This Oven Roasted Broccoli recipe is easy, quick, and incredibly flavorful. It’s a perfect side dish for any meal, and it’s a vegetable your family will eat and enjoy! It’s a staple in our home on busy weeknights.
I recently adapted this recipe for the air fryer. So if you’re looking for an even quicker side dish try my Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure.
Easy Oven Roasted Broccoli
With only a few simple ingredients and a little bit of prep, you will have a delicious and nutritious side dish for any meal. For this recipe, I prefer to use pre-washed, pre-cut broccoli florets. This keeps me from having to wash and dry the broccoli before starting. If you do use a broccoli head, make sure to dry it thoroughly so you don’t end up with mushy broccoli.
Other than the broccoli, you’ll need olive oil, minced garlic, pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, and a bit of lemon juice. For roasting the broccoli, I use a sheet pan or rimmed baking sheet. I’m telling you, this oven-roasted broccoli is so good, it usually gets attacked by the kids as soon as it comes out of the oven! That’s why we usually make two sheet pans at our house!
What Can I Serve Oven Roasted Broccoli With?
Oven Roasted Broccoli is a nutritious side dish your family will love! It pairs well with so many meals. It’s a perfect side dish for chicken, beef, fish, and pasta. In my home, we love serving it with my Simple Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs for a quick weeknight meal. If you prefer chicken breasts, then my Oven Baked Mexican Chicken is perfect with this broccoli and some Instant Pot Spanish Rice!
If you’d like to pair this roasted broccoli with pasta, I have many delicious ideas in this post with easy Instant Pot Pasta Recipes. Whatever you choose to serve it with, I’m certain it’ll be a hit!
How to Roast Broccoli in the Oven
Like I mentioned above, if you’re using a head of broccoli, you will need to wash and thoroughly dry the broccoli florets after cutting them. Lay the clean and dry broccoli florets on a baking sheet in a single layer.
In a small bowl, mix half of the olive oil with the minced garlic, pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt, and then set the bowl aside. Take the other half of the olive oil and drizzle it over the layer of broccoli. Toss the broccoli until it is evenly coated. This will also grease the sheet pan for you. I always love getting two things done at once.
Now, spread the florets into a single layer once again. They’re ready for the oven!
We’re going to wait to add the seasonings. The garlic is especially delicate and we don’t want it to burn to a crisp before the broccoli is finished roasting.
Essential Items
Here are some essential prep tools, utensils, and appliances I used to make this recipe.
Featured Items
Here is a list of the products featured in this post or products similar to those featured in this post:
Now it’s time to roast the broccoli. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven and roast for 10 minutes. Set your timer to make sure you don’t forget. I know I’ve made this mistake more than once.
After the broccoli has been in the oven for 10 minutes, slip on some oven mitts and remove the pan from the oven. The pan is very hot, so set it on a trivet or other heat-resistant surface (I always set it on my stovetop). Drizzle the seasoned olive oil over the florets and toss the broccoli until it is evenly coated. I always use tongs for this, they really make this task easy, but a spatula will work also. Now, return the pan of broccoli to the oven and roast it for another 8 minutes.
Once the broccoli is finished cooking, remove the pan from the oven and drizzle it with lemon juice. Toss the broccoli one last time. Now it’s time to serve and enjoy some delicious oven-roasted broccoli!
I hope you try this easy recipe for Oven Roasted Broccoli. I know you’ll love it! Let me know in the comments what you serve it with.
QUICK & EASY RECIPES
When you sign up to become a newsletter member, you’ll get access to my latest quick & easy homemade recipes, homemaker tips and tricks, free printables, and more delivered directly to your inbox each week.
Oven Roasted Broccoli
ROASTED BROCCOLI FLORETS SEASONED WITH GARLIC, RED PEPPER FLAKES, AND A SPLASH OF LEMON
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb broccoli florets rinsed and thoroughly dried, I prefer buying pre-washed
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil divided
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- ¾ tsp kosher salt or to taste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- If using heads of broccoli, wash, dry thoroughly and then cut into 1 1/2-inch florets. It’s important that the broccoli is thoroughly dried. So, make sure to shake all the water out and pat dry with a paper towel. I prefer to use pre-washed, pre-cut florets to avoid having to wash and dry the broccoli.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with the garlic, pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt. Set aside.
