20 Healthy Broccoli Recipes (Kids Will Actually Want to Eat!) (2024)

Try these easy, kid-friendly broccoli recipes to help the kids learn to love the veggie—in all sorts of easy recipes. From Broccoli Pesto, Roasted Broccoli, and Broccoli Cheddar Soup, to the best Veggie Muffins, these recipes have you covered!

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. BUT: 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.

I of course can’t make any guarantees and I think we often feel so much pressure to have kids who like every food, but it is also possible that the kids will surprise us one day.

These ideas have options to include fresh and frozen broccoli according to what you have on hand.

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!

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.

TIP: Here’s my go-to Broccoli Puree and BLW-style Broccoli for babies.

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

Here are some tips to help kids love broccoli. (And check this out for tips for babies and 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!

TIP: The Division of Responsibility can be a useful approach too.

1. 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. (See the recipe at the bottom for the Steamed Broccoli recipe!)

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: Roasted Frozen 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—and using frozen broccoli creates a more tender texture that is easier for little kids to chew.

4. Broccoli Puree

This is a yummy baby food option (and there’s a method for making and serving broccoli baby led weaning style too).

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 Fritters

Turn a pile of broccoli into the yummiest fritters with this easy method. This is a great recipe for babies on up through adults.

7. Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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.

8. Homemade Broccoli Tots

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

9. Veggie Muffins

With broccoli and carrots in the mix, these savory muffins are a great lunch option for kids. (And also yourself paired with something like soup!)

10. 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.

11. Broccoli Egg Bake

This broccoli recipe can be served for any meal of the day, either on its own or with a dip like guacamole, sour cream, salsa, or ketchup.

12. 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.

13: 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.

14. Lemon Broccoli Pasta

Flavorful, quick, and so delicious, this lemony pasta is a great one to share with the kids.

15. One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Everything cooks in the same pot in this super comforting mac and cheese recipe. The broccoli is a nice bonus!

16. Pizza Bites (with Veggies

Fill pizza dough with broccoli and cheese to make this fun kids meal (that you might want to eat too!).

17. Easy Boiled Broccoli

Go back to basics with this tried and true method for cooking perfectly tender broccoli every time.

18. Creamy Broccoli Pasta

Pair broccoli with pasta, lemon, and ricotta cheese for a comforting family meal.

19. Broccoli Pasta

This is a favorite way to serve broccoli to kids—which basically tastes like the yummiest broccoli mac and cheese.

20. Broccoli Pizza Bites

Stuff broccoli and cheese into pizza dough for the yummiest homemade pizza bites perfect for dinner or lunch.

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

This post was first published December 2018.