This oil-free, air fryer broccoli and cauliflower recipe is simple, fast and packed with flavor (and fiber!). It is a delicious side dish whether you need something vegan, gluten-free, or keto-friendly. The best part is that you can have this on the table in your mouth in less than 15 minutes, including prep.
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are incredibly high ranking on any list of healthful foods, and pairing them with lemon and garlic is sheer taste perfection.
The primary appeal of an air fryer is the ability to cook without oil - so imagine my surprise when my search for air fried vegetables turned up pages of oil-coated food. No thanks! So I pulled my veggies together and came up with this oil-free recipe.
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Ingredients for Air Fryer Broccoli and Cauliflower
You'll need just a few ingredients for this Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) side dish recipe. Full quantities and instructions are in the recipe card.
- Broccoli & Cauliflower - You'll need 5 cups of florets to end up with 4 cups of cooked vegetables.
- Water - to rinse your florets. The residual water on them will help steam the broccoli and cauliflower in the air fryer so you don't end up with dry, burnt bits.
- Lemon juice - For flavor and additional moisture.
- Seasonings - I'm using lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Some lemon pepper seasoning blends already contain salt, so check your bottle and leave the additional salt out if necessary.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Put your broccoli and cauliflower florets in a strainer and rinse them. Allow them to drain thoroughly but do not dry them off. You want them to have some residual water on them for best cooking results.
Toss your rinsed and drained broccoli and cauliflower with the lemon juice, lemon pepper, garlic powder, and optional salt.
Put into a preheated air fryer and cook at 380F for 8-9 minutes, giving it a stir or a shake halfway through to turn the florets.
I like my veggies al dente, so I cooked these for 8 minutes. An extra minute will get them a bit more tender if that is your preference.
Hint: Although not necessary for the outcome of the recipe, I prefer to use a parchment liner for my air fryer. They really make clean-up an absolute breeze! The only downside is you have to use a spoon or tongs to turn the florets halfway through cooking, since shaking the air fryer basket messes up the parchment liner. Pick your battle!
This is a wonderful, easy, Whole Foods Plant Based (WFPB) recipe to keep in your rotation. If you are wondering about a WFPB diet and want to learn more about what it is, what the benefits are, and - most importantly - what you can eat (!), you may find this post useful:
What to Eat on a Whole Foods, Plant Based Diet.
Substitutions
This recipe works with any combination of broccoli and cauliflower, or even all of one or the other.
Variations
Spicy - add ⅛ tsp. red chili pepper flakes to the spice mixture
Deluxe - top with pesto
Equipment
This recipe requires an air fryer.
Storage
Store the cooked vegetables in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
FAQ
The high, dry heat of the air fryer can char broccoli. To avoid this, rinse and drain your broccoli florets before cooking. The small amount of residual water will add moisture as your broccoli cooks, helping it to get a tender interior before the exterior gets burned.
No. If you ensure your broccoli and cauliflower florets are all roughly the same size, they will take the same amount of time to cook in the air fryer.
Broccoli and cauliflower will take 8-9 minutes to cook in a preheated 380F air fryer.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Broccoli and Cauliflower
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups broccoli florets (227g)
- 2.5 cups cauliflower florets (250g)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice from ½ a large lemon. Slice the other half into wedges for serving, if desired.
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt or your favorite no-salt seasoning. Omit if your lemon pepper seasoning contains salt.
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer.
- Meanwhile, rinse the broccoli and cauliflower florets thoroughly in a colander and allow them to drain while shaking the colander a bit to get all the extra water out.
- Move the florets to a bowl and add the lemon juice, garlic powder, salt or no-salt seasoning, and lemon pepper. Toss thoroughly to evenly coat the florets.
- Open your air fryer basket and add a liner if using. Put all the florets into the basket and arrange in a single layer.
- Close the basket and set your air fryer to cook for 8-9 minutes at 380 degrees F (190C).
- Remove the veggies to a serving bowl and squeeze on additional lemon, if desired. Or serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
More WFPB Recipes
Looking for more Whole Food, Plant Based recipes? Here are a few of my favorites:
Tuscan Lentil Soup with Potatoes (Vegan, GF, WFPB, Oil-Free Option)
One Pot Vegan Chili Macaroni (WFPB, Oil-Free Option, GF Option)
Homemade Vegan Almond Ricotta (GF, WFPB, Oil-Free)
Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Soup (Vegan, GF, Oil-Free)
If you like my recipes, please leave a rating so others can choose my recipes with confidence. I am so appreciative of your time, so thank you in advance!
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