Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Broccoli cheese rice casserole is creamy, cheesy, and oh-so-comforting! This easy one-dish wonder brings together tender broccoli, fluffy white rice, sharp cheddar cheese, and a rich, savory sauce that’ll have everyone coming back for seconds. It’s the perfect side dish for Sunday dinner or a hearty vegetarian main that the whole family will love.

Love More Broccoli Recipes? Try My Broccoli Cheese Casserole or this Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Creamy, cheesy, and full of comforting flavor, this Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole is a classic family favorite. Made with tender broccoli, fluffy rice, and a rich cheese sauce, it’s baked until golden and bubbly. Perfect as a hearty side or cozy main dish, it’s comfort food everyone loves.

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Ingredient List

For the Casserole:

• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well-drained
• 2 cups cooked white rice (about 1 cup uncooked)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (plus extra for topping, optional)
• 1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or sour cream (or half of each)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (divided)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Optional Toppings & Add-Ins:

• 1 cup crushed buttery crackers or fried onions
• 2 tablespoons melted butter (for topping)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• A dash of hot sauce

Substitution Notes:

• Rice: That leftover Chinese takeout rice? Perfect. Day-old Uncle Ben’s? Great. That weird quinoa-rice thing from Trader Joe’s? Sure, why not. I’ve literally never met a cooked grain that didn’t work here.
• Cheese: Whatever’s on sale works. Last week I accidentally bought a Mexican blend thinking it was cheddar and nobody noticed. Week before that I used the fancy Irish cheddar my mother-in-law left here. Both fine.
• Mayo/Sour Cream: My aunt does all mayo because that’s how her mom did it. My mom does all sour cream because she read mayo was bad in 1982. I can’t commit to either so I do both.
• Soup: My cousin throws a fit if there’s mushroom soup in anything so she uses cream of chicken. Still works. She’s still dramatic about it though.

Why These Ingredients Work

Frozen Broccoli: Because I’m not standing at my counter chopping broccoli on a Tuesday. This stuff’s already cut and basically cooked. Only catch is you gotta squeeze it like you’re trying to wring out a wet towel or your casserole turns into soup. Happened to me once in 2014 and I’m still mad about it.

Cooked Rice: This is where you use that rice in the fridge you keep forgetting to eat. That container from Panda Express on Monday? Throw it in. Leftover rice from taco night? Works great. Actually better than fresh rice because it’s not all sticky and wet.

Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup: Look, my grandma kept these in her pantry from like 1973 to 2003. It’s not trendy. Nobody’s posting it on Instagram. But it makes stuff creamy without you having to do anything hard. I keep probably eight cans in my cabinet at any given time.

Mayonnaise or Sour Cream: Makes it rich, adds some tangy flavor that keeps it from being boring. My mom’s recipe card from 1987 says “1/2 c mayo/sour cream – your choice” so that’s how I do it.

Eggs: These hold everything together. First time I made this I left them out because I didn’t have any and we basically ate it with a spoon like soup. Eggs are not optional, turns out.

Butter: Because butter. That’s it. That’s the whole reason. Some goes in, some goes on top with the crackers.

Cheddar Cheese: I shred the block kind now because my sister-in-law won’t shut up about how pre-shredded has cellulose in it. Which is apparently wood pulp? I don’t know if that’s true but it freaked me out enough to buy the block.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• 9×13-inch baking dish (or similar 3-quart casserole dish)
• Large mixing bowl
• Small skillet (for sautéing the onion)
• Whisk or fork (for beating eggs)
• Fine-mesh sieve or clean kitchen towel (for draining broccoli)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Cooking spray or butter (for greasing the pan)

How To Make Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Pan

Turn the oven to 350. Get out that 9×13 pan you use for literally everything. Grease it with butter or spray, whatever’s closest.

