Broccoli is a vegetable native to Asian countries and has been grown and consumed for ages. Broccoli has become extremely popular in recent years and is worshipped by the health food industry. Just 100 grams of broccoli can provide as much as a day’s requirement of nutrients for an adult. Thus broccoli is called a superfood, and many health professionals consume it religiously daily. Despite broccoli’s nutrition, many are put off by the bitter-sweet taste. The bitter taste reduces post-cooking, but the taste is still evident if you do not mix broccoli with other vegetables. Like a few other vegetables, broccoli is extremely low in carbs but high in essential fiber. We are here to check out the different alternatives that can substitute broccoli.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower is the best alternative, as it looks the same but in white color. It tastes sweet while retaining none of the bitter taste of the broccoli. It has the same shape same texture and closely resembles broccoli. Most people are aware of the white cauliflower. However, cauliflower is also present in orange, green, and purple colors.
- Green cauliflower is called broccoflower and will be the ideal replacement with a sweet and mild taste, provided you can find one.
- Purple cauliflower has more antioxidants and presents a different nutrition profile.
- The orange cauliflower comes in higher levels of Vitamin A.
- Fioretto cauliflower comes with larger florets and thinner stems but is a hybrid variety (non-GMO) of the cauliflower family.
- Romanesco cauliflower, also known as fractal broccoli, is stunning and utterly different-looking variety. It’s a mix of cauliflower and broccoli, with the florets being green on the outside and white on the inside.
Cabbage
Cabbage is our next best substitute for broccoli, with a mild sweet taste and crunchiness that feels nice to bite into. Like cauliflower, cabbage comes in green and purple colors, the purple one being high on anti-oxidants. Just 100 grams of cabbage is enough to get your day’s level of nutrients, making it an excellent alternative for healthy food diets. You can have it raw in salads and baked, stir-fried, cooked, or even fried. The taste goes well with all the recipes, and it compliments all the other ingredients. The taste is never overpowering, and you can safely use it in the required quantity or even more.
Brussels Sprouts
We have discussed how cabbages replace broccoli. Similarly, Brussels sprouts are also a great substitute because they look like smaller cabbages versions and taste similar. As with cabbages, Brussels sprouts are very easy to find in stores and therefore score high on our list. Though smaller, Brussels sprouts exhibit a more robust flavor and can also turn slightly bitter post-cooking. Brussels sprouts come in many different varieties, even more than cauliflower. However, we can use all Brussels sprouts in any recipe.
Kale
We move on to leafy vegetables that can be used to substitute for broccoli. Kale is one such highly nutritious and readily available vegetable. You will find it in any store. Like broccoli, kale is also one of the superfoods popular in the health food industry. Kale is versatile, and you can consume it raw with salads, sandwiches, smoothies, or cook it with other ingredients. You can have Kale steamed or sautéed as well. Ensure you choose organic kale as its high in all vitamins, minerals, and essential fiber.
Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard is another leafy vegetable we highly recommend. Kale and Swiss chad are pretty similar in terms of nutrition and looks. However, the swiss chad looks distinctively more appealing with its characteristic red stems. This gives an excellent visual appeal when used as leafy greens, salads, sandwiches, etc. The visual appeal of swiss chad got to us too. Diet or healthy food does not have to taste or look dull, and swiss chad makes it look even better. Swiss chad can also be pureed, pickled, steamed, and stir-fried.
Spinach
If not already made famous by Popeye, the health professionals have not let it down. Spinach is a superfood that we can use as a vegetable in different raw and cooked preparations. We also can use Spinach in smoothies and juices. Apart from these uses, Spinach also goes well with other ingredients in soups, stews, pies, and more.
Asparagus
Asparagus is what will ensure you do not miss out on the crunchiness of fresh broccoli. The texture of Asparagus is soft, tender, and brittle. Asparagus softens when exposed to heat and will bring out the nice mild sweet flavors. Asparagus is usually stir-fried by heal food professionals and is always a part of meal planning diets. This vegetable has all the nutrition you need, just like the alternatives discussed earlier in this article. However, Asparagus brings a different visual appeal to the table.
Bok Choy
Bok choy is quite an unlikely entry to this list. However, Bok choy scores well because of the soft yet crunchy taste and a mildly sweet flavor that can perfectly replace broccoli. Bok choy is as healthy as any other alternatives we have considered. However, Bok choy has to be mostly consumed fresh if you plan to use it in salads, and sandwiches as raw, as it loses its crunchiness over time.
Bok choy is commonly known as Chinese cabbage and comes loaded with nutrition. It will be interesting to note that ancient Chinese people use Bok choy as a medicine. So using bok choy will not just benefit your health but will also provide its medicinal properties. Bok choy belongs to the same family of plants as broccoli. The only con is that bok choy can be challenging to find as it’s primarily popular in Asia. You can find them in Asian stores or in and around a China town in your city.
Final Words
You can also consider baby spinach leaves, turnip greens, green beans, and collard greens as a substitute for broccoli. If you want to avoid the bitter taste, cauliflower will be your best choice. Else, all other alternatives work equally well. I hope you liked the information we presented. Do check the more informative articles on our website. Bon Appetit.