Frozen Artichoke Hearts – Roasted or Air Fryer

Grab a bag of frozen artichoke hearts from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods and make these addictive crispy air fryer or oven-roasted artichoke hearts! Great as an appetizer, snack, or addition to pasta. 

 

Growing up in California, my family grew artichokes in the backyard and my mom often steamed them as a side dish with dinner. Served with aioli for dipping, steamed artichokes are one of my kids’ favorite things too, and the hearts are the best part. Artichokes are healthy and delicious and a Mediterranean Diet staple. 

There is an Instant Pot artichoke recipe in my cookbook, Vegan in an Instant, but I wanted to show you another way to prepare artichokes that is quick, easy, healthy, and delicious! A bag of frozen artichoke hearts can be easily transformed into a tasty antipasto (or snack) in the air fryer. You can also saute or oven roast frozen artichoke hearts to enjoy on their own or as part of another recipe. 

How to Make Crispy Air Fryer Artichoke Hearts

Just like with Air Fryer Broccoli, or even French Fries, heat circulates all the way around the food while it cooks, ensuring it cooks and crisps up evenly. 

For this simple recipe, thaw the frozen artichoke hearts and then pat dry as much as possible. Excess moisture will make it more difficult for the artichoke hearts to get crispy. 

Coat with olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. You want these to be salty like fries. Air fry until they are nice and crispy on the edges. 

How to Make Crispy Oven Roasted Artichoke Hearts 

Crispy artichoke hearts are just as easy to make roasted in the oven. The only difference is that they won’t brown as easily, but they will be just as delicious and you may even prefer them extra dark in some places. 

 

Variations & Serving Suggestions 

• Serve with aioli for dipping. My family likes Trader Joe’s Aioli Garlic Mustard Sauce and Stonewall Kitchen Aiolis (there are several varieties). You can make your own vegan aioli if you prefer. 
• Parmesan artichoke hearts. Add 1/4 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese along with the salt and pepper. 
• Truffle artichoke hearts. Sprinkle with truffle salt. 
• These crispy artichoke hearts are great as an appetizer, but also make a wonderful addition to salads, pasta (especially pesto pasta), and risotto. 

Where to Buy Frozen Artichoke Hearts 

Frozen artichoke hearts are such an underrated item in the Trader Joe’s freezer, where I’ve found the best prices, at around $3.29 for a 12-oz bag. Whole Foods also has great quality frozen artichokes for $4.99 in my local store. 

More Frozen Artichoke Hearts Recipe Ideas

Use frozen artichoke hearts anywhere you would use canned artichoke hearts. Canned artichoke hearts are packed in slightly acidic water, and I find that frozen artichoke hearts have a more natural artichoke flavor, though they are processed with citric acid. 

Both canned and frozen artichoke hearts will be softer than freshly cooked hearts. 

• Saute and add to pasta (a simple olive oil, garlic, lemon, white wine, and caper sauce is tasty)
• Risotto with Artichokes 
• Use as a pizza topping. Here’s our authentic Italian pizza dough recipe. 
• Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip 
• Saute thawed artichoke hearts for 5 minutes in olive oil and garlic slices.