Air Fryer Broccoli

This air fryer broccoli recipe is a quick and easy way to make a tasty side dish in next to no time. With simple prep and just 5 minutes’ cook time, it can be on the table in less time than it takes your oven to heat up!

Why you’ll love this recipe

Air frying has to be one of the tastiest ways to cook broccoli. The action of the hot air in the air fryer helps to remove excess moisture, resulting in perfectly tender broccoli with crispy, slightly charred edges.

You only need a handful of ingredients, and it takes mere minutes to cook. Making it ideal for busy weeknights when you want to prepare a healthy side dish without spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

Scroll down for the printable card for this air fryer broccoli recipe, or read on for all the details.

What do you need?

Broccoli

This recipe uses a whole head of regular fresh broccoli (Calabrese broccoli), cut into florets. You can also cook Romanesco broccoli or broccolini in the air fryer.

Oil

The recipe below uses light olive oil, but you can substitute another cooking oil with a high smoke point (e.g. vegetable oil or corn oil).

If you want to reduce the oil in this recipe you can use an olive oil spray. However, choose the type that spritzes rather than an aerosol, and avoid generic ‘cooking sprays’, as both can damage the coating of your air fryer basket.

Seasoning

Alternatively, you can mix things up by adding other seasonings to adapt the recipe to your taste preferences. Try adding a teaspoon of onion powder, smoked paprika, chili flakes, or lemon zest.

How to cook broccoli in the air fryer

This recipe is soo quick and easy to prepare, there are just a few simple steps to getting it just right:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F/ 200°C
2. Cut the broccoli into florets, then rinse and pat dry on paper towels.
3. Add the broccoli to a large bowl, drizzle with oil, and add the seasoning. Toss to coat the broccoli thoroughly in the oil and seasoning.

4. Place the broccoli in the air fryer basket. Ideally, add the broccoli in a single layer. this will help it to cook evenly and get nice and crispy.
5. Air fry the broccoli for 5-8 minutes until it is tender and crispy at the edges. Note: If you have more broccoli than will fit in a single layer, shake the basket once or twice during cooking to redistribute the florets.

How long to air fry broccoli

The exact cooking times will vary depending on your air fryer and how much broccoli you are cooking. Monitor the broccoli towards the end of the cooking time and adjust the cooking time if needed until it is cooked to your liking.

Serving ideas

This air-fried broccoli makes a great side dish to any meal just on its own, but you can really elevate it to something special by trying one of these serving options:

• Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of powdered Parmesan cheese over the cooked broccoli
• Drizzle with pesto and sprinkle with flaked almonds
• Top with cheese sauce
• Sprinkle with lemon juice or serve with lemon wedges
• Make an Asian-inspired sauce from Sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and sesame oil
• Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of nutritional yeast over the cooked broccoli (a delicious vegan alternative to Parmesan cheese)

Storing and reheating

Store any leftover broccoli in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You can reheat the broccoli in the air fryer. Simply pop the broccoli back in the air fryer to cook for around 3-4 minutes to reheat it and crisp it up again.

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