Broccoli Purée
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Gorgeously (or shockingly?) green, this broccoli purée is a welcome change from the usual steamed or roasted broccoli. It’s also a great low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes.
Gorgeously (or shockingly?) green, this purée is a welcome change from the usual steamed or roasted broccoli — and it’s also a great low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes. Similar to my cauliflower purée, it’s made by first steaming the broccoli florets in a flavor-infused liquid, rather than boiling them. This not only helps retain nutrients that would otherwise go down the drain, but it also ensures that the veggies don’t get waterlogged, leaving you with a nicely textured purée. I like to add butter and sour cream to lend richness and a hint of mashed potato flavor, but feel free to adjust the quantities up or down as your indulgence meter allows.
Pair this purée with simple grilled salmon, roast chicken, or a juicy steak. And be very happy if you have leftovers — you can thin the purée with chicken or vegetable broth to make a delicious and healthy creamy broccoli soup.
What You’ll Need To Make Broccoli Purée
Step-by-Step Instructions
Melt half of the butter in a large pot over medium heat, and add the onions.
Cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the water, salt, pepper and broccoli and bring the liquid to a boil.
Cover the pot tightly and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes.
Transfer all of the contents of the pot to a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the remaining butter and the thyme.
Process until broken down but not completely smooth. Add the sour cream.
Process again until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt, if necessary (I usually add up to 3/4 teaspoon more salt). Note: if your food processor is small, you may need to work in batches.
Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with a pad of butter and chives.
You May Also Like
- Roasted Broccoli with Chipotle Honey Butter
- Garlicky Roasted Broccoli with Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Simple Steamed Broccoli
- Creamed Spinach
- Cauliflower Purée
Broccoli Purée
Gorgeously (or shockingly?) green, this broccoli purée is a welcome change from the usual steamed or roasted broccoli. It’s also a great low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for serving if desired
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion, from 1 small onion
- ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into florets, tough stems thinly sliced (see note)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, for serving
Instructions
- In a pot large enough to hold all of the broccoli, melt half of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the water, salt, and pepper and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Add the broccoli and bring the liquid to a boil; cover the pot tightly and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer all of the contents of the pot, including the liquid, to a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the remaining butter and the thyme and process until broken down but not completely smooth. Add the sour cream and process again until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt, if necessary (I usually add up to ¾ teaspoon more salt). Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with a pad of butter, if using, and chives. (Note: if your food processor is small, you may need to work in batches.)
- Note: Be sure to slice the tough stems very thinly, otherwise they won't cook through.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The purée can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 109
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 324 mg
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
My husband and I loved this! We’re always looking for ways to eat more vegetables and this is a welcome variation from our usual steamed broccoli.
This is delicious. Made as written, added Pimente d ‘ espalette for a little spice. Very pretty dish, made a nice presentation.
Do you think Greek yoghurt would work in lieu of sour cream?
Yep 🙂
*I made it as an alternative to mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and used greek yoghurt instead of sour cream.
Made this for dinner tonight and my toddler asked for thirds!! Easy, simple and made eating dinner tonight a breeze for this mama. Thank you!!
Wow! Surprisingly delicious!!! 🙂
Can this be frozen? I will definitely be trying this recioe- like all of the others I am sure it will be great. I love your cookbook and gave it to my son and now daughter-in-law!
So glad you love the cookbook, Judy! And, yes, you can definitely freeze this. 🙂
I can’t believe how GOOD this is!! Made it tonight. I am a huge fan of cauliflower puree and this beats it. I am following Keto and this is so nice. Vegetables aren’t easy to do in interesting and flavourful ways; but this is a winner. Will be a go-to for sure. Thanks!!
Thank you Jenn for another vegetarian dish. Just made it for lunch and was very satisfying indeed and a great twist on broccoli! Will definitely follow the previous reviewer’s advice and add beans and maybe lentils. Only been vegetarian 7 months so every new recipe helps.
Hi Jenn ,
This brocoli dish looks great and I can’t wait to try it . I was wondering if I might be able to use my Vitamix instead of a food processor which I don’t have .
Cheers!
Lyn
Hi Lyn, it may work but I’m not 100% sure — I worry that the recipe doesn’t have enough liquid to blend well in a Vitamix. If you try it I’d love to hear how it turns out! 🙂
Hi Jenn,
This broccoli recipe is very versatile, I toss this with a short pasta noodle like bowtie with white beans and it makes a quick diner. Love all your recipes.