What Is Broccoli, frozen and How Can I Use It?

If broccoli, frozen has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 129 recipes to try it in.

What is broccoli, frozen?

Frozen broccoli is fresh broccoli that has been cut into florets, blanched briefly, then flash frozen at its peak. Because it is frozen so soon after harvest, it holds onto its nutrients well and lasts for months in the freezer.

The trade-off is texture. The freezing process ruptures some of the cell walls, so cooked frozen broccoli comes out softer and more tender than fresh, never quite as snappy.

That makes it a poor choice for a raw crudite platter. It pays off instead in anything cooked down: casseroles, soups, bakes, and quick stir-fries.

Cooking With Frozen Broccoli

The single most important rule is to cook it straight from frozen, never thawed first.

Thawing leaves you with a soggy, watery pile that turns to mush the moment it hits heat.

For a quick side, steam or microwave it with a splash of water until just tender, about 4 to 6 minutes, then drain.

For more flavor, roast it on a hot sheet pan at 425°F (220°C). The dry heat drives off moisture and browns the edges, the closest you will get to roasted fresh broccoli.

It works hardest in baked dishes. Crab Broccoli Casserole and Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole both fold it into a creamy, cheesy base where its softness is a feature. It also drops straight into soups like Cheddar-Potato-Broccoli Soup near the end of cooking.

For stir-fries such as Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry, add it frozen and keep the heat high so the water flashes off rather than steaming the pan.

Getting the Best Results

The big enemy is water. Frozen broccoli sheds liquid as it cooks, and that water dilutes sauces and leaves casseroles runny.

Drain it hard before mixing it into anything bound, and press out extra moisture with a clean towel if the dish needs to stay thick.

For seasoning, it pairs with everything fresh broccoli does: cheddar, garlic, lemon, soy, and bacon. A splash of lemon or vinegar at the end sharpens the slightly flat, washed-out flavor that freezing can leave behind.

Resist the urge to boil it in a full pot of water, which leaches out both flavor and nutrients.

Substitutes

Fresh broccoli is the obvious swap. Use it cut into similar-size florets, but expect it to need a minute or two more cooking and to stay crunchier. Frozen cauliflower works in most casseroles and soups, with a milder taste and a paler look.

Frozen florets, cuts, and chopped broccoli are mostly interchangeable, with cuts just carrying more stem. For stir-fries where you want real crunch, fresh broccoli or fresh green beans hold up better than the frozen version.

Buying and Storing Frozen Broccoli

Squeeze the bag before buying. The pieces should feel loose and move freely. If they have clumped into a solid brick, the bag thawed and refroze at some point, which means mushier broccoli and lost quality.

Keep it at 0°F (minus 18°C) and it stays good for 8 to 12 months, though it is best within a few months for color and texture.

Once you open the bag, press out the air and reseal it tightly to fend off freezer burn, the dry whitish patches that leave the broccoli tough and stale-tasting.

Take out only what you need and return the rest to the freezer right away. Repeated partial thawing is what wrecks the texture over time.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Food group: Broccoli, frozen is a member of the Vegetables and Vegetable Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

西兰花，冻结

British (UK) term

Broccoli, frozen

en français

brocolis surgelés

en español

brócoli congelado

How much does broccoli, frozen weigh?

Related

Vegetables and Vegetable Products

Recipes using broccoli, frozen

There are 129 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Blender Broccoli Soup

A creamy chilled broccoli soup blended silky smooth with milk, half-and-half, and a hint of nutmeg. Ready in 30 minutes with just a blender, a saucepan, and a handful of ingredients.

Buttery Broccoli Soup

Buttery broccoli soup simmers chopped broccoli with sauteed onions, chicken broth, and rich evaporated milk for a creamy 6-ingredient soup. Puree for smooth, leave chunky for rustic.

Swiss Broccoli Soup

Quick Swiss broccoli soup with canned chicken gravy as the shortcut base, milk, frozen broccoli, and shredded Swiss cheese. Weeknight dinner in 30 minutes.

Cream Cheese Broccoli Onion Soup

Cream cheese broccoli onion soup, a richer take on broccoli soup that uses cream cheese for body instead of a roux. Sweet onions, frozen broccoli, and a bright squeeze of lemon at the end.

Fillet of Sole with Broccoli

Microwave sole fillets in a creamy tarragon white wine sauce with broccoli and Parmesan. A light, elegant fish dinner ready in 30 minutes with no stovetop required.

