Roasted broccoli is the best broccoli ever! Once you learn how to roast broccoli, you may never go back to any other method. It’s easy to make and the best broccoli you’ll ever taste.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Even kids love it prepared this way!
How long it takes: 5 minutes to prep, 20 minutes in the oven
Equipment you’ll need: sharp knife, sheet pan, oven
Servings: 4
“More broccoli please!”
Is this something you want to hear your kid say? Our daughter did not want to stop eating this broccoli. Can you believe that? I’m telling you, this is the only way we’ll ever eat broccoli from here on out.
This is Ben’s absolute favorite way to eat broccoli. I think he actually gets a little annoyed (secretly though, he’d never complain!) when I steam it instead of roasting it.
It is simply delicious. Unbelievably easy to prepare, with only minimal seasoning to really let the broccoli shine.
Yes, broccoli can shine. Shine! It can happen. Trust me.
About Roasting Broccoli
If you don’t know how to roast broccoli, it’s so super easy to do! Simply toss cut broccoli in extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper, and roast it in a super hot oven.
And then watch it disappear.
You can jazz it up with some lemon juice or Parmesan cheese, but we really love it with just salt and pepper!
What You’ll Need
- Broccoli: Look for a firm dark green head of broccoli. Keep reading (FAQs) about how to choose a good head of broccoli.
- Olive Oil: Most people love the flavor of olive oil but if you don’t happen to be in that camp, other types of oil are fine: avocado, grapeseed, or even plain ol’ vegetable oil. Don’t substitute melted butter because it will burn at the high heat. Melted ghee will work, though!
- Salt and Pepper: Simple seasonings are all you need. Use coarsely ground pepper and kosher salt. The larger pieces provide nice little bursts of flavor.
- Sheet Pan: The proper pan is essential. A half sheet pan (18 x 13 inches) usually made of aluminum is a tool you don’t want to be without. I use mine nearly every day. If you haven’t tried making a sheet pan meal, a complete meal all in one pan, you need to do that soon!
Sheet Pans
Sheet pans are a kitchen essential! You can use them for so many different things. I have had this two pack for years.
tips for making the best Roasted Broccoli
- DRY DRY DRY your broccoli! Obviously you have to wash the broccoli first, but the problem is that broccoli really tends to hold water in all of those little florets. However, the drier the broccoli, the crispier it will get when you roast it; wet broccoli steams. Since crispy is what you’re going for here, you need to dry the broccoli. Use a towel (make sure it’s one that doesn’t let off lint), wrap up the broccoli and give a good shake. Or toss it into a salad spinner to spin that water right off.
- Cut the broccoli into small pieces. The more even they are in size, the better. Smaller broccoli = crispier broccoli in a shorter amount of time. We love those nearly burnt pieces best so sometimes I cut mine super small!
- Preheat the oven! Make sure your oven is good and hot when you put the broccoli in (425°F).
- Flip the broccoli part way through the cooking. It’s a bit of a tedious task if you’re exact about it but it helps ensure the broccoli is crisp on all sides. If you’re in a rush, just toss it with a spatula. It will be fine!
- Let it get brown. If you’ve never cooked broccoli this way, you may think it looks burnt upon first glance out of the oven but once you taste it, you’ll know those “burnt” parts are the best tasting parts!
What About Frozen Broccoli?
Does roasted frozen broccoli taste the same? The answer is YES but it’s not going to turn out exactly the same. I use it when I’m in a pinch. Frozen broccoli gets a little crispy but since the water content is higher, it tends to steam a little bit in the oven, making it less crisp. The secret? Don’t thaw it first!
If you like your broccoli to be super tender or if you’re short on time, the broccoli can be blanched first. Bring a pan of water to a boil, immerse the broccoli for 2 minutes; drain well, dry and proceed with recipe. You can also steam the broccoli in a covered dish with 2 tablespoons of water in the microwave for 2 minutes.
Personally, I prefer not to blanch the broccoli. I think it gets a lot crispier and has more flavor.
As I mention above, the secret is to dry it thoroughly. Make sure it’s not too crowded on the sheet pan. There should be room for the broccoli to be spread out in a single layer. Small florets get crispier than large ones.
In addition, make sure your oven is preheated to at least 425°F.
Look for dark green color and tight florets. If the florets look like they are beginning to open, the more mature the broccoli is, and that’s not such a great thing. The broccoli should be pretty much odorless and the stem should be firm and crisp. If the broccoli is yellow, has black spots or mold, is soft, or has a bad odor, it’s probably not any good and should be tossed or composted.
Make It Your Own
While plain roasted broccoli is really delicious, there are ways to jazz it up.
- Add cheese: Roast broccoli with Parmesan sprinkled on at the end.
- Brighten up the flavor with lemon! Squeeze on lemon juice or add lemon zest right before serving.
- Combine veggies: Roast broccoli and cauliflower together; that combination is great with a sprinkle of chili powder. Broccoli and carrots are a good combination, too, as well as broccoli and potatoes. Since carrots and baby potatoes take a bit longer to get tender, put them on the pan first and roast them for about 5-10 minutes before you add the broccoli.
- Roast broccolini! Broccolini has smaller florets and longer stalks but you can roast it pretty much the same way as broccoli.
- Rather have broccoli a different way?Try this broccoli with my easy cheese sauce! Or Instant Pot broccoli cheese soup! I love Instant Pot mac and cheese with broccoli, too. Did you know you can cook broccoli in your air fryer? Try air fryer broccoli.
