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If you’ve never tried broccoli in the air fryer, you are in for such a treat. I’ve roasted broccoli in the oven for years. It’s my go-to way to make sure everyone actually likes the result. But once I learned how to air fry broccoli, I was hooked. It’s faster and easier, especially when I’m not cooking for a crowd.
How to Air Fry Broccoli
The first time I tossed broccoli florets into the air fryer basket, I honestly didn’t expect much. I was admittedly late to the air fryer game. It was a toss up in my mind while figuring out how to air fry broccoli. Would I end up with with dried out florets or a mushy mess?
But, when the timer dinged and I opened the basket, I was thrilled with how gorgeous they looked. The florets had golden brown to slightly charred edges, and vibrant green stems that weren’t mushy at all. And, it had that fabulous roasted aroma wafting up to greet me.
Air Fryer Broccoli
I’ve since come to learn why this little appliance works so well. It’s essentially a budget convection oven on steroids. The hot air circulates all around the vegetables, searing them with golden, toasty flavor. So, air fryer broccoli is a lot faster at getting this side dish to the table compared to conventional roasting.
The other nice part about using an air fryer is that the clean up is a breeze. Once the basket has cooled, it takes just a moment to wash and wipe it down. And, you can even use disposal basket liners, which are a total cheat code when it comes to saving some time for yourself. Cooking is hard enough. Give yourself a break!
Recipe Tip
I always caution people who are trying an air fryer for the first time to be careful with the cook time. There are a lot of reasons that the time to make broccoli in the air fryer can vary from one machine to the next.
Bite-sized broccoli works the best, spread out with just one layer that allows for enough airflow around the florets. I’ve found that this results in a cook time of about 6-7 minutes, depending on how crispy you want them.
Broccoli in the Air Fryer
I use the COSORI Air Fryer for all of my air fryer recipes. I’m partial to a square basket air fryer as I find it easier to fit more food into the basket. This is a 5.8QT air fryer, one of the largest machines I’ve found that works effectively.
The machine is a bit retro with simple knob controls. It turns out that I really like the basic settings and ability to set the time and temp like a traditional appliance. I’ve used a few different air fryers with pre-programmed settings and I found I was still tweaking the times.
This air fryer is surprisingly easy to clean and the two-part basket locks together (it’s literally impossible for it to detach the way some do) until you open the latch and then push the button to release it. I simply wipe down the baskets with a sudsy dish scrub brush or sponge, rinse and let them air dry on the counter.
Air Fryer Vegetables
Hopefully, you’re ready to take the plunge and air fry some broccoli now. If you’ve already done it, I want to hear from you. Was it as good as you’d hoped? If you are a convert to this cooking method (like me!), then here are some more recipes for air fryer vegetables.
Sometimes, I want to avoid potato chips, but still want a salty crunchy snack. That’s where these air fryer brussels sprouts come in. Brussels sprout leaves are roasted to crispy perfection, and ready to eat in minutes.
You can also use the machine to make irresistible air fryer green beans. Perfect with a drizzle of lemon juice, or you can dip them with a side of bang bang sauce. And, eggplant is a breeze. Just slice it up nice and thin, and this crispy, cheesy, immensely snackable air fryer eggplant will change your mind forever about this vegetable.
Did you know that you can actually use frozen veggies, too? It’s beyond easy to make air fryer frozen vegetables with a simple drizzle of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper? You can also dress them up a bit with homemade french fry seasoning!
Air Fryer Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound broccoli cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper adjust to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Place the broccoli in a bowl and toss with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, toss again to coat.
- Place the broccoli in a single layer in the basket or directly on the rack. Fry the broccoli for 6-7 minutes. If you are using a basket-style air fryer toss the basket at about 3 minutes for even cooking. The pieces should be slightly crisp on the outsides when done.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 08/2/22 – recipe notes and photos updated 10/30/25}
It also works perfectly with frozen broccoli, which is usually my go to.
It does! I use both, whichever I have on hand at the time.