Step 2: Drain That Broccoli REALLY Well

Okay listen. This is where everybody screws up and then texts me that the recipe didn’t work. That frozen broccoli is basically a sponge full of water. You need to squeeze it til your hands ache. I dump mine in a clean dish towel and twist it like I’m trying to strangle it. If you half-ass this step you’re gonna have broccoli soup instead of casserole. My first attempt we literally had to eat it in bowls.

Step 3: Sauté the Onion (Optional but Recommended!)

Throw some butter in a pan, dump in the onions, let them cook til they’re soft and smell good. I don’t time it, probably 4 or 5 minutes. This is technically optional but raw onion in a casserole is kinda gross and you’ll have crunchy bits. Sometimes I skip it when I’m running late. Those nights we just deal with the crunchy onion.

Step 4: Mix Everything Together

Get your biggest bowl. Dump everything in – rice, that extremely well-drained broccoli, onions, cheese, soup, mayo/sour cream, eggs, couple spoonfuls of melted butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder if you remember. Stir it around til it looks combined. That’s literally it. Don’t make it complicated.

Step 5: Assemble in the Baking Dish

Pour everything into your pan. Spread it around so it’s kinda even. I usually throw more cheese on top because why wouldn’t you. More cheese has never made anything worse in the history of food.

Step 6: Add the Crunchy Topping

Crush up some Ritz crackers. I just throw them in a ziplock and smash them with my hand while I’m waiting for the oven to heat up. Mix the crumbs with whatever butter you’ve got left. Dump it all over the top. This part is honestly why people lose their minds over this casserole. That crunchy butter cracker situation on top of the creamy cheesy inside is the whole point.

Step 7: Bake to Perfection

Stick it in the oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes, check it. You want bubbling around the edges and golden brown on top. If it’s not there yet, give it another 5-10 minutes. The middle shouldn’t wiggle when you shake the pan.

Step 8: Rest Before Serving

Do not touch this for 10 minutes after it comes out. I don’t care how hungry you are. I don’t care how good it smells.

You Must Know

Squeeze the broccoli til you think you’re done, then squeeze it more. The water in frozen vegetables is absolutely insane. Get it all out or cry about your soup casserole later.

Let the eggs warm up. Cold eggs right out of the fridge make everything clump up weird. Just set them on the counter when you start getting stuff ready.

Take it out when it’s done. My sister leaves everything in the oven too long and then complains her food is dry. Yeah, no kidding. When it’s bubbly and brown, it’s done.

Personal Secret: I microwave the leftover rice for 30 seconds first. Makes it way easier to mix in and you don’t get weird cold chunks in the finished thing.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Old rice is better than fresh. Fresh rice is wet and makes everything mushy. That container in your fridge from three days ago? That’s the perfect texture.
• Shred your own cheese. I know it’s annoying and your hands get all cheesy. But the bagged stuff has anti-caking powder or whatever and doesn’t melt right.
• Too thick? Add milk. Some soup brands are thicker than others. If your mixture looks like paste, splash in some milk.
• Make rice in stock. If you’re actually cooking rice for this instead of using leftovers, use chicken stock instead of water. Way more flavor.
• Sauté the onion. I keep saying it’s optional but I’m lying. Raw onion tastes bad. Cook it.
• Add rotisserie chicken. Then it’s dinner instead of a side dish. I probably do this half the time because otherwise I have to cook something else.

Flavor Variations / Suggestions

Protein: Whatever meat’s in your fridge works. Ham, chicken, turkey, that steak nobody finished last night. Cut it up, throw it in.

Different Cheese: My neighbor does pepper jack and says it’s incredible. I haven’t tried it because my kids would riot. My aunt uses some organic grass-fed whatever from Whole Foods and acts like she invented the recipe.

More Vegetables: Sometimes I dump in frozen corn or peas if I’m pretending to care about nutrition. Friend of mine adds mushrooms but you gotta cook those first or they’re slimy.

Herbs: Fresh thyme is good if you happen to have it. I usually don’t because I’m not fancy. That Italian seasoning in the shaker from Aldi works fine.

