The Best Roasted Broccoli Recipe
Roasted broccoli tossed with sliced toasted almonds, red pepper flakes, garlic, lemon juice, and aged pecorino cheese.
You guys. This roasted broccoli recipe. It is absurdly addictive! Quite possibly the best roasted broccoli you’ll ever make. Brace yourselves. I can easily consume a pound or two of broccoli in one sitting when it is prepared this way. Alarming, but true.
You all know how much I love my vegetables. I can’t go without them, but this is quite possibly the most tasty vegetable side dish on this blog.
These charred green beans and these fingerling potatoes come in at a close second. Oh, and these roasted sprouts and squash. Gah, don’t make me choose!
If it helps, Connor is equally as obsessed with this broccoli (it is one of his favorite things that I make) and it has gotten rave reviews from lots of family members and friends.
Roasted Broccoli: Why You’ll Love It
If you’ve never roasted broccoli, you are missing out on the tastiest way to prepare it!
If you’ve hated broccoli up to this point (confession: I never experienced this phase of life), give this recipe and method a try. I have an inkling that you’ll become a broccoli convert quite quickly.
It goes without saying that many vegetables taste better once caramelized and roasted in the oven. This isn’t ground breaking news, but broccoli is one of my all-time favorites.
Even more so than asparagus, carrots, and the other usual favorites. The broccoli florets get crispy and caramelized, and the normally flavorless stalks transform into addictive bites of heaven. I mean, really, you could stop right there.
Once the roasted broccoli is mixed with toasted sliced almonds, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, and aged pecorino cheese – ugh, so good.
So, here’s the deal. I actually posted a version of this roasted broccoli recipe a long time ago, but I’ve adjusted and improved the recipe and felt it deserved new life!
New and improved recipe, new pictures, all good things. Most often, I like to move forward and share new recipes, but sometimes the old ones need some love and attention, you know?
My new favorite way to prepare this dish is to slice the broccoli into ‘steaks’.
It gives the dish a better presentation, and the flat sides of the broccoli steaks allow the pieces to more evenly caramelize on the sheet pan.
To make things easier, the raw sliced almonds are added to the sheet pan halfway through cooking. This makes things really easy, and eliminates the need to toast them separately in a skillet.
Tips for Making The Best Roasted Broccoli:
If you’re having difficulty slicing the broccoli into ‘steaks’- medium florets will also work.
Just make sure your broccoli pieces are consistent in size (if the pieces vary in size, they will cook unevenly) and they are spread into an even, thin layer.
Ideally when roasting, you want the vegetables not to touch each other on the sheet pan. Crowding will result in uneven cooking, less caramelization, and longer cook times.
Many home ovens have not been calibrated recently and can be off by as much as 50 degrees in temperature! I highly recommend investing in a cheap oven thermometer (affiliate link).
Why is my broccoli roasting too quickly?
If your oven runs hot, I recommend reducing the oven temperature by at least 25 degrees and vice versa. The high roasting temperature, included below, produces extra crispy florets and extra caremelization (aka. flavor!).
It goes without being said that this recipe serves 3 to 4 people (in ‘normal’ world), but don’t be surprised if you find yourself consuming all of it in one sitting! It is that good. Just read the reader reviews below if you don’t believe me!
The Best Roasted Broccoli Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs broccoli crowns roughly 2 heads
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely grated with a microplane or pressed
- large pinch dried red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons raw sliced almonds, with or without skin
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly grated aged pecorino cheese
- zest of half a lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C) with a rack in the center postion. Oven Temperature Note: I use a separate oven thermometer to ensure that my oven is calibrated properly. The high temperature ensures even and deep caramelization (and extra crispy, flavorful florets!). If your oven runs hot (you can check this by using an oven thermometer) or you prefer less crispy florets, reduce the oven temperature to 425°F-450°F (220°C-232°C) and adjust the cooking time as necessary.
- Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Trim any dry, tough ends of the broccoli crowns, leaving roughly 2-inches of stalk attached. Slice the broccoli into ½-inch-thick steaks, starting in the center of each broccoli crown and working out to the edges, reserving any small or medium florets that fall off for roasting. Slice any large remaining florets in half lengthwise. Note: If you’re having difficulty slicing the broccoli into ‘steaks’- medium florets will also work, but you will most likely need to reduce the temperature and roasting time to ensure that they do not burn. Try to make your broccoli pieces consistent in size, as this will help them roast evenly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, grated or pressed garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes. Add the broccoli steaks and toss gently until evenly coated. Arrange the broccoli, cut-side down, on the lined sheet pan, setting them apart slightly. Sprinkle with salt.
