Best Microwave Broccoli: Steam in Bag Broccoli Taste Test!

The best microwave broccoli should taste like broccoli that was steamed on the stove top. It shouldn’t be total mush when you cook it according to the instructions on the bag. It should be firm (but not tough), bright green, and flavorful. 

I used to consider it a point of pride that I don’t own a microwave (I can’t even totally explain why at this point), but the more I taste test products that are intended to be cooked in a microwave, the more I feel like a jerk. Steaming frozen broccoli on the stovetop isn’t a huge undertaking or anything, but tossing a bag in the microwave? That’s what I’m talking about. To find the best microwave broccoli, we stocked up on all the steam-in-bag broccoli we could find and cooked it according to the package instructions. Unfortunately, some brands come out way too tough. Others totally turn to mush. This is the best frozen broccoli you can (and should) cook in the microwave. We really stunk up the office for this one.

Runner-Up

For being billed as broccoli “florets,” Birds Eye microwave broccoli is pretty stemmy. I cooked this on high for 4.5 minutes as instructed and, sadly, the stems were a little tough, but the florets were very tender and tasty. Luckily, you get a lot of big pieces of broccoli in this bag and no sad, disembodied stems floating around. If you’re at a grocery store where you have to choose between Birds Eye and Green Giant, Birds Eye makes the better steam-in-bag broccoli. But if you shop at Walmart … 

Credit: Merc / Target

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

This broccoli smelled the fartiest but tasted the best. I cooked this bag of steam-in-bag broccoli for the suggested time based on our microwave’s wattage, and it came out firm and flavorful. The florets have long stems, but they aren’t tough. This tasted the most like actual stovetop-steamed broccoli by a mile. Plus, if you’re using this to make broccoli with cheese sauce, it isn’t going to turn to mush as you stir. We tasted a couple of presauced microwave broccoli brands and they were watery and a little gross—you’re better off making this and giving it a Velveeta drizzle. Trust me, this is the best microwave broccoli you can buy.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Other products we tried: Green Giant Simply Steam, Green Giant Broccoli & Cheese Sauce, Birds Eye Sauced Cheesy Broccoli, Good & Gather Steam in Bag Broccoli Florets

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