Broccoli Casserole With Ritz Crackers is a comfort food classic! This cheesy, and easy, casserole is always a crowd pleaser, from busy weeknight meals to special holiday dinners. Even the pickiest eaters can’t resist their green veggies when you serve them in this creamy, cheesy broccoli casserole.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Buttery Ritz Crackers, combined with cheese, will turn everyone in the family into broccoli fans.
- Made with frozen broccoli, you can make this without having fresh broccoli on hand.
- It takes just minutes to prepare this dish, and it bakes in 30 minutes or less.
- The leftovers for this recipe are almost shockingly delicious. It can be a great make-ahead dish.
Cheesy Broccoli Casserole With Ritz Crackers
I won’t go so far as to say this cheesy broccoli casserole is magical, I will say it has an almost magical ability to make everyone love broccoli! If you have kids, or even a spouse, who doesn’t exactly love broccoli, this is your gateway dish to getting your family to not only eat those veggies – but to love them! After this, give Green Beans Almondine a try, it’s another picky eater approved veggie!
How To Make Broccoli Cheese Casserole
This dish is so quick and easy to make, it’s a great one to add to your vegetable line up. I love to serve this with Air Fryer Meatloaf, Brown Sugar Glaze Spiral Ham, Buttermilk Fried Chicken or Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks. Because it conveniently uses frozen broccoli, it’s great when I’m running low on fresh produce or just didn’t plan ahead all that well.
Let’s discuss how to make this Broccoli Casserole With Ritz Crackers, as well as the ingredients that are needed for it. Please take note that below you will find discussion, expert tips, and answers to frequently asked questions about this recipe to help you recreate it in your kitchen.
Broccoli Casserole Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to have on hand, as well as some substitution options. If you *just* want the recipe itself, scroll down. The full printable recipe itself, with exact measurements and instructions, is found at the bottom of this page
- Broccoli – This recipe is made with frozen broccoli florets. You can however make this with fresh broccoli if you have it on hand. Boil your fresh broccoli until it’s fork tender, then follow the recipe as written.
- Garlic – Make sure you are using garlic powder, not garlic salt.
- Salt – I prefer a Kosher or sea salt, but table salt will work as well.
- Pepper – Fresh black pepper is great if you have a grinder on hand.
- Onion powder – You can also use freeze dried minced onions if desired.
- Velveeta cheese – When it comes to getting that melty, creamy, cheese broccoli we all love, it’s hard to beat Velveeta. Make sure your Velveeta is at room temperature before beginning this recipe. If you use cold Velveeta, you may find large pockets of it in your casserole after baking.
- Cheddar cheese – I highly recommend that you grate your own cheese. The pre-grated cheese is coated to keep it from sticking to itself, but this means it doesn’t melt quite as smoothly and easily.
- Ritz crackers – While the buttery Ritz crackers are the perfect match for this dish, you could also use Town House or Club Crackers.
- Salted butter – If you only have unsalted butter on hand, don’t worry, it’s fine. If you like, you can add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the dish.
Steps To Take
Here are the steps to take to make your broccoli cheese casserole. Remember the full printable directions are found at the bottom of the page.
Begin by preheat the oven and preparing a 9×13 inch baking dish. Next boil the frozen broccoli florets for 3 minutes, then drain them and transfer to a large mixing bowl. At that point add the seasonings and cubed Velveeta cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and evenly distributed.
The broccoli mixture is then transferred into the prepared baking dish. Then the grated cheddar, Ritz crackers and melted butter are added to the top of the broccoli. All that’s left to do is pop it into the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is nice and bubbly.
Expert Tips
This can be stored for 5 days in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
It is good reheated in the oven or even better, this casserole reheats really well in the air fryer – just like fresh! Just fill a small glass bowl or casserole dish with the leftovers and pop it in the air fryer for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees. The crackers will be crunchy again and the broccoli tender and cheesy!
