This Broccoli Cheese Casserole is a cheesy, delicious side dish! Made from scratch with a delicious creamy sauce and buttery crunchy top, this fresh, family favorite recipe is the BEST! Perfect for holidays and family suppers!
So simple to prepare, my Broccoli Cheese Casserole is made from scratch and is an updated version of that old favorite from my childhood that included cans of cream of chicken soup. While there’s nothing wrong with that, I wanted to remake the recipe to make it fresher and an even more delicious comfort food favorite!
I made my own creamy cheesy sauce for my Broccoli Cheese Casserole and have never looked back. The result is a fresh, easy side dish with a buttery, crunchy cracker crumb topping that is the BEST Broccoli Cheese Casserole I’ve ever tasted!
Table of Contents
Once you try this made-from-scratch recipe for this iconic casserole, I think it will become your favorite version, too.
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Broccoli – I prefer to use broccoli florets that I cut off of whole heads of broccoli in my casserole. You can also use pre-cut broccoli florets if you prefer.
- Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- All-purpose Flour – Used to make the homemade sauce for the casserole. This sauce replaces the cream of chicken or mushroom soup used in many recipes.
- Milk – Used in the homemade sauce. I prefer whole milk or even heavy cream for a rich and creamy sauce.
- Kosher Salt – I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you substitute with Morton’s Kosher salt, fine sea salt, or table salt, you will only need half the amount of the salt called for in the recipe.
- Ground Black Pepper – You can also use white pepper if you prefer.
- Cayenne Pepper – You are only using a little cayenne pepper in this casserole dish for added flavor. If you are sensitive to cayenne, you can omit it.
- Monterey Jack Cheese – Makes the homemade sauce creamy and delicious.
- Sour Cream – Adds even more creamy, silky richness to the sauce while adding a slightly tangy flavor.
- Cheddar Cheese – Tops the casserole as it bakes.
- Buttery Crackers – Adds a crispy, crunch, buttery topping on the casserole.
How to Make Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Prep. Preheat the oven and prepare your baking dish. Cut the broccoli into florets.
Cook the broccoli. Add the fresh broccoli florets to a large, heavy-bottomed pot of boiling water and cook. Drain the cooked broccoli and set aside.
Make the sauce. Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet or saucepan. Whisk in flour until well combined. Then, whisk in milk, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and Monterrey Jack cheese. Reduce heat to simmer. Continue to whisk until the sauce simmers slightly around the edges and has thickened slightly. Stir in the sour cream.
Bake the casserole. Arrange the broccoli in a casserole dish. Then, pour the cream sauce over the broccoli. Top with cheddar cheese and crushed buttery crackers. Bake uncovered until bubbling. Then serve warm and enjoy!
This is great for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter with Turkey Breast or Roasted Turkey. It is also delicious anytime with Roast Chicken or Baked Chicken Breasts. You can also add 1 to 2 cups of shredded chicken to the recipe for an easy and delicious one-dish meal.
Storage Tips
Make Ahead Unbaked Broccoli and Cheese Casserole. Make without the final topping of cheese and butter crackers. Store the unbaked casserole for up to one week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, top with the cheese and crackers and bake as directed.
Freeze Unbaked Broccoli Cheese Casserole. Store the uncooked casserole in an airtight, freezer-safe container without the final cheese and butter cracker topping for up to 3 months in the freezer. When ready to bake, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, top with cheese and crackers, and bake as directed.
Store Leftover Casserole. Refrigerate leftover casserole in an airtight container or wrap well with wrap for up to 4 days. Reheat and serve.
Freeze Leftover Casserole. Transfer to a freezer-safe container(s) and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw, reheat, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can easily divide this recipe to make fewer servings. Another idea is to prepare the full recipe and divide it into two smaller dishes. Bake one for now and hold off on adding the topping to the second dish and freeze it for later. See how to freeze this recipe under Storage Tips above.
You can. I would prefer to use my homemade cream of chicken soup, but you can use your favorite store-bought. Omit the ingredients for cheesy cream sauce from the recipe if using.
Other Favorite Casseroles and Side Dishes
If you tried this Broccoli Cheese Casserole Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 heads broccoli, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk or heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 2 cups crushed buttery crackers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a 13 x 9 – inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add broccoli florets to a large heavy-bottomed stockpot of boiling water. Cook for 3-5 minutes and then drain broccoli from the water. Set aside.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour until well-combined, then whisk in milk, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 1 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to whisk until sauce simmers slightly around the edges and has thickened slightly. Stir in sour cream.
- Arrange broccoli in casserole dish and then pour cream sauce over broccoli. Top with cheddar cheese and crushed crackers.
- Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Very decadent side dish. Great for those picky eaters who don’t like veggies. Followed the recipe as written and it turned out great! This will definitely go into our rotation for side dishes for company!
Thanks, Sandra! I’m so thrilled everyone enjoyed the casserole. It is a family favorite around my house.
Sooooo delicious! Used 2% milk and matza crackers (week of unleavened bread) and it was a real crowd pleasure. Thank you addapinch, it’s a keeper.
Thanks so much, Sharron.
My husband loved this! He’s now a fan!! We froze 1/2 of the casserole and divided the other half into 2 meals! Definitely a keeper recipe!
Thanks so much, Kathy. I’m so happy you and your husband loved this casserole.
Would you recommend with mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese for more of an Italian flavor?
You could use either the mozzarella or Parmesan cheese in this casserole, Kim.
Awesome recipe!! Made it last night and it blew us away. So good!!
This recipe is delicious…have had to improvise since we didn’t have sour cream. We used plain greek yogurt instead but still worked our wonderfully. Also used monterey jack with jalapeno to add a bit more zing to it. Excellent recipe and a hit with everyone we’ve shared the dish with so far. Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks, Kat. It sounds great with your substitutions.
Hi Do you have any suggestions substituting the crackers for something more low carb conscious family members?
You can omit the crackers if you wish, Nina, or use Panko crumbs. Others have commented that they used pork rind crumbles.
This is my new “go to” recipe when I want to elevate broccoli. It is so easy with ingredients that most people already have on their shelves or in the fridge. I used frozen broccoli florets instead of fresh as that is what I had. My only modification was that I added a teaspoon of mustard powder to the cheese sauce which gave it a nice kick and depth. Thank you Robyn for sharing this. This is the first time I have visited your website and I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
I hope you find many more recipes you will love, Sarah! This casserole is a favorite around my house.
Hi – if I double this, will it all still fit in a 13×9? Not sure how “full” a 13×9 of this is with just one recipe. Thx!
I’m not sure the 9×13-inch pan would be big enough to hold double this recipe. You can see from my photos how full the pan is.
Salted or unsalted butter? Thanks!
Leslie, I use salted butter.
Tried this out last night as a light dinner and it was a hit with my husband! I loved how easy it was and it will work great as a side dish during the holidays.
Thank you! 🥰
So glad you and your husband loved this casserole, Alexandria. It is a favorite dish during the holidays for my family.