The Most Ingenious Trick for Cooking Broccoli (I Tested 7 Methods)
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Broccoli is a staple in my kitchen. Unlike other produce, like butternut squash or tomatoes, you can always find a head or two of broccoli in my crisper drawer year-round. I’m the kind of person who will boil a bunch of broccoli florets, drain them, and proceed to sprinkle them with a bit of salt and just stand over the stove eating them right out of the pot. I love it so much. There’s almost nothing broccoli can’t improve, no place it isn’t welcome. Pizza? Of course. Pasta? Duh. Rice? Try and stop me.
That said, boiling is all well and good when you’re not trying to showcase broccoli, but what about when you want it to be the best it can be? Tender, but still crisp, with just enough delicious browned bits. I tested seven different methods to find which does justice to one of my all-time favorite vegetables. And I’m happy to report one method delivered perfection.
Roasting with steam is the best way to get tender broccoli with balanced browning, crisp-tender texture, and deep flavor.
A Few Notes on Methodology
The broccoli. I purchased fresh whole broccoli crowns from the same store on the same day. I used 1 pound of crowns per method, which I cut into florets, washed, and spun dry in a salad spinner before cooking. I also trimmed off the dry ends of the stalks and peeled the tough outer layer.
The seasoning. I sprinkled the broccoli with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper for each test, eliminating any other flavorings to keep testing fair. Most, but not all, methods called for a few tablespoons of olive oil.
The ratings. I rated each method on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 representing crisp-tender broccoli that was well-cooked, but not soggy or limp, with moderate browning — not charred or dried out.
Method #1: Air Fryer
Rating: 4/10
About this method: For this method I prepped the broccoli as stated above, then tossed it with 2 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus salt and pepper. I then fried it in the basket of an air fryer at 375°F for 9 minutes, tossing the broccoli with tongs halfway through.
Results: The air fryer’s specialty is getting food crispy, which this certainly was. However, the broccoli was pretty unevenly cooked, both throughout the batch and the individual pieces themselves, with the stems coming out well-cooked, while the florets were browned to a crisp and very dry. It wasn’t my favorite.
Method #2: Steam
Rating: 5/10
About this method: I used a steamer basket set inside a large pot for this test. I added just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot by about 1 inch, being sure the water was not touching the steamer itself. Once the water was boiling, I added the prepped broccoli stems to the steamer basket and topped them with the florets. I covered the pot and steamed the broccoli for about 12 minutes, until bright green and crisp tender, before sprinkling with salt and pepper.
Results: This method resulted in well-cooked, crisp-tender broccoli. However, I found it lacking in two places: There is no browning to speak of (it’s not even a possibility, as there’s no Maillard reaction happening), and secondly it took much longer than cooking broccoli in the microwave (which is essentially steaming). Using the microwave produces almost identical results in a much quicker time, so that method edged this one out.
Method #3: Microwave
Rating: 5.5/10
About this method: After prepping the broccoli, I placed the florets in a large microwave-safe bowl with 3 tablespoons of water. I covered the broccoli with a damp paper towel and microwaved on high for 5 minutes, until it was bright green and crisp-tender. I sprinkled the cooked broccoli with salt and pepper before tasting.
Results: This method is easy and fast — only 5 minutes — and it lowers the potential for overcooking the broccoli, as you can just cook it in one-minute intervals if necessary. All that said, boiled/steamed/microwaved broccoli has limited uses in my opinion. It’s perfect for turning into rubble (aka finely chopping it) and stirring into pasta (or cooked grains), but if you’re trying to highlight broccoli in any capacity, you want browning to bring out more complex flavors and textures, and you can’t get that with this method.
Method #4: Skillet-Roast
Rating: 6/10
About this method: This is the only method for which I did not cut broccoli heads into florets, instead cutting each crown into 4 wedges. I added 5 tablespoons of olive oil to a large nonstick skillet, then arranged the broccoli wedges evenly in the pan. I then sprinkled the broccoli with salt, and added 2 tablespoons of water to the pan before covering and cooking over high heat for 4 min. Next I uncovered the pan and continued to cook the broccoli until the undersides were deeply browned, about 5 minutes more, before flipping onto the second side for an additional 3 minutes.
Results: This broccoli was deeply browned where it came into contact with the pan, and it had a good roasted flavor. This is a very good technique if you crave deeply browned broccoli, but also a bit limiting if you want to add other flavors to it, as spices and alliums like garlic are likely to burn in the high heat. You’d have to make a sauce to drizzle over broccoli cooked this way, which limits this technique in terms of being the best “all around” way to cook broccoli. While delicious, it’s not very flexible.
Method #5: Oven-Roast
Rating: 7/10
About this method: For this classic method I added the prepped broccoli to a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and black pepper, and tossed until the broccoli was well-coated. I then transferred the broccoli to a rimmed baking sheet, spread it into an even layer, and roasted it in a 425°F oven until it was browned and crisp-tender, about 13 minutes.
Results: Roasting broccoli in the oven is THE go-to cooking method for many people, and for good reason. This broccoli was flavorful, mostly well-cooked, and had good browning from where it was in contact with the pan. The broccoli was a little unevenly cooked, because cutting broccoli into perfectly uniform pieces is basically impossible, but I’m nitpicking because they were all cooked “well” and there were no pieces that were significantly over- or under-done. In addition, roasting broccoli adds another dimension to the flavor. At the end of the day, if you’re looking to serve broccoli on its own (rather than incorporated into a dish, like a casserole), roasting is a great option.
Method #6: Sauté
Rating: 8/10
About this method: For this test I heated 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a nonstick skillet until shimmering and then added the prepped broccoli. I then cooked it over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the broccoli was crisp-tender, which took just over 15 minutes. I sprinkled the cooked broccoli with salt and pepper before tasting.
Results: Many of the recipes I looked at in my research called for blanching broccoli before sautéing it, which I opted not to do (that’s two methods!), but I can see now why they call for this extra step. Broccoli takes forever to cook on the stovetop without a head-start. While this one took longer than I would have wanted, the overall timing wasn’t overwhelming, and I only used one piece of equipment (although I easily could have attended to another part of a meal while the broccoli was cooking away in the pan).
The broccoli had nice golden-brown bits, and the texture was just right. This method gets a little bit of an edge for me over roasting because you have more control over the final result. If one piece of broccoli started to look too browned, I could easily spot it and turn it over, whereas, in the oven, it’s much harder to monitor.
Method #7: Steam-Roast
Rating: 10/10
About this method: This method is very similar to oven-roasting, beginning with tossing prepped broccoli with olive oil, salt, and pepper, spreading into an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and transferring to a 425°F oven. The difference is, after roasting for 10 minutes I removed the baking sheet from the oven and tented it with foil. I then turned the oven off and returned the sheet to continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
Results: This is, in my opinion, the true ideal for cooked broccoli. It was an even mix of golden browning, good texture, and deep flavor. While some methods excelled at one or another of those aspects, this was the only one that achieved them all simultaneously, and it doesn’t require any more extra equipment than a sheet of aluminum foil. If you’re looking for a way to cook broccoli that balances flavor, texture, and ease and will result in broccoli that works just as well incorporated into a dish as it does on its own, this method is for you.
Overall Key Takeaway
For the best all-around broccoli, balance tenderness with browning. Methods like steaming can deliver bright green crisp-tender broccoli, but lack the depth of flavor you get from good browning. Methods like skillet-roasting offer deep browning at the cost of perfect crisp tenderness. My favorite method, the steam-roast, combines the best of both worlds.
Further Reading
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