Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
Crispy and delicious, Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli is a perfect way to spruce up frozen veggies. All you need are frozen broccoli florets, olive oil, and seasoning for this easy weeknight side dish. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, low-carb, and keto-friendly.
Frozen veggies are a useful staple in our household and are a great way to eat more veggies. If you struggle with meal planning, you know you can always count on a bag of frozen vegetables as a healthy side dish.
Frozen broccoli is generally more affordable than fresh broccoli and they don’t perish in a few days (see more of my tips for eating clean on a budget).
One of my favorite ways to cook frozen broccoli is in the air fryer. The edges get crispy while the inside stays tender. It’s an easy side dish that cooks in a lot less time than in the regular oven. Air frying is my go-to cooking method for making crispy florets.
Why You Need This Recipe
- This easy recipe is ready in 15 minutes! It’s the best way to cook frozen veggies in a fraction of the time.
- Frozen vegetables can get soggy if cooked incorrectly. The air fryer is a foolproof way to cook them.
- Everyone usually loves crispy broccoli. Plus, this Air Fryer Broccoli recipe is gluten-free, low carb, paleo, dairy-free, Whole30, and keto friendly. You can customize it with different seasonings like salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper, onion powder, or parmesan cheese.
- Broccoli is one of the healthiest foods you can eat and is on my list of the best green vegetables.
Key Ingredients
Frozen broccoli florets are all you need for this recipe.
Look for florets and not “cuts” or else you will end up with lots of stem pieces. If you don’t mind the stems, then cuts will work fine too.
Broccoli is one of the healthiest veggies you can eat and it’s also a great source of vitamin C.
Olive oil helps the seasonings adhere to the broccoli and crisp up the outsides. You can use whatever cooking oil you like including an olive oil spray. See my list of the safest cooking oils.
Salt, pepper, & garlic powder are all you need to season up this broccoli for plenty of flavor.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Steps
Step One
In a large mixing bowl, toss together all of the ingredients.
For best results, use frozen broccoli, not defrosted frozen broccoli.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Step Two
Transfer the mixture to your air fryer basket.
Try to arrange the florets in a single layer.
Step Three
Set the temperature to 360 degrees Fahrenheit with a cook time of 8 minutes.
Step Four
Stop and toss the broccoli once during cooking to make sure all of them cook and get crispy.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Some air fryer models needs to be preheated. Please refer to the owner’s manual of your particular model to see if you need to preheat it before using.
- Feel free to use whatever seasonings you like. You can also add red pepper flakes or Italian seasoning.
- You don’t need to defrost the broccoli before cooking. In fact it’s better to keep it frozen. You can also see my recipe for how to roast frozen broccoli in an oven, if you prefer.
Recipe FAQs
In order for the broccoli to crisp up while it cooks, it needs to be coated in some oil. The oil will also prevent the broccoli from burning. You can use whichever oil you prefer and have on hand.
More Air Fryer Recipes You Might Like
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips with Parmesan
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash with Cinnamon
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Air Fryer Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Frozen Brussel Sprouts
- Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables
Or, check out my entire index of gluten-free air fryer recipes.
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Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
Crispy and delicious, Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli is a perfect way to spruce up frozen veggies. All you need are frozen broccoli florets, olive oil, and seasoning for this easy weeknight side dish. Vegan, gluten-free, low-carb, and keto-friendly.
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 16–ounce bag frozen broccoli florets (about 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the frozen broccoli, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to your air fryer basket.
- Set the temperature to 360°F for 8 minutes.
- Stop and toss the broccoli florets once during the cooking process.
- Serve hot.
Equipment
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Notes
- Some air fryer models needs to be preheated. Please refer to the owner’s manual of your particular model to see if you need to preheat it before using.
- Feel free to use whatever seasonings you like. You can also add red pepper flakes or Italian seasoning.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Air fryer
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: air fryer frozen vegetables, how to cook frozen broccoli
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
I don’t know what air fryer you are using but either my new one (PowerXL dual basket) is junk or something went wrong. At 4 minutes my broccoli was a thawed bunch of wet mush that you could not even toss and about the same even at 8 minutes! They are spread out in a single layer too 😳 let’s hope they look better after another 8 minutes 🤷🏻♀️
Did you pre-heat your oven? Definitely keep going until they are nice and crispy!
I didn’t use my oven. I used my air fryer as stated and I did preheat that too for 3 minutes in addition to cooking for 16 minutes. They never really “crisped” up … the floret tops appeared almost burnt but the rest looked dehydrated almost rather than crispy. I checked them every 4 minutes because I didn’t want them to actually burn.
right I meant your air fryer oven. Did they end up being edible?
Such a quick and easy side dish!
★★★★★