This simple side dish of broccoli and cheese is a great way to get picky eaters to eat their vegetables!
The cheese sauce does not contain flour. It contains heavy cream, cheddar, and spices, and it comes out thick and creamy!
If you're like me and have a picky eater at home, you know how difficult it can be to get them to eat vegetables.
That's why I'm grateful for this easy side dish of broccoli and cheese. But don't limit yourself to broccoli! The easy cheese sauce pairs beautifully with other steamed vegetables, including steamed spinach, steamed carrots, steamed cabbage, and steamed asparagus.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Fresh broccoli: You will steam it, on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Heavy cream: This is a must. Half-and-half or whole milk won't work in this recipe.
- Mustard: I use Dijon mustard. This traditional French mustard is creamier and less vinegary than yellow mustard. It flavors the sauce and helps prevent it from becoming stringy.
- Spices: I use garlic powder and cayenne pepper. You can also use fresh minced garlic.
- Shredded cheddar: I use sharp cheddar.
Variations
- You can use ½ teaspoon of minced fresh garlic instead of garlic powder.
- Add more spices! I sometimes add a pinch of onion powder. If you like spicy food, you can increase the amount of cayenne.
- Other melty cheeses work well in the sauce. My favorite is shredded gouda. Provolone is also very good.
Instructions
The detailed instructions for making this recipe are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of the steps:
Steam the broccoli on the stovetop or in the microwave. Here are recipes for steamed broccoli and microwave broccoli.
Heat the heavy cream with Dijon mustard and spices.
Over low heat, slowly and patiently mix in the cheese until fully melted.
Pour the sauce over the broccoli and serve.
Expert Tip
The Dijon mustard adds great flavor to the sauce. It also helps prevent the sauce from becoming stringy by adding an acidic component. So please don't skip it.
Recipe FAQs
No. This no-flour sauce is excellent. It's rich and creamy, and its thickness is perfect.
I do recommend using store-bought shredded cheese in this recipe. The small amount of anti-caking agent typically added to these cheeses (cornstarch or powdered cellulose) helps thicken the sauce.
If you're shredding your own cheese and you feel that the sauce is too thin, simply stir in a bit more cheese - try ¼ cup more.
You can also mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of cold water and stir that into the sauce. This will add a tiny amount of carbs - 2 grams for the entire recipe. I prefer cornstarch to flour because it's usually gluten-free, and you can use less of it.
Yes. You can refrigerate the sauce, covered, for up to four days. Add a little heavy cream or milk when you reheat it, and reheat it covered, in the microwave, at 50% power.
Stir it after 30 seconds and see if the texture is OK, then continue reheating for 30 more seconds. Alternatively, you can reheat it in a saucepan over very low heat.
Of course. You can use microwave cauliflower, microwave asparagus, steamed or roasted Brussels sprouts, grilled zucchini, and sauteed mushrooms.
Serving Suggestions
The cheese sauce is obviously ideal as a topping for steamed vegetables, not just broccoli. Here are a few more ideas for using it:
- Use it as a dip and serve it with keto crackers, keto pretzels, zucchini chips, or salami chips.
- Drizzle it over keto tacos.
- Pour it over hearts of palm pasta, zucchini noodles, shirataki noodles, or spaghetti squash noodles.
- Use it to make cauliflower mac and cheese.
- Use it to make a keto grilled cheese sandwich.
- Mix it into mashed cauliflower, mashed butternut squash, or mashed pumpkin.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to four days. Keep the broccoli separate from the cheese sauce.
When ready to use the sauce, add a little heavy cream and reheat it, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. Stir it after 30 seconds, then continue reheating - if needed - for 30 more seconds. You can also reheat it on the stovetop over low heat.
I don't recommend freezing the leftovers.
More Broccoli Recipes
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Recipe Card
Easy Broccoli and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli florets - bite-size (10 ounces)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup cheddar cheese - sharp, shredded (2 ounces)
Instructions
- Steam the broccoli florets until tender-crisp, for about 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the cream, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne to a small saucepan and whisk to combine.
- Heat the cream mixture over medium heat. When the cream starts to bubble around the edges, lower the heat to low.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar, ⅓ at a time, slowly and patiently stirring it in with a rubber spatula until it is completely melted. Don't stir vigorously, or the sauce will become stringy. Turn the heat off as soon as it's all melted.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the steamed broccoli and serve.
Video
Notes
- Using store-bought pre-shredded cheese helps with the sauce's texture. The small amount of anti-caking agent typically added to shredded cheese (cornstarch or powdered cellulose) helps thicken the sauce.
- If you're shredding your own cheese and feel that the sauce is too thin, simply stir in a bit more cheese - try ¼ cup. You can also mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of cold water and stir that into the sauce. This will add a tiny amount of carbs - about 2 grams for the entire recipe.
- Heat the sauce over low heat and stir the cheese in slowly and gently to prevent the cheese from becoming stringy.
- Please don't skip the mustard - its acidity helps improve the sauce's texture.
- You can keep the cheese sauce in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. When ready to use it, add a little heavy cream and reheat the sauce, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. Stir it after 30 seconds, then continue reheating - if needed - for 30 more seconds.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Jackie
Yummmm!!!!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jackie!