20 Healthy Broccoli Recipes

Serving up healthy broccoli recipes can be a challenge because they have to be both healthy and delicious in order for the kids to actually eat them. These 20 broccoli recipes fit the bill on both accounts and are easy to make too!

Healthy Broccoli Recipes

Broccoli seems to be one of those foods that we all want to feed to our kids, but they don’t always want to eat. These healthy broccoli recipes will give you some options of ways to serve broccoli up to your toddlers and older kids that have a strong chance of actually being eaten!

Quick & Easy Broccoli Recipes

There’s nothing too complicated about these broccoli recipes since I know that you are probably just like me—busy and unwilling to spend too much time on a recipe for the kids that they might not eat. I love the sound of all of these recipes for the entire family, so even if your kiddo is still adjusting to the idea of a certain type of broccoli, everyone else at the table can enjoy them in the meantime!

Healthy Broccoli Recipes for Kids

These broccoli recipes are flavorful, yummy, and yet not too crunchy or spicy. I chose them with little kids in mind and aimed to include a range of flavors and texture options so you can pick the ones that seem like they’d be the most appealing to your child.

How can I get my kids to actually eat the broccoli?

Here are some tips to help kids love broccoli.

• Serve small portions.
  This is my advice for feeding kids in general but the smaller the portion, the less likelihood that they’ll be overwhelmed by the food. And it means less food waste if they decide not to eat it.
• Make sure it tastes good to YOU.
  One of the reasons that kids don’t always love the veggies we serve them is that they’re too bland. So I suggest taking a bite yourself and seeing if you like it. If not? Add more sauce/seasoning/etc to amp up the yummy factor!
• Let the kids share their opinions.
  Not every new recipe you feed your child is going to fly, so try not to push too hard and give the kids (as they are able) the chance to voice their opinions about the food. They may be able to tell you what we can do to make it yummier—maybe they need a sauce or to have the pieces cut smaller!
• Be patient.
  I don’t like to quote the stats on how many exposures it takes kids to accept new foods since they sound sooooo daunting, but know this: It takes time for kids to see foods as familiar, so if there’s anything (like broccoli!) that you really want them to eat, you need to include it in family meals regularly. Not everyday, but often enough that they know what it is and start to develop a flavor memory so they can anticipate what it will taste like. This is the best way to help new foods not be scary!

#1: Healthy Cheese Sauce with Steamed Broccoli

Cheese sauce makes everything better—and this one happens to have cauliflower right in the mix! This is an easy recipe to serve with steamed broccoli.

 #2: Pizza Rolls with Broccoli

Trade in finely chopped, thawed frozen broccoli for the spinach in this recipe and you’ll have a kid-friendly meal ready to go.

#3: 15-Minute Roasted Broccoli

Roasted broccoli was one of the veggies at our first daycare that all of the kids loved. It’s slightly sweet and is super easy to make—definitely try this out if you haven’t yet!

#4: Garlic-Butter Broccoli

Butter and garlic are two of my favorite flavors to combine with broccoli—and this healthy broccoli recipe is quick and easy!

#5: Pizza Pockets with Broccoli and Cheese

Tuck a serving of broccoli into a homemade pizza pocket for a complete meal that you can make ahead and warm on busy nights. No need to make a separate veggie (unless you want to!).

#6: Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Oh, now this is a healthy comfort food idea. I love the idea of making a batch of roasted sweet potatoes and filling them with the good stuff, including broccoli and cheese. You could even set out the fillings and let the kids top their potatoes themselves.

#7: Creamy Broccoli and Pea Soup

Frozen veggies and store-bought stock combine to make this super quick and simple soup. We love it with crackers, grilled cheese, or toast sticks.

#8:Cheesy Broccoli Bites

I feel like the name of this recipe says it all—but think of these little dippable patties as a finger food that just might make broccoli fun for the kids to eat.

#9: White Cheddar Broccoli Waffles

Savory waffles? I love this idea! What a fun dish to serve for family dinner.

#10: Homemade Broccoli Tots

Make a batch of broccoli tots that are healthier than the freezer aisle with this delicious homemade broccoli tots recipe.

#11: Broccoli Pizza Crust

Incorporate broccoli right into the foundation of your next pizza with this veggie-packed recipe. It’s a fun way to change up pizza night!

#12: High Fiber Broccoli Smoothie

Okay, I’ve never thought to do this, but paired with berries, this seems like a great way to tuck broccoli into a healthy smoothie! (This also works really well with raw cauliflower.

#13: Quick Sausage Pasta with Broccoli

Toss broccoli with flavorful Italian sausage, pasta, and Parmesan cheese for a skillet dinner that’s (almost) sure to please.

#14: Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Blend broccoli right into this easy pesto recipe, toss it with pasta, and a delicious toddler meal is ready! It’s also a great one to make ahead and freeze for future meals.

#15: Easy Mashed Potatoes with Broccoli

This recipe is one that I fed to my girls a lot when they were little since everything goes into one pot and it’s super easy for little kids to eat. You can top your adult serving with some crushed red pepper flakes or a strong cheese for added flavor.

#16:Broccoli and Cheese Frittata Fingers

Make eggs into a fun finger food and tuck in a healthy serving of broccoli all at the same time. These would be a great make-ahead breakfast (or lunch) option.

#17: Bite-Size Grits with Broccoli

Change up your grains offering and try this easy to eat finger food. It’s grits like you’ve probably never thought to serve them before!

#18: Broccoli Cheese Soup with Hidden Protein

This is hands-down one of our favorite cold weather soups. It’s got all of the flavor of broccoli cheese soup with a hit of split peas for protein. So good, and good for you.

#19: Sweet No-Chop Broccoli Slaw

Learn how to transform bagged broccoli slaw into a toddler-friendly salad. The little sticks are so fun for the kids to feed themselves!

#20 Orange Beef and Broccoli

Asian flavors pair so well with broccoli and this easy recipe is a family dinner that packs protein and healthy broccoli!

What’s your favorite way to serve broccoli? I’d love to hear in the comments, so please chime in below!

Filder Under:Recipes, Vegetables