Cooking air fryer frozen broccoli florets is the best way to roast broccoli and create a delicious, crispy, and healthy vegetable side dish for just about any dinner you are preparing.
Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, this air fryer broccoli frozen recipe is ready in just 20-minutes and easy to customize with your own add-ons such as lemon juice or parmesan cheese.

Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli Florets
We eat a lot of broccoli in our home, so it was only natural that we learn how to cook frozen broccoli in our air fryer. Fresh or frozen, we consume this green vegetable two or three times per week and we have found that cooking frozen broccoli florets in the air fryer is the BEST way to make it crisp and delicious.
Air fryer frozen broccoli is the perfect side dish to accompany a variety of dinner options whether were are eating chicken, pork, or beef. We especially enjoy pairing our frozen broccoli florets with air fryer thin cut pork chops, air fryer ham steak, and Ninja Foodi brats to make quick and easy dinners that are compliant with a variety of healthy eating plans.
We love using our air fryer to make delicious vegetable side dishes that are crispy and flavorful! Dress up your favorite vegetable when you try our air fryer frozen asparagus, air fryer corn on the cob, and air fryer mixed vegetable recipes.
Key Ingredients
Grab your favorite bag of frozen broccoli florets, some olive oil, and your salt and pepper because it’s time to make our air fryer frozen broccoli recipe.
- frozen broccoli florets
- olive oil
- sea salt
- ground black pepper
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Equipment
- An Air Fryer- We have a Cosori XL basket style air fryer, a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker & air fryer combo, an Instant Pot Omni Plus oven style air fryer, an Instant Pot air fryer lid, and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer.
- Non-stick spatula
- Rubbed tipped tongs
How long to cook frozen broccoli in air fryer?
Making a batch of our air fryer frozen broccoli is as easy as seasoning your broccoli florets and roasting them to create the perfect healthy vegetable side dish.
Preheat the air fryer to 380F for 5 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl, add the frozen broccoli, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Spread the prepared frozen broccoli pieces on the air fryer basket or tray, being sure to not overcrowd it.
Air fryer for 8 minutes then shake the basket or stir the broccoli.
Continue cooking for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the broccoli is cooked through and browning in places.
Top with lemon juice and/or parmesan (optional).
Serve and enjoy!
Substitutions
- Frozen Broccoli – Feel free to use fresh broccoli or other similarly-sized frozen vegetables such as cauliflower.
Variations
- Seasoning – We are keeping things simple with just salt and pepper, but you can also season your frozen broccoli florets with garlic powder, cayenne, red pepper, Italian seasoning, or parsley.
- Optional Toppings – Sprinkle your cooked broccoli florets with lemon juice and/or fresh parmesan for a restaurany-quality twist to your healthy frozen broccoli dish.
Tips for Frozen Broccoli Florets in Air Fryer
- Preheat your air fryer for 3-5 minutes prior to cooking your air fryer frozen broccoli.
- Do not defrost the frozen broccoli prior to roasting your broccoli florets.
- For best results, leave space around your frozen broccoli pieces during the cooking time.
- Shaking or stirring the broccoli during the cooking process helps it to cook evenly.
- Frozen broccoli is partially cooked before it is frozen, so it does cook quickly.
- You can use these same directions to make fresh broccoli in air fryer or frozen cauliflower in air fryer.
- Topping with lemon and/or parmesan cheese is optional, but highly recommended.
Common Questions
Serve your cooked air fryer frozen broccoli florets with your favorite beef, pork, and chicken dishes including air fryer pork chops, air fryer brats, and air fryer ham steak.
Store leftover frozen broccoli in air fryer in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Refreezing cooked broccoli florets is not recommended.
To reheat leftover frozen broccoli florets in an air fryer, preheat the unit to 380F for 5 minutes and then cook the broccoli for 2-4 minutes in a single layer, until it’s warmed through.
Cooking frozen broccoli in an air fryer is seriously the best way to make it. So quick and easy with no need to defrost the broccoli florets. It might seem odd at first to cook vegetables from frozen, but you’ll prefer it over raw once you give it a try.
More Air Fryer Frozen Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli Florets
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ lb frozen broccoli florets
- 2 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 380F for 5 minutes.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the frozen broccoli, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Spread the prepared frozen broccoli on the air fryer basket or tray, being sure to not overcrowd it.
- Air fryer for 8 minutes then shake the basket or stir the broccoli.
- Continue cooking for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the broccoli is cooked through and browning in places.
- Top with lemon juice and/or parmesan (optional).
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Preheat your air fryer for 3-5 minutes prior to cooking your frozen broccoli.
- Do not defrost the frozen broccoli prior to cooking.
- For best results, leave space around your frozen broccoli pieces during the cooking time.
- Shaking or stringing the broccoli during the cooking process helps it to cook evenly.
- Frozen broccoli is partially cooked before it is frozen, so it does cook quickly.
- You can use these same directions to make fresh broccoli in air fryer or frozen cauliflower in air fryer.
- Topping with lemon and/or parmesan cheese is optional, but highly recommended.
Nutrition
© 2023 Whole Lotta Air Frying
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