Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

Broccoli with garlic sauce is my son’s favorite dish. Sometimes he wants it with baked tofu and sometimes he just wants broccoli. Either way, served with cooked rice, this is the perfect weeknight dinner dish.

It’s way better and healthier than the Chinese food takeout version, which is where my inspiration came from, and it only takes 20 minutes to put together.

“Eat your broccoli” is the message my kids grew up with. So, when we would go out to a Chinese restaurant, my kids would always order broccoli in garlic sauce. They loved it, and it soon became their favorite. Who wouldn’t? It’s so delicious…

However, the takeout version is not very healthy, so I just had to reverse-engineer the dish at home and make it healthy for our family to enjoy. Broccoli is one of those super versatile veggies; you can also make simple roasted broccoli as a side dish.

What is Broccoli with Garlic Sauce?

Broccoli with garlic sauce is a Chinese-American takeout staple. The broccoli comes in a thick and savory garlic sauce that is so simple but so mouthwatering.

The sauce just has soy, garlic, stock and cornstarch, so it’s really easy to whisk up even on a busy weeknight.

When made this way, broccoli with garlic sauce is also naturally vegan. So, if you avoid dairy like me, you’re all set!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s ready in 20 minutes. Yes, that includes making the sauce and cooking the broccoli!
• It’s naturally vegan, as is the traditional Chinese recipe.
• It’s healthier than the takeout version! I’ll be the first to admit a box of Chinese broccoli in garlic sauce from a local takeaway is delicious. However, it’s a dish that’s notoriously high in oil and sodium. My home recipe uses less oil and very little sugar. You can also reach for low-sodium soy sauce if you’re trying to keep your sodium intake down.

Ingredient Notes

Most of the ingredients you need to make broccoli with garlic sauce are probably already in your fridge or pantry: soy sauce, broccoli, garlic, white pepper, vegetable oil. And if not, they’re very easy to get a hold of at your local supermarket.

• Chinese wine: Any brand of Chinese wine will do the job! These fermented rice wines are widely used for cooking and so they’re usually well-stocked supermarket. 
• Ground white pepper: It’s better than black pepper for this particular dish. White pepper has an earthy type of heat that doesn’t overpower the garlic. If you use black pepper instead, that’s fine, but just bear in mind that it has a strong, woody taste and so it’ll mask the garlic’s full flavor profile a bit.
• Cornstarch paste: This is what gives you the wonderfully thick sauce that broccoli with garlic sauce is known for. The ratio I recommend is 1:1, with 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 ½ tablespoons of water. 
• Vegetable stock: We want to use hot vegetable stock, not cold, to activate the cornstarch quickly. If you use cold water, your sauce is more likely to turn out clumpy!

Step-By-Step Instructions For Broccoli With Garlic Sauce

There are four main steps that go into preparing Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce. 

1. Blanch the broccoli

Many people skip this step, but it’s the secret to making your broccoli crunchy and green. It also makes cooking the broccoli faster. If you don’t blanch your broccoli, it’s not the end of the world, but it is something I personally prefer to do.

2. Prepare the sauce mixture

The main prep is making the sauce by mixing together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, stock, sesame oil and ground white pepper. This can then be set aside while you move onto the cooking part.

3. Stir-fry the oil, garlic and broccoli in a wok

After heating the wok at a high heat, first drop in and quickly stir fry the vegetable oil, garlic, and broccoli for about 15 seconds. Any longer and you risk burning the garlic. The rice wine can then be added around the perimeter of the wok and stirred in quickly.

4. Add the cornstarch paste and allow the sauce to thicken

The last step is to add the sauce mixture you already prepared to the wok. The very final addition is the cornstarch paste, which is best added in slowly. Stir it well to allow the sauce to cook and thicken. 

Tips For The Best Results

• Don’t let the garlic burn. Minced garlic is very quick to burn, so you’ll want to stir it often while you quickly stir-fry it. Burnt garlic becomes bitter (almost like charcoal), upsetting the balance of the flavors in the sauce.
• Add the cornstarch paste slowly while stirring it. This is key to prevent clumps from forming, something we most definitely do not want.
• Keep the wok at a high heat. This works wonders for the broccoli. It will cook quickly, but stay crunchy and bright green. It’s also good for the garlic because when that’s cooked for longer at a low heat, it’s more likely to burn.
• Keep an eye on the sauce texture: You’ll know the sauce has thickened enough when it clings nicely to the broccoli and no longer runs off the back of a metal spoon. You can also check by running a finger down the middle of the coated spoon. The sauce should be thick enough that it stays put and the line stays clean. 

How Do Restaurants Make Broccoli Taste So Good?

If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to get your broccoli with garlic sauce as good as they do it in the restaurants, yes, it absolutely is! It’s all in the technique.

Restaurants know to blanch the broccoli rather than stir-fry it directly. This step locks in that lovely bright-green hue and helps give you the perfect crunch.

They also keep the wok at a high heat when stir frying the oil, garlic and broccoli. Again, it keeps the broccoli crunch and at the same time protects the delicate flavors in the sauce from being disrupted by burnt garlic.

Restaurants do also pay special attention to the sauce-to-vegetable ratio so that it thickens nicely.

Variations

• Add more veggies to your broccoli with garlic sauce. I like to use bell pepper, carrots and snap peas, and oftentimes some cashews. Of course, you will have to make more sauce the more veggies you use.
• Give it a protein boost with baked tofu. This is one of my son’s favourite variations! A side note: if you’re after more tasty tofu and broccoli combinations, you might also like my broccoli tofu stir fry with peanut sauce.
• Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free soy sauce instead of standard soy sauce. All of the other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
• Add hot sauce if you want more heat. Another way to add more spice to your meal is to combine it with a spicier side dish. My Szechuan-style tofu is perfect for that. It’s a sweet, spicy and tangy sauce from the Szechuan region of China.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve broccoli with garlic sauce on jasmine rice. Rice noodles also work well. However, the combination of jasmine rice and this thick, garlicky sauce is hard to beat. 

If you’re making a big spread with Asian cuisine, I’d definitely prepare some Korean stir fry too. It’s made with spicy gochujang sauce and cubed tofu, so again, you get some added heat, plus a protein boost.

Storage and Reheating

You don’t need to eat Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce right away. It lasts in the fridge for 1–2 days. Just make sure to keep it fresh in an airtight container. 

When it’s time to reheat the broccoli, the trick to avoiding soft, mushy broccoli is to bring it to room temperature before you reheat it. To do this, I just leave the leftovers out on the kitchen counter for 1–2 hours.

It doesn’t take long to reheat, and thanks to the cornstarch, the sauce holds well and thickens when you reheat it.

FAQ