Broccoli and Cheese Casserole (Air Fryer)

This BROCCOLI AND CHEESE CASSEROLE is rich, cheesy, and loaded with nutrition broccoli. We top it off with buttery Ritz crackers! It cooks so quickly in the air fryer and tastes so good even the kids will eat their broccoli!

Okay, like most parents, my kids have their moments when it comes to veggies! I guess I got pretty lucky because both of them will at least try everything and there are a few veggies they eat without complaint.

Neither kid LOVES green vegetables, but they both eat them. Probably because I’m not shy about testing the same veggie on them in 300 different ways. Don’t like it roasted? Let’s try it steamed. Not like that? Let’s covered it in cheese. 😉

That is where this casserole comes in. This is so cheesy, you would have to be a cheese-hater to not like this broccoli!

Another great thing is that this is so fast to make in the air fryer! Way faster than heating up and cooking it in your oven.

There are several ways to make a casserole, but for this recipe we are all about ease and speed so that’s it’s just as enjoyable to cook as it is to eat!

How to air fry broccoli casserole:

Add your broccoli to a microwave safe bowl with a 1/4 cup of water and microwave for 5 minutes. This should stay covered with plastic wrap during the cooking as well as for 3 minutes you remove from the microwave before proceeding. Easiest way to steam broccoli ever.

Remove the plastic wrap and drain out the water.

Add cream cheese, sour cream, and cheddar to the bowl of broccoli and stir to combine.

Spray a 7-inch baking dish with vegetable oil or non-stick spray. We linked our baking dishes that fit the air fryer below…keep on reading!

Pour the broccoli mixture into this pan and spread evenly. Cover it with foil.

Place in the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes.

While that is cooking stir together cracker crumbs and melted butter.

When the broccoli has cooked for 10 minutes, remove the foil and top the casserole with the cracker crumbs.

Cook for 5 minutes to turn that cracker topping golden brown and crunchy.

Air fryer tips and recommendations:

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Our air fryer is a 6 qt OMORC air fryer. The 7 inch pan mentioned above fits in here perfectly! It is a good size for a family of four. It is also dishwasher safe, which is a critical need in my house! That being said, you can use any air fryer you want, pick one that is sized right for who you will be most regularly serving.

Your air fryer doesn’t like non-stick spray in a can. It can and will damage and discolor your air fryer basket. Instead you should apply your vegetable oil of choice with a pump spray bottle for applying your misting to your air fryer.

Finding a pan to fit in your air fryer is important! We use the round pan from this air fryer accessory kit and it fit great in our air fryer. Any oven safe dish that fits in your air fryer should work well.

Recipe tips and notes:

• YOU CAN MAKE THIS LOW CARB! If you are serving someone on a low carb diet, just leave off the cracker crumb topping. The rest of this recipe is keto friendly.
• We steam the broccoli in the microwave because it’s quick and easy, but you can steam it on the stove if you prefer.
• We always use fresh veggies, not frozen. This recipe should work with frozen broccoli but I haven’t tested it. It will certainly have the best texture with fresh broccoli, though.

More family friendly recipes you might like:

• These air fried hamburgers are a slightly smoky burger you can top any way you want!
• Garlic butter mushrooms provide the best combo of flavors you can put on a mushroom.
• If you are in need of a side dish, these air fryer roasted potatoes are seasoned well and have a crispy skin with a soft middle!