Ingredients
1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Preparation
Step 1In a large bowl, toss broccoli with garlic and oil; season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.Step 2Working in batches if necessary, in an air-fryer basket, arrange broccoli in a single layer. Cook at 370° until tender and crispy, about 10 minutes.
This recipe is an excellent base for getting creative and adding your favorite sweet and savory flavors into the mix before tossing everything into the air fryer. Here are a few ideas to get you started. - 2 tbsp balsamic + 2 tbsp grated Parmesan - 2 tbsp honey mustard + 1 tsp. lemon zest - 2 tbsp hot honey + chopped garlic + chili flakes Toss everything before it goes into the basket. Resist the urge to dump everything into the air fryer basket before tossing it in a bowl first. Using a bowl will give the broccoli a chance to get fully coated with the seasonings but more importantly, coated with olive oil. Make sure both the leaves and stems are evenly coated so that the broccoli cooks evenly and gets to the crisp-tender texture you want. Cut your florets into even sizes. Using an air fryer can involve a bit of trial and error when trying to balance desired doneness and crispiness. Cutting the florets too small will result in burnt broccoli, but too big will mean undercooked broccoli. To land in a sweet spot, cut the florets to about the same width as the tines of a standard dinner fork. Don’t crowd the air fryer. Not to ruin the magic, but air fryers are just mini convection ovens, which means that they rely on hot air circulation to quickly and evenly cook and crisp your food. Overcrowding the air fryer basket will block some of the airflow in between your broccoli pieces, resulting in steamed, tender broccoli instead of “fried” crispy and tender broccoli. Work in batches if necessary, and make sure each piece of broccoli has a little bit of space around it for airflow. Shake the basket halfway through the cooking time. To ensure even cooking and crisping, shaking the fryer basket will help flip a few broccoli pieces and make sure the heat is getting to all of the pieces properly. Serving Suggestions The only thing more obvious than eating these straight out of a big bowl with your hands is to serve it as a side, especially for meals that could use a boost of texture. Pair it with this super simple miso baked sea bass and coconut rice for an easy and satisfying weeknight meal. You can also use this broccoli as a crispy topping for your favorite bowl or anything that features broccoli. We’re talking everything from a Buddha bowl to this shrimp and broccoli fettuccini to our extremely popular keto broccoli salad. Double the recipe and serve this as an appetizer with a ton of zesty dill dip or topped with a drizzle of spicy mayo. Have you made this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below. Editor’s Note: The introduction to this recipe was updated on May 20th, 2022, to include more information about the dish.
