Name: My Favorite Artichoke Dipping Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup crème fraîche; 2 tablespoons mascarpone; 1 teaspoon honey; dash of ground pepper; pinch of ground cumin; 1 - 2 large artichokes (trimmed)

Looking for the best artichoke dipping sauce ever? This sauce has just a hint of sweetness from the honey that balances out the earthy, nutty flavor of the cumin. The blend of crème fraîche and mascarpone gives it a consistency that works perfectly with the artichoke leaves.

Artichokes are the perfect side dish with just about anything - some of my favorite main dishes to serve with them are this Skillet Lemon Chicken or these Turkey Meatloaf Muffins.

Artichoke dipping sauce with steamed artichoke on a grey background

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Growing up in California, artichokes were abundant and I've loved them since I was a kid. In my opinion, they are just about the most perfect vegetable around. My mom used to serve them with mayonnaise for dipping so I just thought that's how everyone ate them. It was years later that I learned the "normal" dipping sauce for artichokes was melted butter! As I got more into cooking I started experimenting with different options for dipping sauces. After testing a bunch of different combos I finally landed on this one as my all-time favorite dipping sauce.

Contents:

Ingredient Notes
How to make this recipe
Notes from the kitchen
Steaming Artichokes in the Instant Pot
My Favorite Artichoke Dipping Sauce

Ingredient Notes

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.

Creme Fraiche: The tangy, slightly sour taste of creme fraiche is key to this dipping sauce. You can find it in most major grocery stores. See the notes below for ways to use the rest of it.
Mascarpone: Slightly sweet with just a touch of acidity, mascarpone balances out the tangy creme fraiche.
Honey: Adding a touch of honey balances out the spices and tartness of the creme fraiche in the recipe.
Ground Cumin: This gives the sauce a slight kick and a unique flavor profile.
Artichoke: I generally plan for one artichoke per two people.

Dipping sauce ingredients | Creme fraiche and mascarpone in small bowls with spoons of honey, pepper and cumin

How to make this recipe

Making this sauce is easy, easy, peasy! There is basically zero prep - you just mix up the ingredients and you are ready to go!

Creme fraiche and mascarpone with honey, cumin and pepper in a small grey bowl

Step 1 | Add the ingredients. You start by adding all of the ingredients to a small bowl. Give yourself enough room to mix everything.

Dipping sauce for artichokes being mixed in a small bowl

Step 2 | Mix. Then just stir until everything is well combined.

Step 3 | Serve with steamed artichokes. Once your artichokes are steamed, serve and enjoy!

Notes from the kitchen

Since this recipe is based on two key ingredients - crème fraîche and mascarpone - that you probably don't use every day, you might be asking "What can I do with the leftovers so I'm not wasting them?" Here are a couple of ideas that use one or the other:

This Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar is topped with vanilla mascarpone cream
Miso Glazed Roasted Cauliflower is topped with the same sauce, which is great on many steamed or grilled veggies
Pea Risotto gets an extra creamy texture from the addition of mascarpone
Grilled or poached fruit is excellent topped with a little bit of mascarpone
Both this Skillet Lemon Chicken and this Chardonnay Chicken are great weeknight meals that have sauces using crème fraîche
A dollop of crème fraîche is also a nice topping for soups like this Tomato Gazpacho

Steaming Artichokes in the Instant Pot

So, now that you have the perfect artichoke dipping sauce, let's talk about how to get those artichokes steamed just right too!

Artichokes take a while to steam on the stovetop, but with an Instant Pot, you can reduce that cooking time by about half. To start you'll want to prep and trim as many fresh artichokes as you'd like to cook. I can fit 2-3 in my 3-quart Instant Pot and you can fit 4-5 in a 6-quart Instant Pot.

Once your artichokes are ready to go, place the steamer rack in your Instant Pot. Add some water (at least 1 cup), a bay leaf, a lemon wedge or two and some cracked pepper to the bottom of the pot. Then place your artichokes in a single layer on the steamer rack. I've always cooked my artichokes with the stem side down, however, I know other people who cook them stem side up, so you can place them in whichever way you prefer.

Artichoke in an instant pot before steaming

Then secure the lid, and set the Instant Pot to cook on “manual” or "pressure cook" mode on high pressure for 10 minutes (or 12 minutes for very large artichokes). To finish let the pressure release naturally for about 5 minutes and then use the quick-release valve to release any remaining pressure.

An Instant Pot is a great tool to add to your kitchen. The Instant Pot Mini is just the right size if you do a lot of cooking for two.

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