This Air Fryer Broccoli is quick, easy, and delicious. It’s a 7-ingredient recipe for perfectly crisp-tender broccoli. Serve as a healthy snack or as a side dish with your favorite entree!
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Have you ever had perfect roasted broccoli? I’ll be honest, I thought I had until I tried making broccoli in the air fryer. 😉
This recipe is about as simple as it gets with broccoli, a little bit of oil, parmesan, and a couple of seasonings but the result is deliciously flavorful and perfectly tender yet crispy broccoli. I don’t think I will ever cook broccoli any other way again!
We love serving this broccoli with a big plate of Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo or Air Fryer Steak and a crispy Baked Potato! You could even just serve it with a bowl of Homemade Cheese Sauce and call it dinner 😉
Looking for more ways to use your air fryer? Check out these Air Fryer Green Beans, 15 Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners or 50 Best Air Fryer Recipes!
Air Fryer Broccoli Ingredients:
This Air Fryer Broccoli is made up of super simple ingredients. My guess is you’ve got most of these already in your kitchen!
- Broccoli Florets: be sure to chop the broccoli evenly in size — if you have smaller pieces they may burn, and larger pieces may not be tender.
- Oil: I use canola oil since it has a very neutral flavor but other types of oil will work as well.
- Parmesan Cheese: use freshly grated parmesan for the best texture. You can omit the cheese to make this recipe dairy free.
- Seasonings: I use a simple blend of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. This adds great flavor but keeps this side dish versatile — it goes with anything!
- Water: you’ll add a splash of water to the inside of the air fryer to prevent burning. You can omit the water for crispier broccoli, but you may find they take longer to cook and the edges burn.
How to Make Broccoli in the Air Fryer
This simple yet delicious side dish takes a total of just 12 minutes to throw together.
- Prep the broccoli: Cut the broccoli into equal-sized pieces, then toss with oil, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Prep the air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Open the air fryer and add in water, then brush the air fryer basket with oil or non-aerosol cooking spray.
- Cook and serve: Add the air fryer into the basket in a singe layer, then cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes, then serve and enjoy.
How Long Should I Put Broccoli in the Air Fryer?
This depends on how well-done you like your broccoli. I air fry the broccoli for an initial 4-5 minutes, flip it, then air fry for another 2-3 minutes and it comes out perfectly crisp-tender.
If you like the broccoli with more crunch, cook for less time. If you like it extra crispy, add an extra minute or two.
Air Fryer Broccoli FAQs
Totally! If all you have is frozen broccoli, you can easily use that in this recipe. Simply prep as directed but cook for 6-8 minutes to start instead. Keep in mind that the extra moisture from frozen broccoli will result in slightly less crispy air fried broccoli, so skip the water in the bottom.
Heck yes it is! Broccoli is loaded with vitamins and nutrients such as fiber, iron, vitamin C, and more. Since it’s air fried, you get to simulate the taste and texture of fried food but without all the excess oil.
Leftover cooked broccoli will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, warm in the air fryer at 350ºF for 1-2 minutes. You can also warm in the microwave, but it won’t be as crisp.
Tips and tricks
- Preheat the air fryer. If the air fryer is preheating while the broccoli is inside, the outsides will likely burn before the inside is cooked through.
- Cut evenly. I recommend cutting the florets about 1″ in size and similar in size so they cook fully and evenly.
- Add water. Adding a splash of water to the bottom of the air fryer helps create a little bit of steam to prevent burning.
- Spread in a single layer. If the broccoli florets are layered on top of one another, they won’t cook all the way around. I recommend cooking in a single layer and air frying in batches if need be.
- Play with seasonings. You can totally customize this air fryer broccoli depending on how you want to serve it. Toss with taco seasoning and serve with tacos, toss with teriyaki, sesame oil, or soy sauce and serve with your favorite Asian dishes, brighten it up with a squeeze of lemon juice, spice it up with Sriracha, chili powder, red pepper flakes, or cayenne. The seasoning possibilities are endless!
Serving Suggestions
This Air Fryer Broccoli is perfect with so many different entrees. Serve it next to your favorite pasta, soup, or an air fried protein! Try air fryer chicken breast, air fryer pork chops, air fryer salmon, or air fryer steak.
You can also use it to top an Air Fryer Baked Potato with some cheddar cheese and sour cream.
More Air Fryer Side Dishes
Air Fryer Broccoli
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 225 grams fresh broccoli florets (about ½ pound, cut into roughly equal pieces)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Cut broccoli into equal-sized pieces if they are not already.
- Toss broccoli with oil, then season with Parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper, tossing and pressing into the broccoli florets to season well.
- Open the air fryer and add the water (you can skip, but there is a risk that the broccoli ends will be burnt and the centers not cooked through).
- Brush the air fryer basket with oil or spray with non-aerosol non-stick spray and add the broccoli in a single layer.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until desired doneness is reached, about 2-3 minutes more.
- Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired and serve.
Notes
- Preheat the air fryer. If the air fryer is preheating while the broccoli is inside, the outsides will likely burn before the inside is cooked through.
- Cut evenly. I recommend cutting the florets about 1″ in size and similar in size so they cook fully and evenly.
- Add water. Adding a splash of water to the bottom of the air fryer helps create a little bit of steam to prevent burning.
- Spread in a single layer. If the broccoli florets are layered on top of one another, they won’t cook all the way around. I recommend cooking in a single layer and air frying in batches if need be.
Nutrition Information
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Megan B says
Just made this as a side dish with the already loved baked honey garlic chicken recipe and it was a huge hit. I will never make broccoli another way again! Great recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Megan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Amanda says
Can I ask which brand of air fryer you use? I would like to get one but overwhelmed by the many options!
Amanda
G Clark says
I would like to know which air fryer you recommend as well.
The Recipe Rebel says
We have two Chefman air fryers (a 3.7 quart and an 8 quart) and we use them both all the time.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Amanda! We have two Chefman air fryers (a 3.7 quart and an 8 quart) and we use them both all the time.