This air fried broccoli with parmesan and balsamic vinegar makes a great side dish. It's easy to prepare in the air fryer and packed full of flavour. If you're looking for a simple but tasty vegetable side dish then this is a great choice.
One of my favourite ways to use my air fryer is to make tasty vegetarian side dishes like this air fried broccoli. Sometimes I just air fry the broccoli with a little oil and serve it as it is. But, this is one way that I love to jazz up this simple air fried vegetable side dish.
I have not only coated the broccoli in oil, I've also added some crushed garlic and parmesan for extra flavour. After air frying I toss the broccoli in a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It makes it super tasty and such a versatile vegetable side dish too!
I love to serve it with grilled meats in summer. It's also a great bbq side dish, perfect with skewered meats and burgers, vegetarian or meat ones! By the way, do also check out my collection of easy air fried recipes and my air fried corn and air fried asparagus recipes!
Ingredient notes for air fried broccoli
To make this air fried broccoli you'll need:
- broccoli - You can use tenderstem or classic broccoli. Purple sprouting also works well. If you are using a tenderstemed variety it will cook more quickly than a more traditional chunky broccoli though. Just make sure that the broccoli is cooked to your liking before taking it out of the air fryer.
- Garlic - I usually use a freshly crushed garlic clove but you can use a paste or puree.
- Oil - I usually use a light olive oil to coat the broccoli before air frying and then an extra virgin olive oil to dress the broccoli after it has cooked.
- Balsamic vinegar - Make sure you use a good quality one if you can as it really makes difference to the flavour.
- Parmesan - If you don't have parmesan you can replace it with another hard cheese such as grana padana or manchego even.
How to make air fried broccoli with parmesan
This broccoli is really easy to make. First, cut the broccoli into equal sized florets or leave it whole if it is tenderstem.
Toss the broccoli with a little oil and parmesan and cook it in the air fryer for about 10 minutes, tossing half way through.
As soon as the broccoli comes out of the air fryer, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I also add a little extra parmesan and this point and some chilli flakes or chilli oil. Toss together and serve immediately.
Can you adapt the recipe?
Yes of course. I believe recipes are there to be adapted. You can even switch out the broccoli for another vegetable. Cauliflower or asparagus for example would work really well in this.
Feel free to use a different hard cheese too. I use grana padana and parmesan interchangeably. I also think a Spanish hard cheese such as Manchego would work well.
As you might guess, I love a little heat in my side dishes and I very often add a drizzle of chilli oil to this too. Sometimes I just sprinkle a few chili flakes on at the end.
Storing the leftovers
I love to eat this dish as a warm freshly prepared side dish but any leftovers also keep well in the fridge for up to three days. You can eat it cold or reheat in the microwave. You can even pop it back in the air fryer to crisp up the broccoli again.
What is the best air fryer to use?
You can make this using any air fryer. You may need to adjust the cooking times slightly depending on the model. To make this particular recipe I used the Instant Pot Duo Crisp with Ultmate Lid but I generally use my Instant Vortex Plus with Dual Basket. It's a great air fyer as it has two baskets and so is perfect for cooking different things at the same time.
Recipe
Air Fried Broccoli with Parmesan
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 g broccoli
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 15 g parmesan grated
Instructions
- Cut the broccoli into equal sized pieces so it cooks evenly. Include the stalks too - they are delicious air fried as well.
- Toss the broccoli in a couple of teaspoons of oil, the parmesan and the crushed garlic.
- Put in the air fryer and air fry for 10 minutes at 185°c, shaking the basket half way through. Be aware that depending on the thickness of the broccoli stems that you use, you may need to increase or decrease the cooking time.
- Remove and toss immediately with the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add a few chilli flakes or some chilli oil if you want it to be spicy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More air fryer recipes
IF you like this air fried broccoli youmight also like:
- Whole air fried cauliflower with garlic butter
- Sweet potato wedges with harissa
- Spicy air fryer crushed potatoes
- Air fried cabbage wedges with harissa
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you make this air fried broccoli or any of my other recipes. I love to get feedback from readers.
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Brittany
Hello there! I made this delicious recipe with turkey salisbury steaks, brown and onion gravy, biscuits and garlic butter rice. Wonderful recipe! ☺️
Corina Blum
I love this recipe too so I'm so pleased you enjoyed it as well! Corina