Broccoli cheese casserole is one of those side dishes that gets gobbled up every time. It’s so creamy, cheesy, and full of flavor. Even your picky eaters will devour this broccoli.
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Would you believe that my parents never made me eat broccoli as a kid?
I honestly don’t think I ever even tasted broccoli until I was a teenager.
Which, hey, I’m not complaining. Broccoli was scary and green looking and I was super picky. My parents picked their battles and broccoli was not one of them.
But now? I LOVE broccoli. It’s probably my favorite veggie and I often eat it steamed with just a sprinkling of salt. No butter, no cheese, just good ol’ broccoli.
Sometimes, though, you’ve got to get a little fancy with your vegetables, whether that’s for Thanksgiving dinner or just a weeknight and a craving hits, and that’s where this easy broccoli cheese casserole comes into play.
Y’all are going to love the decadent cheese sauce that coast the tender broccoli in this low carb broccoli casserole recipe is!
🍗 Variations:
Make it a Meal – Add cooked, shredded chicken or sliced and seared smoked sausage right into this dish to make it a meal.
Add Veggies – Swap half of the broccoli for cauliflower and proceed as directed!
Get Cheesy – Swap the cheddar for a different cheese of your choice, such as gruyere, colby jack, or mozzarella!
Crunchy Topping – Traditional broccoli casserole often has Ritz crackers or other cracker crumbs over the top. Instead, try crumbling up some pork rinds and sprinkle them over the top to add a little crunch!
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 20 ounces fresh broccoli florets
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the broccoli to a large microwave safe bowl along with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes. Let sit, covered, for 2 minutes.
- Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl and mix well to combine.
- Stir the cream cheese mixture into the steamed broccoli until well combined.
- Transfer broccoli to an 8×8 baking dish and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
👩🍳 Ingredient Notes:
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Fresh Broccoli – You’ll note that I’m a fan of the fresh broccoli over the frozen! It just tastes better, but I do understand the convenience of the frozen kind. If that’s what you’ve got, it should work. I’ve just never made it myself in this recipe.
Cheese – This broccoli and cheese casserole is loaded up with rich cream cheese, freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, and some grated Parmesan cheese! That’s going to add tons of creamy, decadent cheesy flavor to this casserole.
Mayo – It’s going to add even more creamy flavor to this keto casserole.
Seasoning – You don’t need many seasonings for this casserole. The rich, cheesy flavors with the broccoli pretty much do most of the work but we do like to mix in some garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper!
Broccoli and cheese is a classic recipe that just about everyone can enjoy, including the kids!
It’s an easy casserole recipe that you can put together in no time.
With all that rich, creamy cheese nobody will even notice that this is a keto version of broccoli casserole.
How To Make Broccoli Casserole:
Broccoli – We’re starting with fresh broccoli for this recipe, because I personally think it has the best taste and texture. I do usually buy pre-cut broccoli florets in the produce section, but a head of broccoli works just as well. Chop the broccoli into small florets.
Steam – You’ll start out by steaming the broccoli lightly, either in a stove top steamer or in the microwave. For this recipe, I nearly always opt for the microwave, just because it’s easy. Pop your broccoli into a large bowl with two tablespoons of water, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave for 2 minutes.
Cheese – You’ll mix together cream cheese, grated cheddar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Mix – Scoop that mixture right on top of your hot and steamy broccoli and start stirring. The mixture should melt right into the broccoli pretty quickly as you stir.
Bake – Transfer this to a baking dish and sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese. Bake it up and you’ll have this decadent broccoli and cheese casserole that the whole family will love! This easy broccoli casserole is ready to go in just about 20 minutes. Serve alongside our stuffed chicken breast along with our keto coleslaw.
If you love this keto broccoli casserole recipe, be sure to try my broccoli salad or cauliflower potato salad!
❔ FAQs:
You can keep this low carb casserole stored in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days in an airtight or well sealed container.
This casserole should freeze well for up to few months. Keep it in a freezer safe container or wrapped in some foil and plastic.
I’ve never tried it in this recipe and would definitely recommend using fresh broccoli, but I think it would work fine with frozen.
Keto Broccoli Casserole for a Crowd:
This recipe is perfect for a family dinner and the leftovers will reheat well the next day.
If you’re serving a crowd or want to make this for a larger gathering, we recommend doubling the recipe!
Double all of the ingredients and bake for the same length of time in a 9×13 baking dish.