Since there’s very little prep involved with this recipe, there’s really only one thing you can do to get a head start: prep the broccoli and that’s probably the most time-consuming part. You can do that a couple days ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready.
Refrigerate: Did you make more broccoli than you needed for dinner? No problem, just wrap it and refrigerate it. It will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Reheat: It’s best to pop it back into the oven (or toaster oven) for a few minutes to crisp it back up. The air fryer also works great to reheat roasted vegetables.
More Ways to Use Roasted Broccoli
- Quiche: Try it in this roasted broccoli quiche! It has a cornmeal crust that’s so good and easy to roll out.
- Salads: Add it to a grain salad with quinoa, couscous, farro, or rice. Try this vegan quinoa salad with Brussels sprouts & pepitas, replacing the Brussels sprouts with broccoli.
- Wraps: Add it to a wrap. You’ll love this roasted vegetable wrap with pesto mayonnaise.
- Sheet Pan Dinners: Roast the whole dinner on one pan. Make sheet pan Italian sausage, polenta, and broccoli or baked chicken Parmesan & broccoli.
- Vegetarian Idea: Make a batch of baked sesame tofu at the same time. The sauce perfectly complements roasted broccoli and you have the oven on anyways. The tofu bakes at 400°F and the broccoli at 425°F. Not a problem, just set the oven temperature right in between the two, say 415°F or thereabouts. Serve the broccoli and tofu with steamed rice.
More Roasted Vegetables
Roasting is magic! I adore roasting vegetables so much that I compiled them all in one giant list – If you love them like I do, check out all the roasted vegetables on Rachel Cooks! Here’s a few of my favorites:
- Spicy Sweet Roasted Butternut Squash
- Roasted Carrots with Thyme and Nutmeg
- Roasted Carrots with Cumin
- Roasted Mushrooms with Balsamic, Thyme and Dijon
- Roasted Delicata Squash
- Maple Cayenne Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Asiago
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
- Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes – Southwestern Style
How To Roast Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli (about 1/2 pound)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Wash broccoli and dry very thoroughly. Don’t skip drying — it’s important. You can use a salad spinner if you have one, or just shake, shake, shake all the water out and then pat dry with a towel.
- Cut into medium-sized florets and coat well with olive oil, salt, and pepper (either in a bowl or on the sheet pan).
- Spread onto rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip each piece over, and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- To ensure crispness, make sure oven is preheated, broccoli is thoroughly dry, and there’s plenty of space on the baking pan.
- If you prefer, other types of oil may be substituted for olive oil. Avocado, grapeseed, or vegetable oil are good choices.
- Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice, lemon zest, or grated parmesan cheese, if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Great! It’s easy to do it, something I didn’t think about before. It added it to my daily menu. Thank you for sharing
So glad to hear you like this recipe! Thanks for commenting :)
Amazing!
Thank you, Theresa!
I added quite a bit extra oil to mine and big chunks of sea salt along aiong with black pepper. Never roasted broccoli before but this idea to roast broccoli instead of steaming it, is revolutionary for me! Served with my own teriyaki based sauce Jasmine fragrant rice and pork dumplings. 100% showing my mum this technique. THANK YOU!
Sounds like an amazing meal! So glad you liked the roasted broccoli – thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
I made this recipe exactly as directed, except cut the portion in half, as I wasn’t feeding a family. Surprisingly, it turned out quite well. I’m used to smothering steamed broccoli with a ton of cheese to mask the sulfer/vegetable taste. But this was much different. The texture wasn’t mushy like babyfood. It wasn’t exactly crispy like French Fries either. It was more like broccoli done just right. I guess if you just hate broccoli in general, this recipe isn’t going to fix that. But if you’re adventurous and want to try the roasting method, this works perfectly.
Everything you said is so true! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Hi, All the way from South Africa. I was looking for a roasted broccoli dis and foound this one, and it is awesome. I got my own oragnice veg’s garden.I started playing around with this dish and this is what I came up with. 1st) dish I roasted Italian sausage. Then use that oil to infuse the broccoli and when done before serving I added the sausage. 2nd) dish I sprinkled some Italian smoked paprika over and roasted some garlic with it at the same time. 3rd) dish I kept it plain about 10 minutes before done I sprinkled some fresh yellow dill seeds (tasting like liquorice). Not to much thou. Hope you guys try it. I also used a light olive oil instead of a heavy one.
Regards Johan
Thanks for the tips! So glad you like this recipe!
I decided to make it with your recipe when I saw this recipe. It’s really good. Thanks
I’ve just bought some broccoli and just watched your recipe. I decided to make it with your recipe. It’s really good. Thanks
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
I like to eat broccoli because it is very nutritious, but I have a question, does it smell like when fried, I see in the picture it looks like burned
Hi Sanchez, It does have a smell when it cooks, as do most foods! It doesn’t smell bad in my opinion. I love it crispy and nearly burnt but if you prefer it softer and not as browned, you can absolutely pull it out of the oven a little sooner. I hope you love it!
Yes, I think so
thankyou anyway
This is the best way to make broccoli!! So so good- I ended up cooking it longer than it was supposed to, but loved how it was a little extra crispy! I also put some balsamic vinegar on it and add some garlic powder with the salt and pepper. My kids were gobbling it down!
Thanks Renee! I love your additions….yum!
Easy and delicious!
I’m so glad you like this one, VS! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!