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!
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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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cups cooked white rice
For the Sauce
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups milk
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- In a medium saucepan, cook onion and butter on medium-low heat until softened and translucent. Stir in flour, garlic powder, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Gradually pour in milk while whisking. Continue whisking over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and add dry mustard, paprika, cream cheese, and 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Taste, and season the sauce with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Place broccoli in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until bright green, but still crisp. Drain well.
- Stir together cooked rice, broccoli, and cheese sauce. Place in a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 35 minutes. or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
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Followed the recipe but didn’t feel the flavor was very good.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this recipe as much as we do Monaleigh. Thank you for trying it.
I can’t wait to try this. My broccoli casseroles have always turned out mushy. I will need to serve this as a side dish for 10 people. My pan is a 9x13x3 deep dish Pyrex. Will this work if I add a little extra of everything? Thanks!
1 ½ times the recipe should fit well in a 9×13 pan. I would love to hear how it turns out for you, M!
I did increase everything by 50% and it fit my 9×13 and tasted wonderful! However, it was mushy. I did do a two min boil on bite sized florets firstly as they had the entire time it took to make the sauce to drain in a colander. Should I have flushed them with cold water after the quick boil?
My 9×13 was a 3″ deep dish; should I have used a regular 9×13?
I baked at 350 for probably an hr or until the bubbles formed in the middle and edges were brown; does it need to middle bubble? Thanks again!
It could be the size of the florets, the depth of the 9×13 shouldn’t affect it too much. If you like firmer broccoli, you can stop the cooking with a quick rinse in cold water. It just needs to be hot throughout, not bubbling in the center.
Hello Holly, I have made this dish many times exactly by your directions and several times omitting the cream cheese and slightly increasing the roux or using Velveta. I disagree with the commentators that did not care for this recipe, maybe they don’t like the casserole combo, did not follow directions or not seasoned to their taste. This recipe is perfect and often a request to potlucks.
After reading numerous reviews I made the casserole, doubling the spices. I also added chicken, to serve this as a main dish for my omni child rather than as a side. I gave it only three stars because the spices, as listed, would have resulted in a flavorless dish (IMO), and because the prep time listed is way off base for most people (though I suspect it is on base for the recipe creator, who is, of course, going to be faster, and have established shortcuts). I can see that the dish would be quick to make if you begin with cooked rice, cooked broccoli (or if you cook already prepped florets in the microwave), pre-shredded cheese (which is processed in such a way that it doesn’t melt nearly as well as cheese you shred yourself, so…), and onion that has already been diced. The result was quite good, but it took far longer than I expected and my kitchen looked far worse at the end of prep than I was interested in dealing with! For those reasons I don’t expect to make this again (or at least not for a long while).
Thanks for trying our recipe, Lisa! We appreciate your feedback ❤️
Oh my! I added 1 cup of bacon bits to the cheese sauce and sprinkled some on top after I put the ingredients in a casserole dish. I also added more salt and pepper to the recipe as it was quite mild in flavor. 5* with BACON BITS. It also makes a beautiful presentation!
That sounds like a delicious addition, Lisa! I mean how can you go wrong with bacon 🤤
BLAND,BLAND,BLAND. Going back to recipe with mushroom soup. DISAPPOINTED. Saw 4.94 stars of1028 reviews, but didn’t read any. Apparently I’m not the only one who finds it bland. Not sure what is missing.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Vicki. I am sorry it wasn’t what you expected.
Agree. Wish I’d read the comments before I made it. Flavorless 😭
Oh no! I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe. Thank you for trying it Sarah.
Does the rice need to be cooked before it’s mixed in and put in the oven?
Yes, this recipe calls for “2 cups cooked white rice“. Enjoy Emily!
This is the BEST broccoli casserole recipe that I have tried. Everyone loved it.
I thought it was really good I added some carrots and took advice from another commenter to cut the broccoli pretty fine. also added a bit more seasoning than the recipe called for and it was a hit!
We liked it, but it was really bland. Next time, I’ll add some chicken bouillon powder to the milk, or use chicken stock instead of the milk. I’m not quite sure how to fix the spice in it yet, but that’s what I’m trying the next time I make it.
Thanks for trying our casserole, Tracy. I would love to hear what changes you make to the spices!
Can you use Almond milk instead of regular milk?
Yes you can! I would love to hear how it turns out for you.
I would love to hear an update on the use of almond milk, or any dairy free milk option, and how that worked in this recipe. Thank you!
Agree with the bland assessment- and waayyyyy too much broccoli- should have half that amount, and twice the amount of rice.
Thanks for trying our recipe. I am sorry it wasn’t quite what you expected.
Make sure your broccoli is chopped up really fine. If you leave it in chunks, yes, it’s waaay too much that way :D
This looks delicious, what kind of shredded cheddar do you use? Mild? Sharp? Thank you!
I usually use sharp for better flavor but you can use any cheese you prefer.
can I use almond flour to make this gluten free?
For best results, you can use a 1:1 gluten free all-purpose blend but I would love to hear how it turns our with almond flour!
It was yummy big hit on Easter I put 3oz of cream cheese and coconut milk
I only have a 13×9 aluminum pan on hand. Will it work?
Yes, this will work but since it’ll be a thinner layer, it will need less cooking time.
I read an earlier comment about baking the day before with reheating the next day. … Instead, can I make this the day before and then wait to bake it the next day?
Thank you!
Yes you can, the rice may soak up some of the sauce so you may need to stir in a little milk before baking. If it’s cold from the fridge, the cooking time will need to be increased slightly.
Can this be made a day in advance and reheated? Could it be then reheated in the microwave? Hoping to make for Easter dinner.
Yes, this can be made ahead and reheated in the microwave. Reserve the cheese for topping until it’s hot as I’d recommend stirring it a couple of times while it heats through. Once it’s hot, top with the cheese and microwave until melted.
Hello Holly! Trying to free up oven space, so wondering if this can be made in the crockpot?
Thank you!
I haven’t tried it but since it’s just heating through and blending the flavors, I think it would work. Let us know how it goes!
I added a few diced carrots and loved the results!!!