This quick and easy air fryer broccoli is the absolute BEST. It’s tossed with olive oil, garlic salt, and nutritional yeast. Vegan friendly!

White serving bowl full of cooked air fryer broccoli florets.

Bored with your usual sides? Let this easy air fryer broccoli shake things up!

Just here to let you know that your weeknight veggie side dish dilemmas have been forever resolved. This fab broccoli side dish is crunchy, garlicky, and cheesy! Sort of. Nutritional yeast is used in this recipe to add a healthy—and vegan friendly—cheesiness. But believe me when I say you’ll try this once and never look at broccoli the same way. Further to that awesomeness, the ingredients list is short and sweet (I’m talkin’ the 4 ingredient kind of short and sweet), and prep is done in a snap. You’ll also find that you can pair this beauty with pretty much any main. What doesn’t go well with garlic and cheese?

Here’s the gist on how to cook broccoli in an air fryer.

I’ve roasted broccoli in the oven for years and thought that was the be-all end-all method for achieving the best broccoli. Then I got myself an air fryer, and here we are. Cooking broccoli in an air fryer is pretty much foolproof. I like to add a bit of water into the bottom of the air frying basket to have some moisture in there to prevent the broccoli from burning. Then, rinse and season the broccoli florets and transfer them to the air frying basket; give it a shake to make sure the florets are spread out evenly. Close the air fryer up, then cook the broccoli at 400º F for 7 minutes. When done, carefully remove the basket and serve the broccoli immediately.

Colander with broccoli florets, jar of olive oil and pinch bowl of nutritional yeast and garlic salt.

Air fryer basket with seasoned broccoli florets.

The awesomely short 4-ingredient list.

  • Fresh broccoli
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic salt
  • Nutritional yeast

Ok so wait—no cheese? What are the benefits of nutritional yeast?

If you’re wondering why I choose nutritional yeast over cheese when it comes to broccoli, it’s simple: nutritional yeast gives your broccoli a cheesy flavor with all health benefits and no fat. Seems like a good trade off to me! (And trust me, I’m a cheese fiend. So if I say this works, you can trust me.) Here are some of the health benefits of nutritional yeast:

  • It contains all nine essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein.
  • It’s rich in B vitamins, and when fortified, it has an extra punch of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin.
  • It has trace minerals like selenium, zinc, manganese, and molybdenum, all which aid with metabolism, growth, and immunity.

Equipment you’ll need:

Close up of air fryer broccoli in white serving bowl.

Recipe tips + tricks:

  1. Add a bit of water to the bottom of the air fryer basket (just enough to cover the bottom) to prevent burning or smoking
  2. For best coverage, place your broccoli florets in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil on top, then add the garlic salt and nutritional yeast. Cover the bowl with a lid or sheet of tin foil, and shake the bowl vigorously. This method coats the florets much better than simply mixing with a spoon.

More side dishes to try:

White serving bowl full of cooked broccoli florets.

Hope you enjoy!

If you plan on making this recipe, be sure to snap a pic and tag us on Insta! @killing__thyme.

White serving bowl full of cooked broccoli florets.

Get the Recipe:

Easy Air Fryer Broccoli

Yield: 2 people
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 7 mins
Total Time: 12 mins
This quick and easy air fryer broccoli is the absolute BEST. It's tossed with olive oil, garlic salt, and nutritional yeast. Vegan friendly!
5 from 57 votes
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups broccoli florets (about two large broccoli crowns)
  • 1.5 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 TBSP nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp garlic salt, more to taste if needed

Instructions 

  • Add about a tablespoon of water to the bottom of the air fryer basket, then place the grate on top. This will add a bit of moisture and prevent the broccoli from burning or smoking.
  • Place the broccoli florets into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the broccoli, then sprinkle the nutritional yeast and garlic salt on top. Secure a lid or sheet of tin foil over the bowl and give the bowl a good shake—this is the best way to ensure even coverage.
  • Dump the broccoli into to the air fryer basket and give it a little shake to spread the florets out evenly.
  • Close the air fryer, then cook the broccoli at 400º F for 7 minutes. When done, carefully remove the basket and serve the broccoli immediately.
Calories: 165kcal
Course: Side Dish