In this easy recipe for sauteed broccolini, the broccolini is cooked in butter with garlic until tender-crisp.
It's a simple and delicious vegetable side dish you can make in about 15 minutes.
I have quite a few vegetable recipes on this website. I usually skip the starch at dinner and serve a vegetable side (or two). So, I'm always looking for interesting veggies to make for my family.
Along with roasted broccolini and grilled broccolini, this sauteed broccolini recipe is one of my favorites. It's easy to make, especially when you use my method of sauteing first and then briefly steaming the stems in the same pan if they are still tough. And it's delicious!
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Fresh broccolini: You can find it in the vegetable aisle, usually next to the broccoli. It's sometimes labeled as "baby broccoli."
Unsalted butter: I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will be great. Olive oil works, too, but I prefer butter.
To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Variations
An excellent way to vary the basic recipe is to use different fats. For example, you could use olive oil or ghee. Having said that, I prefer butter. I think it gives this dish the best flavor.
You can also use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder and experiment with adding more spices if you'd like - ½ teaspoon of thyme is good, in my experience, and I also sometimes like to sprinkle the finished dish with red pepper flakes and/ or grated parmesan.
Instructions
The detailed instructions for making this recipe are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
You start by melting the butter in a large saucepan. When the butter starts foaming, add the broccolini and season it with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Cook the broccolini until it has absorbed the butter, 2-3 minutes per side, over medium-high heat.
Check to see if the stems are fork-tender. If they are, you're done! If they're still tough (this happens with relatively thick stalks), add a bit of water to the skillet, cover, and steam until the stems are tender-crisp, 1-2 minutes.
Expert Tip
As shown in the photo below, broccolini comes in different sizes. The stalks can be very thin or fairly thick.
How long you'll need to saute (and then steam) the broccolini will depend on how thick the stems are. As you can see in the photos and video on this page, the broccolini I used today had thin stalks, so it was ready fast. Thicker stalks will require a slightly longer cooking time.
In fact, if the stems are very thin, you can skip steaming altogether and simply saute the broccolini for 2-3 minutes on each side. So check the stems after the first stage of sauteing. If they're fork-tender, they're ready to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli. It has small florets and long, thin stalks. It is sweeter and milder than broccoli and cooks faster.
No. The entire vegetable is edible, so you don't need to remove the leaves or stems before cooking.
When cooking broccoli, it's best to cook the florets and stems separately because the stems are tough and need longer cooking. Here's a good recipe for roasted broccoli stems.
Making sauteed broccolini is easier because you can cook the entire vegetable simultaneously.
Blanching means cooking the broccolini briefly in salted water, then quickly rinsing it in cold water or dipping it in ice water to stop the cooking process.
I do it a little differently, and my method is easier. I simply sauté the broccolini. If the stems are very thin, I cook it in butter for about five minutes. If they're thicker, after sauteing, I add a bit of water to the skillet, cover it, and briefly steam the broccolini, just until the stems are tender-crisp.
Serving Suggestions
Anything goes with sauteed broccolini! It makes an excellent side dish to practically any meat or seafood.
I often serve it with baked pork chops, pork medallions, parmesan chicken tenders, or reverse-seared steak. In the photo below, you can see that I served it for dinner one evening with salmon steak:
You can also serve it alongside fried or poached eggs for a delicious meatless dinner.
Storing Leftovers
I don't like to keep the leftovers. They tend to become a bit limp and soggy in the fridge. So I try to make just as much as we can eat immediately.
But if you end up with leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave.
I sometimes chop them up and add them cold to a salad the next day for lunch or mix them into egg muffins or an omelet (such as this egg white omelette) the next morning.
More Broccolini Recipes
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Recipe Card
Sautéed Broccolini Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 bunch fresh broccolini - 8 ounces
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the broccolini and season it with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Sauté the broccolini for about 2 minutes on each side until it has absorbed most of the butter.
- Check to see if the stems are fork-tender. If they are, you're done! If they're still tough (this happens with relatively thick stalks), add 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet, cover it, and steam the broccolini until the stems are tender-crisp, 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately. If there are liquids on the bottom of the skillet, remove the broccolini with a slotted spoon. You can serve it with lemon slices if you wish.
Video
Notes
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. 
Alyson L
Simple recipe to make and excellent to eat. It is delicious!
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Alyson! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.