This air fryer broccoli recipe is the BEST thing you can make in an air fryer, in fact it’s what I used my air fryer for most! Not only is this broccoli air fryer recipe made with just 3 simple ingredients, but it also cooks up in half the time of roasted broccoli. I’ll show you how to cook broccoli in air fryer (it’s so easy anyone can do it!), and I’m also sharing tips for the BEST air fryer roasted broccoli plus 5 different seasoning options. Serve it with air fryer frozen tilapia or air fryer frozen crab cakes for a double duty dinner.
If you’re obsessed with your air fryer, and constantly looking for other ways to use it, my air fryer buffalo cauliflower is a must! (It’s another vegetable that’s hard to stop eating!) And it’s also a great way to cook Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi!
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of Contents
- What You’ll Love about Broccoli in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli Ingredients
- How to Cook Broccoli in Air Fryer
- How long to cook broccoli in air fryer?
- Tips for the Best Roasted Broccoli in Air Fryer
- Storage Instructions
- Seasoning Ideas for Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli
- Broccoli Air Fryer FAQs
- How to Serve Air Fried Broccoli Recipe to the Whole Family
- What to Serve with Broccoli Air Fryer Recipe
- More Broccoli Recipes
- Helpful Tools to Make Broccoli Air Fryer Recipe
Can you cook broccoli in an air fryer?
Yes, you can cook broccoli in the air fryer and it’s actually what made me fall in love with the air fryer! If you love roasted broccoli, you’ll love how easy it is to make air fryer roasted broccoli.
What You’ll Love about Broccoli in the Air Fryer
- Seriously the best way to eat broccoli
- Cooks in just 6-8 minutes
- Crunchy bits in half the time
- Made with just 3 simple ingredients
- Nutritious, easy dinner side dish
Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli Ingredients
You’ll need just 3 ingredients to make this air fryer fresh broccoli:
- Broccoli florets – You can buy a bag of broccoli florets or a head of broccoli. If you use the bag, just be sure to trim the broccoli as there is often a big range of sizes
- Olive oil – The olive oil gives the broccoli great flavor, but
- Sea salt – See other seasoning ideas below
How to Cook Broccoli in Air Fryer
Cooking broccoli in air fryer couldn’t be easier:
- Preheat air fryer. Preheat for a few minutes at 400 degrees F.
- Trim broccoli. Cut the broccoli florets so they are the same size.
- Season broccoli. Toss broccoli florets with olive oil and sea salt to coat or use one of the other seasoning ideas below.
- Air fry broccoli. Roast broccoli in air fryer for 6-8 minutes, depending on how roasted you like it.
How long to cook broccoli in air fryer?
The cooking time will vary a bit on your broccoli size and how roasted you want them.
I recommend trimming the broccoli to about 1 inch pieces and start checking at 6 minutes. After 6 minutes of cooking, it will be lightly roasted, without much charring. After 8 minutes of cooking, it will be a bit crunchy with lots of charring.
Tips for the Best Roasted Broccoli in Air Fryer
Preheat air fryer
Preheat for a few minutes to help speed up the cooking
Trim broccoli
You’ll want all of the broccoli florets to be approximately the same size so they cook evenly
Coat evenly, don’t be shy
The olive oil imparts great flavor to the broccoli, give it a good coating
Don’t overcrowd air fryer
Cook broccoli in batches so that it roasts and doesn’t “steam”
Storage Instructions
Store leftover air fryer broccoli in a glass storage container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
How to reheat
Reheat broccoli in the microwave, oven, or throw it back into the air fryer.
Can you freeze roasted broccoli in the air fryer?
Yes, you can also freeze leftover broccoli for 2-3 months.
Seasoning Ideas for Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli
We gobble this broccoli air fryer recipe simply seasoned with sea salt, but if you’re looking to switch it up, try one of these seasoning ideas:
- Plain – just sea salt
- Sesame soy – Toss broccoli with 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Garlic salt – Swap sea salt for garlic salt
- Lemon pepper – Swap sea salt for lemon pepper seasoning
- Seasoning salt – Swap sea salt for seasoning salt
Broccoli Air Fryer FAQs
Is broccoli in the air fryer good?
YES, broccoli in the air fryer is SO good! In fact it’s so good that I think it’s reason enough to buy an air fryer.
Is air fryer broccoli healthy?
Yes, air fryer broccoli is healthy and I love that it’s a simple and easy way to make vegetables delicious and enjoyable. Because if a food is healthy without tasting good…well, you’re probably not going to want to eat it so it sort of defeats the purpose.
Can you air fry broccoli without oil?
I suppose you can air fry broccoli without oil, but why would you want to?! If you want to use less oil, you can also use an olive oil spritzer to impart some of the olive oil flavor and benefits in a lighter way.
How to Serve Air Fried Broccoli Recipe to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in. 😉
When it comes to veggies, your job is to provide the opportunities and keep the exposures coming! Switch up how you are serving your veggies, how you are seasoning veggies, and how you are preparing veggies! I always roasted broccoli until charred as I think it’s delicious that way, but was shocked when my kids had (mushy) steamed broccoli and LOVED it. Moral of the story is…switch it up!
All of my articles on feeding kids can be found here and if you want a FULL list of all of the videos I have with hacks, tips, scripts, and ideas for feeding kids, check out my instagram or tiktok page.
What to Serve with Broccoli Air Fryer Recipe
This roasted broccoli in air fryer makes a great side to just about any main dish. Here are a few to try:
More Broccoli Recipes
If you like this air fryer broccoli recipe, you might also like some of these other broccoli recipes:
- Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
- Ground Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Broccoli and Cheddar Turkey Meatloaf
- Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
- Ground Turkey Meal Prep Bowls
Helpful Tools to Make Broccoli Air Fryer Recipe
- Air Fryer – You can’t make broccoli in an air fryer without the air fryer! This model is basic, but does everything you need it to.
- Glass Storage Containers – Store any leftover crispy broccoli air fryer in these containers that can go right from fridge to microwave.
Air Fryer Broccoli Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Learn how to cook broccoli in the air fryer! This is an EASY + DELICIOUS air fryer broccoli recipe, plus recipe tips and 5 seasoning ideas!
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
- Cooking time: 6 minutes is lightly roasted, 8 minutes is crunchy and charred
Keywords: broccoli in air fryer, air fryer broccoli recipe, broccoli air fryer recipe, how to cook broccoli in air fryer, air fryer roasted broccoli
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