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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These recipes look delicious!!
Question, do you think there’s a way to make this without rice and substitute noodles?
Absolutely! You can skip the rice and cook the pasta al dente (I would suggest 8 oz). Add the broccoli to the boiling water during the last 2 minutes of cook time.
Overall we loved this recipe. It was easy to make and was a great addition to our holiday meal. I did find the cheese sauce a little bland so I added salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. I think I added a little cayenne also. Disclaimer, I had forgotten to buy dry mustard and that may have made all the difference. It has the perfect ration of cheesesauce, rice, and broccoli. We will be adding this to our monthly meal rotation.
Can I make the Brocolli and Rice with Cheese the day before but not cook until the next day if I keep in the refrigerator??
Yes this can be made ahead of time. Remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. If it is very cold, you may need to allow a few extra minutes of cook time.
Can you make this ahead of time and can I double recipe to feed more people
Yes, this dish can be doubled and it can be made ahead of time. If you are baking it cold from the fridge it may need extra time. If you put the doubled recipe into one dish, it will likely need extra cook time. I would suggest stirring it half way and adding the cheese used for a topping after stirring.
Can I cook the rice and broccoli a day ahead then make casserole the day of the event?
Yes, that works perfectly.
I want to try, but can’t find the size of baking dish anywhere!
Can you leave the rice out? We’re looking for lower carbs.
You could try it with extra broccoli or I would suggest making it with cauliflower rice.
This broccoli cheese casserole is so tasty, and I love that there is no condensed soup in it! I added buttered cheezits to the top. Great recipe!
Can you make this and put in the fridge overnight and then cook it the next morning?
That should work out great DeAnna. If it is cold from the fridge you made need to add an additional 15 mins to the cooking time to ensure it cooks all the way through!
Nice!
Great recipe hope to see more
Are you using whole milk or evaporated milk?
Hi Dee, we used regular milk not evaporated milk for this recipe. Enjoy!
Hello, The recipe says “2 cups cooked white Rice” do you mean use 2 cups of rice already made or to cook 2 cups of rice (which would make 6 cups of rice) ?
Hi Danielle, the rice is measure after it is cooked. So 2 cups of cooked rice is used in this recipe.
can I make the meal ahead of time? Im planning to make it for Thanksgiving the night before then reheat the next day.What temp would you recommend to reheat the dish. thank you
Hi Val, you can reheat this casserole by putting it in a 350°F oven until heated through, or you can prepare the casserole dish ahead of time and then bake it according to the recipe directions on Thanksgiving. You may need to add 10-15 minutes since it will be cooked from cold.
Hi. Can I cook in a Crock-Pot? If so, how long? Low? Hi? Thanks!
I haven’t tried this in a slow cooker as dairy can sometimes separate due to the heat. If you do try it, I would suggest cooking it on low about 3 hours (or until heated through) stirring after 90 min and then turning it to warm.
Looks yummy! Can you substitute long grain wild rice for long grain white?
Hi Carolyn, we have only made this recipe as listed but that should taste yummy. Wild rice does take a bit longer to cook though so you may need to increase the cooking time. Let us know how it turns out!
This looks fabulous and I intend to make it for Thanksgiving. Think I am going to use wild rice instead of white, do you see a problem with that?
Hi Yvonne, we have only made this recipe as listed but that should taste yummy. Let us know how it turns out!
I haven’t tried this yet, but what kind of garlic? Garlic powder? I’m excited to try this!
Sorry for the confusion, yes it is garlic powder.
This recipe was so good!!! I love things super cheesy though so next time I make it I will double the cheese sauce part of the recipe and see how that works out!!! I also added bread crumbs to the top with the extra cheese I may try ritz crackers on the top next time around!!!
So happy to hear you loved the casserole! I love cheesy and ritz crackers too. Let us know how it works for you Courtney!