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Pan Fried Broccoli (That We Make Every Day)
Here’s our go-to pan fried broccoli to make on the regular! This basic method is ultra versatile and makes flavorful,…
Here’s our go-to pan fried broccoli to make on the regular! This basic method is ultra versatile and makes flavorful, crisp tender veggies.
Here’s one of our best go-to recipe secrets, and get this: we make it almost every day. Try this pan fried broccoli! It comes out perfectly crisp tender and full of savory flavor: and that’s not easy to do with broccoli.
Home cooks often overcook broccoli or don’t season it enough, making a brown-ish green, lifeless mess. Here’s how to pan fry it so it’s the most delicious thing on your plate! Alex and I really do make this every day (at least, at the time I’m writing this). Want to know why?
Why to make this pan fried broccoli
Believe it or not, as cookbook authors sometimes it’s hard for us to infuse fresh vegetables into our diet. Cheese and carbs are so easy to reach for! So Alex and I have have been on a quest to eat more veggies on the daily. The veggie we’ve been eating every single day? Broccoli. This pan fried broccoli, specifically. Here’s why we love it:
- It’s fast. Pan fried broccoli comes together in just about 10 minutes!
- It’s full of flavor. This method adds just the right flavoring: and you can customize it based on the type of cuisine you’re making (see below).
- It’s healthy. Pan frying uses olive oil, the healthiest of all cooking oils, and just a bit of spices and salt. In fact, we literally crave this!
Tips for the perfect pan fried broccoli
As I mentioned before: it’s easy to ruin broccoli. Many home cooks tend to cook it too long, making it turn mushy and a brownish-green color. They also tend to under-season it, which accentuates broccoli’s bitter flavor instead of it’s sweetness. Here’s what to know about this recipe:
- Cut the broccoli into medium florets, keeping the stem long. Here’s the best way to cut broccoli.
- Broccoli isn’t like most pan fried vegetables: it needs a steam! Because broccoli is rather tough, it cooks best when you add a little water a few minutes in. This lets it get tender without the pan becoming very dry. (We also use this method in our sauteed broccoli).
- Cook until just fork tender! Resist the temptation to cook too long. Taste test it often!
Flavor variations
This pan fried broccoli recipe we created to be a sort of blank slate. It tastes incredible as is! The spices we’ve added (garlic, onion, and mustard powder) are intentionally versatile to work with many types of cuisines. Here’s how you can customize it for various types of recipes:
- Italian style pan fried broccoli: Add dried oregano and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. To get fancy, add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
- Asian style pan fried broccoli: Reduce the kosher salt slightly and add a splash of soy sauce. Other ideas: add minced fresh ginger, a splash of rice vinegar, or Sriracha hot sauce.
Ways to serve fried broccoli
This fried broccoli is one of the most versatile of all of our recipes. We eat it constantly and it works with just about anything. Here are some of our favorite ways to eat pan fried broccoli:
- Shrimp: Try with honey garlic shrimp or sautéed shrimp and rice.
- Grain Bowl: Add it to an rice bowl or grain bowl.
- Salmon: Serve with miso salmon, blackened salmon, broiled salmon or pan seared salmon.
- Sushi: We even make up a pan of this fried broccoli as a side for takeout sushi or vegan sushi.
Broccoli nutrition
Who doesn’t need a little more broccoli in their life? This pan fried broccoli is a great way to load in the nutrients. Per Healthline, broccoli is a great source of fiber (1 cup has 10% your daily need), it’s very high in Vitamin C (½ cup has 70% your daily need), and it’s high in protein for a green vegetable (1 cup has 3 grams protein).
Dietary notes
This fried broccoli recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free and vegan.
Easy Pan Fried Broccoli
Print RecipeHere’s our go-to pan fried broccoli to make on the regular! This basic method is ultra versatile and makes flavorful, crisp tender veggies.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pan Fried
- Cuisine: Vegetables
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, stem on (about 3 large heads or 6 heaping cups florets)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder (optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Chop the broccoli into medium sized florets (leave a good amount of the stem for a nice shape; see the photo or How to Cut Broccoli).
- In small bowl, mix together ¼ cup water with garlic powder, onion powder and mustard powder.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat it on medium high heat. Add broccoli and salt. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until starting to brown, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to medium, and add the water and spices. Cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes until fork tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and add additional salt and black pepper as necessary. Serve immediately.
More broccoli recipes
We heart broccoli (a lot)! In fact, we could eat it for every meal. Here are a few of the top broccoli recipes we’d recommend:
- Go classic with a broccoli salad or broccoli slaw, our best cheesy broccoli
- Roast up addictive parmesan broccoli or make tasty blanched broccoli
- Blend a broccoli smoothie or broccoli potato soup
- Try healthy dinners shrimp and broccoli or broccoli stir fry
