How to Simply Air Fry Broccoli (Parboiled Recipe)

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How to Simply Air Fry Broccoli (Parboiled Recipe)

My guide for How to Simply Air Fry Broccoli shows you how to make perfectly tender and tasty roasted florets. The trick to not ending up with bitter broccoli crisps is to lightly boil the broccoli first. Try my method and I'm convinced you'll be converted like I was!

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings

Author Chloe

Equipment

Air Fryer

Chopping Board - Plastic

Sharp Knife - Small

Microwave

Microwave Steamer Plate or saucepan

Measuring Spoons

Silicone Tongs

Ingredients

450 g Broccoli
2 tsp Fine/Table Salt
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes

Instructions

Prepare The Broccoli

Prepare a roughly 450g Broccoli by using a sharp knife to slice off the majority of the stalk. Remove any outer leaves as you go if there are any.
Use the tip of the knife to start cutting the large chunks of florets away from each other.
Start to break down the larger chunks into smaller florets. Use the knife to cut down the stalk...
...before finishing tearing the floret apart with your hands. This will prevent you from losing lots of the flowers.
Stop once all of the florets are small and roughly of equal size. You should have ended up with around 350g Prepared Broccoli.

To Boil on the Stove

Boil a kettle of water.
Put the florets in a medium saucepan along with 2 tsp Fine Salt and cover with boiling water from the kettle.
Put the pan on the heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the broccoli is just tender all the way through. Test this with a sharp knife.
Once cooked, drain the water from the pan and allow the broccoli to sit and steam dry in the pan.

To Microwave

Put the broccoli florets into a microwaveable tray or bowl with lid. Add a little water.
Microwave for 3 minutes. Check that the florets are just tender all the way through by prodding with a sharp knife. Microwave for a further minute or two if needed.
Drain the water well and allow the broccoli to sit without a lid so they can steam a little dry.

Air Fry

If your air fryer has a preheat setting, start this now.
Drizzle over 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil and add 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes. Toss to fully coat the florets.
Carefully move the broccoli into the air fryer basket. I use silicone tongs.
Air fry at 200c/390f for 10 minutes. You can turn them after 7 minutes for the most even browning.
If you want browner or crispier, you can always air fry a little longer - I like a nice mix of soft and lightly browned so it doesn't turn too bitter.

Notes

Portion Size - The portion size given assumes that the broccoli is being served as a main side. If wanting to serve as part of a larger meal like a roast dinner with multiple side options, Halve the recipe (or consider the portion number doubled).
This recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (‎CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
For this recipe, I managed to fit in 350g of prepared broccoli with enough room for air flow. It would be a struggle to cook too much more in this size air fryer so larger quantities would be best cooked in batches.
As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.

Nutrition (Approx)