November 19, 2023

Side Dish

Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole

This Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole is not only easy to make, but incredibly delicious. It's made with a simple, fresh cheddar cheese sauce and is then baked to golden brown perfection. This casserole is a side dish that anyone will love!

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broccoli casserole in a baking dish topped with crackers and cheese.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole comes together in just under 30 minutes.
It’s filled with broccoli, a homemade cheese sauce and topped with gluten free crackers.
This dish is buttery, creamy and delicious.
The perfect side dish for any occasion, especially during the holidays.
As written, this recipe is gluten free, but can easily be made dairy free with the use of dairy free milk and cheese.
After baking, the top of this dish is perfectly golden brown.
If you loved this one, be sure to check out my sweet mashed potatoes for another fun side dish!

Ingredients And Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole. Scroll down to the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and instructions.

I prefer to use fresh broccoli florets for this recipe, as they tend to hold their crispness level more. However, you can use frozen if necessary.

Whole milk makes the cheese sauce extra creamy, however if dairy free you can swap for coconut milk, oat milk or almond milk.

Tapioca flour is a gluten free flour that is used to help thicken the cheese sauce. Arrowroot starch and corn starch also work great in replace. Alternatively, all purpose flour will work too if not gluten free.

Grass fed butter is recommended because of it’s fat content and for added flavor. Regular butter works in replace, or you can use ghee or plant based butter.

Instead of using chicken broth, I prefer to use a bone broth concentrate as it adds a ton of added flavor without having to use too much seasonings or salt. I used Zoup brand but you can use chicken bouillon or just chicken or veggie broth.

Greek yogurt helps make the sauce extra creamy. Sour cream, or plant cream also works in replace. Alternatively you can use heavy cream.

Don’t use pre-shredded cheese for this recipe as it’s coated in a certain ingredients so it won’t melt as good. Instead, use fresh grated cheese. It makes all the difference.

Black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder are the only additional seasonings you’ll need.

Finish off this casserole with crushed gluten free crackers. If not gluten free you can use ritz.

all the ingredients that you need to make this broccoli casserole

How To Make

ONE: Start by chopping and washing the broccoli florets. Then, add them to a pot of boiling water and let soak for about 3 minutes or until they turn bright green in color. Remove them immediately and add them to a non-stick pan.

TWO: Next, in a large saute pan over medium to low heat add in the milk and tapioca flour. Mix until the milk thickens in texture. Then, add in the butter and chicken broth concentrate. Mix well and add in another cup of milk along with the greek yogurt and mix until combined.

milk and tapioca flour in a pot on the stovetop

butter and broth concentrate added to the pot

THREE: Mix in the cheddar cheese until fully melted and add in the seasonings. Taste to ensure you like the flavor or add in more seasoning if needed.

FOUR: Pour cheese over broccoli florets and mix well until fully combined. Sprinkle the tops with more cheddar cheese and then finish it off with the crush crackers.

cheese sauce poured on top of the broccoli

FIVE: Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

crushed crackers added on top of the broccoli

the broccoli casserole served in the dish

Tips And Tricks

It’s recommended to use fresh broccoli florets as these tend to stay a bit more crisp than frozen.

The cheese sauce comes together in just a few minutes, so prepare the broccoli first.

Taste the sauce as you go along to ensure it doesn’t need anymore seasonings.

Using freshly grated cheddar cheese is highly recommended. Pre-grated cheese won’t melt the same.

If not using a non-stick pan, then make sure to grease your dish well before adding in the broccoli to ensure nothing sticks.

How To Serve And Store

Serve this Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole once it has cooled enough to enjoy. It’s best served warm.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy up to 5 days.

Taste And Texture

This Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole taste almost like a Mac and cheese but broccoli instead of noodles. The inside is creamy and the top has a slight crunch from the crackers- it’s insanely delicious!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different vegetable if I don’t like broccoli?

Sure! I haven’t tried any other one for this specific recipe, but I bet cauliflower, green beans or even a vegetable medley would work.

How can I make this recipe dairy free?

Just swap the milk for a dairy free milk, the greek yogurt for a plant based yogurt and the cheese for a dairy free cheese alternative.

Where do you get the gluten free crackers?

The best thing to do is google “gluten free ritz crackers near me” to find where they are closets to you, otherwise amazon is the best option.

Other Recipes You May Like

If you make this Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole, I would really appreciate a comment and rating down below, under the recipe card. Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me over on Instagram, Tiktok or Pinterest!

Gluten Free Broccoli Casserole

Pin Recipe

PREP TIME:

10 minutes

COOK TIME:

30 minutes

TOTAL TIME:

45 minutes

Author - Hannah

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp tapioca flour, can sub arrowroot starch or corn starch
4 tbsp grass-fed salted butter, if using unsalted then add in a touch of salt
1/2 tbsp zoup chicken concentrate or chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
3 cups freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
5 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 cup crushed gluten free “ritz” crackers

SCALE:

YIELDS:

10-12 servings

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. If not using a non-stick pan, then grease with non-stick spray or butter.
Then, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In the meantime, chop and wash broccoli florets and once water is boiling add them in for about 3 minutes to until they turn bright green in color. Immediately remove from the water and add them to the prepared casserole dish. Set aside.
In a large sauté pan over medium to low heat, add in the 1 cup of milk and the tapioca flour. Whisk until liquid thickens.
Then, add in the butter and chicken broth concentrate. Mix well.
Add in the second cup of milk along with the greek yogurt and mix until combined.
Then, mix in 2 cups of cheddar cheese until fully melted and add in the seasonings. Taste to ensure you like the flavor or add in more seasoning if needed.
Pour cheese sauce over broccoli florets and mix well until fully combined. Sprinkle the tops with the rest of the cheddar cheese and then finish it off with the crush gluten free crackers. Bake 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Notes

It's recommended to use fresh broccoli florets as these tend to stay a bit more crisp than frozen.
The cheese sauce comes together in just a few minutes, so prepare the broccoli first.
Taste the sauce as you go along to ensure it doesn't need anymore seasonings.
Using freshly grated cheddar cheese is highly recommended. Pre-grated cheese won't melt the same.
If not using a non-stick pan, then make sure to grease your dish well before adding in the broccoli to ensure nothing sticks.