Full Steam Ahead: Your Guide to Steam Cooking
Step-by-step instructions for the healthy cooking technique you’re not using, with easy recipes to get you steaming
Ginger-Sesame Steamed Vegetable Salad from Taste of Home
One time during my novice cooking days, I burned my wrist taking the lid off a pot of boiling soup. Obviously, it hurt like heck, but that’s how I learned: Steam, it’s intense. It’s also hot enough to cook food. And when it comes to simplicity, nutrition, and easy cleanup, suspending food over simmering liquid is pretty hard to beat.
Start by getting the equipment and learning the technique, then let’s get steaming.
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(Slightly) advanced steaming recipes >>
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Steaming Q&A
Not only is steaming a super-healthy method for cooking food, it’s practically foolproof.
What is steaming in cooking?
Steaming is a simple cooking process in which you place food in a steamer basket above simmering liquid without letting it touch. With the lid on, steam surrounds the food to cook it gently, retaining moisture without browning. The method works best with vegetables, certain kinds of protein, and recipes written to maximize the power of that hot mist. Do it right and you get bright, crisp-tender veggies and perfectly cooked chicken, seafood, or boiled eggs with tons of flavor.
What are the benefits of steaming food?
Roasting, stir-frying, and sauteing can all create delicious, healthy food, but each method of cooking requires added fat. Steaming, on the other hand, uses just vapors and hot air. And because the food doesn’t sit in the cooking liquid like it does when boiling, nutrients don’t leach out. Studies have found that in general, steaming preserves more of those nutrients than other cooking methods.
What equipment do you need to steam food?
All you really need is a pot with an inch or so of simmering liquid, something to suspend above it for the food — like a strainer hooked on the rim — and a lid to hold in the steam. If you’d rather not MacGyver your cookware, you have several options:
I use a collapsible stainless steel food steamer. It has legs to hold the food above the simmering liquid, it fits inside many different-sized pots, and it folds down small enough to stow easily. Plus, these baskets are really affordable — you can get one for less than ten bucks. Silicone steamers are similarly convenient.
A steaming pot comes with its own steaming basket, which nestles inside. Usually, the pot alone can be used for much more than steaming.
Bamboo steamers are really nifty, since you can stack them. That lets you steam foods with different cooking times, all at once. They’re meant to be used with woks, but an inexpensive steaming ring will prop the basket on your stockpot or Dutch oven. The big drawback with bamboo steamers: They take up a lot of room.
If you’re a gadget person, you can also use your Instant Pot or rice cooker, or pick up a microwave-safe steaming basket.
Want to go all-out? You can buy an appliance specifically for steaming, like a steam oven (often paired with a convection oven for flexibility) or a countertop steam cooker.
How do you steam food?
The liquid can be plain ol’ water, or you can liven things up by flavoring the steam itself: Use broth, juice, a splash of wine, or tea, and toss in fresh or dry herbs, citrus peels, or spices. The method itself takes all of two steps:
Bring the cooking liquid to a boil — don’t add the food until then, or it may cook unevenly.
Put the food into the steamer basket and cover the pot. Reduce the flame to a simmer, and steam food until cooked. Timing will depend on what, exactly, you’re steaming, but always, always check before you think it’s done — while it’s really hard to burn food while steaming, you can definitely overcook it.
Easy steamed veggies
When I reach for my steamer basket, nine times out of ten it’s to steam vegetables.
BEST Steamed Broccoli
In my mind, steamed broccoli is kinda the OG steamed vegetable. Steaming broccoli takes just a few minutes and produces brilliant green florets. This recipe gives you several great ideas for how to season the steamed broccoli before serving (red onions and feta, anyone?). Pro tip: As soon as the broccoli is tender, remove it from the basket. If it sits over the hot water, even off the heat, it’ll turn grey.
Easy Garlicky Steamed Green Beans
If you put the word “garlicky” in almost any recipe title, I’m sold. Here, you’re quick-steaming green beans, then tossing them in a bit of olive oil infused with a whopping four cloves of garlic. The squeeze of lemon juice at the end provides a necessary, acidic bite.
