What Are Broccoli stems and How Can I Use Them?
Broccoli stems rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 10 recipes to cook with them.
Key Points
- The thick broccoli stalk is the sweetest, most tender part once you peel its woody skin.
- Peel down to the pale core, then slice into coins, matchsticks, or grate for slaw.
- Stems cook slower than florets, so start them a minute or two earlier.
- Saving them nearly doubles the usable yield from a head and cuts kitchen waste.
- Swap with peeled broccolini stems, kohlrabi, or cauliflower core for the same crisp, mild bite.
What are broccoli stems?
Broccoli stems are the thick stalks that anchor a head of broccoli, the part most cooks lop off and toss when they cut away the florets. That is a shame, because the stem is the sweetest, most tender part of the plant once you get past its tough outer skin.
Under that fibrous green layer is a pale, crisp core with a mild, almost cabbage-and-cauliflower flavor. It eats a lot like the heart of a broccoli plant should: clean and juicy, with a little nutty sweetness once cooked.
Saving the stems can nearly double the usable yield from a head of broccoli, which makes them one of the easiest ways to cut kitchen waste.
How to Prep and Cook Them
The whole trick is the peel. The outer skin is woody and stringy, but the inside is tender. Trim the dry base, then shave off the tough layer with a peeler or paring knife until you reach the pale, moist core.
From there the stem is yours to shape. Slice it into coins, cut matchsticks for a stir-fry, or grate it on a box grater for slaw.
Because the core is denser than a floret, give it a head start. In a stir-fry like Hot & Spicy Noodles with Vegetables or Lemon Grass Spicy Vegetables, add the sliced stems a minute or two before the florets so everything finishes crisp-tender together.
Raw, peeled stems are crunchy and sweet enough to eat off the cutting board or shave thin into a salad. They blend smooth too: a peeled stem is the backbone of Broccomole (Vegan), puréed into a green dip in place of avocado.
Cooking and Pairing
Stems take heat well and hold their shape where florets would go to mush. Give them a quick sauté, a sheet-pan roast at 425°F (220°C) until the edges brown, or a slow simmer in soup that you later blend smooth.
They pair the way the rest of the plant does, with garlic, lemon, sesame, soy, sharp cheddar, and toasted nuts.
Grated raw, they soak up a bright vinaigrette and bring crunch to a slaw or to an Orange Glazed Winter Salad.
The number one mistake is skipping the peel. Leave the woody skin on and even a long cook leaves you chewing stringy fibers, which is exactly why so many people decide they dislike the stem.
The second is cutting them the same size as the florets. The stem is denser and cooks slower, so cut it a touch smaller or start it earlier, or you get crunchy stalk next to overcooked tops.
Substitutes
If a recipe calls for broccoli stems and you have none, the closest swap is broccoli stalk's near cousins. Peeled broccolini stems, kohlrabi, and the peeled core of a cauliflower all give you that same mild, crisp, slightly sweet bite.
For raw slaw, peeled broccoli stem stands in neatly for jicama or green cabbage, with a little more sweetness. In a cooked dish, asparagus stalks or green beans cover the crisp-tender vegetable role, though the flavor shifts.
Going the other direction, anywhere a recipe says "broccoli," remember the stems count. Peel and use them right alongside the florets instead of buying more.
Buying and Storage
You do not buy stems on their own; they come attached to every head of broccoli. Choose a head with a firm, fresh-cut stalk. Pass on one that is split or dried out, and check that the center is not hollow, since a hollow woody core means an older plant.
The stem keeps as long as the rest of the head. Stash the whole head unwashed in a loose or perforated bag in the crisper drawer, where it stays good for about a week.
If you have peeled and cut stems ahead, store them in an airtight container with a damp paper towel for a few days.
For longer storage, blanch the pieces about 3 minutes, then freeze them flat.
Limp or yellowing broccoli has lost its sweetness in the stem as well as the tops, so use it while the head is deep green and tight.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 茎椰菜
- British (UK) term
- Broccoli stems
- en français
- tiges de brocoli
- en español
- tallos de brócoli
Recipes using broccoli stems
There are 10 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Orange Glazed Winter Salad
Steamed winter vegetables tossed in a warm orange, maple, and ginger glaze with toasted sesame seeds. Carrots, parsnips, broccoli stems, and cauliflower served hot or at room temperature.
Broccomole
Broccomole is a low-fat guacamole alternative made from pureed broccoli stems with cumin, lemon juice, tomato, and green chilies. All the flavor of guac without the avocado.
Veggie Christmas Tree
Veggie Christmas tree platter with broccoli florets shaped into a tree, cauliflower as snow, and cherry tomato and carrot ornaments on a bed of ranch dressing. A festive no-cook appetizer.
Broccomole (Mcdougall)
Broccomole: a fat-free, vegan guacamole swap made from pureed broccoli stems with cumin, green chilies, and fresh tomato. McDougall diet friendly.
Lemon Grass Spicy Vegetables
Thai lemongrass stir-fry with crispy fried tofu, long beans, broccoli, and a fresh-pounded chili-galangal paste. Vegetarian Thai vegetable dish with bright aromatics and real wok heat.
Vegetable Sesame Pie
Vegetarian sesame pie with a nutty brown rice flour crust and a sautéed vegetable filling seasoned with tahini, ginger, and soy sauce. Hearty, wholesome, and naturally egg-free.
Chicken with Garden Vegetables
My whole family, they love this chicken with garden vegetables, yuuuuumy. We enjoy it so much!
Hot & Spicy Noodles with Vegetables
Hot and spicy rice noodles with carrot, broccoli, cabbage, and ginger in a cayenne-honey-hoisin sauce. A low-fat Asian-style stir-fry on the table in 20 minutes.
Broccomole (Vegan)
Vegan broccomole dip made from pureed broccoli stems with cumin, lemon, green chilies, and fresh tomato. A zero-fat guacamole alternative in 15 minutes.
