This Broccoli Rice Casserole recipe is made from scratch with no condensed soup! Fresh broccoli cooked until tender crisp and fluffy rice come together in a creamy cheesy homemade sauce to create a family favorite side dish!
This cheesy broccoli rice casserole is great served alongside our Crispy Baked Chicken with a tossed salad for the perfect easy meal!
If you’re looking for a side dish your whole family is going to love, this broccoli rice casserole is the answer! I’ve combined my favorite velvety cheese sauce with a combination of broccoli & rice and baked it until bubbly. The result is a side (or a quick meatless meal that my whole family loves)!
How Do You Make Broccoli Rice Casserole?
Don’t let the homemade sauce scare you away from giving this recipe a try, this from scratch cheese sauce tastes amazing (much better than just adding in a can of soup)!
- The sauce for this recipe starts with a roux (which is just butter and flour cooked and milk added). Let the butter and flour cook for a few minutes before adding milk for the best flavor.
- Slowly stir in milk a bit at a time while whisking and cook until thick and bubbly. Add cheeses and stir until melted and creamy.
- Toss cheese sauce with broccoli and rice and bake in a casserole dish.
Variations on Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Lighten it up: To lighten this up a little bit you can use light cheese and lowfat milk with great results. We’ve also subbed in brown rice or quinoa (or even Cauliflower Rice) with amazing results.
- Add protein: We very often add in chicken to make a chicken and rice casserole (the perfect way to enjoy your leftover baked chicken breasts). Turkey or ham work great too.
- Swap the Cheeses: Out of cheddar? Use swiss, monterey jack or whatever you have on hand.
- Add veggies: Add in cauliflower or whatever other veggies you have on hand to turn it from a side into a whole meal!
Serving Suggestions
Broccoli Rice Casserole is great as an entrée for vegetarians, but if you are a meat-eater, it goes perfectly with any kind of protein! It’s a perfect complement to roasted chicken, pork chops, or even a beef roast!
Add a crunchy, cold salad, some dinner rolls with butter!
Cheesy Dishes You’ll Love
- Broccoli Cheese Soup – ready in 20 mins!
- Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole – made without condensed soup
- Cheese Grits – deliciously creamy side dish!
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole with Ham – quick & easy cheese sauce!
- Homemade Mac and Cheese Casserole – rich, creamy casserole
Broccoli Rice Casserole from Scratch
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh broccoli cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cups cooked white rice
SAUCE
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup diced onion about 1 small
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
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Cook onion and butter on medium-low heat until softened and translucent. Stir in flour, garlic powder and pepper. Cook an additional 2 minutes.
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Gradually pour in milk while whisking. Continue whisking over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add dry mustard, paprika, cream cheese and 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
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Place broccoli in boiling water for about 2 minutes. You still want it slightly crisp as it cooks more in the oven.
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Stir together rice, broccoli and cheese sauce. Place in a greased 2 qt casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake 35 minutes or until bubbly and cheese lightly browned.
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
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So freaking good! Made this exactly by the recipe with the exception of adding a little Velveeta and I think I could eat the entire pan myself.
I cooked two chicken breasts and chopped them up to add to the casserole. It was a hit!
I am trying this recipe today, do I baked it uncovered or do I cover it?
Hello Travis. Bake uncovered.
Yum!
a new favorite of mine! I added chicken broth to the dish before putting it into the oven, made it a bit more moist.
will make again, thank you!
Can you use evaporated milk?
Hi Audra, we find this recipe works best with regular milk.
This is a very good recipe. I would suggest skipping cooking the broccoli before baking, broccoli loses nutrients when boiling and raw broccoli will cook just fine in this amount of baking time. When I made this recipe as directed the broccoli was overcooked and a little bitter.
I also like to add 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise. I think mayonnaise in a broccoli rice casserole adds good flavor.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Shannon! I am glad you enjoyed it.
My finished dish had a risotto like texture. Fantastic.
Cut broccoli small enough so it only takes up half the fork. Cook rice first, let it sit. Flash steamed broccoli. I tend to cook my translucent onions just til a few turn very light brown.
When combining I folded very gently as little as possible. Maybe that helped not break the rice?
Covered 25, uncovered 12-15 min in buttered Pyrex.
Thanks for sharing your tips, Colin! I am glad you enjoyed it.
It was amazing. Everyone loved it. So easy to make ❤️
I have made this several times for our family reunion and I never get to bring any home with me after! It is delicious!
If using instant rice would you not cook it ahead of time as the sauce gets absorbed?
I have never tried this recipe with instant rice, I always use cooked rice, so I can’t say for sure. But I would imagine it would require some additional liquid so it isn’t too dry one the instant rice is cooked.
Very very delicious! My family ate the whole casserole!
Recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked rice, how much uncooked rice would equal 2c ? Thanks.
Approximately ⅔ uncooked white rice makes 2 cups cooked.
This is one of the very best broccoli casserole recipes I’ve tried. I made 1/2 recipe, which is about right for 4 people. For next time, though, I would skip blanching the broccoli, as the casserole cooks a very long time in the oven, and the broccoli becomes soft & loses its texture, which some people may prefer. I would also use a little less cheese. Overall, though, this is an easy recipe that is sure to please your family for a holiday gathering or even a weeknight meal with a green salad on the side.
Can this be put together the night before and then put in the oven the next day?
It can be prepared ahead of time, remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. The rice can absorb sauce so I would suggest reserving the cheese for on top and bake it covered 25 minutes. Gently stir the casserole and add warm milk if needed for consistency. Top with the remaining cheese and bake uncovered until heated through, about 20 minutes more.
Can you use washed, trimmed and ready to eat broccoli florets with this casserole
You sure can!
Is the broccoli florets that are washed, trimmed and ready to eat with this casserole?
Yes, you can use washed trimmed florets with this recipe. If the florets are large, you might want to cut them in half.
can u use frozen broccoli
You can use frozen broccoli in this recipe. It will change the texture slightly but the dish will still be delicious. If defrosted it should be fine to add directly to the casserole, if still frozen you may want to boil it (or run it under hot water) for a minute or so to defrost it before adding it in, but don’t cook too long as frozen broccoli tends to get soft!
how many cups of pre cut frozen broccoli?
Hi Trina, you will still use 6 cups of broccoli for this recipe.
I have not had a broccoli cheese casserole in years and this one put all those past memories to shame. My family really enjoyed it! I did change it up a bit, sautéing fresh garlic with the onion (instead of the powder) and I used fresh Dijon mustard (instead of powdered). We will definitely be making this again!!
Can this be made without the cooked rice? If so, would you leave out any of the liquids? Or make as is just omitting the rice? Thank you!
Hi Matt, we have a pasta version if you prefer. Since the rice is pre-cooked before adding to the recipe it shouldn’t make too much of a difference besides there will be a lot of sauce. You may want to reduce the sauce recipes to accommodate.