Air Fryer Broccoli

Air Fryer Broccoli roasts up in just 6 minutes with a tender texture and crispy edges. It’s a quick, easy and healthy side dish for busy weeknights!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 4

Cook Time 6

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 84kcal

Toss the broccoli with avocado oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl.
Place 1 tablespoon of water in the bottom of the air fryer (this helps to keep it from smoking).
Place the broccoli in the air fryer basket and cook at 400F degrees for 6 minutes. (I find that 6 minutes cooks the broccoli perfectly, but if you prefer softer broccoli, add 1-2 minutes to the cook time).
Drizzle with fresh lemon juice and serve immediately.
For frozen broccoli, air fry the florets for 5 minutes at 400F degrees. Remove, let cool slightly and toss with oil and seasonings. Place back in the air fryer basket and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes.

For even cooking, make sure you chop the broccoli into smaller pieces that are roughly the same size. If you keep the florets big, the edges will brown too much before the middle of the florets get tender.
It’s hard to evenly coat broccoli in oil, so you can try using an oil sprayer to get better coverage.
If you prefer softer broccoli, just add 1-2 minutes to the cook time. Air fryer broccoli will still have more of a firm texture, like oven roasted. For softer broccoli, you can always try this sous vide broccoli recipe.
Broccoli also burns quickly in the air fryer, especially around the edges. So keep an eye on it if you add extra air frying time.
If your air fryer model requires preheating, you should do so before adding the broccoli florets.
Air fryers can vary so you may need to adjust the temperature and air frying time slightly depending on the brand and model of your air fryer.
You don’t need to worry about the broccoli being in a single layer, but for even cooking it’s best not to overfill your air fryer.
Don’t forget to add water to the bottom of the air fryer. This will help prevent any smoking.