These quick, easy and tasty oil-free air fryer roasted potatoes are paired with steamed broccoli for a simple and filling lunch or dinner. Excellent for those on the potato reset, Mary's Mini, McDougall diet or any vegan, plant-based way of eating.

bowl of roasted potatoes with steamed broccoli

Want to save this post?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you quick & simple plant-based recipes every week!

This recipe is naturally gluten-free, nut-free (check your spice blends, though!), vegan and whole food plant-based (WFPBNO).

Using pre-steamed potatoes for this, then air-frying them produces that lovely brown crust with no oil.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

Ingredients for oil-free roasted potatoes and broccoli: frozen broccoli in steamable bag, cut pre-steamed russet potatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cajun salt, black pepper

Pre-steamed potatoes - Each week, I steam about 5 pounds of russet potatoes in the Instant Pot to have on hand for easy meals like this.
Cajun salt - There are several options, we tend to use Tony Chachere's the most. But, it's really just a salt blend with cayenne pepper and a few other spices.
Aldi frozen broccoli in steam-able bag - You should see me trying to buy out all of Aldi's frozen broccoli bags each week, haha. They are cheap (less than $1), convenient and tasty. Of course, use what you can find, but these get my wholehearted vote for a quick veggie side. Sprinkle with kosher salt or everything bagel seasoning after steaming in the microwave for 4.5 minutes.

📋 Substitutions and variations

Here are some suitable substitutions for the ingredients in this recipe:

Pre-steamed potatoes - instead of pre-steamed potatoes, you can use raw potatoes, but you'll likely need to air fry them a little longer and they won't crisp up as much.
Frozen broccoli in steam-able bag - you can use fresh cut broccoli instead of frozen. Cook in a pan until tender. Or, steam it in the microwave, stove or pressure cooker. You could also use any other frozen veggies in a steam-able bag you have for the fastest and easiest preparation, such as: cauliflower, california medley (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot), mixed vegetables or green beans.
Cajun salt - substitute with seasoned salt, garlic salt, sea salt or kosher salt
Paprika - substitute with smoked paprika for a smoky flavor
Freshly ground black pepper - substitute with pre-ground black pepper, but reduce the amount since it is usually a finer consistency
Dried parsley - omit or substitute with fresh minced parsley
SOS-free - make this SOS-free by omitting the cajun salt

Switch things up with these variation ideas!

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes - substitute all the spices and seasonings for rosemary and sea salt instead to make rosemary roasted potatoes.
Cheesy Roasted Potatoes - add 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast when tossing the potatoes to add a cheesy flavor.
Simple Roasted Potatoes - just use kosher salt or sea salt to season the oil-free roasted potatoes for a simple seasoning option
Charred Roasted Broccoli - air fry the broccoli along with the potatoes for charred roasted broccoli with roasted potatoes

See this oil-free potato wedges version of this recipe on my website!

🔪 Instructions

Here's the step-by-step instructions on how to make roasted potatoes in the air fryer without oil, alongside steamed frozen broccoli.

Step 1: Add cut pre-steamed potatoes to a medium bowl. You can use raw potatoes also, but they may take a little longer to roast in the air fryer and may not get as crunchy.

Step 2: Mix in all the spices and stir with a spoon to coat the potatoes well.

Step 3: This is what your coated potatoes should look like.

coated potatoes spread in even layer in air fryer basket

Step 4: Spread the coated potatoes over your air fryer basket in one layer. Air fry at 400°F for 20 minutes.

golden brown roasted potatoes in air fryer basket

Step 5: Meanwhile, toward the end of roasting your potatoes, steam your broccoli in the microwave according to the package instructions. If you have 12 ounces of frozen broccoli in a steam-able bag, just put it in the microwave, steam for 4.5 minutes, then cut the top off and drain any excess liquid. Be careful, the bag will be hot!

Step 6: Your roasted potatoes are done when they are golden brown and will release from the air fryer basket without sticking. You may need to air fry an additional 3-6 minutes, depending on your air fryer and how done your potatoes are.

Serve the oil-free roasted potatoes in a bowl alongside the steamed broccoli.

Sprinkle salt on top of the steamed broccoli and enjoy with or without condiments, such as ketchup, BBQ sauce, vegan cheese sauce, etc.

Expert tips

Don't over-steam the broccoli. For the Aldi frozen broccoli bags, I steam for 4.5 minutes.
Use parchment paper to line your air fryer if you know things stick really bad in it.

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

These ingredients are best made fresh, but they can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. They will stay good for up to 5 days refrigerated.

Love this recipe?

Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!

📖 Recipe

Comments

5 from 1 vote