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HOW TO COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI

Fresh, green, good for you and easy to cook to perfection are all reasons to eat broccoli. But getting the BEST flavor out of the freezer might be a challenge unless you understand exactly how to cook Frozen Broccoli!

Bowl of broccoli with a patterned blue bowl in the back ground for how to cook frozen broccoli

How to Cook Frozen Broccoli

This recipe for frozen broccoli is ready in minutes, inexpensive and best of all, EVERYONE WILL ENJOY EATING IT! There are lots of variations and there is sure to be one that your own family will love. Get everyone eating their veggies today!

WHY THIS RECIPE FOR HOW TO COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI WORKS

  • It’s EASY
  • This recipe is FAST!
  • Dinner is ready in MINUTES
  • Frozen broccoli is available when fresh is out of season
  • GOOD FOR YOU! You save all of the vitamins, minerals and good for you everything by using frozen broccoli
  • I’ll give you instructions for how to cook frozen broccoli SIX WAYS!
  • Frozen broccoli is AFFORDABLE!
  • The frozen kind of broccoli has a super long shelf life!

WHAT IS FROZEN BROCCOLI

Frozen Broccoli has been picked when near ripe and then blanched (cooked very briefly in boiling water) and then quickly frozen thus preserving most of the vitamins and nutrients of the fresh vegetable!

WHAT ARE THE WAYS I CAN COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI?

In general,  frozen broccoli can be cooked by:

  • Boiling,
  • Steaming,
  • Roasting
  • Microwaving,
  • Stir Fry
  • Skillet cooking

Other ways you might use frozen broccoli would be in recipes for

  • Instapot
  • Crockpot
  • Pressure Cooker

Because frozen broccoli has already been cooked a tiny bit in the processing, I personally think it is better to use fresh broccoli for these last applications.

Broccoli does tend to become mushy and to fall apart when cooked too long.

HERE’S A VIDEO (COMING SOON) OF WENDI COOKING FROZEN BROCCOLI TO HELP YOU!

THINGS TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT COOKING FROZEN BROCCOLI:

  1. The broccoli has already been cooked.
  2. What we are aiming to do is to add some flavor so that the cooked version isn’t so bland.
  3. You will not cook frozen broccoli very LONG at all.

HERE’S MY PRO TIP FOR HOW TO COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI:

Always remember to add flavor to your frozen broccoli WHILE COOKING it, if possible (it’s always possible).

A blue bowl of broccoli with fork in foreground

HOW TO COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI

RECIPE VARIATIONS FOR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING RECIPES:

All of these spices, herbs, sauces and oils taste good with broccoli and you can pretty safely mix and match:

Oils/fats:

  • Vegetable oil
  • Sesame Oil
  • Olive Oil
  • Butter

Seasonings:

  • Season All Salt
  • Mrs. Dash
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder

Sauces:

 

IF YOU ENJOY FROZEN BROCCOLI YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THIS CHEESE SAUCE FOR THE TOP:

This is a link to an Best Ever Fettuccini Alfredo recipe, however, just make the sauce and use it for your broccoli or other vegetables! YUM!

OR

You can make your frozen broccoli with pasta by making  Best Ever Fettuccini Alfredo (it’s EASY!) and add the frozen broccoli to the finished dish! YUM!!!

A close up photo of a bowl of broccoli

How to Cook Frozen Broccoli

HOW TO COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI

BOILING

The recipe card at the end of this post gives the instructions for boiling your frozen broccoli so that it will have EXCELLENT flavor.

STEAMING

To steam your broccoli:

  1. Put 1 quart of water into a saucepan and add 1 chicken bouillon cube and 1 tsp salt.
  2. Place the steamer basket over the top of the water and place the frozen broccoli into the steamer basket (be careful not to burn yourself).
  3. Allow the steam to drift through the broccoli until it is completely warmed (5 mins or so).
  4. Remove the broccoli from the steamer and put one pat of butter over the top and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A STEAMER BASKET TO STEAM BROCCOLI

No worries! You can steam broccoli one of two other ways:

  1. Follow the directions for microwave cooking noted below
  2. Make a steamer out of heavy duty aluminum foil.
    1. Lay three pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil on top of one another and roll up the edges to form a tray large enough to fit on top of your sauce pan
    2. Use a knife and carefully poke holes through the aluminum foil.
    3. Lay the foil on top of the boiling water that is prepared according to the steaming instructions.
    4. Now you have a steamer!

