Roasted Broccoli in Air Fryer

Our roasted broccoli in air fryer recipe is about to become your new favorite side dish! Whether you are feeding a crowd or it's a simple dinner for two, air fried broccoli is the perfect easy recipe. Crispy roasted vegetables are perfectly seasoned and cook up in just a few minutes, so you focus on the main dish. It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!

 

Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli Recipe

Brocolli happens to be one of our family's favorite vegetables. Whether we are serving it up raw with a dip or cooking it up using one of the amazing dishes below, you can count on broccoli being served at least once or twice a week.

And as well as it works inside a variety of dishes, sometimes it's just nice to enjoy the simplicity of the vegetable itself. Cooking broccoli in an air fryer allows you to do just that. With just some oil, a dash of garlic salt and pepper, and a few minutes of cook time, the air fryer brings out the robust flavor of the broccoli and serves it up crisp on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside.

My husband really enjoyed being able to taste test this recipe for me in the test kitchen. He may have even requested multiple tastings, just to be sure the flavor was spot on. 😉

Broccoli, like many greens out there, is a seriously healthy vegetable. It is a great source of vitamins C and K and provides some much-needed folate, potassium, and fiber. Plus, it pairs so well with air fryer bone-in chicken thighs or this magically moist air fryer chicken breast recipe.

Why You'll Love This!!

• Simple and quick, this air fryer broccoli recipe helps you make a healthy side dish that you can create even on the busiest of nights. 
• Using the air fryer, the veggie takes on a texture that is unable to be recreated using traditional cooking and roasting methods.
• Garlic salt and pepper combine with oil to create a vegetable side that is perfect for a quick dinner for two or a large gathering.
• Not only is this air fryer broccoli recipe super easy, but it's also super versatile! Low-carb, keto, gluten-free, Whole30, vegan, vegetarian, and even Paleo eating plans call all enjoy the robust flavors of this broccoli in air fryer recipe.

An air fryer is certainly a useful tool in any kitchen! We love using ours to create a variety of vegetable side dishes including air fryer Brussel sprouts, air fryer sweet potatoes, and even air-fried mushrooms!

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Ingredient Notes

One of the benefits of using your air fryer to create your vegetable sides is the unique texture they get. Crisp outsides and soft centers are just about the best way to enjoy any veggie in my opinion. Yet, the quality of the final dish all depends on the ingredients you start with. Be sure your broccoli is fresh and prep it beforehand by cutting and washing the pieces.

• fresh broccoli
• Olive oil
• garlic salt
• ground black pepper

Variations

• While we do prefer using a fresh head of broccoli and cutting it ourselves, if you prefer, you can also substitute a bag of prewashed and trimmed broccoli. Just note, they are usually around 12 ounces. 

Equipment

An Air Fryer- We have an Omni Plus oven style air fryer and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer. 

Step by Step Instructions

Air frying broccoli is the best way to make fresh broccoli in your favorite kitchen gadget in just a few minutes!

Prep Ingredients

Prepare your broccoli by washing it and cutting the head into bite-sized spears. You can use as much of the veggie as your air fryer will hold! With our toaster oven style air fryer, we could easily hold an entire head of broccoli. 

In a pinch, using pre-washed bagged broccoli is super helpful! The standard bag size is 12 oz, which is pretty close to the head of broccoli once you cut off most of the stalk.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the bite-size broccoli pieces, the olive oil, garlic salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Broccoli In Air Fryer Temperature

Preheat air fryer to 400F for 3-5 minutes. If your air fryer does not have a preheat feature, you can always turn your unit on and allow it to run and come up to temperature.

Broccoli In Air Fryer Cook Time

Evenly spread the prepared broccoli in the air fryer basket, scraping down the bowl with a spatula so you don't leave any oil or seasoning behind. Sprinkle with additional seasoning if desired. 

Cook the broccoli in the air fryer for 6 minutes, flip the veggies to the other side and then continue roasting for 5-7 more minutes until they're crispy and roasted to perfection.

Roasted vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts taste the best when they're cooked to the point of being slightly charred and caramelized. This makes them extra crisp, more flavorful, and it brings out their natural sweetness. If you want to get your kids to eat their roasted vegetables, cook them to the point of being partially brown. 😉

If you have a basket-style air fryer, you'll want to layer the broccoli on top of each other and instead of flipping at the halfway point like an oven-style air fryer, you'll want to shake the broccoli every 3-4 minutes to ensure even crisping.

Our air fryer broccoli was perfect at 12 minutes, but depending on your make and model, or desired degree of doneness, the vegetables could take up to 14 minutes to cook. And by all means, if you don't like dark roasted broccoli, they're technically cooked through after 10 minutes in an air fryer.

This recipe serves 4, with a 1 cup serving size.

Recipe Tips

• To create a low-fat version of this roasted broccoli simply forgo the oil.
• You can use a mix of broccoli and cauliflower since both vegetables have the same cook time.
• Top your air fryer roasted broccoli with parmesan cheese, a squirt of lemon juice, your choice of herbs, or even red pepper flakes for a simple variation.
• All air fryers cook differently, some cook hotter and others slower. If this is your first time making broccoli in an air fryer, check for doneness a couple of minutes before the recipe instructions say it'll be done.

Common Questions

Air Fryer Broccoli and Cauliflower

If you're wanting to make air fryer broccoli and cauliflower, the process is identical to just cooking broccoli on its own. Since broccoli and cauliflower are in the same family and they're about the same size, it's easy to swap some of the broccoli with cauliflower.

Making this is even easier when you just buy a bag of pre-washed and cut mix from the grocery store! There's no need to buy two separate heads (unless you want to of course!) Changing things up by preparing mixed vegetables in your air fryer like broccoli and cauliflower is a great idea alongside any dinner recipe.

More Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes

Looking for more air fryer vegetable recipes?

• Air fryer Brussel sprouts
• Mushrooms in air fryer
• Air fryer sweet potatoes
• Air fryer green bean and mushrooms

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