There’s something special about old-school casseroles. They’re pure comfort. This broccoli and rice casserole, with its fluffy rice, tender broccoli, and rich, cheesy sauce, is one of those dishes.

Glass baking dish filled with broccoli rice casserole topped with golden melted cheddar cheese.

We’ve tested, tweaked, and loved this casserole enough times to know: it’s foolproof. It’s the kind of recipe that lets you relax because it just works.

Broccoli Rice Casserole Ingredients

Here’s everything you need to make this rice and broccoli casserole recipe. It’s built from simple, familiar ingredients that come together to make something creamy, comforting, and crowd-pleasing every time.

Measured ingredients for broccoli rice casserole including broccoli florets, cooked rice, cheddar cheese, cream soups, and seasonings.

Rice Prep

You can use any long-grain white rice, but Jasmine rice holds up best once baked. It stays fluffy without getting sticky or soggy, which matters when you’re mixing it with creamy soup bases. Leftover rice is a great shortcut. You can also cook the rice a day ahead and refrigerate it—this makes assembly faster.

Broccoli Prep

If you’re using frozen florets, steam them just until tender-crisp — about 5 minutes — and pat them dry. You want them to hold their shape in the casserole, not dissolve into the sauce. If your florets are large, cut them into 1- to 2-inch pieces so every bite has a good mix of rice and broccoli.

Seasoning

Seasoned salt is the unsung hero here (we used Lawry’s). It’s more complex than plain salt, adding a touch of garlic, paprika, and spice that complements the cheese. Don’t skip the black pepper either; it keeps the casserole from tasting flat.

If you don’t have Lawry’s seasoned salt, you can make a quick substitute by mixing 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon onion powder, and a pinch of sugar and ground pepper.

Make Ahead And Storage

Broccoli and rice casserole is one of those dishes that actually gets better with a little rest time, making it perfect for planning ahead. You can assemble it up to a day in advance, cover tightly, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Just add about 10 extra minutes of bake time if it’s going in cold.

Bake until the edges bubble and the top just starts to brown. The shredded cheddar topping forms that lightly crisp, golden layer that signals “done.”

Serve it with baked chicken, grilled steak, or a simple Sunday ham.

Leftovers keep beautifully, too. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat, cover with foil and warm in a 350°F oven until hot. This casserole also freezes well—wrap it tightly before baking and store for up to two months, then thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as usual.

More Casserole Recipes

For more cozy casseroles, try our beef and noodle casserole or hamburger and potato casserole.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

5 from 4 votes

This broccoli rice casserole is a creamy, cheesy, and comforting side dish made with tender broccoli, fluffy rice, and melted cheddar.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups cooked long grain white rice, Jasmine rice used and cooked according to package directions
3 cups broccoli florets, steamed (from a 16 ounce bag frozen broccoli florets steamed according to package directions)
1 cup yellow onion, small diced
10.5 ounces cream of mushroom soup
10.5 ounces cheddar soup
½ cup whole milk
1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt, Lawry’s brand
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350* F. Evenly coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with the room temperature unsalted butter. Set aside.
Cook the long grain white rice according to package directions. Set aside.
Steam the broccoli florets according to package directions. Set aside.
To a large mixing bowl add the cooked long grain white rice and steamed broccoli florets. Set aside.
To a medium mixing bowl add the diced yellow onion, cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese soup, whole milk, seasoned salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Stir to fully combine all the ingredients.
Pour the soup mixture into the large bowl of rice and broccoli. Gently fold all the ingredients together, being sure not to break apart the steamed broccoli florets too much. You want to be sure that the soup mixture has completely coated the rice.
Spread the broccoli rice casserole mixture into the buttered 9×13 baking dish.
Top the broccoli rice casserole with the shredded mild cheddar cheese.
Bake the broccoli rice casserole for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden, and bubbly, around the edges of the casserole.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow it to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

You can use your favorite type of long grain white rice for this recipe. I find that Jasmine rice stays nice and fluffy without getting too sticky, and mushy, when baked in this broccoli rice casserole.
You can cook your rice up to a day ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, to save time when assembling this casserole before cooking it.
You can use either frozen broccoli florets, or fresh broccoli florets from a head of broccoli, for this recipe. You will need to cut the florets down to 1-2 inch sized pieces if the frozen broccoli florets are really big depending on the brand you are using.
You can substitute the can of cheddar cheese soup for an additional can of cream of mushroom soup, or for a can of cream of chicken soup in this recipe.
A great substitute for the mild cheddar cheese is cheddar-jack or colby-jack cheese blends. These are all great melting cheeses and pair well with the other flavors of the broccoli rice casserole.
This is a great side dish to take to a pot-luck or to serve to a large family alongside grilled or baked chicken.

Nutrition

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Broccoli Rice Casserole