Stir-Fried Chicken

Fire up the wok and enjoy this succulent dish made with mushrooms, bamboo shoots and a bit of sherry.

Cheddar-Potato-Broccoli Soup

Thick, creamy cheddar potato broccoli soup made from scratch in one pot. Chunks of tender potato and broccoli in a velvety cheese broth that's ready in about an hour.

Broccoli Shrimp Lasagna

Broccoli shrimp lasagna with creamy Monterey Jack white sauce, layered with cheddar, broccoli, and tender shrimp. A white lasagna for seafood lovers.

Impossible Brunch Pie

This is an okay recipe. I have eaten tastier ones similar to this, but none of these I have put it in my recipe box to use again.

Amazing Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad

Quick, easy and refreshing. This delicious salad can also be served as a main course.

Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

Yum! I added some sliced red bell pepper strips to give the dish more colour. Used fresh broccoli instead of mixed frozen veggies, and added a drizzle of sesame oil and rice vinegar in the end as well as some sesame seeds. Enjoyed the dish with a bowl of rice, so good!

Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole

That was the lunch we made yesterday, and we made a few changes (see the linked recipe below). We used cheddar instead of velveeta cheese, fresh broccoli, and omitted the butter. An easy-one-dish meal and quite tasty.

Impossible Chicken 'N Broccoli Pie

This impossible chicken and broccoli pie has incredibly delicious flavor and texture. It's always a big hit at the dinner table.

Baked Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Rollups

Tender-crisp broccoli wrapped in ham slices and covered with a velvety smooth cheese sauce. Baked in the oven until bubbly. Kids love it.

Creamy Curry Chicken Casserole

Creamy curry chicken casserole with broccoli, cheddar, and a buttery crumb topping. Ready in under an hour with leftover chicken or a store-bought rotisserie.

Phyllo Chicken with Bacon, Broccoli & Cheese

Great way to use up leftover chicken. Filo pastry stuffed with chicken and broccoli cheese in a light cream sauce.

Crab Broccoli Casserole

Crab and broccoli casserole layered with cheddar cheese, topped with a curry-tinged creamy crab sauce and a buttery breadcrumb crown. A retro one-dish casserole with hundreds of loyal fans.

Mom's Broccoli-Rice Quiche

Microwave broccoli-rice quiche with a cooked rice and cheddar cheese crust, filled with broccoli, mushrooms, onions, and egg custard. A crustless quiche that skips the pie dough entirely.

Baked Broccoli

Try this new succulent dish that is served with bread and it's own sauce.

Fast & Fit Sunny Pizza Pie

Serve with lightly dressed salad greens, tossed with tomatoes, then finish with pineapple chunks spooned over yogurt.

Jason's Broccoli Lasagne

Vegetarian lasagna with broccoli soup sauce, carrots, mushrooms, three cheeses, and eggs. A creamy white-sauce lasagna without traditional tomato sauce or meat.

Upside-Down Deep Dish Pizza

Upside-down deep dish pizza layers seasoned beef, marinara, broccoli and mozzarella in a baking dish, then caps it with pizza dough that bakes into a golden crust on top. An easy family dinner.

Chicken& Broccoli Au Gratin

Cubed chicken and broccoli spears baked under a homemade mushroom cream sauce and bubbly melted cheese. A from-scratch au gratin casserole that serves six in about an hour.

Vegetable Stroganoff

Slow cooker vegetable stroganoff with mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots in a creamy yogurt-sour cream sauce over egg noodles. Set it and forget it for 4 hours.

Quick Turkey Broccoli Casserole

Quick turkey broccoli casserole: cooked turkey and broccoli baked in a creamy cream-of-mushroom sauce under a layer of melted cheddar. A fast, comforting way to turn leftover turkey into a fresh weeknight dinner.

Chicken Yellow Rice

Saffron-tinted rice simmered with sautéed chicken breast, garlic, and onions, topped with bright steamed broccoli. A complete one-pot meal in about an hour.

Recipe: Vegetable Stroganoff

Slow cooker vegetable stroganoff combines mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and onions in tomato-stock sauce, finished with yogurt and sour cream over noodles. Vegetarian comfort food without the beef.

Broccoli Castlerole

White Castle sliders layered with broccoli and smothered in melted Velveeta, topped with buttery crushed Ritz crackers. A wildly indulgent, no-apologies casserole.

