Beginner: How long should broccoli be cooked?

Bright green broccoli can be one of the tastiest and healthiest vegetables out there! Many home cooks are tempted to overcook it until it becomes limp. But if you cook it the right way, it can be amazing! We’re happy to show you how to easily cook delicious broccoli.

Cooking broccoli

There are several ways to prepare broccoli: you can steam it, roast it, grill it, cook it, or even prepare it in the microwave. The most common methods in Dutch and Belgian households are grilling or cooking broccoli. Grilling takes a bit longer than cooking, but it’s definitely doable! Cooking broccoli is quite simple and quick. Follow these steps to prepare tasty broccoli.

Cooking broccoli:

• Clean the broccoli well with water.
• Cut into the branches of the broccoli to make smaller broccoli florets.
• Take a large cooking pot with a lid, fill it with water, and wait until the water boils.
• Once the water boils: add a few tablespoons of water and then the broccoli florets. Cook until the broccoli is al dente. This takes between 3 to 5 minutes depending on the (broccoli) size and personal taste.
• Drain the water and optionally sprinkle with some salt before serving.

Grilling broccoli:

• Clean the broccoli well with water.
• Cut into the branches of the broccoli to make smaller broccoli florets.
• Heat the Grill pan to medium heat.
• Place the broccoli florets together with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt in the Grill pan.
• Grill the broccoli florets for a total of 8 minutes, turning the florets a few times.
• Serve the broccoli florets.

Broccoli in the microwave

One of the easiest ways to cook broccoli is in the microwave. Add all the ingredients and water into a container, set the microwave to 600W, and cook the broccoli for about 5-7 minutes. Check your broccoli regularly during cooking to make sure it doesn’t overcook. If liquid starts dripping from the container, it’s time to take the broccoli out of the microwave.

How long to cook broccoli

We often get the question: ‘how long to cook broccoli?’  How long you cook broccoli depends on the size of the broccoli florets (the cut pieces of broccoli) and your personal taste. Normally, you cook broccoli for 3 to 5 minutes until it’s al dente. Like it a bit firmer? Take the broccoli out around 3 minutes. Prefer softer broccoli? Let it cook closer to 5 minutes.

Cleaning broccoli

The right way to clean broccoli is as follows: the easiest way to clean broccoli is to hold the florets under running water. Use a colander to place the broccoli florets in and clean each floret separately to remove dirt or insects.

Making broccoli tasty

You can always add some extra flavor to broccoli by adding delicious ingredients that make it taste better. Drizzle the broccoli with thyme, garlic salt, olive oil, and lemon juice for a delicious flavor.

Also check out: Cook broccoli perfectly