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)
- I don’t have velveeta cheese – what could I use instead? You could use 8 ounces of cream cheese (or 1 cup of sour cream), and an extra cup of shredded cheese as a substitute.
- Is there another type of cheese, besides cheddar? Colby cheese would be a great substitute. Or you could try pepper jack if you’d like something with a bit of heat. All would be a delicious addition to this broccoli casserole with Ritz crackers.
More Cheesy Recipes
If you love a good cheesy dish, I’ve got more recipes I think you’ll enjoy. Here are some of my top recommendations.
Broccoli Casserole With Ritz Crackers
Ingredients
- 32 ounces frozen broccoli florets
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 16 oz Velveeta cheese cut into small cubes no larger than 1" in size
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 sleeve Ritz Crackers crushed
- 2 tablespoons salted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9X13 baking dish by spraying the bottom and sides with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Boil the broccoli florets in salted water for 3 minutes, drain them, and put them into a large mixing bowl.
- Season the broccoli with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Stir the Velveeta Cheese into the broccoli until fully incorporated and all the cheese is melted.
- Pour the broccoli cheese mixture into the casserole dish and distribute evenly. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar evenly on top of the broccoli.
- Mix the crushed ritz crackers with the melted butter then sprinkle on the top of the casserole. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheeses are bubbly. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Leslye says
Hi ! I am soo happy I came across this recipe. My husband is not a big fan of broccoli, but years ago a friend of mine made this and we encouraged him to try a little. He loved it and put a heap on his plate and ate it then asked if there was anymore, lol ! I am going to make this tomorrow night 🌙 Thank you for the recipe. I also saved a few other of your recipes
Thanks again
Pat Thomas says
Loved this recipe!!! I added 1 small diced red onion to broccoli as it cooked. I added 1 eight ounce cream cheese, 4 slices of jalapeño cheese, and 2 slices of cheddar cheese to the drained broccoli. Mixed until cheese melted. I used queso quesadilla shredded cheese to the top. I will make this again!
sandra schill says
could you use crushed onion rings in place of Ritz crackers?
Christi Johnstone says
I haven’t tried but I’m sure you could!
Anonymous says
I do. I just make ahead and on the day of thanksgiving do the ritz cracker and butter and bake.
Erica says
When you say, ‘1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers’, is that like 2 stacks? They package Ritz Crackers in small stacks now instead of large sleeves. A ‘sleeve of Ritz’ confuses me because of Ritz’s new packaging. Sorry for the weird question (LOL) and thank you in advance for the answer.
Christi Johnstone says
A quick google search shows that the Ritz sleeve is 32 crackers.
Adora w says
I make this with velveta and cream cheese. Not regular cheese. Everyone loves it. No need to add the extra seasoning either but I might try it with that next time.
Jewell says
Need to try this for a church dinner. Will have to bake at home then reheat I microwave at church. Will this be ok have to have it by Nov 6th. Please answer as soon as possible. Thank you
Christi Johnstone says
Hi Jewell, not quite sure I understand your question. You can definitely bake it at home and reheat in the microwave.
Valerie says
Excellent recipe! Not to alter this one as some may prefer this way, but I chopped my frozen broccoli pieces in food processor and used Cheez Whiz and for a creamy richer, taste mixed one egg with about 2 Tbs mayo and mixed with broccoli. I sprinkled shredded cheddar cheese on casserole and added toasted (browned with butter in pan) crushed Ritz and sprinkled over casserole. Used just salt & pepper no garlic or onion substitutes.
Donna says
The recipe has garlic powder in the ingredients but nowhere in the instructions. Does it go in the broccoli or does it get mixed in with the ritz crackers?
Christi Johnstone says
Sorry that was left out, it goes in with the salt, pepper and onion powder.
Regina Henson says
Can you make it ahead of time, then bake it?
Christi Johnstone says
I haven’t tried, but I think you probably can.