Introducing you to delicious microwave frozen broccoli. A frozen broccoli recipe that is full of flavour and perfect for a quick and simple veggie side dish.
You will love this easy method for frozen broccoli and never go back to boiling your broccoli again!
Table of Contents
Cooking Frozen Broccoli
The day a reader asked us to make instant pot frozen broccoli was a life changer.
Up until that point, I had rolled my eyes at the thought of cooking frozen broccoli and thought it would be like tasteless mush.
Well, the frozen broccoli in the instant pot was amazing and made me obsessed with cooking frozen broccoli.
It had flavour, it didn’t have its goodness boiled out of it and I looked forward to it on the dinner plate.
That was back in 2017 and since then I have bought a lot of frozen broccoli.
I will buy it in bulk from Iceland and then load it into the freezer and Dominic and I will often have air fryer frozen salmon and broccoli for lunch.
Today I wanted to show you my experiment of swapping the instant pot for the microwave and steaming frozen broccoli in the microwave.
Can You Microwave Frozen Broccoli?
Yes, you can. Just like our fresh broccoli in the microwave, you can also steam frozen broccoli using the same method.
The biggest benefit is that there is no prep to do as you already have the broccoli cut into florets and the nutrients is often better than fresh broccoli.
Is Frozen Broccoli Cooked?
No, frozen broccoli is traditionally par boiled. This means the broccoli has had a fast cook and then an ice bath. It is slightly cooked so that it will freeze well and this means the cook time is slightly less with frozen broccoli than fresh if boiled or pressure cooked.
Is Frozen Broccoli Healthy?
Yes, it is. The problem with fresh broccoli, is that it is often sprayed with things to keep it fresh for longer in the supermarket.
Whilst frozen broccoli is frozen straight away when at its best and is therefore healthier.
Best Way To Cook Frozen Broccoli?
I have tried many methods and have found that the best way to cook frozen broccoli and the quickest is to pressure cook it. Like in our instant pot frozen broccoli.
It is very flavoursome and easy for quick lunches. Dominic will put a bag of frozen broccoli into the instant pot pressure cooker, then load it into the air fryer to crisp it (see our air fryer frozen broccoli recipe) and we will have it with some fish.
But microwave frozen broccoli is just as tasty, but it takes longer in a microwave than it does in the instant pot.
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Microwave Frozen Broccoli Recipe Ingredients
Broccoli – I recommend using a full bag of frozen broccoli. This is enough to feed two people for lunch or dinner. Our bag sizes in the UK vary between 750g and a kilo.
Water – To steam frozen broccoli in the microwave you will need a tablespoon of water into the bottom of your steamer basket.
Seasoning – Then for seasoning your broccoli I recommend you keep it simple with salt and pepper and garlic powder.
Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this microwave frozen broccoli recipe it has just been our Panasonic Microwave Oven. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of microwave recipes.
As well as your microwave you will need a good steamer basket that will fit in your microwave. We recommend this one.
How To Cook Frozen Broccoli In Microwave?
- Liquid. Start by adding a tablespoon of water to the bottom of your steamer basket. This is so that you can perfectly steam your frozen broccoli.
- Dump. Load into your steamer basket your frozen broccoli and season with salt and pepper.
- Microwave. Then place the lid on your steamer and then load your steamer basket into the microwave. Microwave your frozen broccoli for 3 minutes. Then check on it, stir it and cook for a further 6 minutes. Though you might be done quicker if you have a more powerful microwave than mine.
And I am sure you can see now how easy it is to cook frozen broccoli in the microwave and why it is a firm favourite of mine for a quick veggie side dish for dinner.
How To Make Frozen Broccoli Taste Good?
You can make frozen broccoli taste good by microwaving it! The problem with frozen broccoli is that most overcook it in boiling water.
The boiling water strips the flavour and its very easy to overcook it and for the broccoli to go mushy.
However, steaming frozen broccoli in microwave, keeps its flavour, you are cooking it perfectly and then you can add seasonings and you have the best veggie side dish.
Or like with our microwave cauliflower recipe you can add cheese on top for a cheesy option.
What To Do With Frozen Broccoli?
I like to keep frozen broccoli simple. Steam the frozen broccoli in the instant pot, microwave or in a steamer and then season it with salt and pepper for a quick veggie lunch option.
Though you can mix up your frozen broccoli seasoning and add some cajun seasoning, tarragon if serving it with chicken, or even garlic powder.
Then I love to serve my frozen broccoli with air fryer lemon pepper chicken, air fryer frozen salmon or as a veggie to go with ninja foodi chicken and rice.
How Long To Microwave Frozen Broccoli?
The microwave frozen broccoli time is JUST 9 minutes. This is for perfect fork tender broccoli.
I recommend that you keep checking on it from 5 minutes as your microwave might be more powerful than mine and I was doing a full bag of frozen broccoli at once.
More Microwave Vegetable Recipes
- How To Steam Carrots In Microwave
- How To Steam Broccoli In Microwave
- How To Steam Cauliflower In Microwave
- How To Steam Cabbage In Microwave
- How To Steam Green Beans In Microwave
- How To Cook Swede In Microwave
Plus, we also have a fantastic FREE microwave cooking times chart, and you can receive it for FREE and download it in PDF when you subscribe to the Recipe This Newsletter.
Your microwave frozen broccoli recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.
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Microwave Frozen Broccoli
Instructions
- Place one tablespoon of water in the bottom of your steamer basket.
- Add your frozen broccoli to the steamer basket. Then add your salt and pepper and garlic seasoning and mix with your hands for an even coating.
- Place the lid on the steamer and then place in the microwave.
- Microwave for 3 minutes. Shake the steamer basket to help the broccoli cook evenly and then microwave with the steamer lid back on for a further 6 minutes.
- Do a fork test to make sure the frozen broccoli is fork tender before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Great tips and helpful info for me to be able to try these. I have not done much other than reheat food in my microwave and now i feel it is getting a new lease of life, i love learning things like this please keep it up.