7 Ways to Make Your Roasted Broccoli Better

“Broccoli, again?” just became “broccoli, again!”

Credit...Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Ali Slagle is a recipe developer and regular contributor to NYT Cooking.

Published March 4, 2025 Updated March 5, 2025

When home cooks put away the steamer and started cranking their ovens instead, broccoli’s image changed from divisive to divine. Steamed broccoli can be wonderful (if you don’t overcook it to mush), but there’s something especially alluring about the crisp, nutty flowers and sweet, tender stems of roasted broccoli trees.

Once you get the basics of roasting broccoli down — it just takes oil, salt and high heat — you may want to accessorize. Dress up your batches with one of these seven small steps that all accentuate the vegetable’s best angles and make it even easier to choose roasted broccoli night after night. “Broccoli, again?” just became “Roasted broccoli, again!”

1. Give it a frilly skirt of crispy Cheddar

An overhead image of broccoli coated in cheese and roasted on a sheet pan. — Credit...Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Broccoli and Cheddar’s forever friendship proves that opposites attract. Tenderhearted broccoli likes the assertiveness of a sharp cheese. (Broccoli also gets along with feta, Parmesan and other aged cheeses.)

The cheese is so comfortable near the hot vegetable, it surrenders into creamy pockets. The real winners of this relationship, though? The eaters.

Try these cheesy recipes

Shower the roasted broccoli with grated Cheddar and cook it until the cheese goes past melted to crisp. | Recipe: Cheddar-Roasted Broccoli

For another cheesy approach, finely grate enough Parmesan onto the broccoli that some disappears into a punchy sauce, while other shards stay feathery and soft. | Recipe: Crispy Gnocchi With Sausage and Broccoli
And if you want the funk of dairy without, well, dairy, sprinkle your broccoli with a mixture of dried porcini mushrooms, cashews, pine nuts and nutritional yeast. | Recipe: Broccoli-Dill Pasta

2. Finish with citrus

Roasted broccoli florets finished with a sauce sit on a white platter. — Credit...Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

The sunniness of citrus — whether lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit — re-energizes the scorched vegetable. The fruit’s juices are full of bright acidity, and the oils in the zest add floral and fragrant notes, especially when they hit hot food.

Try these citrusy recipes

Orange zest plays up the sweeter side of cooked broccoli, especially, like in this sautéed broccoli, when it’s contrasted with other savory ingredients such as oyster sauce. | Recipe: Sautéed Broccoli With Toasted Garlic, Orange and Sesame
Stir together a sauce inspired by prik nam pla that’s perky with lime, fish sauce, chiles and herbs. | Recipe: Broccoli and Scallions With Thai-Style Vinaigrette
But if you can do just one thing, zest and squeeze lemon over roasted broccoli. | Recipe: Roasted Broccoli

3. Make a buttery sauce

An overhead image of roasted broccoli florets on a pan. — Credit...Yossy Arefi for The New York Times (Photography and Stying)

When the broccoli comes out of the oven, stir it with a pat of butter and other flavorings on the hot sheet pan until the bushy florets shine with melted butter. Look: You made a pan sauce.

Try these buttery recipes

For a fancy-feeling mustard pan sauce, stir butter with vinegar and Dijon mustard. | Recipe: Roasted Broccoli With Vinegar-Mustard Glaze

To add a rich nuttiness, mash butter with white miso before tossing it with the broccoli. | Recipe: Miso-Butter Roasted Broccoli

4. Build a sweet-spicy-salty trifecta

An overhead image of cauliflower florets on a bed of yogurt. — Credit...Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Honey is the secret ingredient, complementing the savory notes of broccoli. Its caramel quality is a natural, if unsuspecting, pairing for those golden florets.

Try these honeyed recipes

Top broccoli (or its kin, cauliflower) with an herbaceous sauce like this chermoula, which is fresh with cilantro, lemon and raw garlic; grounded by paprika and cumin; and sweetened by honey. | Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower With Sweet Chermoula and Yogurt
For a perfect combination of sweet-spicy-salty, finish roasted broccoli with crumbled feta, pickled jalapeños and a squiggle of honey. | Recipe: Spicy Honey Chicken With Broccoli
For tangy-sweet personality, dunk broccoli (or another vegetable in its plant family, like brussels sprouts) into homemade honey mustard. | Recipe: Sheet-Pan Sausages and Brussels Sprouts With Honey Mustard

5. Double down on smokiness

An overhead image of broccoli and bacon on a gray latter. — Credit...Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.

The charred edges of the broccoli might be the best bites. Double down on those deep dark flavors with a whiff of smoke, using bacon, smoked paprika, smoked fish, smoked cheese or chipotles.

Try these smoky recipes

Roast broccoli with bite-size pieces of bacon. Eat crispy bacon and broccoli that soaked up the bacon drippings. | Recipe: Roasted Broccoli With Bacon
Toss the broccoli with smoked paprika before roasting so the spice toasts, growing ever more savory. | Recipe: Roasted Broccoli and Potato Tacos With Fried Eggs

6. Make it hot

An overhead image of a bowl with tiny meatballs, broccoli florets and a piece of bread. — Credit...David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

You probably have something spicy in the kitchen right now: fresh jalapeños or serranos, pickled peppers, chile oil, chile crisp, hot sauce or crushed red pepper? Let one of them bring heat to the otherwise mellow, bittersweet broccoli.

Try these spicy recipes

Roast mini meatballs of spicy sausage alongside the broccoli. As the sausage cooks, its rendered fat will coat the broccoli. | Recipe: Sheet-Pan Sausage Meatballs With Tomatoes and Broccoli
Kick and crunch with panko bread crumbs toasted with chile crisp — or, more lazily, a few dollops of chile crisp. | Recipe: Roasted Broccoli and Whipped Tofu With Chile Crisp Crunch
Mix raw garlic, parsley, capers and crushed red pepper, and sprinkle the piquant mixture over the broccoli. | Recipe: Broccoli and Farro Stew With Capers and Parsley

7. Add nuts

Broccoli florets, nuts and dates sit on a white platter. — Credit...David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

Bring out broccoli’s nuttiness by topping your florets with a garnish of toasted nuts or seeds. The simplest version is a shake of sesame seeds right from the jar, but that’s not where the possibilities end.