Instant Pot French Onion Broccoli Casserole

Instant Pot French Onion Broccoli Casserole—broccoli coated in creamy french onion dip, cheddar cheese and then topped with crispy fried onions. Even broccoli haters lover this casserole!

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Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card below

Instant Pot French Onion Broccoli Casserole

This broccoli casserole has all the best elements of a casserole…a creamy sauce, shredded cheese and a crispy topping. Even if you’re not a fan of broccoli this casserole may just change your mind. And with only 5 ingredients you can put this casserole side dish together in hardly any time at all.

Ingredients

This easy recipe has only 5 ingredients and tons of flavor!

• Package of frozen broccoli florets–find the largest package of broccoli you can find! I used the “family package” that was 24 ounces. I like using florets instead of chopped broccoli. But you can use either.
• French onion dip–buy a sour cream based french onion dip. Find this dip next to the sour cream at your grocery store.
• Cream of mushroom soup–you can also use cream of chicken or cream of celery soup
• Cheddar cheese–I shred mine off of the block instead of buying pre-packaged cheese. It tastes better and it melts better. I like using extra sharp cheddar cheese for lots of flavor.
• French fried onions-like French’s crispy fried onions or the store brand. You can also use a crushed Ritz cracker topping or panko bread crumbs. 

Instructions

1. Stir ingredients together: In a big mixing bowl stir together the broccoli, dip, soup and 1 cup of the cheese. Toss well so that all the broccoli is coated. Pour into a deep pot-in-pot dish (I used a 3 quart liner* as a pot-in-pot dish inside my 6 quart Instant Pot). 
2. Prepare Instant Pot: Pour 1 ½ cups water into bottom of Instant Pot. Place the pot-in-pot dish on top of a sling/trivet and lower into the Instant Pot (I left my dish uncovered).
3. Pressure cook: Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 25 minutes. When time is up move valve to venting and remove the lid. 
4. Topping time: Stir the broccoli dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the French fried onions and serve. (You can brown up the topping in the oven or use your Instant Pot air fryer lid, if desired). Salt and pepper to taste.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Yes you can! Here are the crockpot instructions:

1. In a big mixing bowl stir together the broccoli, dip, soup and 1 cup of the cheese cheese. Toss well so that all the broccoli is coated. Pour into slow cooker (a 3 or 6 quart slow cooker works well).
2. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours (remember all slow cookers cook differently so some may take more time and some may take less time). Remove the lid.
3. Stir the broccoli dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the French fried onions and serve. 

Can I make this in the oven?

Yes you can! Here are the oven instructions:

1. Heat your oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a big mixing bowl stir together the broccoli, dip, soup and 1 cup of the cheese cheese. Toss well so that all the broccoli is coated. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
3. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and top with the remaining cheese and the fried onions. Bake for 5 more minutes.

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Can I use fresh broccoli?

I tried this cheesy broccoli casserole recipe initially with fresh broccoli and it wasn’t nearly as tasty. The broccoli didn’t cook properly. I realized that frozen broccoli is blanched (dipped for a few minutes in boiling water before it is frozen) and so that is why it turned out better. If you’d like to use fresh broccoli I recommend cutting the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and blanching them before using in the recipe. 

Do you cook the broccoli before putting in casserole?

No. For this particular broccoli cheese casserole recipe you don’t need to cook the frozen broccoli. You will just take frozen broccoli out of the freezer and use it. No thawing or cooking is necessary.

Why pot-in-pot?

The Instant Pot pot-in-pot (PIP) cooking method is cooking food in a separate dish that’s placed on a trivet inside your Instant Pot liner. Steam is created from water below the trivet and builds pressure to cook the food. If you tried to cook this recipe directly in the Instant Pot you would get the burn error message because of the lack of thin liquid.

Equipment I used

• 6 quart Instant Pot*
• 3 quart Instant Pot liner*
• OXO Sling*
• Mixing bowl*
• Rubber scraper*

Can you make Broccoli Cheese Casserole ahead of time?

Yes you can! If you are serving this at a potluck or a family dinner and want to make it ahead of time you can do it one of two ways:

1. Make the recipe as stated and just keep the pot on the “keep warm” setting until ready to serve. If making in the slow cooker or oven use the warm setting as well.
2. Do step 1 of the recipe and keep the dish in the refrigerator until ready to cook. When ready to cook follow the recipe as stated.

How long is this Broccoli Cheese Casserole good for?

You can keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze in an airtight container* for up to 3 months.

Serving Suggestions

This casserole goes great with sliced honey baked ham, turkey breast, chicken, etc. Add a baked potato and a side of sweet corn or corn on the cob for a full meal.

Is broccoli casserole good for you?

Broccoli casserole can be eaten in moderation and can be part of your diet. It’s not the healthiest dish but I’m a firm believer in portion control and pairing less healthy foods with more healthy foods. The nutrition information is:

Calories 288, Total Fat 20.7g, Saturated Fat 10.1g, Cholesterol 18.6mg, Sodium 792.5mg, Total Carbohydrates 16.8g, Dietary Fiber 2.7g, Sugars 4.6g, Protein 8.9g

To lower the sodium use no salt added cream of mushroom soup.

To lower the carbs use crushed pork rinds on top instead of the french fried onions.

To lower the fat use low fat cream of mushroom soup and low fat dip and cut the amount of cheese in half. You can also make your own dip with plain yogurt and a couple tablespoons of onion soup mix.

If you’re not a fan of using cream of mushroom soup you can make your own from scratch.

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Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.