Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli is super simple and quick! Get crispy broccoli in less than 30 minutes with this versatile recipe with various spices and toppings. It’s a simple side dish for busy weeknights!
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We keep organic frozen broccoli in our freezer at all times. I can pull out these veggies to prepare whenever needed.
When people think of preparing frozen vegetables, they imagine there’s only one way: steam. But I’m sharing an ultra-flavorful and easy way to kick your frozen broccoli up a notch!
Using your air fryer is a quick and easy way to prepare your favorite vegetables like air fryer squash. Now you use it to roast broccoli without having to preheat the oven or chop fresh broccoli florets! This air fryer broccoli recipe offers the same roasted flavor without the extra time and effort.
💗 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy: With only 2 minutes of hands-on preparation time and 20 minutes of cook time, making frozen broccoli in the air fryer takes less time than chopping fresh and less time preheating the oven. While your broccoli is roasting in the air fryer, you can easily prepare the rest of your meal!
Crispy and Flavorful: Achieve the same crispy texture and roasted flavor using frozen broccoli!
Versatile: Add your favorite herbs and spices. I kept this recipe simple with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can make it spicy by adding some cayenne or give it a unique flavor with curry powder!
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Frozen Broccoli Florets: I recommend using organic broccoli. I have found that non-organic frozen broccoli is of lower quality. You end up with a lot of cut stems and smaller florets. In contrast, organic frozen broccoli is all florets that are a decent size.
Spices: Be creative here! I used salt, pepper, and garlic powder, but don’t limit yourself. Add a sprinkle of any spices you like! Onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, or Italian seasoning would be an excellent addition.
Olive Oil: Many recipes will tell you to spray your air fryer with cooking spray. I do not recommend using cooking spray for any air fryer recipes. Over time cooking spray can damage the enamel inside your air fryer. The harsh chemicals in aerosol cans are too much for your air fryer to handle. Instead, use a small amount of oil. I recommend using an oil with a high smoke point such as olive oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.
- Place the frozen broccoli in a large bowl. Do not defrost the broccoli first. Add the olive oil, and toss. Then add the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and any additional seasonings you choose. Toss to coat the broccoli with the spices evenly.
- Add the broccoli florets to the pre-heated air fryer basket. It’s okay if they overlap a bit.
- Cook for 10 minutes at 400 F. Shake the basket for 5-10 minutes or until desired crispiness is reached. Enjoy!
❓ Recipe FAQS
Yes! You can put frozen broccoli and other frozen vegetables in the air fryer. While most people place their frozen broccoli in the microwave or steam it on the stove, you can put it directly in the basket to air fry.
You need not thaw or defrost the broccoli before placing it in the air fryer. It is not recommended to defrost the florets first. It is already partially cooked when frozen, so that it will take about the same time as fresh chopped broccoli.
You don’t have to use oil, although I recommend a little. The olive oil helps to give the broccoli a crispy brown finish that you cannot achieve without any oil.
🍽 How to Serve
This healthy side dish is a beautiful addition to your desired main dish. It’s also delicious, thrown into pasta or baked into a casserole.
🫙 How to Store and Keep
If you have leftover broccoli, transfer it to an airtight container. Place in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 3 days. Reheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 380° Fahrenheit to crisp it back up.
😋 More Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes!
Recipe
Frozen Broccoli in Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 oz bag of frozen organic broccoli
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or other vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.
- Place the frozen broccoli in a large bowl. Do not defrost the broccoli first. Add the olive oil, and toss. Then add the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, or any other additional seasonings you choose. Toss to evenly coat the broccoli with the spices.
- Add the broccoli florets to the pre-heated air fryer basket. It’s okay if they overlap a bit.
- Cook for 10 minutes at 400° Fahrenheit. Shake the basket, and cook an additional 10 minutes or until desired crispiness is reached. Enjoy!
Notes
- Do not defrost the broccoli.
- Use this same method to cook other frozen vegetables in the air fryer.
- Keep the broccoli in a single layer in the air fryer basket. It’s okay if they overlap a little, but don’t stack them on top. This will ensure that they get brown and crispy on all sides.
- Cook the broccoli to your preferred doneness. It may need more time if you like it crispy and brown. You may only need 10-15 minutes of cook time if not.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 380° F.
Nic
MMMMMM Delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
Cathleen
Wow, what CAN’T the air fryer do?? I love this recipe when I don’t have enough room on the stove to make broccoli. Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Biana
What a great idea for the air fryer! This looks like such a simple side dish.
Anjali
This was such an easy way to cook frozen broccoli!! It turned out so much better than steaming or boiling it – I’m going to be cooking frozen broccoli this way from now on!
Andrea
A perfect side dish every time. Yum!