Easy Roasted Broccoli Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated Apr. 18, 2020
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Photograph: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video
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How to Roast Broccoli

Why It Works

  • Preheating the baking sheet ensures the broccoli is hit with high heat right from the start, from all sides.
  • Setting the oven to such a high heat browns the broccoli and cooks it through quickly, allowing nutty and sweet flavors to develop, not stinky, sulfurous ones.

A broccoli floret may not look anything like a Brussels sprout, but they've actually got a lot in common. Both are members of the brassica family, along with a ton of other not-so-similar-looking cruciferous vegetables—cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, kale, and more. And, just like Brussels sprouts, broccoli turns nutty, sweet, and delicious when roasted right—and unfortunately mushy and sulfurous-smelling when not. Doing it right means high heat, just like we do here.

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Recipe Facts

Active: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 4 servings

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Ingredients

  • 1 head broccoli, cut into florets of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches (about 1 pound florets; 450g)

  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Adjust oven rack to upper position and preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). Place baking sheet on oven rack to preheat.

  2. In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Carefully add broccoli to preheated baking sheet in a single layer. Roast about 20 minutes or until broccoli is tender and deeply browned in spots (for the deepest browning on only one side, do not flip the broccoli during cooking; for more even browning all over, toss and flip broccoli about halfway through roasting). Serve.

Special equipment

Rimmed baking sheet

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
129 Calories
11g Fat
8g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 129
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 14%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 282mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 73mg 365%
Calcium 45mg 3%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 330mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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