BEST Garlic Broccoli

This Garlic Broccoli goes with almost anything. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s the perfect side dish for weeknights.

I’m a fan of raw vegetables. In fact, I might have been the only kid who happily packed whole tomatoes and broccoli florets in my elementary school lunch bags (along with a salt shaker, of course). However, this Garlic Roasted Broccoli is a little more elegant and doesn’t require much more effort. We first got the idea when friends offered roasted broccoli for dinner a few weeks ago. We’ve since tinkered with the recipe, but it seems pretty hard to screw up.

How to make garlic broccoli

The main way to make this garlic broccoli is to roast it! If you have 30 minutes, this makes for the best flavor! It comes out tender and charred, perfect with the zesty lemon and garlic zing. (If you have less time, scroll down to other methods). Here are a few things to keep in mind about this recipe:

• Cut the broccoli into medium-sized pieces, leaving the stems long. To make the best oven roasted garlic broccoli, it’s important to cut the broccoli as evenly as possible. There is certainly variation in size, but do your best to keep the florets roughly the same size. This ensures the broccoli chunks cook evenly, meaning you don’t have to stand near the oven and check every 5 minutes to see when the whole batch is done.
• Use olive oil before frying and after. Another trick we found is to brush the broccoli with olive oil before frying, and then just drizzle on top afterwards! Broccoli is a bit dry after roasting, and adding some afterward gives it a nice flavor and moisture.
• Roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. A high oven temperature is key to making the perfect roasted broccoli. Cooking broccoli on too low a heat will make it slightly mushy in the oven. A high temperature keeps the outside of the broccoli crisp and the inside perfectly moist.

Faster methods: steam or sauté!

You can also cook garlic broccoli using a few quicker methods: steamed, Instant Pot, or sautéed. If you’re in a hurry, broccoli is the quickest to prepare, followed by steaming. It only takes 5 minutes to steam and 7 minutes to fry. Steaming and frying broccoli brings out it bright green and tender.

If you want to make garlic broccoli quickly: steam it or skip it! Then add the grated garlic, olive oil and lemon juice after removing from the heat. It will be just as good and much quicker to prepare. You can also steam broccoli in a pressure cooker/instant pot if you have one, and it’s quick and easy too! Here are our best methods:

How to serve it

Garlic broccoli takes on a slightly sweet, nutty flavor as it cooks. This broccoli recipe is a real chameleon side dish because it goes with almost anything. Serve over rice with other roasted veggies for a hearty DIY bowl. Or enjoy it with your favorite pasta or casserole. Once cool, it’s delicious on a salad.

This garlicky broccoli tastes best right out of the oven as it loses its crunchiness in the fridge. However, you can enjoy leftovers cold or reheated in the oven.

do you like garlic Try more great garlic recipes!

This garlic broccoli recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based and without refined sugar.

Looking for more vegetarian side dishes?

We have many side dish ideas for you! Here are some of our favourites:

Last update: March 20th20