Sous Vide Broccoli
Sous vide broccoli is a quick and easy side dish that will have the whole family asking for more. Perfectly cooked broccoli tossed in garlicky oil, it doesn’t get better than that!
You ever look at food in the grocery store and think “can I sous vide that?”.
I do. A lot. I did with this broccoli the other day. HA!
Some people bring grocery lists to the store, I bring a notebook to jot down my ideas so that my big brain doesn’t forget them before I get home.
This sous vide broccoli recipe is dedicated to note taking.
Jump to:
Tips + Tricks
No. 1 –> New to sous vide cooking, check out my Sous Vide 101 post for more information!
No. 2 –> Don’t discard the stem. The broccoli stem is delicious, all you’ve gotta do is peel the the fibrous skin and slice into rounds. Cook it with the florets, you’ll love it. Trust me.
No. 3 –> If you don’t want garlic-infused oil on your garlic, feel free to skip those steps for a plain but perfectly cooked broccoli.
Key Ingredients
Broccoli: Shocking, I know! For this recipe, we want fresh, firm broccoli. Try to choose a crown that is a deep green throughout and skip any that look like the florets are yellowing or browning.
Olive oil: We’re using olive oil in this recipe as a vehicle for more garlic flavour and to add richness to the broccoli itself. Steamed broccoli is good until you toss it in oil, then it’s great.
Garlic: Sautéing the garlic in the olive oil before tossing with the broccoli adds flavour to the oil as well as gives the broccoli that pan-fried deliciousness.
How to make sous vide broccoli
- Preheat sous vide water bath to 185f.
- Wash and prep broccoli, chop each broccoli crown into quarters. Discard the bottom third of the stem, and peel the remaining stem and slice into 1/2 – 3/4″ rounds.
- Put the broccoli into a vacuum seal bag and seal.
- Once the water bath reaches temperature, place the broccoli in the water bath and cook for 35 minutes. You may have to weigh down the bag to keep it submerged.
- Meanwhile, slice the garlic cloves into thin slices, then add the olive oil and garlic cloves to a cast-iron skillet over low heat.
- Heat the oil and garlic until the garlic darkens and becomes fragrant. Strain out the browned garlic and set aside.
- Remove the broccoli from the water bath and dump the contents of the sous vide bag into the preheated skillet.
- Toss the broccoli to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste, top with the browned garlic.
- Serve hot.
Make ahead / leftovers
Sous vide broccoli is a great make ahead recipe!
Simply make an extra bag of broccoli, and once the broccoli is done in the sous vide, drop it into an ice bath for 10 or so minutes to cool it quickly before placing in the fridge for later use.
To use, you can reheat for a few minutes in the sous vide, or pan fry with some olive oil and garlic, or even toss in olive oil and broil it in the oven on a cookie sheet for a few minutes.
If you’ve got leftovers, store them in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave, pan fry, or broil until heated through.
No vacuum sealer?
This recipe can still be made, no problem! Use the water displacement method to remove air from your bag.
Run a couple inches of water in your sink. Add all of the broccoli to a freezer duty ziplock bag, then submerge the bulk of the bag into the water, keeping the sealing zipper out of the water. Once the weight of the water has pushed out the air, zip the bag closed.
If you’re using the water displacement method, you will most definitely need to weigh down your bag to keep it submerged in the water to ensure even cooking.
More sous vide recipes to love
Recommended tools
Sous vide circulator: OK. You need one of these, says the small appliance addict. But seriously, even Kevy said he loves our little sous vide. We’ve got the Instant Pot Accu Slim circulator, and it rocks!
Vacuum sealer: Yes, you can cook sous vide without a vacuum sealer, but it’s so much easier with one. My failure rate with a FOOD SAVER is 0. I’ve had some dicey luck with zip lock style bags and long or high heat cooks.
If you love this recipe, please give it a star rating or leave a comment below! This helps me to create more content you enjoy!
📖 Printable Recipe
Sous Vide Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 broccoli crowns
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat sous vide water bath to 185f.
- Wash and prep broccoli, chop each broccoli crown into quarters. Discard the bottom third of the stem, and peel the remaining stem and slice into 1/2 – 3/4" rounds.
- Put the broccoli into a vacuum seal bag and seal.
- Once the water bath reaches temperature, place the broccoli in the water bath and cook for 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the garlic cloves into thin slices, then add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 garlic cloves to a cast-iron skillet over low heat.
- Heat the oil and garlic until the garlic darkens and becomes fragrant. Strain out the browned garlic and set aside.
- Remove the broccoli from the water bath and dump the contents of the sous vide bag into the preheated skillet.
- Toss the broccoli to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with browned garlic slices.
- Serve hot.
Notes
make ahead / leftovers
Sous vide broccoli is a great make-ahead recipe! Simply make an extra bag of broccoli, and once the broccoli is done in the sous vide, drop it into an ice bath for 10 or so minutes to cool it quickly before placing in the fridge for later use. To use, you can reheat for a few minutes in the sous vide, or pan fry with some olive oil and garlic, or even toss in olive oil and broil it in the oven on a cookie sheet for a few minutes. If you’ve got leftovers, store them in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave, pan-fry, or broil until heated through.no vacuum sealer?
This recipe can still be made, no problem! Use the water displacement method to remove air from your bag. Run a couple inches of water in your sink. Add all of the broccoli to a freezer duty ziplock bag, then submerge the bulk of the bag into the water, keeping the sealing zipper out of the water. Once the weight of the water has pushed out the air, zip the bag closed.Recommended Equipment + Ingredients
Nutrition
Pin this sous vide broccoli recipe!
