Easy Sesame Broccoli Recipe with Garlic

The perfect side dish to anything Chinese, this Sesame Broccoli is one of my go-to easy recipes. Loaded with garlic, sesame, and coconut aminos, it’s a delicious mixture of sweet, salty, nutty, and garlicky. Ready in less than 20 minutes, you might just finish the whole bowl yourself! Paleo + Keto + Whole30

This recipe was initially posted on September 13, 2019, and updated on June 6, 2022.

❤️ Why you will love this recipe

• It’s good for you! The broccoli, garlic, and sesame are absolutely packed with essential nutrition and boost your immune system.
• Extremely easy to make: This healthy side dish is ready in 10-15 minutes, depending on how soft you want your broccoli. All you have to do is steam the broccoli florets and stems, toast the sesame seeds, and then mix them with the sauce. Done!
• It tastes amazing! This is one of my favorite ways (if not my absolute favorite way) to eat broccoli, and it’s such an easy way to make sure you eat your greens. The garlic is mixed with sesame oil and coconut aminos. It’s a very much loved, complex Asian flavor!
• Perfect for prep! This great side dish is perfect to add to your meal plan. I like to make it a day or two before to allow the flavors to develop fully. It is delicious!

🥦 What’s in Sesame Broccoli?

• Broccoli: Fresh broccoli cut into florets and steamed is the ideal base for sesame broccoli. I also throw in the broccoli stems because I don’t see the point in wasting them. This recipe also works with roasted broccoli. You could also use cauliflower if you prefer.
• Sesame oil: Rich and nutty, toasted sesame oil gives this dish a lot of flavor! I don’t recommend substituting other oils as sesame oil has such a distinct flavor.
• Coconut Aminos: Instead of soy sauce I added coconut aminos. This ingredient is salty and sweet, and an excellent paleo and whole30 friendly soy sauce replacement. You can of course use soy sauce instead. Add a couple of teaspoons of honey, brown sugar, or sweetener to taste if you go for soy sauce.
• Garlic: One fresh raw garlic clove gets mixed into the sauce. I’m a huge garlic fan and find this absolutely addictive. In a pinch, you could substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Sesame seeds: I make my own toasted sesame seeds by adding them to a pan and stirring them for about 5 minutes until they turn a golden brown color. They taste so much better toasted than raw in this sesame broccoli recipe.

🥣 How to make this recipe

1. First, cut the broccoli into broccoli florets and steam them by adding an inch of water to a pot and placing a steaming basket on top. Add the broccoli to the steaming basket and cover it for about 10 minutes. Note: You can also boil them or roast them but I prefer to steam broccoli to keep more of the nutrition and have a bit of a crunchy texture.

2. While the broccoli is steaming, mix your other ingredients in a large bowl apart from the sesame seeds. The bowl should be big enough to add the broccoli later.

3. Mix the broccoli with sauce ingredients. Adjust salt as needed.

4. In a large saucepan, add the sesame seeds and toast them over medium heat until they turn golden brown.

5. Mix the sesame seeds with the broccoli and either serve immediately or allow it to cool, chill it for at least 2 hours, and serve it cold.

🪄 Recipe Notes, Tips, and Variations

• The garlic in this recipe is raw. Use less if you don’t want a powerful flavor. You can also sauté it for a minute before adding it to the sauce for a more subtle flavor.
• Make and chill the day before you serve, if you’d prefer it cold! This also helps the flavors to develop beautifully, and it tastes even better the next day!
• One of my favorite things about this dish is that it can be served hot or cold. I love both but tend to lean towards the cold in summer, and hot in winter.
• Try it with different vegetables! Steamed or roasted vegetables like bok choy, sweet potato, cabbage, and cauliflower are great options and go well with this sauce.
• Spice it up! Oh boy. So good. A bit of Chinese 5 Spice is great in this delicious side dish. It goes so well with the coconut aminos.
• Bring on the heat! 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes or powder and this recipe will rock up to a whole new level!
• Finish this Sesame Broccoli recipe off with a squeeze of lemon juice. The flavors really pop with just a touch of citrus.

❓ Is sesame oil whole 30?

I would say yes but in small amounts. Some seed oils (soybean, peanut, corn, etc.) are completely off-limits because they break the no legumes/no grains rule. Sesame seeds are not legumes, nor grains so they should be fine. However, for your main cooking oil in other dishes, I would stick to a healthier option like coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil.

🤔 Is this low carb?

This Asian Sesame Broccoli fits perfectly into a low carb diet. All of the nutrition facts can be found below in the recipe card, but just for the carbs, this recipe has 9g of carbs and 3g of dietary fiber making it just 6g net carbs per serving! With such a delicious flavor, this is one of my favorite low carb and keto-friendly healthy recipes to have on hand in the fridge.

😋 More Vegetarian Recipes you will love

• Air Fryer Rice Paper Dumplings
• Cheesy Green Bean Casserole
• 5 Minute Coleslaw
• Paleo Ramen Eggs
• Chinese Zucchini Noodles

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