How to Air Fry Vegetables

I’m finding that more than anything, I’m using air fryer vegetable recipes when I cook with my air fryer. I love cooking frozen vegetables with my air fryer, as it’s so convenient to keep them in the freezer! These air fryer recipes can easily be used for fresh or frozen vegetables!   

I’m loving my air fryer, and the fact that I can easily use it to cook frozen vegetables! I live quite a ways from a grocery store and I love being able to use frozen veggies for everything I can–they’re picked at the peak of freshness, so they are super healthy and easy to cook. 

What is an air fryer? 

An air fryer is like a countertop convection oven. It cooks food by blowing hot air around it, and doesn’t need much oil to cook. It actually doesn’t need any oil, but by not using it your food might come out a little dry (with all of that air blowing, it’s easy to dry food out if it’s overcooked in the air fryer). 

I spray olive oil on the foods that I put in my air fryer and they cook evenly and don’t dry out–it works great for me. Also, spray oil can help your seasonings stick to the vegetables. It’s always a good idea to find a healthy oil sprayer to accompany your air fryer! 

Can you put frozen vegetables in the air fryer? 

You can easily cook fresh or frozen vegetables in the air fryer. Cooking from frozen takes a little time–about 20 minutes–because you’re defrosting them as they cook. I’ve found that some vegetables cook better than others, and I’m sharing all of my tips with you here today! 

Tips for cooking frozen vegetables in the air fryer: 

• Cook at a higher heat so that the vegetables don’t have much of a chance to get soggy as they cook. 
• Use spray olive oil to evenly coat your veggies before seasoning–drizzling oil on frozen veggies causes it to freeze right away and it doesn’t come out very even. 
• Remember that you might lose some seasoning at the bottom of the air fryer–plan for that and add a little extra at the end if you’d like. 

Air Fryer Broccoli with Balsamic & Parmesan

Ingredients for Broccoli with Balsamic & Parmesan: 

• 1/2 bag of frozen broccoli (or fresh if you prefer, and cook at 350º for 10 minutes, tossing every few)
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3T Balsamic 
• Parmesan cheese, as garnish

Directions for frozen Air Fried Broccoli with Balsamic: 

1. Pour half the bag of broccoli into a bowl
2. Spray olive oil on top of broccoli. If using frozen broccoli, do this quickly because it’ll freeze and clump up. 
3. Add nutritional yeast (optional, but it makes a great bread-like coating) and balsamic on top of it. Toss. 
4. Cook at 400º for 20 minutes, opening to toss every few minutes. 

Air Fried Okra and Green Beans

Ingredients for Air Fried Okra and Green Beans: 

• 1/2 bag each of frozen cut okra and full green beans into a bowl (or fresh if you prefer, and cook them 350º for 10 minutes, tossing every few)
• Quick spray of olive oil
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3T Balsamic or salt and pepper to taste

Directions for Air Fried Okra and Green Beans: 

1. Pour half the bag of each okra and green beans into a bowl. 
2. Spray olive oil on top of the veggies. If using frozen, do this quickly because it’ll freeze and clump up. 
3. Add nutritional yeast (optional, but it makes a great bread-like coating) and either salt and pepper or balsamic on top of it. Toss. 
4. Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, opening to toss in the air fryer basket every few minutes. 

How do I count these recipes if I’m on the 21 Day Fix? 

Nutritional yeast is free if you’re using one serving, but 1/2 cup will count for about 1/2 red (this is an educated guess on my part, as nutritional yeast is not on the food list). If you’d rather not use nutritional yeast, you can use whole wheat panko and count 1Y for 1/2 C, or use 6 Triscuts, crunched up, for 1Y. 

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The recipe for these delicious Buffalo Cauliflower Bites has been more popular than I had imagined, so I wanted to share it again here. It’s super easy and makes a great appetizer for happy hour! If you choose to not use nutritional yeast or another coating on them, know that some of the hot sauce won’t stick as well. Drizzling a little on the cauliflower when it’s done cooking is delicious and helps make up for what didn’t stick! You can also just use the hot sauce as a sort of dipping sauce! 

What ingredients can you use to cook vegetables in the air fryer?

There are so many delicious toppings and ingredients that you can toss your vegetables in for the air fryer. Make sure it’s something that will stick to the veggie, or use something to help it stick (like oil spray). Here are some of our favorites: 

• Frank’s hot sauce
• nutritional yeast
• balsamic
• garlic salt
• fresh ground pepper
• rosemary and garlic
• unsweetened coconut
• parmesan cheese
• keep it basic with salt and pepper–it’s delicious!

Are air fried vegetables healthy?

Depending on what you put on them, they usually are! Air fried vegetables are healthier than traditionally fried vegetables for sure–and I love that the air fryer makes them a little crispy without using the broil feature on my oven. The air fryer also doesn’t heat up my house a ton like the oven can. 

Are there other vegetable recipes for the air fryer that you like? 

There are so many, vegetable recipes air fryer style are the best! Here are my favorites: 

• Air Fried Cauliflower Taco Bowl
• Air Fryer Green Beans
• Baked Sweet Potato
• Mexican Corn on the Cob
• Baked Potatoes
• Vegetable Kebabs
• Asparagus
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts in the Air Fryer
• Pumpkin Spiced Apples | 21 Day Fix Air Fryer Recipe (One fruit one just for a special treat)