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How long to steam broccoli

Medium florets take 5 minutes to steam and 3 to boil, until they are bright green and just tender. Pick how you are cooking it and how big the florets are. Cooking the stalk too? The timer tells you when to add the florets.

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How to steam broccoli in three steps

  1. Cut even florets, peel the stalk

    Cut the head into florets of the same size, about 4 to 5 cm across, so they are done at the same moment. Do not throw the stalk away: peel off the tough outer skin and slice it into coins about 5 mm thick. Rinse everything under the tap.

  2. Over boiling water, lid on

    Bring 2 to 3 cm of water to the boil under a steamer basket; the water must not touch the broccoli. Add the florets in one layer if you can, put the lid on and start the timer. If you are cooking the stalk, it goes in two minutes ahead.

  3. Out when it rings, while it is bright green

    Lift the basket off the pan as soon as it rings. Broccoli keeps cooking in its own heat, and a minute too long turns it from bright green to olive. Season it while it steams: salt, a squeeze of lemon and a little olive oil or butter.

Broccoli cooking times: steam, boil or microwave

In minutes, for crisp-tender broccoli. Steaming counts from when the lid goes on over boiling water, boiling from when the water comes back to the boil, and the microwave assumes about 1000 W, one head of about 350 g in a covered bowl with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, plus 2 minutes standing.

  1. Not yet Dull blue-green, and a knife meets the stalk with a squeak. Another minute.
  2. Just right Bright, glossy green. A knife slides into the stalk with a little give. Take it off now.
  3. Too long Olive green and soft, the florets falling apart. Next time, two minutes less.
BroccoliSteamBoilMicrowave
Florets, medium, 4⁠–⁠5 cm4–62½–3½4
Florets, small, 2⁠–⁠3 cm3–423
Florets, large, 6⁠–⁠8 cm6–74–55
Stalk, peeled, 5 mm coins7–84–55
Frozen florets5–73–55–6
Tenderstem or broccolini3–42–32–3
Spears, floret and stalk in one6–84–55–6
Soft, for mashing or a baby8–106–86

Broccoli is edible raw, so there is no temperature to reach: the time is only about texture. The window is short. Florets go from squeaky to just tender in about a minute, and from there to soft and olive in a few more. If you are unsure, take it off early and test a stalk with the tip of a knife.

In a microwave of 800 W, add about a minute; at 1200 W, take one off. A full bowl takes longer than a few florets, so stir halfway through when you cook more than one head.

Food safety

What the official guidance says

Frozen broccoli

Some frozen vegetables can contain bacteria, so frozen vegetables need to be cooked thoroughly before you eat them.

Source: UK Food Standards Agency
Washing

Wash vegetables with water before you eat them.

Source: UK Food Standards Agency
Leftovers

Cool cooked food and put it in the fridge within two hours. Eat leftovers within 48 hours or freeze them, and reheat them only once, until steaming hot all the way through.

Source: UK Food Standards Agency
Broccoli for babies

From around 6 months, start with vegetables that are not so sweet, such as broccoli. Cook them to soften them, then mash, blend or offer them as finger food, cooled right down first.

Source: NHS

Checked against the official pages, November 2026.

Why broccoli turns olive

Raw broccoli is a dull blue-green. In the first minute of heat the air trapped in the florets escapes and you see the green underneath, which is why steamed broccoli suddenly looks brighter than raw.

Keep going and the green itself breaks down. The heat and the vegetable’s own acids slowly change its chlorophyll to an olive-brown, and the longer it cooks the further that goes. There is no way to hold the colour except to stop in time: off the heat when it rings, or into iced water if it is not being eaten straight away.

Steam, boil or microwave

Steaming is the forgiving one. The broccoli never touches the water, so it does not go waterlogged, and a minute over shows in the colour before it shows in the texture.

Boiling is faster, because water passes heat on better than steam, but it also washes out some of the flavour and the vitamin C. Use plenty of water, salt it, keep the lid off and lift the broccoli out the second it is done. The microwave is really steaming in a bowl: a little water, a lid or a plate on top, and two minutes standing to finish.

Don’t throw away the stalk

The stalk is sweeter than the florets and about a third of the weight. Its skin is tough, but under it the flesh is pale, tender and mild. Peel it with a vegetable peeler, slice it into coins or sticks about 5 mm thick, and cook it with the florets.

It is denser, so it needs about two minutes’ head start. The “Stalk too” preset steams the coins for two minutes and then tells you to add the florets, so both are done at once.

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Questions about cooking broccoli

How long do you steam broccoli?

4 to 6 minutes for medium florets of about 4 to 5 cm, counted from when the lid goes on over boiling water. Small florets take 3 to 4 minutes and large ones 6 to 7. Take it off while it is still bright green and a knife slides into the stalk with a little give.

How long do you boil broccoli?

2½ to 3½ minutes for medium florets, counted from when the water comes back to the boil. Small florets take about 2 minutes and large ones 4 to 5. Use a big pan of salted water with the lid off, and drain it the moment it is done: boiled broccoli goes soft much faster than steamed.

How long do you microwave broccoli?

About 4 minutes on high for one head of about 350 g, in florets, in a covered bowl with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, then 2 minutes standing with the cover on. That assumes about 1000 W: add a minute in an 800 W microwave. Frozen florets take 5 to 6 minutes.

How long do you steam frozen broccoli?

5 to 7 minutes, straight from the freezer. Do not thaw it first; thawed florets go limp and watery. Frozen broccoli has been blanched already, so it needs less time than you might expect, but it does need cooking: the UK Food Standards Agency says frozen vegetables should be cooked thoroughly before eating.

How do you steam broccoli without a steamer?

Put about 1 cm of water in a frying pan or wide saucepan, bring it to the boil, add the florets and put a lid on. They half steam and half simmer, and take about the same 5 minutes. A metal colander set over a pan of boiling water with a lid or plate on top also works, and so does the microwave.

Is it better to steam or boil broccoli?

Steaming is easier to get right. The broccoli does not sit in water, so it keeps more of its flavour and vitamin C and does not go waterlogged, and there is a bit more time between done and overdone. Boiling is a minute or two faster and seasons the broccoli evenly if the water is salted.

How do you know when broccoli is done?

It turns a bright, glossy green, and the tip of a knife slides into the thickest part of the stalk with a little resistance. Still dull and squeaky: give it another minute. Olive green and falling apart: it has gone too far, and next time it needs two minutes less.

How long do you steam broccoli for a baby?

About 8 to 10 minutes for medium florets, until a floret squashes easily between your finger and thumb. The NHS suggests broccoli as one of the first vegetables from around 6 months, cooked until soft, then mashed, blended or given as a finger food. Let it cool right down before you offer it.

How long do you steam Tenderstem or broccolini?

3 to 4 minutes, or 2 to 3 in boiling water. The stems are thin all the way down, so they cook in one go with no head start, and the heads are small. Trim the very ends of the stems, and leave them whole.

How long do you roast broccoli in the oven?

18 to 22 minutes at 200 °C (400 °F) for medium florets tossed in a little oil and salt, spread out on a tray and turned halfway. The edges should be browned and crisp. In an air fryer, 8 to 10 minutes at 200 °C, shaken halfway, does the same.