top image - broccoli rice casserole being served. Bottom image - prepared broccoli rice casserole with writing.

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!

Broccoli Rice Casserole baked with cheese on top

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)!

Creamy cheese sauce ingredients in a sauce pan.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Toss cheese sauce with broccoli and rice and bake in a casserole dish.

Broccoli Rice Casserole ingredients in a bowl.

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!

Two images showing the broccoli rice casserole before and after being baked.

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

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
Broccoli rice casserole in a casserole dish
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Broccoli Rice Casserole from Scratch

This Broccoli Rice Casserole is made from scratch and contains no condensed soup. Fresh broccoli florets and fluffy rice come together in a creamy cheesy homemade sauce to create a family favorite side dish!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 6 cups broccoli florets cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 cups cooked white rice

For the 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
  • ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Cook onion and butter on medium-low heat until softened and translucent. Stir in flour, garlic powder and pepper. Cook an additional 2 minutes.
  • 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 additional salt and pepper.
  • Place broccoli in boiling water for about 2 minutes. You still want it slightly crisp as it cooks more in the oven.
  • 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

4.95 from 1015 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 287 | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 384mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1090IU | Vitamin C: 62mg | Calcium: 325mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Top image - close up of broccoli rice casserole. Bottom image - broccoli rice casserole before being baked.
Close up of broccoli rice casserole.
Close up of broccoli rice casserole.

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. 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.5 stars

  2. 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!5 stars

  3. 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.4 stars

  4. 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.5 stars

  5. I have made this several times for our family reunion and I never get to bring any home with me after! It is delicious!5 stars

    1. 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.

  6. 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.5 stars

    1. 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.

    1. Yes, you can use washed trimmed florets with this recipe. If the florets are large, you might want to cut them in half.

    1. 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!

  7. 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!!5 stars

  8. 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!

    1. 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.