Easy Broccoli Rice Casserole

Only 5 ingredients, mix together and pop it in the oven.

Rotini & Crab

Rotini tossed with broccoli, zucchini, crab, and Parmesan in garlic-olive oil. Light 30-minute pasta dinner.

Lots of Vegetables Vegetarian Lasagna

Vegetable lasagna packed with broccoli folded right into the ricotta layer, stacked with a chunky homemade tomato sauce of peppers, celery and basil. A hearty meatless lasagna under bubbly mozzarella.

Favourite Hearty Vegetable Stew

Hearty vegetable stew piles soaked pinto beans, corn noodles, carrots, broccoli, peas, corn, and green beans into a tomato-sauce broth. A vegan, freezer-friendly stew with five-vegetable depth.

Creamed Broccoli Soup

Pureed broccoli soup with celery, onion, and heavy cream, brightened with lemon juice and a kick of Tabasco. A simple 30-minute cream soup that serves a crowd.

Halibut Broccoli Pie

Crustless halibut and broccoli pie with cheddar cheese, eggs, and Bisquick batter seasoned with lemon pepper and thyme. A savory impossible pie that forms its own crust.

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Cubed turkey and broccoli in savory gravy with marjoram, topped with fluffy mashed potatoes studded with pimento and baked until golden. A comforting shepherd's pie that puts leftover turkey to brilliant use.

Cheesy Creamy Broccoli Soup (Lacto)

Creamy broccoli cheddar soup made with skim milk and reduced-fat cheese for a lighter take on a steakhouse classic. Hot soup melts the cheese in the bowl. Ready in 25 minutes.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie with broccoli and Parmesan in a creamy soup-mix sauce, topped with flaky egg-washed pastry baked golden. A cozy one-dish dinner from scratch.

Potato Broccoli Casserole

Potato broccoli casserole with thinly sliced potatoes baked in broccoli cheese soup until golden and tender. Just 5 ingredients for a creamy, hands-off side dish.

Cheesey Turkey Cottage Fries

A scrumptious dish that can be served as a hearty lunch or light dinner. Also a great dish to serve when you have family or friends to feed!

Jessica's Cheese & broccoli potatoes

Boiled baby potatoes dipped in a green broccoli cheese sauce made from blended broccoli and melted cheese spread. A fun, kid-friendly side dish ready in 30 minutes.

Robust Broccoli-Bean Soup

Broccoli and white bean soup with stewed tomatoes, oregano, rosemary, and Parmesan stirred in at the end. A hearty, Italian-inspired vegetarian soup ready in under an hour.

Skillet Turkey with Rice & Pasta

One-skillet turkey with rice and pasta uses turkey tenderloins, a seasoned rice mix, frozen broccoli, corn, and red bell pepper. A complete weeknight dinner cooked in a single pan.

Sensational Broccoli Dip

Four-ingredient broccoli dip with sour cream, ranch-style dressing, and a grating of nutmeg. Ten-minute no-cook party dip that tastes surprisingly fresh despite the frozen broccoli shortcut.

Parmesan Broccoli Bake

If you don't want to spend too long time to cook, and want to a vegetable side dish to accompany a meat dish, try this one.

No-Bake Macaroni & Cheese

This was a quick dinner option that was very tasty. Loved the broccolli in it for some cheesy greens

Karen's Layered Chicken Casserole

Layered chicken casserole with chicken-flavored rice, broccoli, mushrooms, and cream of mushroom soup, topped with cheddar and seasoned breadcrumbs. One pan dinner.

Recipe: Brocolli Strata (Lacto)

Make-ahead broccoli cheddar strata with cubed bread, eggs, and skim milk assembled overnight and baked until golden. A savory breakfast casserole that feeds a crowd.

Chicken Divan

Classic Chicken Divan casserole with broccoli, creamy soup sauce, melted Velveeta, and buttery breadcrumb topping. Freezer-friendly and ready in 45 minutes for the easiest weeknight comfort meal.

Broccoli & Cheese Omelet

This generous broccoli and cheese omelet is a healthy breakfast recipe that is low in fat, cholesterol, and carbs, all without sacrificing flavor.

Easy Cheesy Rice & Broccoli Casserole

Cheesy rice and broccoli casserole baked with Velveeta, cream of chicken, and cream of mushroom soups. Classic potluck comfort food with a creamy, golden top.

All 129 recipes