This delicious and healthy air fryer broccolini is seasoned with fresh lemon and garlic. It takes only minutes to make and goes with just about anything.
It's no secret we love using the air fryer to make healthy vegetable sides—like Cabbage Wedges, Butternut Squash, or Roasted Potatoes. The air fryer cooks vegetables quickly and doesn't need to be pre-heated. So, it's a quick and easy way to add more vegetables to your dinner plate!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Fast: Less than 10 minutes to make. And, no need to pre-heat your air fryer.
- Healthy: This recipe is a great way to add more veggies to your dinner plate. Broccolini is a source of fiber, protein, calcium, and iron.
- Versatile: You can serve roasted broccolini as a side to almost any dish! It's great for lunch or dinner. See our serving suggestions below.
- The method works: Many recipes call for adding lemon juice to the broccolini before baking. But, this introduces excess moisture that can cause the broccolini to steam—rather than roast. Also, you lose some of the bright citrus flavor. Follow our recipe method for crisp broccolini that's finished with fresh lemon.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy air fryer broccolini:
- Broccolini: Broccolini tastes milder and slightly sweeter than broccoli. It has smaller florets and thinner, more tender stems. Broccolini isn't actually "baby broccoli"—rather, it's a cross between broccoli and Chinese broccoli.
- Olive Oil: Adding oil to roasted vegetables not only enhances their flavor, but it also helps them cook evenly. Use an olive oil if you can; otherwise substitute with grapeseed oil (or another neutral oil). In this recipe, we preferred liquid oil over an oil spray as it had better coverage and flavor.
- Garlic: Garlic pairs really well with broccolini! We recommend using fresh garlic. If needed, substitute with garlic powder.
- Fresh Lemon: A squeeze of lemon adds brightness to this dish. It pairs well with the earthiness of broccolini. To preserve the fresh lemon flavor, add the juice just before serving. If you add fresh citrus juice before cooking, its flavor will get muted.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Check out these other vegetable side dishes: Maple Sriracha Brussels Sprouts, Easy Creamed Kale, Roasted Beets with Labneh, Quick Pickled Green Beans, Grilled Potato Salad, and Parsnip Shoestring Fries.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
This broccolini recipe couldn't be easier to make! Here's how:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips & Serving suggestions
- Pat broccolini dry after rinsing: Removing excess moisture will ensure your broccolini roasts, rather than steams, in the air fryer.
- Add lemon juice at the end: Similarly, if you were to add lemon juice before roasting, you'd be adding unnecessary moisture to the dish. Again, this encourages steaming rather than roasting. Also, fresh citrus flavors get muted when cooked. By squeezing fresh lemon juice over the broccolini just before serving, you'll get the freshest and brightest lemon-y flavor.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer: You want to spread the broccolini out in a single layer to encourage optimal air circulation. If you want to scale up the recipe, we recommend baking in batches—especially since the cook time is so short.
- Garnish ideas: Take this air fried broccolini over the top with Homemade Chili Garlic Oil. Or, top it with parmesan, crushed red chili flakes, flaky sea salt, or toasted nuts or breadcrumbs!
- Serving suggestions: Air fryer broccolini makes a great side dish. It pairs well with mains such as—Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan, Vegan Meatless Meatballs, Lemon Spinach Orzo with Feta, and Vegan Vodka Sauce Pasta.
Recipe FAQs
Broccolini stems are thinner and more tender than broccoli. You only need to trim off the bottom ¼-inch (0.5 cm) or so.
Yes, the leaves are edible! As you'll see from the recipe photos, we leave broccolini leaves on. The leaves will get crispy in the air fryer, because they cook faster than the florets and stems. But, we love the contrast in both the flavor and texture.
Store extra air fried broccolini in an airtight container in the fridge. Because citrus is acidic, it will dull the broccolini's bright green color over time (read more here). So, we recommend squeezing the fresh lemon wedges over just the broccolini you plan to enjoy right away. Store extra wedges with the remaining broccolini and combine just before serving.
You can reheat the broccolini in an air fryer until hot again (or enjoy it cold!).
Other popular air fryer recipes:
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Broccolini
Ingredients
- 2 bunches broccolini (1 lb / 454g total)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Lemon wedges (for serving)
Instructions
- Season broccolini: Add broccolini to a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat. Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Bake and serve: Arrange broccolini into a single layer in an air fryer basket. Bake in an air fryer (no need to preheat) at 400°F (200°C) until broccolini is tender crisp, 5 to 7 minutes (time varies by air fryer). Serve hot with lemon wedges for squeezing.
Notes
- Storage and reheating: If you plan to have leftovers, squeeze lemon only over what you plan to eat right away. The citric acid in lemon juice dulls the bright green color of the broccolini over time, so add just before serving. Refrigerate broccolini and extra lemon wedges in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Leftovers can be eaten cold or reheated in an airfryer, skillet, or microwave.
Darlene says
Yum! And so easy to make too!
bri says
Hi Darlene! So glad you enjoyed this! Have a great weekend ahead.