Easy Air Fryer Broccoli – Fresh or Frozen (Whole30, Low Carb)

This Air Fryer Broccoli recipe is unbelievably delicious and so easy to make with either fresh or frozen broccoli and without butter. Get ready for a new favorite side dish- crispy broccoli made in the air fryer, packed with tons of flavor from nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and lemon! It’s also Whole30, Keto, and Gluten Free friendly.

Why It Works

I love cooking veggies in the air fryer (ahem, have you seen my air fryer carrots, zucchini or potatoes recipes!?)! Okay, to be fair, I love cooking pretty much everything in my air fryer.

Why? Well, air frying gives you that perfect caramelization and tenderness of roasting, in a fraction of the time, with so much less oil than other methods of cooking. So it’s no wonder I just had to make my famous oven roasted broccoli recipe in the air fryer, too!

Making broccoli in the air fryer is super easy, and you get the most delicious, crispy roasted broccoli. And this recipe is bursting with flavors of rich oil, zesty garlic, bright lemon, and cheese-y nutritional yeast!

It’s totally Whole30 and Low carb compatible, but best of all, you can use either fresh OR frozen broccoli!

👉 Get my Air Fryer Cook Times Chart!

🥦 Ingredients List

This recipe is made with just five ingredients total. You can omit the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt, if that works better for your dietary preferences!

• Broccoli. You can use fresh or frozen broccoli florets!
• Oil. Avocado or olive oils work best.
• Nutritional Yeast. This is the secret to getting SO much flavor in your broccoli without dairy or butter. Nutritional yeast tastes cheese-y, and it’s completely Whole30 compatible and Keto/Low Carb friendly.
• Garlic Powder
• Salt

🔪 Step by Step Instructions

First, before you do anything else, preheat your air fryer. Don’t skip this step, even if your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat button! Just turn it to your desired temperature and wait about 4-5 minutes.

While the air fryer is heating up, cut fresh broccoli crowns into bite sized florets.

👉 When cooking frozen broccoli, DO NOT DEFROST it before cooking in the air fryer. Simply break apart any pieces that are stuck together.

Toss the broccoli with oil, salt, and garlic powder. You don’t need to spray your air fryer basket if the broccoli is coated evenly.

Pour the broccoli into the air fryer, being careful not to fill the basket more than about 1/3 full. With an air fryer, it’s always better to cook your food in batches than to overfill it.

A little after halfway through cooking, open the air fryer basket. Give the broccoli a good stir or shake, then sprinkle the nutritional yeast on top of the broccoli and stir to coat the broccoli.

It’s okay if some of the nutritional yeast falls to the bottom of the air fryer! Close the basket and finish cooking.

When the broccoli is crispy and browning evenly, it’s ready. Open the air fryer and transfer the cooked broccoli to a big bowl or serving plate.

If any nutritional yeast fell to the bottom of the air fryer during cooking, you can simply scoop it out or shake it out of the basket on top of your plated broccoli.

Squeeze the lemon onto the broccoli for a bit of acid, and serve right away!

ℹ️ Info & Expert Tips

What to serve with broccoli: At dinnertime, serve with simple roasted chicken, sheet pan salmon, juicy shrimp, blackened tilapia, or Italian pork tenderloin. I like to eat broccoli at breakfast, so I’d serve it with air fryer eggs and a little bagel seasoning in the morning!

To store leftovers: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container, or transfer to a bowl or plate and cover tightly with plastic or foil wrap. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, per USDA. 

To reheat: Add the broccoli to a pre-heated air fryer basket and cook for 1-3 minutes, just until crisp.

Okay, now all that’s left is to fire up your air fryer and get cooking!
If you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom or drop a comment below – I’ve love to hear about your experience making it!