Fast Frozen Broccoli in the Air Fryer (Crispy and Tender!)
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Frozen broccoli in the air fryer is the perfect way to make a quick and delicious side dish on a busy weeknight. The broccoli turns out tender with a bit of crunchiness on the florets…and is never, ever soggy! Check out how to make this air fryer frozen broccoli for tonight’s side for dinner!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Light and Healthy: There is no need for a lot of butter or oil when you air fry frozen broccoli, which keeps this veggie side dish light and healthy.
- Not soggy: As long as you know to space out the broccoli in the air fryer so it doesn’t steam, you will have nice crispy florets and tender stems on your broccoli every time.
- No prep time: The absolute best part of this recipe is that there is absolutely no prep…because you are just pulling frozen broccoli from the freezer and popping it into the air fryer!
- Budget Friendly: Frozen broccoli is a budget friendly veggie since it remains fresh in your freezer instead of going bad and having to be thrown out if not used like fresh broccoli.
Other air fryer recipes you’ll love… airfryer ribeye steak, chicken patties in the airfryer and frozen garlic bread in the airfryer
Best way to cook frozen broccoli
Frozen broccoli using the air fryer is by far the best way to cook broccoli and here is why. You literally just pull the broccoli from the freezer, plop it into the air fryer, and hit the start button. I honestly can’t believe how simple it really is.
Unlike other methods like using fresh broccoli that needs to be cut or chopped, baking broccoli on a baking sheet and waiting for the oven to heat up, or boiling broccoli and waiting for the water to boil, there is absolutely no waiting or prepping anything to make frozen broccoli in the air fryer. You don’t even have to preheat the air fryer and you still get a nice roast on the broccoli florets.
Other frozen recipes you should try: Easy Frozen Shrimp in Air Fryer (less than 10 minutes!), Frozen Garlic Bread in Air Fryer, Air Fry Frozen Dumplings (Fast)
Ingredients
Broccoli: I use regular broccoli florets you can buy in the freezer section at the local supermarket. Some of my favorite brands are Birds Eye, Green Giant, and Private Selection. (Mimi, you may want to add some British brands here, I wasn’t sure of any based on my search.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
Different seasonings: Try out some different seasonings for your broccoli. I like to add some cayenne pepper for spice along with some of my other favorite seasonings like garlic and onion powder.
No frozen broccoli? Try fresh broccoli or broccoli that is not frozen. But remember to cook it for less time since it is not frozen. You can also try a different vegetable all together. Cauliflower is the most similar in my opinion, but this method will also work for brussel sprouts, carrots, and asparagus.
Add cheese: For me, you can add cheese to anything and it will be delicious. But there is just something about melted cheese over broccoli that really takes it over the top in flavor! Parmesan cheese is delicious on broccoli as well.
No air fryer? Try cooking frozen broccoli in the oven with the fan on (convection) for crispy oven-roasted broccoli.
How to cook frozen broccoli in air fryer
- Preheat your airfryer for 5 minutes at 400°C/ 200°C (Image 1).
- Pour the frozen broccoli, olive oil and seasoning into the airfryer. Season with salt and pepper and stir with tongs to coat. Then evenly distribute across the basket so that they’re spaced out. Remove some of the tiny florets to add back in half way through (Image 2).
3. Cook at 400°C/ 200°C for 5-8 minutes, adding the tiny florets half way through- this prevents burning. Serve hot when the broccoli is tender with crispy edges (Image 3).
4. Add a sprinkle of flakey salt and red pepper flakes to serve, then dive in (Image 4)!
5. Carefully remove cooked broccoli from the air fryer (Image 5).
6. Place air fried broccoli on a serving dish (Image 6).
You could have this on the side of my chicken and bacon pasta, halloumi rice or for a lighter meal, pair with my frozen chicken breast.
Tips for the best result
Shake the basket: When you shake the air fryer basket halfway through the cooking time, this helps flip the broccoli so it gets more evenly cooked and browned on all sides.
Check it: To get the amount of browning and crispiness you like best, I recommend checking the broccoli once when you shake the basket, at around 6 minutes, and then again about 3 minutes further into the cooking after the shake.
Don’t preheat: For this particular recipe, preheating will actually cause the broccoli to cook too fast on the outside, resulting in possibly being still cold on the inside. So not preheating actually helps the broccoli thaw and cook more evenly…while saving you time!
Serving Suggestions
Knowing how to air fry frozen broccoli for a fast, easy side dish next to chicken, beef, or even other veggies like cabbage steaks is a game changer when it comes to meals. But there are loads of other uses for air fried frozen broccoli, too. You can add it to soups, stir fry’s, pastas, and casseroles for a veggie boost, serve it in a quinoa bowl with other keto friendly foods, or add cheese to the top for a snack bowl of melty cheesy broccoli yummy goodness!
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
If you have leftovers, I suggest keeping them around to eat all week long or freezing it to warm up for recipes in the future.
Refrigerator: To refrigerate, place cooked broccoli in an airtight container. It will last up to 5 days.
Freezer: When storing in the freezer, be sure to use an airtight container or freezer bag. The broccoli will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Or you can freeze in a deep freezer for up to 1 year.
Reheat: The best reheat method for frozen broccoli that has been air fried, is to just pop the cold broccoli back into the air fryer and cook it at 350 for 2-5 minutes or until heated through. The other way is to just nuke it in the microwave in 15 second bursts until all the pieces are heated through.
If you love airfryer meal prep recipes, try out my gammon joint in the airfryer, easy diced airfryer potatoes and these airfryer chicken bites.
Recipe FAQs
You can absolutely cook frozen broccoli in the air fryer, and the method couldn’t be simpler.
If your broccoli is burning in the air fryer, there could be a few reasons. One is that the air fryer temperature is up a bit too high, so try turning it down a few degrees. The other reason it may be burning is that the cooking time is too long. Check your broccoli several times to make sure it does not get overdone by cooking too long.
If your air fryer broccoli is coming out soggy, then either the basket is too crowded and the broccoli is steaming instead of air frying. Or the temperature of the air fryer is too low.
I always cook my frozen broccoli at 400 in the air fryer.
I don’t recommend preheating the air fryer before adding broccoli because the broccoli will cook too fast on the outside and still be cold on the inside.
If you tried this Frozen Broccoli in the Air Fryer, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Fast Frozen Broccoli in the Air Fryer (Crispy and Tender!)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 400 g / 4 cups frozen broccoli
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
- Preheat your airfryer for 5 minutes at 400°C/ 200°C.
- Pour the frozen broccoli, olive oil and seasoning into the airfryer. Season with salt and pepper and stir with tongs to coat. Then evenly distribute across the basket so that they’re spaced out. Remove some of the tiny florets to add back in half way through.
- Cook at 400°C/ 200°C for 5-8 minutes, adding the tiny florets half way through- this prevents burning. Serve hot when the broccoli is tender with crispy edges.
- Add a sprinkle of flakey salt and red pepper flakes to serve, then dive in!
Notes
- Shake the Basket: Halfway through cooking, shake the basket to ensure the broccoli cooks evenly and browns on all sides.
- Check the Broccoli: After shaking the basket (around 6 minutes in), check the broccoli again 3 minutes later to get the desired level of crispiness.
- Don’t Preheat: Skip preheating the air fryer to prevent the broccoli from cooking too fast on the outside while staying cold inside. This also saves time.
Nutrition
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