How to Steam Vegetables

Steamed vegetables are an easy and nutritious dish for every family. You can steam vegetables in many ways without special kitchen tools. To prepare steamed vegetables for a delicious, nutritious and colorful dinner, all you need is a steamer, pan with lid or a microwaveable bowl.

Table of Contents

Select and prepare vegetables

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Choose vegetables. In principle, you can steam all kinds of vegetables, but some steamed vegetables will taste better than others and each type needs different steaming time. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, artichokes, and green peas are vegetables that require medium steaming time and are delicious when steamed. If you want to get creative, you can steam potatoes or radishes too! You can refer to the steaming time for vegetables below: ^{[1] X Research Source}

Asparagus: 7 to 13 minutes, or 4 to 7 minutes if cut into short pieces.
Broccoli: stem 8 to 12 minutes, broccoli 5 to 7 minutes.
Carrots: 7 to 12 minutes depending on size and cut.
Cauliflower: cotton part 5 to 10 minutes
Popcorn: 7 to 10 minutes.
Green beans: 5 to 7 minutes ^{[2] X Research Source}
Sliced Potatoes: 8 to 12 minutes
Spinach: 3 to 5 minutes.

Wash vegetables before steaming. Before processing, vegetables need to be washed to remove dirt, bacteria and pesticide residues. Wash the vegetables with clean cold water then pat them dry with a paper towel. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Use a clean brush to scrub thick-skinned vegetables like potatoes and carrots.
Some vegetables, such as cauliflower and cabbage, have lots of nooks and crannies where dirt and bacteria can hide. Therefore, soak these vegetables in cold water for 1-2 minutes and then rinse.
You can use fruit and vegetable washes if you want, but studies have shown that doing so is not much more effective than washing vegetables with clean water.

Chop or chop vegetables if needed. There are vegetables that just need to be taken out of the refrigerator, washed and put into the pan, and others need a little more preparation. When large vegetables are chopped, steaming will cook faster. For vegetables with thick stalks, seeds, leaves or skins, these parts need to be removed before cooking. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

The smaller the carrots, the quicker they cook, as do cauliflower and potatoes.
Some vegetables, such as asparagus, will require more preparation. For example, you need to trim the old stem; With thick bamboo shoots, if you peel off the outer skin before steaming, the bamboo shoots will be softer when ripe. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Tip: Most vegetables do not need to be peeled before cooking. In fact, many vegetable peels are packed with fiber, nutrients, and help add flavor to vegetables. You should only peel vegetables with hard or dirty skin. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Sort vegetables by steaming time. Because some vegetables take longer to cook than others when steaming, you need to sort them out. This will help the vegetables cook evenly, avoiding the situation that some are too soft and mushy while others are hard and raw in the middle. You can steam a variety of vegetables together, but keep them separate in the steamer so you can get the faster-cooked vegetables out first. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

For example, potatoes take a lot longer to cook than green beans, so it’s better not to mix them together.
You can also shorten the steaming time of thick and long-cooked vegetables by slicing them into small pieces..

Use a steamer

Boil water in the steamer. Turn on the stove to high and bring 2 cups (0.5 L) of water to a boil. When the water starts to boil, you will cover the pot to increase the temperature in the pot. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You just need to cover the lid on the upper steamer (the lower pot holds water) like using a water bath.
The amount of water needed depends on the size of the steamer. As a general rule, the amount of water in the lower pot should be 2.5 to 5 cm deep and not reach the vegetables on the steaming rack.

Put the vegetables in the steamer. When the water starts to boil and evaporate, add the precooked vegetables and steamer, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium. ^{[9] X Research Source}

If steaming many different types of vegetables, remember to keep each type separately so that when the vegetables are cooked, they can be easily removed, whichever is cooked first, take it out first.
To prevent steam burns on your hands, pour vegetables directly from the bowl into the steamer instead of using your hands. You can also protect your hands by using kitchen gloves or a handkerchief.

Do you know? There are many different types of steamers on the market. Some types of steamers have multiple layers, allowing you to easily steam slow-cooking and fast-cooking vegetables separately.

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Steam the vegetables for a few minutes. After you put the vegetables in the steamer, let it sit, wait a few minutes for the vegetables to cook, and only open the pot to check when the minimum reference steaming time is almost over. ^{[10] X Research Source}

If you are afraid of forgetting the time, you can set a timer. With the fastest vegetables, you can check the vegetables after steaming for about 3 minutes.

Use a knife or fork to poke around to see if the vegetables are cooked. When you feel the vegetables are about to cook, you can open the steamer and poke the thickest part of the vegetables with a knife or fork. If you can poke it through easily, the vegetables are cooked. If not, steam for another 1-2 minutes then check again. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Shredded vegetables cook faster when steamed, and some vegetables cook faster than others. For example, green beans, cauliflower or asparagus will cook faster than potatoes or baby carrots.

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Remove the soft vegetables first. If you steam a variety of vegetables of different sizes, take out the one that cooks first and continue steaming the rest. You can use tongs or a ladle with holes to remove the vegetables from the steamer to avoid burns. When the vegetables are cooked, remove them to a plate with a lid to keep them warm.

If the vegetables cook at the same time, you can remove the steaming rack from the pot and pour the vegetables into a bowl or plate. Use kitchen gloves or a towel to protect your hands.
Many vegetables will have a more eye-catching color when cooked. ^{[12] X Research Source}
Of course, tasting is definitely the most important step. Satisfactory steamed vegetables need to be moderately soft, not mushy.

Add seasoning and enjoy. After removing all the steamed vegetables to a plate, you can add more olive oil, salt, pepper and squeeze a little more lemon juice to enhance the flavor. ^{[13] X Research Source} Your steamed vegetables are ready.