Steamed Asparagus with Red Onions, Almonds, and Raisins
Even plain, I could eat an entire bunch of steamed asparagus. Tossed with a mixture of red onion, almonds, orange juice, and raisins? Good luck to the other people at my table. Steaming asparagus only takes about two minutes thanks to its long, slender shape, so this is an exceptionally quick side dish.
Instant Pot Steamed Artichokes
When I was a kid, I thought artichokes and armadillos had to be related — they both have that tough exterior. Steaming artichokes brings out their tender qualities, but it takes a while. Enter the Instant Pot. Set your trimmed artichokes on the little rack that comes with the machine, and in less than half an hour you’ll be scraping that luscious flesh off the leaves. (No armadillo recipes here, sorry!)
Ginger-Sesame Steamed Vegetable Salad
Your steamer works with more than just individual vegetables. In this Laotian-inspired warm salad, you’ll be steaming a mixture of whatever you have on hand, then tossing it in a ginger-sesame-soy dressing. Just before serving, sprinkle chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro, and a little more ginger on top.
Superb steamed proteins
I wouldn’t reach for the steamer to cook sturdy cuts of red meat, but it works wonders on delicate seafood and chicken.
Steamed Shrimp
Shell-on shrimp cook up sweet and flavorful with steam’s gentle heat. Once they’re cleaned and prepped, all you need to do is toss them with Old Bay and/or Cajun seasoning, then place them over simmering water for just six minutes. Serve them with prepared or homemade cocktail sauce for dipping.
Steamed Lobster Tail
Steaming lobster tails produces succulent, juicy meat. This recipe gives you step-by-step instructions for cutting, seasoning, and presenting the tails in a most elegant manner. You can tuck away the recipe for special occasions, but it’s easy enough for weeknight cooking, too.
Thai Steamed Fish Recipe with Lime and Garlic Sauce
Steaming has to be the easiest way to cook whole fish — the moist air has an almost magical effect on the flesh. Plain steamed fish is lovely with just a squeeze of lemon, but topping it with an easy Thai sauce made from lime, fish sauce, plenty of garlic, and hot chilies makes it spectacular. I mean, just look at that beauty!
20 Minute Chinese Steamed Chicken
I know, steamed chicken sounds pretty bland. But this technique, which has you sauce the chicken before steaming (it all goes into the steamer on a serving plate), infuses the meat with so much flavor, you’ll want to make this at least once a week. It’s shockingly easy.
Easy to Peel Hard Boiled {Steamed} Fresh Eggs
I don’t think I’ve hard-boiled an egg since I learned about steaming eggs. Even the freshest specimens, which are notoriously hard to peel, slip right out of their shells after a brief spell in a steamer basket. Why? The water vapor penetrates the shells quickly, which keeps the inner membrane from sticking to the whites.
(Slightly) advanced steaming recipes
Some foods just won’t come out the same without steam cooking.
Dios Mio Tamales
Traditional tamale recipes call for two things: Plenty of lard in the masa dough, and a good, long steam. While the cooking method may be healthy, the lard sure isn’t — and often, neither is the filling tucked inside the dough. This vegan alternative still has you steaming tamales, but the dough swaps vegetable stock and olive oil for the lard, and the filling is jam-packed with mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, and corn. This recipe takes some time, but hoo boy it’s worth it.
Steamed Vegetable Dumplings
Homemade dumplings in about half an hour? Sign me up. Store-bought wonton wrappers and a food processor make quick work of assembly, and then all you need is about five minutes over steam. Pro tip: When using a bamboo steamer, place parchment paper under the food you’re steaming. It makes cleanup a breeze.
Steamed Mushroom Buns
Softer and squishier than dumplings, Chinese steamed buns feature a filling of some kind, wrapped in a simple homemade dough before hitting the bamboo steamer. This version features lots of chopped mushrooms and crunchy water chestnuts, and includes a piquant, spicy dipping sauce.
Indonesian Gado Gado
Gado gado is an Indonesian salad featuring raw and steamed vegetables in a spicy peanut sauce. This version may not be the most authentic, but it’s ready in less than half an hour and utterly delicious. It makes a perfect lunch or light dinner — add some tofu or hard-boiled (ahem, steamed) eggs if you’d like it a little heartier.
More handy cooking tips
Check out these Yummly articles for helpful guides on using your slow cooker and Instant Pot.