Garlic Broccoli

This garlic broccoli pairs well with just about anything. Ready in just 30 minutes, this is the perfect weeknight side dish.

I am an unabashed raw vegetable lover. In fact, I might have been the only kid to ever cheerfully pack whole tomatoes and broccoli florets in my grade school lunch bags (with a salt shaker, of course). However, this garlic roasted broccoli is a bit more elegant and doesn’t require much more effort. We first caught onto the idea when some friends offered roasted broccoli with dinner a few weeks ago. Since then, we have been tinkering with the recipe, but it seems pretty hard to screw up.

How to make garlic broccoli

The primary method for this garlic broccoli is roasting it! If you have 30 minutes to spare, this makes the very best flavor! It comes out tender and charred, perfect with the a zing of lemon and savory garlic. (If you have less time, scroll down to other other methods). Here are a few things to remember for this recipe:

• Cut the broccoli into even medium-sized pieces, leaving the stems long. To make the best oven roasted garlic broccoli, it’s important that you cut the broccoli as evenly as possible. There’s bound to be some size variation, but do your best to make the florets roughly the same size. This will ensure that the broccoli pieces cook evenly, meaning you won’t have to stand by the oven checking it every 5 minutes to see when the whole batch is done.
• Use olive oil before roasting and after. Another tip we’ve found is using olive oil on the broccoli before roasting, and then adding just a drizzle after! The broccoli is a little dry after roasting, and adding a little afterwards brings nice flavor and moistness.
• Roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. A high oven temperature is key to creating the perfect roasted broccoli. If you cook the broccoli on too low a heat, it’ll turn slightly mushy in the oven. A high temperature will keep the outsides of the broccoli crispy and the insides perfectly soft.

Faster methods: steam it or saute it!

You also can make garlic broccoli with a few faster methods: steamed, Instant Pot, or sauteed. If you’re in a hurry, steaming broccoli is the quickest way to make it, followed by steaming. It takes only 5 minutes to steam and 7 minutes to saute. Steaming and sauteing broccoli makes it come out bright green and crisp tender.

If you want to make garlic broccoli in a hurry: steam or saute it! Then stir in the grated garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice after you remove it from the heat. It will taste just as good and be much quicker to make. You can also steam broccoli in a pressure cooker / Instant Pot if you have one, and it’s quick and easy as well! Here are our best methods:

• Steamed: BEST Steamed Broccoli
• Pressure cooker: Instant Pot Broccoli
• Sauteed: Simple Sauteed Broccoli

How to serve it

Once cooked, garlic broccoli goes slightly sweet and nutty in flavor. This broccoli recipe is a true chameleon side dish, as it pairs well with just about anything. Serve it atop rice with other roasted veggies for a DIY nourish bowl. Or, enjoy it with your favorite pasta or casserole. Once cooled, it tastes delicious on a salad.

This garlic broccoli tastes best straight out of the oven, since it loses its crispness in the fridge. However, you can enjoy the leftovers cold or re-warmed in the oven.

Love garlic? Try more Great Garlic Recipes!

This garlic broccoli recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and refined sugar free.

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Last updated: March 2020