Asian Version: Sounds weird but hear me out – cream of chicken soup, splash of soy sauce, top with those crunchy chow mein noodles instead of crackers.

Diet Version: I guess you could use low-fat everything and Greek yogurt. Never tried it because that seems sad.

Make-Ahead Options

Best part of this whole recipe – make it the night before. Don’t put the crackers on yet. Cover it with foil, shove it in the fridge.

Next day, pull it out while the oven heats up. Let it sit there for 20 minutes or so. Put the cracker stuff on top, then bake. Might need a few extra minutes since it’s cold. I do this basically every time I make it because I hate cooking and hosting on the same day.

Freezer: You can freeze the whole thing. Put it together completely, wrap it in like four layers of plastic wrap and foil, freeze it. When you need it, thaw it overnight in the fridge, then bake. Did this when my friend Sarah had her baby and didn’t want to think about dinner.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Fresh broccoli instead of frozen? Need like 4-5 cups. Steam it a few minutes, drain it really well, chop it. I’ve done this exactly twice because frozen is so much easier.
• It’s done when the middle doesn’t jiggle. If you shake the pan and everything sloshes around, needs more time.
• My coworker makes individual portions in small dishes for her meal prep. Says to bake them for 20-25 minutes instead.
• No condensed soup? Make white sauce I guess – butter, flour, milk, cook it til thick. But that’s work and I keep soup in the pantry specifically so I don’t have to do that.

Serving Suggestions

Works with basically anything:

• Whatever protein you’re cooking – chicken, pork chops, steak, whatever
• Ham – we eat this every Easter and Christmas with ham, it’s basically law at this point
• Salad with vinaigrette – need something acidic to cut through all that cheese
• Rolls – for sopping up the bottom of your plate
• Nothing else if you added chicken – already a full meal

Extras: I throw parsley on top if people are coming over and I’m pretending to be fancy. Or more cheese when it’s still hot because obviously. Husband dumps bacon bits on everything including this.

This is gonna become your default recipe because it works every time and people always eat it.

How to Store Your Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Room Temperature: Don’t. It’s got eggs and dairy. Put it in the fridge within 2 hours unless you want food poisoning.

Refrigerator: Cover it or stick it in a container. Keeps 3-4 days. My family eats it all before that so I don’t actually know how long it lasts.

Freezer: Can freeze it after baking. Wrap it really well. Probably good for 2 months but I usually forget what’s in my freezer after a month anyway.

Reheating: Cover with foil, heat at 325 for 20-30 minutes. Or microwave individual servings for 2-3 minutes. Add a tiny splash of milk if it looks dry.

Allergy Information

Contains: Dairy, eggs, wheat if you use crackers, maybe soy depending on what brand soup and mayo you buy.

Gluten-Free: Skip crackers or get gluten-free ones. Check your soup label because some brands are fine, some aren’t.

Dairy-Free: Gonna be tough since cheese is basically the main ingredient. Could try those fake cheese shreds but I’ve never done it so no idea if it works.

Egg-Free: Never tried it without eggs. Maybe those flax egg things? Or more mayo to hold it together? Honestly don’t know.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My casserole turned out watery—what happened?

You didn’t drain the broccoli enough. That’s it. That’s the problem. Frozen vegetables are basically water balloons. Squeeze them til you think you’re done, then squeeze more.

Can I make this without the condensed soup?

Yeah, make white sauce with butter, flour, and milk. But that’s way more work than opening a can so I’ve never bothered.

Do I have to sauté the onion first?

Technically no. But raw onion stays kinda crunchy and tastes sharp. Cooking it makes it sweet and soft. Your call.

Can I use fresh broccoli instead of frozen?

Sure. Steam it for a few minutes first, drain it really well, chop it up. Way more work though and I can’t usually be bothered.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Make this? Tell me what you think! I actually read comments so let me know if you changed anything or if it worked for you.