Steamed vegetables with meats are very delicious, you can also serve with cheese or herb sauce, or use it without. Steamed vegetables are healthy on their own, so don’t add too many seasonings—steamed vegetables are delicious and healthy enough!

Use a pan with a lid

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Choose a pan with the right depth. You need to use a pan that is large enough and has a suitable lid to keep the steam inside. Ideally, when you put vegetables in the pan, the amount of vegetables is only about ¾ full, leaving ¼ room for steam and the amount of steam to condense under the pan.

If cooking large vegetables, it’s best to use a deep frying pan, However, for smaller vegetables—such as asparagus buds or broccoli, you can use a large frying pan with a lid. . ^{[14] X Research Source}

Fill the pot with water (about 1.5 cm water level). This amount of water is just enough to create steam without losing nutrients in the vegetables. This thin layer of water will also help keep the vegetables at the bottom of the pan from burning.

If the pan isn’t tight enough to trap all of the steam, you’ll need to use a little more water. Try a few times until you determine the best amount of water.

Layer the vegetables in the pan based on the steaming time. If steaming more than one vegetable at a time, place the slow-cooking grade on the bottom of the pan and the faster-cooking variety on top. This will make it easier for you to get the cooked vegetables out faster.

For example, you could layer a layer of potatoes on the bottom, then a layer of cauliflower in the middle and asparagus on top.

Cover and turn on medium heat. When you have finished arranging the vegetables, cover the pan carefully and turn on the stove. You should use medium heat instead of high heat, try touching the lid from time to time to check the heat. If the hot pot cannot be touched, the water is boiling and evaporating.

Be sure not to open the test lid to avoid steam escaping and interrupting the steaming process.
To avoid burning your hands from hot pans, you should choose a pan with a glass lid to easily monitor the amount of water and steam inside. If you want, you can also open the lid quickly to see if any steam escapes.

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Turn down the heat and wait for the vegetables to cook. When the water starts to boil and evaporate, simply turn down the heat and wait for the recommended steaming time for each vegetable and size, then check for doneness by inserting the tip of a knife through the thickest part of the vegetable. .

Steamed vegetables need to be both soft and crispy, with bright and eye-catching colors.
If vegetables are undercooked, cover and steam for another 1-2 minutes then try again.

Lower the pot and place the vegetables on a plate. When vegetables are cooked, arrange vegetables on a plate and enjoy as you like. For example, you can add sauce, olive oil and a little spice. Steamed vegetables can be eaten alone or served with main dishes.

To avoid burning your hands, use tongs or a ladle with holes to scoop out the vegetables. If the vegetables cook at the same time, you can use kitchen gloves or a towel to lift the whole pan and pour the vegetables into the basket.
If the vegetables do not cook at the same time, you should put the faster vegetables on a plate or bowl and cover so that the vegetables do not cool while waiting for the rest of the vegetables to cook.

Tips: When steaming vegetables in this way, the amount of water left in the pan will not be much. You can add it to your vegetable broth or use it to water your houseplants—they’ll get an extra boost of nutrition!

Use the microwave

Put the vegetables and a little water in a microwaveable bowl. You do not need to use a lot of water if you steam vegetables in the microwave, you can even just wash the vegetables, do not need to drain but put them straight into the bowl to steam. ^{[15] X Research Source}

In general, you only need 2-3 tablespoons (30-50ml) of water to steam about 0.5 kg of vegetables. ^{[16] X Research Sources} With thicker vegetables, more water may be required.
Many microwave connoisseurs recommend that you just put vegetables in a plate and cover with 3 wet towels to get enough moisture to steam vegetables. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Cover the bowl with cling film, leaving a little gap at the edges. You will wrap food wrap over the rim of the bowl and fold one corner of the wrap up to create a small vent hole. The wrap will help trap heat and moisture in the bowl while allowing a small amount of steam to escape. Remember to use “microwaveable” food wrap. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Except for one corner, which is left open like a vent, all the rest of the bowl needs to be covered to retain heat.
Or you can also use a ceramic plate facing up or use a vented lid to fit the bowl.

Steam the vegetables over high heat for about 2.5 minutes. If the vegetables are not yet cooked, you can continue steaming for about 1 more minute. Each vegetable has a different cooking time and each type of microwave has different characteristics. You can start checking the vegetables after 1 or ½ minutes. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Steaming time depends on both the type of vegetable and the power of the microwave. Some vegetables only need to be steamed for a few minutes, while others need to be steamed longer.
When cooked, the vegetables will still be firm but you can easily pierce them with a knife.

Do you know? Contrary to popular belief, steaming in the microwave will not reduce the nutritional content of vegetables. In fact, microwaving vegetables is one of the best ways to maintain that valuable nutrient content, as opposed to other cooking methods, such as boiling, pressure cooker cooking or deep frying. ! ^{[20] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Enjoy while the vegetables are hot. Throw the cling film in the trash, put the vegetables on a plate, add a little seasoning or sauce and enjoy!

If desired, you can marinate the vegetables with a little butter or soy sauce before steaming. When the vegetables are cooked, add salt, pepper or your favorite spices. ^{[21] X Research Source}
Be careful when opening the food wrap or the lid of the pot as a lot of hot steam will escape when doing so.

Advice

Steamed vegetables squeezed with a little lemon juice will be very delicious.
All steamed vegetables can be re-steamed in a variety of ways, such as sautéing or re-steaming in the microwave. You can store leftover steamed vegetables for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
You can refer to the article How to Steam Vegetables without a Steamer to learn many other ways to steam vegetables without the right tools.