Fried Chicken – The breading for this fried chicken is full of flavor – and no carbs!
• Air Fryer Bacon – Comes out super crispy.
• Keto Air Fryer Jicama Fries – No need to miss out on chili cheese fries, this is the healthy alternative that I know you’ll love.

• Air Fryer – This is the air fryer that I have and I love that it is large enough to make enough food for the whole family.
• White Platter – Serve the baked baby artichoke recipe on a simple white platter.