🥘 More Keto Casserole Recipes:
- Philly Cheesesteak Casserole
- Meatball Casserole
- Cheeseburger Casserole
- Spinach Casserole
- Keto Taco Casserole
- Big Mac Casserole
- Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Mai says
Just started keto yesterday and I tried it and love it ❤❤❤❤ probably eating this for the next few days.I just added some fried chicken breasts to it and it was bomb! Thank yooou
Lauren says
I made this today and only used the microwave, and it was so yummy! I steamed the broccoli (in stacking Tupperware) while getting out the other ingredients and shredding the cheese. Once the veggies were soft, I added everything else (and some leftover shredded chicken) and nuked it another few minutes with the cover on until everything was melty and smooth. My husband is on keto and ate it straight, but I mixed it with rice for the rest of the family.
The only thing I changed was omitting the salt and it was so super tasty.
J.B. says
Does anyone know the weight or volume of this? I’m eating left overs that my mom made (winning even as an out of the house adult! lol!) so no way to count my macros w/o knowing the entire volume or weight.
Gary says
It’s funny how many people leave comments about what they would do. That said, this recipe is not all about you, it’s about a wonderful cool leaving her twist on a Keto dish. If you think your personal twist is better, make your own blog and mark your own spot. But anyway, I tried this recipe and it was over the top wonderful.
Angela Birkbeck says
I read the comments to find substitutions for parts I don’t want to use. Like Mayo…
Pam says
Amazing!! I used my BRK pressure cooker to pressur cook broccoli and cauliflower. I did one organic head of each and doubled the whole recipe. Drained the water and added the cheese mixture to the hot pot with veggies. It all blended well in the hot pot (key). Then added in the pan and baked for about 20. Also mixed the Parmesan in the cheese mixture instead of on top. Turned out excellent. I used organic veggies, cream cheese. Cabot cheddars and Trader Joe’s garlic. Total winner!
K. Baker says
My son and I recently went Keto and made this side dish to accompany our instant pot chuck roast last night and we both loved it. Thanks so much for a delicious recipe that turned out spot on on the first try!
SUSAN says
2nd time making, both times added bacon! This time I used cauliflower and have decided if keto tastes this good, I am all in! Thank you!
Karly Campbell says
Ooh, now I need to make a cauliflower bacon version! Genius! 🙂
So glad you like the recipe!
Cheri says
I’m going to try this, this weekend. I like adding the onion comment and I think I’m going to add some jalapeno’s too. What ya’ll think that has tasted this. Thank you for posting.
Tammy says
Had this for dinner tonight it was amazing I’ll definitely be having it again
Olga Torres says
Made it today and it was on point!!! Perfect with my baked chicken and easy to make! Keto perfect
Darleen says
I added Cubed chicken and sour cream instead of Mayo…OMG! it’s so good. I will be making this a lot. Thank You
Jonathan Wright says
Never mind. Duh, I reed good.
Jonathan Wright says
So when do you use the cheddar?
Sarah says
Can you make this ahead of time and stick it in the fridge until it is time to bake? Maybe bake just a little longer?
Karly Campbell says
Should work fine – bake til hot and bubbly.
Crimson Lauria says
Do you use fresh (raw) broccoli or can you use frozen?
Karly Campbell says
I always recommend fresh for best taste and texture.
Denise R Nagelschmidt says
OMG this was so amazing. Made for dinner last night and snacked on it cold this afternoon! Thanks for the recipe.
Joan Fetcho says
Can this be made the day before I want to serve it? I have made it once before and it was delicious. I would like to have for Thanksgiving dinner and make it the day before and bake it the day of.
Karly Campbell says
Yes, I think that should work fine!
Zaida says
I’ve made twice now! I use 20 ounces of broccoli florets, cooked in microwave per package directions. The very first time I made it, I happened to have a quarter of a red onion so I finely diced and added to the frozen broccoli. The 2nd time I added no onion, and while still delicious, I liked it even more with onion! Followed recipe to a T as far as other ingredients. The only other difference was to bake for 30 minutes total. Since I like my broccoli in smaller pieces, I wait until it’s cooled off from microwave cooking, then cut into smaller pieces and put together. Even with end baking time being long, the broccoli still has bite! So delicious, this is what I’m bringing for Thanksgiving dinner and for the holiday potluck at work. Thank you for sharing!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoy the recipe!
Merideth says
Hi there! This sounds awesome! Do you have the weight measurement for the cheese? I never really understand volume measurements for ingredients like cheese as they can vary. Of course , I do not understand the concept of “too cheesy” so I don’t imagine I could mess this up too badly. 😉
Karly Campbell says
4 ounces of cheese generally equals 1 cup. But you’re right – you definitely can’t mess this up with extra cheese. 🙂
Barbara H Redding says
I made it turned out to be a great
StephieB says
Does anyone know how well this freezes? I am the only one doing Keto in my house, and I need to prep ahead of time.
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure how well it would freeze. My non-keto family loved this one too, though.