Broccoli is wonderful when cooked in the air fryer. It comes out softened and lightly caramelized in just 10 minutes. Sooo good!
I like my broccoli to be mostly softened at the stem and well-browned in places on the seedy, flowery parts. 10 minutes is perfect. But, if you like them even browner, you can put them in for a bit longer.
If you’ve been unsure about getting an air fryer, don’t wait any longer. It will change your life. It’s not just for foods that we think of as fried. It’s for just about everything! Like broccoli! And carrots and cabbage too! Now let’s get cooking with that broccoli!
Video: Making Air Fryer Veggies
Preheat The Air Fryer
Get the air fryer preheating to 400°F. It doesn’t take long to preheat, but note you’ll likely be ready to add your broccoli to the air fryer before it’s done preheating. That’s totally fine. Get that broccoli in there as quickly as you can so you can move onto something else.
What Kind Of Broccoli Should You Use?
I love convenience so I sometimes buy the bag of broccoli florets sold in the produce department. However, a head of broccoli is often a lot cheaper. If you’re going in that direction, you’ll get the head of broccoli, trim off the florets, breaking them into large bite-sized pieces. Then, if you’d like, peel the stalks like this, and then chop the stalks into a couple pieces each. I honestly love the peeled stalks raw. Thin slices in salad, or just full stalks in ranch dressing. Mmmm. But they’re great air-fried too!
Season The Broccoli
Put the broccoli florets (and optional stalks) into a bowl and toss them with 1-2 teaspoons of cooking oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.
Note that you could do this right in the air fryer basket instead of dirtying a bowl. However, I find that some of the oil and seasoning drops straight through the holes in the basket when I add it directly to the basket. Using a bowl ensures more of it adheres to the broccoli. But this is really not a huge deal. I’m just a perfectionist sometimes.
How To Cook Air Fryer Broccoli
Transfer the broccoli to the basket of your air fryer. Toss it around a bit to get it into a single layer, or as much of a single layer as you can.
Slide the basket into the fryer. Cook for 10 minutes. No need to toss them or anything. Let them be!
After 10 minutes, have a look. They should look like this:
Poke a broccoli stalk with a fork. It should go in fairly easily. If so, you’re done. If not, or if you want them a bit browner, toss the basket and put it back in for another 2-4 minutes.
Transfer the broccoli from the basket of the air fryer to a serving bowl. Eat!
More Air Fryer Veggie Recipes
Air Fryer Cauliflower
Cauliflower is delicious when cooked in the air fryer. It comes out softened and lightly caramelized in just 8 minutes. Yum!
- Prep Time: 2 Minutes
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cauliflower florets
- 1–2 tsp. cooking oil*
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- Put the cauliflower in a medium bowl. Add the oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Transfer cauliflower to the basket of the air fryer, even if it isn’t done preheating.
- Shake to arrange in a single layer as much as possible. Some overlap is fine.
- Put air fryer basket into air fryer and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Toss and cook to desired doneness, 3-5 more minutes. Test a floret by poking a fork through it. It should enter easily. If so, it’s done.
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Notes
*They will taste and crisp up better with 2 teaspoons but will be great with 1 teaspoon. Up to you!