ROASTING

To roast your frozen broccoli

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Put a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Pour 2 Tbs vegetable oil onto the baking sheet.
  4. Place the frozen broccoli onto the tray and toss it around in the oil with your hands until all the pieces are coated with oil
  5. Spread the pieces of frozen broccoli out so that none are touching
  6. Sprinkle with season all salt and pepper
  7. Give your broccoli a dash of Worcestershire sauce (about 2 tbs) (or soy sauce)  and garlic powder too (about ½ tsp).
  8. Place the tray in the oven on 400 degrees and roast for 10 minutes then flip the broccoli and roast for another 5 -10 minutes until it is done the way you like.
  9. (when you flip the broccoli it will be dark on the bottom side, that’s ok!).

MICROWAVING

  1. Put ¼ cup water and 1 tbs of butter in the bottom of a microwaveable dish.
  2. Place the broccoli you want to cook into the dish.
  3. Sprinkle the broccoli with ½ tsp Season all salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper and ½ tsp garlic powder.
  4. Cover with plastic wrap but leave a small gap where the steam can escape
  5. Microwave on high for 2 minutes and check to see that the broccoli is all hot.
  6. Run again for 30 sec intervals until the broccoli is hot all the way through. Be careful, steam is hot!

STIRFRY

To stirfy frozen broccoli

You really might enjoy the recipe for my Restaurant style chicken fried rice, it really is right on point and you can add frozen broccoli right to it.

But…

If you want to just stir fry the frozen broccoli then….

  1. Heat your pan over medium high heat
  2. Add 2 Tbs sesame oil (OK to use vegetable oil or olive oil instead).
  3. When the oil is hot and glistening on the surface, add the broccoli all at once.
  4. Stir continuously until heated through (about 2 minutes).
  5. Remove from the pan and add your choice of seasoning, but usually salt, pepper, a dash of butter and soy salt are optimal.

COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI IN A SKILLET

  1. Heat your skillet over medium heat
  2. Add 2 Tbs vegetable oil and heat till the surface is glistening
  3. Add the broccoli all at once
  4. Sprinkle ¼ tsp season all salt, pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder and 2 tbs soy sauce over the top.

TOOLS I USE FOR HOW TO COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI

Click the photos for the KITCHEN SPIDER and the STEAMER and you will be taken through to Amazon where you can compare prices and purchase. If you should decide to purchase, first of all, Thank you and secondly, Loaves and Dishes does receive a commission for those purchases as we are an affiliate of Amazon. The commission paid does not affect your purchase price.

THIS KITCHEN SPIDER IS THE EXACT SAME ONE THAT I HAVE AND ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT NOT HOLD UP, MINE HAS DONE GREAT.

This is an OXO steamer. I do not have this one, but Oxo is a dependable brand and I would trust this one to hold up for a long time.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH FROZEN BROCCOLI?

  1. You’ll be wanting some other dinner suggestions I suspect so how about some EASY Best Ever Fettuccini Alfredo, its creamy and delicious and a SERIOUSLY wonderful dinner with broccoli.
  2. This Mama’s most juicy chicken that my daughter shared is a hit and so simply you’ll fall out of your chair. If you ask me in the comments below, I’ll admit to you what we call that chicken dish at home.
  3. Then there’s always these 7 Secrets to the richest most flavorful cowboy baked beans ever that are a super hit at my house.
  4. You might enjoy Broccoli Cheese Casserole for 2 in the crockpot

    Need MORE Broccoli Info? 

    How to Freeze Broccoli

    How to Boil Broccoli

    Blanch Broccoli

    Broccoli Opposite Salad

    Broccoli Cheese Casserole

YA’LL HELP ME OUT NOW, YA HEAR?

