Learn how to sauté broccoli like a pro! This easy sautéed broccoli recipe is a light, healthy side dish or delicious addition to pastas, bowls, and more.
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I’ll say it: I don’t cook sautéed broccoli often enough. I don’t know why, but whenever I have broccoli on hand, my first impulse is to roast it. But a few weeks back, I was making this butternut squash pasta for dinner, and I needed a quick and easy side dish to pair with it. I chopped up a bunch of broccoli and cooked it on the stove with lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. The broccoli florets came out vibrant green and tender, while the stalks kept a nice al dente bite. It was so simple, flavorful, and refreshing that I’ve had this sautéed broccoli recipe on repeat ever since!
How to Sauté Broccoli
If you’ve never sautéed broccoli before, you’ll be surprised by how simple it is. The whole process takes under 10 minutes! Here’s how it goes:
- First, sauté. It sounds silly, but my method for how to sauté broccoli actually involves two steps: sautéing and steaming. You’ll start by heating a glug of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss in the broccoli florets and thinly sliced garlic, and season them with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Then, steam! This step helps sautéed broccoli cook and soften all the way through. Add two tablespoons of water to the pan, and quickly cover it. Cook, covered, for 2 to 4 minutes more, until the broccoli is tender but still bright green.
- Finally, season. Remove the cooked broccoli from the heat, and season it with a big squeeze of lemon juice and more salt and pepper to taste. If you like, sprinkle on some red pepper flakes, too. Enjoy!
Sautéed Broccoli Serving Suggestions
When I make sautéed broccoli, I often enjoy it as a side dish. It’s light and refreshing, with a nice crisp-tender bite. It pairs well with almost everything, so serve it with whatever protein, pasta, or soup you like. The lemon and garlic in this recipe give the sautéed broccoli a bright, fresh flavor, but if you want to punch it up more, drizzle on some vegan ranch, tahini dressing, or lemon vinaigrette. Some everything bagel seasoning or grated Parmesan cheese would be a yummy topping too.
I also encourage you to use sautéed broccoli as a component in larger recipes. If I’m not serving it as a side dish, these are my favorite ways to use it:
- In a frittata. Toss it into a full-sized veggie frittata or my mini frittata muffins.
- In pasta. Stir it into pesto pasta, spaghetti aglio e olio, or this creamy vegan pasta recipe. And does anyone else love sautéed broccoli with mac and cheese? Try it with this classic mac and cheese or my vegan mac and cheese recipe.
- In a bowl. Any simply cooked vegetable is at home in a bowl, and sautéed broccoli is no exception. Add it to these sesame soba noodles, this veggie bowl, or this buddha bowl, or make a bowl of your own! Start with cooked quinoa, farro, wheat berries, or brown rice, add a protein like roasted chickpeas, lentils, baked tofu, or tempeh, and pile in the broccoli. Finish it off with a punchy sauce like tahini sauce, cilantro lime dressing, or romesco sauce.
How do you like to eat sautéed broccoli? Let me know in the comments!
More Favorite Vegetable Basics
If you love this sautéed broccoli recipe, try cooking one of these vegetables next:
- Sautéed Kale
- Sautéed Mushrooms
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Lemon Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- How to Cook Spaghetti Squash
- Roasted Butternut Squash
Sautéed Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedge, for squeezing
- Red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli, garlic, salt, and several grinds of pepper and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water, cover, and cook until the broccoli is tender, 2 to 4 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Squeeze with lemon juice and sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if using. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
Wow! Thank you! This broccoli saute will b on REPEAT!! Sooooo Yummy! 😋
so glad I found this recipie, its my new fav way to make broc. thank you!
Such a simple recipe, and a good one! Delicious.
Delicious!! ❤️
Hi Phoebe, I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. If I wanted to add carrots to this, do you think it will work? If so, when do you think I should add the carrots?
😁
Great recipe!! Tasty!!
Just made this tonight for dinner, it was so easy to make (not telling my husband that!). The family loved it and has requested it to be a weekly side for dinner. Thanks for sharing the recipe !
I’m so glad you loved it, Teresa!
I thought I don’t like broccoli till I tried this 10/10
Easy and delicious
This is the most amazing brocccoli recipe ever! I now love broccoli thanks to this recipe and make it at least twice a week now. Its so easy and tasty – and it comes out looking just like the picture! Fantastic!
Hi Heidi, I’m so glad you love the recipe!
So delicious.
This is my new go-to recipe for a healthy side. It’s incredibly easy to make, it’s quick, and it cooks the broccoli to perfection! My kids (8,8, and 2) all love it and approve!
Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Mic, I’m so glad you love the recipe!
Great way to make broccoli.
Thanks so much for this great, simple, healthy recipe for sauted broccoli. This recipe is perfect, it’s very easy to prepare, no overpowering flavors and it’s healthy. Thank you!
Hi Lois, I’m glad you loved the broccoli!
Delicious and HEALTHY! Notice the absence of calorie-rich bacon, cheese, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cranberries, crouton, etc. But I altered the processed a bit, since broccoli is ‘dry’, and can absorb the oil quickly. 1 Tbsp of oil is not enough to ‘go around’ and coat all pieces in 4 cups of broccoli EVENLY. I use 2 Tsp of oil to saute garlic, ginger and two slices of fresh jalapeno pepper. Then I add 2 Tsp of water or homemade chicken broth. Then I add broccoli and stir it a few min, and sprinkle balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper and just a few drops of soy sauce. Finally, cover and let it sit for 3 minutes. The color is bright green and the text is tender yet crisp. The way Asians like, Basically I use the same ingredients as this recipe. If you serve this dish to guests, you might want to replace soy sauce with shredded parmigiano cheese because without that sharp flavor, most Americans would consider the dish too bland.
Also, in the first stage of sauteing the garlic, I sometimes red pepper strips. They release water when heated, thus adding a bit juice to the dish. Liquid is important as it creates steam to cook. Otherwise, I’d have to use a lot more cooking oil.
Thank you much simpler & easy Broccoli 🥦 cooking with no meat ! Luv it 🤩
Wow! The best tasting broccoli I have ever had! I rarely comment on recipes but this one is so fabulous and easy that I just had to write something. My family are all picky eaters and it is rare that I will make something that everyone likes. They loved it and completely emptied the bowl! Thank you for this great recipe!!!!
This is my new way of making broccoli! It was perfect. Done to perfection with a bit of crunch. I plan to try this method with other vegetables as well. Thanks.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Can you use frozen broccoli?
Hi Vickie, you could – I’d let it thaw and then use a kitchen towel or paper towel to pat the extra moisture out of the broccoli before making the recipe.