How to Steam Vegetables (The Right Way!)

How to steam veggies to get them on the table fast! Use this method to avoid soggy, bland veggies—they’re tender and delicious every time.

Would you like to steam vegetables? We are here to help you. Steaming is one of the quickest ways to cook vegetables. It also has a bad reputation. Often, this method results in overcooked, stale, and mushy vegetables. But guess what? It turns out that the veggies are delicious every time you cook them until tender and season them right! Here’s our master method for steaming veggies: the right way. If you have a vegetable in mind, choose one of these recipes:

How to steam vegetables: a tutorial!

The most important adage of steaming: Don’t be tempted to overcook! You should cook your vegetables until they are crispy-tender. It also means you have to be willing to taste fork in hand! Cooking, even a few minutes past the right time, turns vegetables from shiny and crispy to wilted and mushy. Here are our tips for cooking vegetables with a steamer basket.

Equipment needed

You will need a steamer or steamer basket for this recipe. Here’s a steamer basket you can buy online that will work with whatever pan you have. In these photos you can see that we used a fancy saucepan with a steamer basket with a handle. This is also an option, but not required for vaping!

Step 1: Cut the vegetables into even pieces.

So that the vegetables cook evenly, the best tip: cut them into pieces that are as homogeneous as possible! The thicker the vegetables, the longer it will take to cook. (This is most important for vegetables like carrots: the smaller your pieces, the shorter the cooking time.)

Step 2: Fill the pot with water under the steamer basket. Boil the water.

The most important rule when steaming vegetables is: Boil the water first! Don’t be tempted to throw everything in the steamer and boil the water. Add about 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pot or saucepan, then place in the steamer basket. The water surface should be just under the basket (thus add more water if necessary). Then bring to a boil!

Step 3: Add vegetables, cover and sauté until tender and crispy (schematic below).

Once boiling, place the veggies in the steamer basket and cover the pot with a lid. (If your steamer doesn’t have a handle, place it in the pot before you boil the water, then add the broccoli once it’s boiling.) Cook with the lid on only until tender. Here are the approximate times:

Here comes the most important thing: the taste! Test a piece with a fork and see if it’s done. The cooking time will vary each time depending on how thick you chopped them and how ripe the veggies are.

Step 4: Drain and season.

Carefully place the vegetables in a bowl. Then mix with olive oil or butter and kosher salt. Refine the taste with lemon juice, fresh herbs, feta cheese crumbs or other spices as you like. You can find examples of seasoning in the respective recipes:

That’s it: steaming vegetables!

Let us know how you serve them in the comments below.

More ideas for side dishes

Steaming veggies is a fantastic way to make a quick and easy side dish! Here are a few more of our favorite companion resources: