Cooking broccoli in air fryer or Ninja Foodi is easy and gives it the best crispy texture on the outside. Covered in parmesan gives it a delicous cheesy taste that makes a great side dish served with any meal.
Air fryer broccoli seemed simple enough. I didn’t want it plain though, I’m all about the cheese when making vegetables. Try our olive oil and parmesan air fryer broccoli yourself and let us know what you think! Find this and many more instructions on our air fryer recipes page.
Did you just get a Ninja Foodi or other air fryer this year? We did and how it has changed the way I cook lately. Not only can you now cook fresh produce, but frozen broccoli in air fryer too.
You may be looking for a few air fryer vegetables recipes. We have quite a few! This is just the beginning y’all and if you live in a hot climate especially during the summertime I bet you’ll use it daily too. NO need to heat up your house for a small dish ever again and it comes out crispy like deep fried (but way less fat).
Ninja Air Fryer Broccoli
Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.
It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
I will admit, it took me a few years to tackle this new machine but once I did I was in love! First I found it’s longer counterpart and made some air fryer broccolini. OMG if you haven’t tried this one either it is a game changer, seriously even my kids asked me to cook it the next night.
I should’ve started using this SO much sooner because air fryer vegetable recipes turn out great. With a tender feel on the inside but on the outside you get this nice slightly crispy feel, it’s like baked but way faster.
If you haven’t tried air fryer roasted broccoli, it’s different than any other. Instant Pot broccoli comes out very tender but without any crisp.
Cooking broccoli florets in an air fryer basket is kinda’ the opposite. It won’t get super soft, but it will make it quite crispy on the outside pieces.
What’s the trick to cooking broccoli in air fryer?
You need to add water to the air fryer basket! That is right, for certain foods that are low in water content, it may cause your machine to smoke. It has a hard time softening such items because there isn’t enough moisture inside the cooking compartment.
I am sure there is a more technical way to explain this, but you know what I mean by this. You could leave out the water but your vegetables will be a bit firm. Some prefer it this way so by all means do it to your preference.
You also need to ensure that there is no overlapping. In case you are new and don’t understand the concept. This works because hot air circulates around the food. If it’s in more than one layer it won’t work properly.
Move pieces around in the basket a few times during cooking time. Add salt and pepper to the top during and/or after they’re done for a low calorie broccoli recipe. Or smother in homemade Velveeta cheese sauce for a kid loving side.
Similar to our brussel sprouts in the air fryer recipe, you’ll get a nice char on the outer leaves or pieces. Increase the cooking time to brown them further, but the timing below works well for us.
How Long to Cook Broccoli in Air Fryer
You are going to want 8-10 minutes to get the florets fork tender. The variation in cook time will change depending on how large your pieces are. It is important for them all to be similar, bite sized is best.
I do not include any of the stalk because we just don’t like it. You could however cut it about half the size of your florets if you wanted too though if you hate waste. Timing wouldn’t change in this case, just the size is important.
Can you add parmesan cheese?
Yes and I suggest that you do just that. I mean in our family cheesy foods are favored and that doesn’t change with side dishes like this one. It will melt and get a bit crispy as well on the top and bake right on to each piece as you can see here below.
Air Fryer Broccoli Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli, washed, cut into small florets
- 1.5 tbsp garlic, minced
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Pour 1/4 c water in the bottom portion of your air fryer, below the basket itself. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
- In a bowl put your small broccoli florets with all other ingredients and toss well so they are good and coated.
- Once air fryer is done preheating, pour florets into basket making sure they don't overlap. May have to do 2 rounds if your basket is small. Can sprinkle with a bit of salt, pepper, and/or chili flakes now if you'd like.
- Cook at 400 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes or until they're as done/tender/crispy as you'd like them to be. Start at 8 minutes, check, and add additional minutes if they aren't as tender as you'd want.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Broccoli is a green powerhouse of a vegetable with a ton of nutrients. This easy side dish benefits your digestion, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. It’s said to have anti-inflammatory and even cancer preventing properties. Naturally low in sodium and calories, it’s also a fat free vegetable.
I kid you not, I air fry “all the things” now because it makes everything so good! I get the crunchy crispy outsides I love without the laden calories you get with deep fried foods. Speaking of this, you should try our air fryer zucchini chips next!
Other vegetable recipes you’ll love
If you want a copy cat Carl’s Jr fried salt and pepper zucchini chips recipe, this is it!! I actually love it better than theirs because sometimes they use dirty oil and the after taste is horrible. Our easy spinach quiche is always a winner.
Homemade is always best anyway, we all know that. Here are a few other Ninja Foodi air fryer recipes to try. You can use any brand of machine to make them though. Crispy eggplant air fryer recipe is one of our faves
Chicken fried steak in an air fryer is a fun finger food too
It’s so good!!
so glad
This was incredible. I am never going to cook broccoli another way again.
Broccoli really comes out so good in the air fryer. I make it regularly. Loved your addition of parmesan to it. Perfect.
So smart. Fast. Easy. Healthy. And I’m 100 percent sure it will be so delicious!
This was absolutely delicious! I love broccoli but can never get it right until now
Made it as directed, and it was awesome! And I wasn’t a big fan of broccoli, until now!
Oh good!!
just a newbie need to learn
I am an Air Fryer newbe and have been enjoying receiving your emails and the great recipes! I live a distance from the closest grocery store and like to keep frozen broccoli on hand. Do you think it would work in your recipe?
I only use frozen peas and corn. Personally I think other veggies get mushy when defrosted so I am unsure what it would do.
Soooo good!! I piled my broccoli I. There just kept stirring every 4 minutes. I added time cooked for total of 18. 10. 4 then another 4. Came out perfect
Yay!
Hi Justine. Good morning from Wildomar, CA. The Broccoli in Air Fryer has a difference between your printable recipe and the dialog in your discussion. You list the temperature as 375 in the dialog and 400 in the recipe. I bet you get a lot of responses on this one.
Sorry!! My mistake and typo, fixed!