Please leave me a 5 star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  comment below in the comment section, all right? I would LOVE to know if you made this recipe or even if you are planning to! Of course, head on over to Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram and tag me with some photos of your creation!

I can’t wait!

Ya’ll know I love your comments!! ❤

Bowl of broccoli with a patterned blue bowl in the back ground for how to cook frozen broccoli

HOW TO COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI

This recipe gives instructions for how to cook frozen broccoli and add a ton of flavor.  If you want directions for microwave, roasting, stir frying, steaming or cooking in a skillet, please visit the post at www.loavesanddishes.net
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Course: Side
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to cook frozen broccoli, cooking frozen broccoli
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 161kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 quart of water
  • 4 Tbs Butter
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 bag frozen broccoli
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbs soy sauce
  • More salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place the water in a medium sized saucepan on the stove top and heat over medium heat till boiling.
  • Add the butter, salt and pepper to the water.
  • Put the frozen broccoli into the water and allow water to come to a boil again.
  • Remove the broccoli using a large slotted spoon or a kitchen spider as it starts to boil.
  • Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the garlic powder and soy sauce.  Mix well and then taste. Add more salt and pepper as needed to taste.

Notes

  • Remove the broccoli just as it comes back to a boil. 
  • It is already cooked, we are essentially just heating it back up and adding flavor.
  • It is important to taste the broccoli and add the soy sauce and salt and pepper.
  • Lots of times frozen vegetables have no flavor at all.
  • You can substitute Worcestershire sauce for the soy sauce if you want.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
HOW TO COOK FROZEN BROCCOLI
Amount Per Serving
Calories 161 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 30mg10%
Sodium 1247mg52%
Potassium 499mg14%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 4g16%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 1300IU26%
Vitamin C 135.5mg164%
Calcium 82mg8%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @loavesanddishes or tag #loavesanddishes!

A VERSE TO SHARE

I think it is interesting what the Bible has to say about being a hypocrite. As you know, I like to consider Bible verses in terms of what I, myself might be doing that is hypocritical. It is certainly an area to examine.

Matthew 23: 13-15

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

 

Wendi is the writer, CEO and dishwasher at Loaves and Dishes! When not in the kitchen or behind the computer, you can find Wendi serving on International Food Conference Boards, Speaking at various conferences, Leading and Cooking for the local Arts Council's "Taste of Stokes" events or donating home cooked goodies to various local non profits such as the Danbury Songwriters and Stokes Partnership for Children. Wendi is also a Registered Nurse with a Master's Degree and serves on her town's board of councilmen.

Recipe Rating




Betty Williams

Monday 20th of April 2020

I stir fried the broccoli with chopped onion. Used Ms Dash and Cajun seasoning. It was delicious! Easy and fast recipe.

Wendi Spraker

Monday 20th of April 2020

Wonderful Betty! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Joan

Sunday 29th of December 2019

What size is the bag of broccoli? My Birds Eye bag is 10 oz.

Wendi Spraker

Tuesday 31st of December 2019

10-12 oz bag is perfect.

Norah

Sunday 27th of October 2019

Thanks a lot for your tips ^_^ Now i can add broccoli to my family’s menu and i am sure they will like it.

Wendi Spraker

Sunday 27th of October 2019

Hi Norah! Thank you so much for leaving a comment! HOORAY for veggies for the fam!!!

Audrey Banales

Friday 13th of September 2019

I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m very impressed with all your tips and your verses. That you.

Wendi Spraker

Friday 13th of September 2019

Hi Audrey! Thanks so much for leaving me a comment! I hope you love the broccoli!

Josh Earsley

Wednesday 10th of July 2019

This is great. How far in advance can I make this?

Wendi Spraker

Thursday 11th of July 2019

Hi Josh,

Because frozen broccoli is more "limp" than fresh broccoli, I wouldn't make it more than a few hours before you want to serve it for the best appearance. It is safe to make it a couple of days ahead as long as you keep your finished dish in the fridge. Hope this helps!

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