Easy Oven Roasted Broccoli

Jump to Recipe

The best recipe for easy oven-roasted broccoli. It's simply roasted with salt, pepper, and a little bit of garlic powder. The broccoli is crisp on the outside but soft and tender on the inside. This side dish recipe will be your family's new favorite way to eat broccoli.

two white bowls of oven roasted broccoli

This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links support A Joyfully Mad Kitchen at no additional cost to you. I receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase through these links.

Table of Contents

Oven Roasted Broccoli Recipe

I'd like to introduce you to the number one side dish we eat in our house. Our go-to meal around here is a protein (like pan seared peach balsamic chicken or chicken thighs) plus a veggie and some brown rice.

Our favorite veggie that we like to always have on hand is broccoli. I can remember a time when I wouldn't even look at broccoli. Let alone enjoy eating it all the time!

But now I eat it in and with everything from pasta with broccoli to grilled steaks.

How'd that happen? I just kept trying it until I figured out how I liked it. Now I can eat boiled broccoli, roasted, raw with hummus. Doesn't matter!

This recipe for roasted broccoli is sure to be your new favorite, too, I just know it.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Roasted broccoli is the perfect side dish or mix-in for all kinds of dishes.
It roasts in the oven in 30 minutes.
It is perfectly crispy, flavorful and tender all at once.

This recipe roasted broccoli in the oven at a high temperature, which helps it to be nice and tender on the inside but the florets are crispy and delicious.

The key is to roast them at high heat and generously season them with salt and pepper.

a closeup of broccoli that was roasted in the oven

What You Need

You don't need a lot of fancy equipment to make this oven-roasted broccoli.

A sharp knife. (This one is my go-to.)
A baking sheet or sheet pan lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray.

Ingredients

To make this easy broccoli recipe, here's what you're going to need to get at the grocery store:

broccoli: You can get a head of broccoli and cut it down, or pick up a bag of florets. This also works with frozen broccoli.
garlic powder: You can substitute your favorite all-purpose seasoning here.
olive oil: Any neutral oil like avocado oil will work well.
salt: Kosher salt and sea salt are great for cooking.
pepper: Fresh-cracked pepper with a pepper grinder is my secret to flavorful food.

You can also roast other fresh veggies with your broccoli, such as green beans, potatoes or carrots.

How to Pick Out Fresh Broccoli

When picking out broccoli crowns, you want to look for bright green broccoli. The broccoli crown is tight with florets that are close together.

For four people, we usually use two heads of broccoli.

lemon pepper seasoning in a bowl with a spoon

Best Seasonings For Broccoli

Most herbs and spices will go well with broccoli.

You can't go wrong with any of these herbs and seasonings:

garlic powder or fresh garlic
fresh or powdered ginger
fresh rosemary
all-purpose seasoning
lemon juice and/or lemon zest
fresh or dried thyme
dried oregano
Italian seasoning
lemon pepper seasoning
soy sauce or coconut aminos
parmesan cheese

And of course, just plain salt and pepper does wonders with vegetables!

How to Prepare Fresh Broccoli

Most recipes call for cutting the floret, which is the top leafy part of the broccoli, off of the stalk.

You can save the stalk for other recipes or freeze it to add to green smoothies!

Cut the florets off the stalks. If the florets are an uneven size, you can cut the broccoli in half by cutting through the stems.

How to Make Oven-Roasted Broccoli

Roasting broccoli in the oven is so easy to do!

Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). You want the heat to be high so that the broccoli turns out nice and crispy.
Place the broccoli on a baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and olive oil. Toss to coat all of the florets.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Halfway through, toss the broccoli so it cooks more evenly.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.

You can roast other kinds of veggies this way. Simple roasted veggies are my favorite way to have them!

Broccoli Dipping Sauces

Roasted broccoli makes a great appetizer, too.

Try dipping it in homemade ranch, maybe alongside your favorite chicken wings.

You could also serve it with a thick, creamy dip like hummus, whipped feta dip or jalapeño lime ranch dip.

What to Serve with Broccoli

Broccoli is a great side dish to go with all kinds of meals.

It goes really well with all kinds of proteins, from beef to chicken. Try one of these ideas:

Try it instead of (or hey, in addition to) fries or potato wedges when you make beef or turkey burgers.

Or you can add leftover broccoli to this beef and broccoli stir fry. It's even better with homemade stir fry sauce.

FAQ

How long does it take to roast broccoli?

At 400°F, it will take around 25-30 minutes to roast the broccoli so that the stalks are tender and the florets are nice and crispy.

When roasting veggies, do you need to line your pan with parchment paper?

If you're using a nonstick baking sheet, you don't need to line the pan with parchment paper. However, if your pan isn't nonstick, you'll want to either use parchment paper or spritz it with your favorite oil.

More veggie recipes