- Roast the broccoli for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, flip the broccoli, and sprinkle the almond slices evenly across the sheet pan. Roast for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is evenly caramelized and fork tender, and the almond slices are toasted and golden.
- Transfer the broccoli to a platter, toss gently with the lemon juice and top with the grated pecorino cheese. Garnish with fresh lemon zest. Serve hot or at room temperature (it also tastes great cold). Leftover broccoli can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Video
Tips for Success:
- If you’re having difficulty slicing the broccoli into ‘steaks’- medium florets will also work, but you may need to reduce the oven temperature and roasting time to ensure that they do not burn. Make sure your broccoli pieces are consistent in size (if the pieces vary in size, they will cook unevenly) and they are spread into an even, thin layer. Ideally when roasting, you want the vegetables notto touch each other on the sheet pan. Crowding will result in uneven cooking, less caramelization, and longer cook times.
- Many home ovens have not been calibrated recently and can be off by as much as 50 degrees in temperature! I highly recommend investing in a cheap oven thermometer. If your oven runs hot, I recommend reducing the oven temperature by at least 25 degrees and vice versa, and watching it carefully. The high roasting temperature, included below, produces extra crispy florets and extra caremelization (aka. flavor!).
Note to Readers: This broccoli recipe was originally published as ‘crack broccoli’ in 2015. It was updated and re-named in 2018. The use of slang was in poor taste and is not a reflection of my values or this site. I sincerely apologize to any readers or visitors that were hurt or offended, and am appreciative of your critical feedback. Thank you for listening!
197 Comments on “The Best Roasted Broccoli Recipe”
I got this recipe from a friend a couple of months ago and we have made it 4 times since then! It is absolutely delicious! We have only used shredded Parmesan as the cheese and it’s wonderful. It’s one of our healthy Superbowl Sunday snacks for tonight!!
May I ask: why use the aluminium foil? Can’t we bake directly in the pan?
You could definitely bake in the pan! I’ve found that since the garlic is crushed, it can stick a bit more without foil – but I do need to test it again to be sure.
Outstanding! My family loved this dish! Easy to follow directions and easily obtainable ingriedients!
Thanks so much Lucy!
Loved it. Making it again.
This looks AMAZING! I’d love to serve it to a large crowd, but I need to prepare in advance and probably triple the recipe. What would be the best way to reheat this in a large casserole dish?
Hi Karen! Sorry for only just getting back to you. Honestly this dish tastes great at room temperature as well. But the best way would be to toast almonds separately (to add later just before serving) and leave off the lemon juice, pecorino, etc. and just reheat the already roasted broccoli for another 5-10 minutes in a 375 degree oven! Then toss all the components together. Hope this helps!
Thank you Laura! I did as you suggested and it was PERFECT!! A big hit!! Thank you sooo much!
Can I use frozen broccoli?
No, unfortunately frozen broccoli has a lot of water content, so it just won’t crisp up properly in the oven – I would only recommend roasting fresh vegetables. Hope this helps!
I tried this recipe tonight. Added a teaspoon of dry ranch dressing mix and the lemon juice and zest to the oil before tossing it. My youngest (adult) daughter who does not like or eat broccoli tried it for me. She has a habit of saving the “perfect bite” of her favorite part of a meal for last. The brocolli was her perfect bite! This recipe has converted her. Yummy!
So I have an autistic grandson who rarely gets involved in ANYTHING but recently when the family was working on naming a new baby in the family Grandson, who is quite bright mind you got very involved. We call his, the new baby’sdad C.J. so we thought names with those initials would be great. Tell me why my grandson thought “Crack James” would be an appropriate selection?
My daughter made this dish for us and I’m not a big broccoli fan but this recipe was so delicious everyone enjoyed it and I think I ate most of it!! I surely will be making this for my dinner guests! Thank you so much for sharing Laura!!
Yay! That makes me so happy. So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you Joanette!
