Air Fryer Broccoli

Air fryer broccoli is the easiest, simple, delicious low-carb side dish that can be ready in minutes with ingredients found in your spice cabinet.

This recipe is so simple, it almost can’t even be counted as a ‘recipe’ but its my go-to favorite way to do air fryer broccoli so I wanted to document and share it with you all. It’s all about the cooking method and simple flavors that let the broccoli itself really shine.

If you haven’t done broccoli in the air fryer yet, you’re in for a treat. It crisps the edges up and gives them that rich roasted, salty taste without having to use the oven. We make it at least once a week, usually more!

Ingredients

The base ingredients in this recipe are so simple but so delicious. The charring on the broccoli adds so much flavor that you don’t need a whole lot of other seasoning. Here’s what the recipe calls for:

• broccoli
• avocado oil olive oil works here too
• garlic powder
• salt
• black pepper

While it’s absolutely delectable as is, this recipe is ripe for pretty much any additions or substitutions you can think of. This is an excellent base. Sometimes I add cajun seasoning, a squirt of lemon or whatever herbs I’m cooking with in the main dish. Get creative! Or don’t, it’s great as written.

How to make crispy air fryer broccoli

Making broccoli in an air fryer is so simple, there are just a few basic steps. Fist and foremost, bust out your air fryer. Then, here’s what you do next:

1. Preheat your air fryer.
2. While the air fryer is pre-heating, rub those broccoli florets down with oil and seasoning.
   
3. Place the broccoli in the air fryer, set it to 400° F and cook for about 7 minutes, shaking the basket half way through.
   
4. Remove from air fryer and serve!
   

Air fryer frozen broccoli

Can you even cook frozen broccoli in an air fryer? Why yes, yes you can! Here are a few tips for making sure your frozen broccoli comes out perfectly:

• You may need to cook it a minute or two longer (about 8 or 9 mins total with my COSORI air fryer)
• Make sure you’re really pressing the seasoning into the oiled broccoli pieces or else it will come off as the broccoli warms up and the frozen water melts off of it. If you notice yours isn’t seasoned well at the end, give it an extra shake of salt and toss before serving.

Tips and tricks

This recipe is so simple and easy, I don’t have too many tricks up my sleeve but here are a few pointers that will help ensure it comes out perfectly for you every time:

• Make sure your broccoli is dry before rubbing with oil and seasoning. This will make sure it comes out as crispy as possible.
• Cut any huge broccoli florets in half so they’re all roughly the same size. A few big ones and a few tiny ones won’t matter but you want the bulk of them to be consistently sized.
• Don’t be afraid to pull your air fryer basked out and check on it! All air fry models cook differently and yours may cook the broccoli faster or slower than average.

What to serve it with

Again, this recipe is so simple that it pairs well with pretty much anything. Here are a few of my favorite ways to eat it.

• Serve it with this delicious baked salmon and this lemon brown rice pilaf.
• Add a squirt of lemon and make it the side dish to go with this grilled Greek chicken and this fabulous show stopper Greek pasta salad.
• Serve it along side this tasty Instant Pot beef stroganoff to up the veggie level in that meal (if chicken is more your thing, try my chicken stroganoff recipe).
• Serve it alongside a bowl of pasta topped with this fabulous homemade turkey spaghetti sauce (if you’re going low-carb, try pairing with roasted spaghetti squash instead).