Whatever your time crunch, air fryer broccoli is a proven method to make sure you get vegetables on the table.
This broccoli cooks in about 10 minutes and comes out as juicy and crispy as it would if it had been baked.
Which is better? In the air fryer, a small amount of oil is sufficient. Only a few tablespoons of olive oil are necessary. That’s eating well, right?
This recipe will quickly become a staple, whether you’re searching for a quick side dish or want to top your favorite pasta dish with crispy broccoli.
What You’ll Need for Air Fryer Broccoli
Two ingredients and some seasonings are all you need to prepare a batch of this delicious broccoli. Additionally, it’s a cheap alternative for dinner.
| Ingredients | Process |
| Broccoli | Use a bag of pre-chopped broccoli or chop up 1 large head of broccoli. You need about 4 cups of florets that are 1 inch long. |
| Olive Oil | I prefer to use olive oil since it has a more mild, more versatile flavor profile. |
| Seasonings | Salt, pepper, and garlic powder offer you a fantastic flavor. These fundamental seasonings work beautifully, though you can always add additional seasonings if you like. |
How to Make Broccoli in Air Fryer?
Remove the fluffy head from the stalk of the broccoli and cut it into florets while your fryer preheats at 400 degrees.
In a bowl suitable for the microwave, melt the butter. Now add some garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and a few red pepper flakes to enhance the taste and mix them properly.
Stir the mixture before adding the florets. The florets should be completely covered in grated parmesan, so sprinkle some more on top and toss once more.
In the basket, arrange the florets as best as you can while attempting to minimize overlapping. You may serve your air fryer-roasted broccoli right away and garnish it with additional parmesan to taste.
Tips for Making Air-Fried Broccoli
Toss Everything and Put it in the Basket
Despite what you might think, prepare everything in a bowl before placing it all in the air fryer basket. Using a bowl will allow the broccoli to properly absorb the seasonings and, more crucially, the olive oil.
To ensure that the broccoli cooks evenly and has the crisp-tender texture you desire, coat the stems and leaves equally.
Assort the Sizes of Your Florets
When attempting to balance desired doneness and crispiness when using an air fryer, some trial and error may be involved.
Broccoli that has been cut into too-small or too-large florets will be scorched, respectively. Cut the florets to a width that is about equal to the width of a regular dinner fork to ensure that you are in the sweet spot.
Avoid overcrowding the Air Fryer
To quickly and evenly cook and crisp your food, air fryers simply use hot air circulation because they are essentially small convection ovens.
If the air fryer basket is crammed with broccoli, some of the airflows will be blocked, resulting in steamed, delicate broccoli rather than “fried,” crispy, and tender broccoli. If necessary, work in batches, and make sure that there is enough room around each piece of broccoli for airflow.
Shake the basket during the Cooking Process
Shaking the fryer basket will assist in flipping a few broccoli pieces and ensuring that the heat is adequately reaching all of the pieces to promote even cooking and crisping.
Serving Suggestions
The only option that is more evident than serving them as a side dish, particularly for dishes that could use a textural increase, is to eat them directly out of a large bowl with your hands.
For a quick and filling weekday supper, serve it with this straightforward miso-baked sea bass and coconut rice. This broccoli can also be used as a crunchy topping for your preferred bowl or anything else that includes broccoli.
Does Air Frying Make Broccoli Lose Its Nutrients?
Vegetables always lose some of their inherent nutrients when cooked, roasted, or baked, as you are surely aware.
The greatest approach to consuming all of the health benefits of produce is to eat raw vegetables. But when roasted in an air fryer as opposed to being normally boiled, sautéed, fried, or baked, broccoli keeps more of these health advantages.
These nutrients are mainly safeguarded because the interior of the vegetable is substantially unaltered.
What Can I Put on Roasted Broccoli?
Any seasoning that you would use on roasted broccoli is delicious and is cooked in an air fryer. Here are some suggestions to get you going:
- To make parmesan broccoli: Immediately after the broccoli has finished air-frying, sprinkle 18 to 14 cups of grated parmesan cheese over it. Yum!
- Spicy Air Fryer Broccoli: After the broccoli has finished cooking, add a small number of red pepper flakes.
- Air Fryer Broccoli with Cheese: Broccoli in the air fryer with cheese: Stir in a few handfuls (or more) of cheddar cheese while the broccoli is still hot.
- Dress it: Your air fryer will taste even better when you add lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, or a drizzle of your preferred vinaigrette.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Broccoli in Air Fryer?
Your desired texture will determine how long to cook broccoli in your air fryer.
Do you prefer softer vegetables with browned crispy bits or crisp, crunchy stalks? In the air fryer, you can prepare it either way.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Cook broccoli for 10 minutes at 300 degrees F for a crisp exterior and tender interior.
- Reduce cooking time by 1-2 minutes for broccoli that is firmer.
- For broccoli with a roasted finish, increase the cooking time by one to two minutes. (I love making broccoli in the air fryer this way because the caramelized parts are so delicious.)
Is Air Fryer Broccoli Healthy?
Air-fried broccoli is highly nourishing.
We already understand the health benefits of eating broccoli. Most likely, we’ve heard that since we were young. When cooked in an air fryer, broccoli retains the majority of its nutrients and becomes considerably more appetizing than when it is cooked in a conventional oven.
The fact that you only need a little oil to cook almost anything in an air fryer is one of its best features. Therefore, you’ll use a fraction of the fat that you could use while preparing broccoli in another manner.
Although roasting broccoli in the air fryer uses less oil than roasting it in the oven, the results are still comparable. Additionally, compared to boiling or steaming broccoli, air-fried broccoli helps to preserve more nutrients.
Up to 25% of the vitamins in vegetables can be lost in the water when they are boiled. You should try to consume as many of the beneficial minerals, such as calcium and vitamins A and C, from broccoli as you can.
You can be sure you’re getting as much of that nutritious green deliciousness as you possibly can by air-frying your broccoli, which permits the broccoli to keep the majority of those vitamins.
Is Broccoli Safe to Cook in An Air Fryer?
Broccoli is fantastic in the air fryer and it crisps up quite quickly.
Air-fried broccoli is a quick and easy approach to convincing your kids to eat their vegetables. They’ll enjoy the crisp texture, and you can be assured that they’re getting lots of vitamins and minerals.
Broccoli is high in fiber, high in vitamins, and low in carbs, but you already knew that. The way air frying changes the flavor is the true game changer here.
Do You Steam the Broccoli Before You Air Fry It?
It is not necessary to steam your broccoli before air fried it. If you prefer your broccoli tender, add a tablespoon of water to the bottom of the fryer to produce a steaming effect.
Broccoli does not need to be steamed before air fried. Instead, prior to cooking, add a few teaspoons of water to the air fryer. As the water evaporates, the broccoli will soften slightly.
Conclusion
- Use your air fryer instead of the oven to get wonderfully crisp and tender broccoli. It’s a smart method to cook the vegetable and still make it taste good because you can get away with using little oil.
- Adding some greens to your next lunch is easy and delicious with air-fried broccoli! I beg you to try broccoli in the air fryer even if you’re not normally a lover of vegetables. It tastes so much better than the usual steamed vegetables.
- In comparison to using an oven, you may get the same roasted broccoli results much faster. Broccoli that is soft, succulent, and air-fried with browned edges and roasted flavor only needs ten minutes, some oil, salt, and pepper.