Wow! What a fabulous way to jazz up broccoli! Thanks much for sharing this. I probably wouldn’t have opened the recipe had it not been for the name. Broccoli recipes are a dime a dozen online, and this is the best one I have come across! It wasn’t planned, but this indeed became our entree. Thanks very much for sharing it, Laura. This will become a welcome regular at our table.
Thank you. That means a lot!
My husband is allergic to almonds, what could I sub them for? Thanks for sharing.
Besos Sarah.
You can definitely leave out the almonds, but if you’re looking for an alternative, pine nuts or walnuts could be amazing as well! Just be careful with the roasting time, you’ll need to adjust the recipe instructions for both options, as different nuts will brown at various speeds.
This was the first time I roasted broccoli. It was delicious. I’m going to be roasting alot more vegtables now. Can’t wait to get to the store.
So happy to hear that!
This is amazing- I can eat the whole thing! Broccoli never tasted so good!!
First of all, I love that you still answer posts 4 years later. Great follow through, thank you. I noticed you’re using EVOO which has a smoke point of around 350 and isn’t recommended for high temp roasting. What do you think of using avocado oil which is super healthy and has a smoke point over 500? Is there any downside to making that change? Thanks again for this recipe, trying to encourage friends to eat keto for their health and yummy recipes like this are a huge help!!
Thanks for the kind words Natalie! I do use extra virgin olive oil a lot for roasting. It is a personal choice, but you can absolutely use avocado oil if you prefer. I understand all of the arguments for it and it won’t change that dish that much (I simply prefer the flavor of olive oil).
Yes – extra virgin olive oil has a lower smoke point, but it’s important not to confuse oven temperature with the temperature that the food will reach when you’re cooking at said temperature. Ex: We roast turkeys/chickens are 375-425 degrees, but the actual bird doesn’t reach those temperatures (thank goodness!). The broccoli is most certainly not reaching 450 degrees (very unlikely that it reaches 380 degrees either, which is the smoke point) otherwise it would be burnt, literally producing smoke, and completely inedible by the time it was done roasting. Hope this helps!
This was so good! I also made this with brussel sprouts in this same fashion and it was the bomb diggity. I cut the brussel sprouts into halves, roasted them for ten minutes, flipped them, roasted them for another ten minutes.
Yay! Love the idea of preparing Brussels sprouts this way too. Thanks for sharing Alyson!
Made this for the family tonight and the only problem was that I didn’t double the recipe for just the 3 of us! It was everything everyone who loved it said it would be and more.
My son took 1 bite and said “This stuff is next level good!”
Thanks so much for a delicious treat.
I have sent the link to a couple of others, it is too good not to share.
That is a great recipe, girl!!! I have been meaning to roast broccoli, it tastes great, it has a great name, my kind of flavours – ones you can really taste! I subbed crushed almonds not bad but wouldn’t recommend cuz some were burnt; I subbed parmesan reggiano(great). Next time I’ll try to have sliced almonds and Peccorino cheese : )
Hi would this be ok with no cheese or would that totally take the good out of it? Looking for a different veggie dish for dinner but we have to go dairy free. TIA
It’s delicious without the cheese too! The cheese does add a nice saltiness, but I love it without too. Hope you try it and like it!
Nutritional yeast might make a good dairy-free/vegan sub to keep that saltiness and umami-ness. It also has a distinctly “cheesy” flavor.
I made this last night for a dinner party; 6 adults and 4 kids. The adults all loved it, the kids not so much. I was hoping the kids would eat it-but you know kids and veggies. I will definitely make it again and i can’t wait to eat the leftovers today!
Sorry the kiddos didn’t like it! But so glad to hear the adults did! Thanks for coming back to leave feedback. 🙂
Oh my gosh…. I seriously cannot day enough about this recipe other than I’m afraid I’m eating TOO MUCH of it on my Keto diet and not enough protein!! I literally eat at least 1-2 bags (frozen) or fresh pkgs of broccoli a day because this stuff is so addicting!! I use frozen when short on time -not as crispy but still very good!! Because my oven has a mind of its own, I have found 425 degrees works better for me. I also had to sub walnuts for almonds because I didn’t have any on hand and haven’t gone back! I’ve eaten it as a small lunch or midday snack!! ANYTIME is crack broccoli time!!! Thank you sooooo much for posting this recipe. LOVE IT..LOVE IT..LOVE IT!!!