- Spread the broccoli out into a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the broccoli until it is evenly coated with the oil. Spread out again into a single layer.
- Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, drizzle with the seasoned olive oil. Using a spatula or pair of tongs, toss until evenly coated. Return to the oven for 8 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, drizzle with the lemon juice, and toss once more.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Notes
Make a full sheet pan. This recipe makes about half a sheet pan worth of roasted broccoli. To make a full sheet pan of broccoli, just double the recipe.
I am making this recipe for an event of 50 next Saturday and I am trying to manage my time well. I am wondering if you think it would be safe for me to roast the first 10 minutes the night before and finish up the next 8 minutes the next day. I have a lot more stuff to prepare and very little oven space so I am trying to plan out of a better way to get the food ready the night before and finish up the final steps before serving so is is still hot and taste fresh. What do you think?
Hi Mary! Safety-wise, I don’t see a problem. My concern would be the broccoli may get soggy if cooked this way. Just not sure what the final result will be. I would suggest taking a small bag of broccoli and trying it out one of these nights this week! That may be your best bet! Let me know how it goes!
Can I use frozen broccoli? I don’t have fresh, wondering if I thaw it out beforehand 🤷🏻♀️
Hi Heather! The recipe works perfectly with fresh broccoli. My concern is that even after thawing frozen broccoli, it would still be too “wet”. Do let me know if you try it! Thanks for stopping by!
I tried your recipe tonight and I will definitely make it again. My son is not a vegetable fan but he ate all of the broccoli I gave him and said it had a very nice, bright flavor.
I think I made it exactly as described although I may have added more lemon juice and I may have ovened it a little bit longer but we were very happy.
Hi Elizabeth! So glad you and your family enjoyed the broccoli! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Wow this was great. I can’t decide if I like it better with or without the lemon. Either way it is fantastic. Thank you Valerie.
Hi Anita! So happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
This is now my favorite way of making broccoli! My fiancé is a meat and potatoes guy and now he CRAVES this broccoli! Thank you for this amazingly delicious recipe, and for helping me get my guy to eat veggies lol!
Hi Kathryn! Haha, I’m happy to hear you got him to eat his veggies! Glad you guys enjoy the recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
I made this two nights in a row (for different family members) and it was a big hit. I thought a teaspoon each of black pepper and pepper flakes was going to be too much, but I decided to follow the recipe and boy, oh boy, am I glad – it was soooo yummy.
Hi Roberta! I’m so happy that everyone enjoyed it! I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your results!
Hello! This recipe looks great. I’ve only ever prepared frozen broccoli before because I prefer it more tender. With the suggested cook time on this recipe.. would you say the broccoli is still crispy? Would I need to bake longer for something more tender? Thank you.
Hi Kristi! I wouldn’t say it’s crispy but it would depend on your idea of tender and crispy. This is a very popular recipe so I would suggest you try it as it is and if it’s too crispy for you, you can add a bit more time. I’d also love to suggest my Lemon Butter Broccoli in the Instant Pot if you have one. Very tender and so yummy!! Thanks for stopping by!
Do you boil the broccoli first before this process or use raw broccoli?
Hi! I use raw broccoli. Enjoy!
Delicious recipe. The seasonings actually enhance the flavor of the broccoli. I used less red pepper flakes, but it still had a slight kick. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Ros! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by the blog.
Oh my gosh! This is my absolute favorite broccoli recipe and I have tried lot! It turns out perfect every time. I am always sharing this recipe with friends too. If you’re sensitive to spice, go lighter on garlic, red pepper and pepper – I love it just as is though.
Hi Jane! I’m so happy to hear you love this recipe so much! I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your results!