This delicious, tender-crisp steamed broccoli is dressed with a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic.
Ready in just 15 minutes, it's the perfect side dish that literally goes with anything!
Broccoli is one of the vegetables I make regularly for my family. It's an easy choice because it's delicious, and everyone likes it (or at least tolerates it) - including The Picky Eater.
There are all kinds of fancy ways to prepare broccoli, such as beef and broccoli, roasted broccoli, and broccoli quiche. This steamed broccoli is one of my favorites, as long as it remains tender-crisp.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make steamed broccoli. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Fresh broccoli: When I want to make my life easy, I buy a bag of pre-washed broccoli florets. Since these florets come in different sizes, if you go this route, you should cut the biggest ones to ensure they are all about the same size.
- Fresh lemon juice: It's better than bottled - fresher-tasting and more flavorful.
- Olive oil: I love drizzling this tasty oil on the broccoli. Extra-virgin olive oil tastes best.
- To season: Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder.
Variations
- Sometimes, I use melted butter instead of olive oil. It's delicious!
- You can add more seasonings, such as a pinch of onion powder, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper. My personal favorite is dried thyme.
- No lemon juice? Use apple cider vinegar instead (but not white vinegar, which is too acidic). If using vinegar, use just ½ tablespoon.
Steamed Broccoli Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
Add 1 inch of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Rinse the broccoli. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the stalks. Cut the broccoli into bite-size florets and pieces and place them in a steamer basket.
Carefully place the steamer basket in the saucepan and cover.
Steam the broccoli until tender-crisp. Start checking after 5 minutes. As soon as a fork can pierce the stalks, the broccoli is done and should be removed from the saucepan.
While the broccoli is steaming, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
Place the broccoli in a bowl. Pour the dressing on top and gently mix. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
Timing Your Meal
Timing this dish as part of a complete meal can be challenging. Sometimes, I find that the broccoli is ready, but the rest of the meal isn't.
It's tempting to keep the broccoli warm by keeping it in the steaming basket, covered. But that's a mistake. It's better to enjoy crisp broccoli at room temperature than to suffer through mushy, limp, warm broccoli!
So, as soon as the broccoli is ready, remove it onto a platter. Dress it with the olive oil-lemon dressing, loosely cover it with foil, and serve it when the rest of the meal is ready.
Unless you prefer broccoli with cheese sauce, in which case the broccoli should be the last thing you make. You want the cheese sauce warm and gooey.
Broccoli Bunches vs Crowns
When I make roasted broccoli, I like to get broccoli bunches - those are sold with the thick stalk attached - because I can then make roasted broccoli stems, which are delicious.
But when steaming broccoli, I prefer to use broccoli crowns - those are just the heads; the stems have been cut off. Steamed broccoli stems are not as good as roasted, so this way, I only pay for what I'm actually going to use.
Recipe FAQs
It only takes 5 minutes. The key is to cook it until tender-crisp and bright green. So minimal cooking is the secret. You want your broccoli to be a beautiful bright green, not an olive green, which means it's overcooked.
Avoid overcooking it. Limp broccoli? Not so good. But tender-crisp broccoli that remains bright green, simply dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper, is delicious.
Simple is best. I season steamed broccoli with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. That's it! As long as the broccoli is nice and crisp, it will be delicious, even with just a sprinkle of salt.
Yes. The easiest way is to use your microwave and make microwave broccoli. Another option is to place the broccoli directly in one inch of boiling water. It's not ideal because the parts submerged in the water will boil. But it's better than completely submerging it in water.
Serving Suggestions
This is such a versatile side dish. It goes with anything. I often serve steamed broccoli with one of the following:
- Pork roast
- Baked chicken breast
- Baked salmon
- Pan-fried salmon.
- Pulled chicken
- Turkey burgers
- Grilled halibut
- Sauteed shrimp, as shown in the photo below.
It's also excellent with a couple of fried or poached eggs as a tasty and filling meatless lunch.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power.
Sometimes, I add them cold to a salad. They are great in this turkey salad and make an excellent addition to tomato salad.
More Broccoli Recipes
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Recipe Card
Steamed Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh broccoli
Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - extra-virgin
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Add 1 inch of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Rinse the broccoli. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the stalks. Cut the broccoli into bite-size florets and pieces and place them in a steamer basket.
- Carefully place the steamer basket in the saucepan and cover.
- Steam the broccoli until tender-crisp. Start checking after 5 minutes. As soon as a fork can pierce the stalks, the broccoli is done and should be removed from the saucepan.
- While the broccoli is steaming, in a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place the broccoli in a bowl. Pour the dressing on top and gently mix. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- If you don't own a steamer, use your microwave and make microwave broccoli. Another option is to place the broccoli directly in one inch of boiling water.Â
- Sometimes, I find that the broccoli is ready, but the rest of the meal isn't. It's tempting to keep the broccoli warm by keeping it in the steaming basket, covered. But that's a mistake. It's better to enjoy crisp broccoli at room temperature than to suffer through mushy, limp, warm broccoli! So, as soon as the broccoli is ready, remove it onto a platter. Dress it with the olive oil-lemon dressing, loosely cover it with foil, and serve it when the rest of the meal is ready.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. Sometimes, I add them cold to a salad.
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. 
Sergiu
This is a lovely and delicious recipe that the entire family enjoyed. Thank you!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Sergiu! Thank you for the comment.