If you love deep fried Brussels sprouts, you’re going to love air fryer Brussels sprouts!

I’ve been air frying ALL the things. I’m in love with that crispy crunchy texture that the air fryer gives vegetables. It’s funny because I thought our main use for the air fryer would be for frozen french fries, but more often than not we’ve been air frying vegetables. It’s been all vegetables, all the time. Okay, and chicken, because I’m obsessed with air fried chicken.

Anyway, after the air fryer broccoli success, I knew the next vegetable I had to do was Brussels sprouts. I love how Brussels sprouts taste when roasted and I wanted to do a air fryer comparison. The result: crispy burnished leaves with tender sprouts. They’re not as soft when you air fry, unless you add extra time, but I really like vegetables with a bit of bite, so I don’t mind at all. I especially loved that I was able to have a vegan keto roasted Brussels sprout snack so quickly.

Why you should make Brussels sprouts in the air fryer

If you haven’t air fried Brussels sprouts yet, please do!

• Air fryer Brussels sprouts are sweeter, crunchier, and more flavorful
• Air frying Brussels sprouts is so much faster than roasting
• You won’t heat up your whole house
• It saves energy because it’s a small appliance compared to an oven
• You don’t need a lot of oil
• You can season the sprouts in infinite ways

How to make the crispiest Brussels sprouts: air fryer edition

1. Trim and halve the sprouts. Cutting the sprouts in half means the insides will get tender in a short amount of time. It’ll also give your sprouts more surface area and more crisp.
2. Toss with oil. Toss with a bit of oil so the sprouts get a nice golden color and crisp up evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Air fry. Air fry, stopping every so often to give the air fryer basket a shake.
4. Dress. While the sprouts are cooking, make a quick dressing. When the sprouts are done, toss in the dressing and enjoy immediately!

Pro tip: I love adding aromatics when cooking in the air fryer because it makes the sprouts more delicious and you get to eat them afterwards. Air fried shallots (or onions or garlic) are DELICIOUS.

What are some sauces I can dress my brussels sprouts with?

I kept it simple and just enjoyed the sprouts as is, but you can make a sauce to dress the sprouts up. Dress them while they’re hot!

• Garlic butter: mince 2 cloves of garlic and heat with 1-2 tbsp butter over low heat.
• Creamy dijon: whisk together 1 tbsp olive oil with 1-22 tsp dijon, and 1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar.
• Lemon dill butter: melt 1-2 tbsp butter over low heat and mix in 1 clove minced garlic with 1 tbsp freshly chopped dill and the zest of 1 lemon
• Balsamic butter: melt 1-2 tbsp butter and whisk with 1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• Honey mustard: whisk together 1 clove minced garlic with 1 tbsp honey and 1/2 tbsp whole grain mustard and olive oil
• Honey garlic: heat up 1-2 tbsps honey with 2 tsp soy sauce and 1 clove garlic. Read more
• Vietnamese fish sauce: whisk together 1 tbsp neutral oil with 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp sugar, and a pinch of pepper flakes. Read more
• Spicy chili oil: mix together 1 tbsp soy sauce with 1/2 tbsp Chinese chili oil and 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar. Read more
• Miso: wisk together 1 tbsp neutral oil with 1-2 tsp miso, 1 tsp rice vinegar, pinch of sugar

The best air fryer?

If you’re wondering which air-fryer we have, it’s this one. I don’t know if it’s the best on the market because it’s the only one we’ve used, but it works great. It’s quiet and easy to clean and really big (which is good because you can put a lot of food in it and bad because it takes up a lot of room in our place).

Happy air-frying!
xoxo steph