How to Prepare Them
The air fryer cooks food quickly, so the Brussels sprouts will crisp up fast. I prefer to cook Brussels sprouts whole, as the leaves will get nice and crispy on the outside, with a soft and tender inside. If you have a particularly large sprout, you can cut it in half to help it cook evenly with the rest of the veggies. I love the contrast of texture with this preparation. The crispy outsides are unbelievable!
Do I Preheat the Air Fryer?
In my experience, it isn’t always necessary to preheat your air fryer, but I usually do for a recipe that cooks quickly. Some models of air fryers will force you to preheat before the cooking cycle will begin to countdown. (The Breville Air Fryer is an example of this.) If you have leaves that separate and fall off the Brussels sprouts when you cut them, feel free to throw those in the air fryer, too. They really do turn into crunchy little chips! They should be done cooking around the 15-minute mark, but the rest of the sprouts may need up to 20 minutes to finish cooking.
As you can see in the photos here, the Brussels sprouts get very dark and crispy in the air fryer. I found that I they got almost-burnt when I cut them in half, which is why I prefer cooking them whole. The air fryer produces Brussels sprouts that are totally different. They become soft and tender on the inside if you leave them whole, but the outside is unbelievably crispy and crunchy. It will sound like you are biting into a handful of potato chips.
I always suggest preheating the air fryer in recipes, to ensure your food will be done when the cooking cycle is complete, but when cooking something that requires a very long cook time, like Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes or Air Fryer Baked Potatoes, I’ll usually just set them in the machine while it’s cold, because I know it will reach the correct temperature in about 3 minutes.
How to Season Brussels Sprouts
The simplest way to make roasted Brussels sprouts is to season them with olive oil and salt. You really don’t need much more than that, but here are some other options you might want to consider.
Red wine or Balsamic vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon while tossing the veggies with the oil and salt. It gives them a bright and tangy flavor! Garlic. I tried tossing fresh garlic with the Brussels sprouts before cooking them, and the garlic burned in the air fryer. So, you may want to consider tossing them with garlic powder instead, or sauteing a little garlic in olive oil in a separate skillet so that you can toss the cooked Brussels sprouts with it when they are done in the air fryer. Lemon Juice. Add a squeeze at the end of cooking to brighten the flavor. Parmesan. Sprinkle a little bit over the Brussels sprouts immediately after they cook, so it can melt into them. (It will burn if you add it into the air fryer.)
I hope you’ll enjoy these Brussels sprouts the next time you have some on hand! Their lightly salty flavor and crunchy texture is addictive. Nutrition information is for 4 oz. of cooked Brussels sprouts. This information automatically generated using generic ingredients and is just a general estimate, not a guarantee.
Need More Air Fryer Recipes?
If you want to get the most out of your air fryer, try the following recipes next!
Crispy Air Fryer French Fries Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries Air Fryer Cauliflower Air Fryer Chicken Breasts Air Fryer Baked Potatoes Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes (Cubed or baked whole!)
– Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite thing to cook in the Air Fryer? Let me know if you have any more recipe requests!
