Need to add more greens to your meals? Look no further, today’s air fryer broccoli recipe with minimal prep and tons of health benefits is worth every try.
This veggie dish features crispy air-fried broccoli with a smoky hint and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top. It’s extra quick, easy, and delicious.
How Healthy Is Our Air Fryer Broccoli?
When it comes to the veggie world, broccoli packs a healthy punch and is an antioxidant powerhouse.
You can get a generous amount of vitamin C from the broccoli in this recipe, with about 190% of your vitamin C intake provided by one serving.
Moreover, despite being a vegetable, broccoli contains a considerable amount of protein. A serving of our air fryer broccoli recipe provides you with 6 g of this nutrient, an impressive number for a mere veggie dish.
Some tremendous benefits of eating broccoli include the promotion of heart health and eye health, inflammation reduction, and cancer prevention.
Last but not least, the air frying method in this recipe uses little oil and, hence, is much healthier than the usual way of pan-frying. This is why we’ve utilized it to make various other dishes, from finger foods like Chicken Tenders, Breadcrumbed Cauliflower, and Buffalo Cauliflower, to delightful indulgences like Empanadas and Chicken Pot Pie.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This air fryer broccoli recipe calls for only 8 ingredients, including broccoli as the main component, five others for seasoning, and two more as the topping.
For the broccoli, you can go with either fresh or frozen broccoli. These hearty greens have an earthy, nutty taste and a crunchy texture. Air frying broccoli increases its nuttiness and crunchiness, and even adds a delicious smoky hint.
We simply season the broccoli with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and lemon juice to make it more flavorful. Well, less is more!
And lastly, a sprinkling of shredded parmesan cheese and chopped parsley on top enhances the overall taste and visual appearance of our broccoli.
How Long to Cook
- For fresh broccoli
Pieces of broccoli of 1.5-inch size will cook for around 12 minutes in an air fryer at 375°F.
- For frozen broccoli:
If you cook frozen broccoli pieces straight from the freezer, then increase 5 minutes of the total cooking time for fresh broccoli to around 17 minutes.
If you let them thaw overnight in the fridge, then cook them for the same time as you would cook fresh broccoli.
How to Store Cooked and Uncooked Broccoli
If you have leftover broccoli, just keep it in sealed bags or containers in the fridge. This way, your cooked broccoli should stay good for up to 3 days.
If you haven’t cooked your fresh broccoli, separate the florets and cut them into smaller pieces without washing. We don’t wash broccoli first because it is likely to get a soggy texture when placed in the fridge for even just a day.
Then, store your broccoli in a Ziploc bag or airtight container and refrigerate it. It should keep well for 2 to 3 days. Do not let it stay for longer than this, or it will turn yellow and be spoiled.
And remember to rinse it through clean water and let it dry before adding seasonings and cooking.
More Broccoli Dishes to Try
- Steamed Broccoli Recipe
- Instant Pot Broccoli Recipe
- Roasted Broccoli Recipe
- Roasted Baby Broccoli Recipe
How to Cook Broccoli in an Air Fryer
This air fryer broccoli recipe is extra quick and easy: in just 20 minutes, you will have a smoky tasty veggie dish, all the more delicious with fruity nutty parmesan cheese and fragrant parsley on top.
- cook TIME 15 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 20 mins
- COURSE Side Dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 136 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 24 oz broccoli (cut into florets)
- 0.5 oz parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Cut the broccoli into florets: Wash the broccoli under running water, then pat dry. Place the broccoli on a cutting board, the large stem facing up. With a paring knife, slice the large florets away from the large stem, one by one. Half or quarter the florets to have even pieces.
Finely chop the parsley.
Cook:
Season the broccoli: Add 24 oz broccoli, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice to a large mixing bowl. Toss well to coat evenly.
Air fry the broccoli: Place the seasoned broccoli in the air fryer’s basket and cook at 375°F for 12 minutes. Shake halfway through.
Garnish and serve: Transfer the broccoli to a serving bowl, then sprinkle with 0.5 oz shredded parmesan cheese and 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Enjoy!
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Natalie Butler, RD, LD
Nutrition Reviewer
- DrovelliCrispy air fryer broccoli for a healthy snack.