Steamed Vegetables

Steaming vegetables is practically synonymous with “healthy,” but unfortunately, it’s also commonly synonymous with “boring.”

We are going to bust that myth right now.

Steamed vegetables are healthy, but they’re also intensely flavorful, preserving the fresh, bright, crisp tastes without imparting any smokiness or browning. This makes steamed vegetables the perfect vehicle for any number of our dressings and sauces, or the perfect light, fresh side dish with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and a dash of salt and pepper.

You can steam just about any vegetable, but keep in mind that tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, eggplant, and garlic have much better flavor when roasted or sautéed.

Our two go-to methods for steaming vegetables are stovetop steaming and oven steaming. While stovetop is generally our preference, it’s nice to have the second method when the stove burners get crowded.

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perfect steamed vegetables

Serves 2 (with leftovers)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 to 50 minutes

Total Time: 13 minutes to 1 hour

• 1 pound vegetables
• Juice of ½ lemon or lime
• Salt and black pepper

While you can steam a mix of vegetables all at the same time, they all have different densities and steam at different rates. Root vegetables like potatoes, winter squash, and turnips take longer to steam than lighter vegetables like broccoli and summer squash. You want each vegetable fork-tender when you’re done steaming, so either group like vegetables together and steam in batches, or place the vegetables requiring the most time in the pot first, adding faster-cooking vegetables a few minutes later.

As steaming requires no added cooking fat, remember to add fat into your meal elsewhere, either in the form of a dressing or sauce or with added fat elsewhere in the meal.

Prepare each vegetable by peeling, trimming, and cutting into uniform size, if necessary. (Refer to the chart for recommendations.)

To steam in the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small pan, an electric kettle, or microwave. Place the vegetables in a casserole dish large enough to easily accommodate them—you don’t want your vegetables stacked to the very top. Make sure the dish has a well-fitting lid.

Add 1 inch of the boiling water to the bottom of the dish. Add the vegetables, cover, and place in the oven to steam until fork-tender. (Refer to the chart for general time guidelines.) Check the vegetables often by tasting—if using a mix of vegetables, check only the heartiest ingredients.

Toss with your favorite dressing or sauce, our seasoning suggestions, or a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve warm.

To steam on the stovetop: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Place a colander or steamer inside the pot. Add the vegetables, cover, and steam until fork-tender. (Refer to the chart for general time guidelines.) Check the vegetables often by tasting.

Toss with your favorite dressing or sauce, our seasoning suggestions below, or a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Steaming Vegetables

Vegetable	Prep	Steam Time	Seasoning Suggestions
Asparagus	whole	7 to 13 minutes	drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of zest
Beets	1-inch pieces	35 to 50 minutes	squeeze of orange juice and sprinkle of zest and fresh thyme
Broccoli	1-inch florets	5 to 7 minutes	squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of zest
Brussels sprouts	whole	8 to 15 minutes	squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of zest
Butternut squash	1-inch pieces	7 to 10 minutes	drizzle of ghee, dried thyme
Cabbage	8 wedges	6 to 10 minutes	squeeze of lemon juice, dried chives
Carrots	1 ½-inch pieces	7 to 10 minutes	squeeze of lemon juice, minced fresh parsley and mint
Cauliflower	1-inch florets	5 to 10 minutes	squeeze of lemon juice, dried chives
Fennel	1-inch pieces	8 to 10 minutes	squeeze of orange or lemon juice and sprinkle of zest
Green beans	whole	6 to 10 minutes	splash of balsamic vinegar
Kale	2-inch pieces	4 to 7 minutes	drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic
Onion	½ inch slices	8 to 12 minutes	squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of zest
Parsnips	1 ½-inch pieces	7 to 10 minutes	sprinkle of dried thyme
Potatoes (all varieties)	1-inch pieces	8 to 12 minutes	drizzle of ghee, sprinkle of fresh rosemary
Radishes	whole	7 to 14 minutes	squeeze of orange juice, fresh parsley
Snap peas/snow peas	whole	5 to 6 minutes	splash of sesame oil, chopped green onions
Spinach	whole leaves	3 to 5 minutes	squeeze of lemon juice and sprinkle of zest
Swiss chard	2-inch pieces	3 to 5 minutes	drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic
Turnips	1-inch pieces	8 to 12 minutes	drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, dried chives
Zucchini/summer squash	1-inch rounds	5 to 8 minutes	lemon zest, dried chives