These tender-crisp, glossy, and slightly charred air fryer Brussels sprouts are perfect as a quick side dish or appetizer you can make in 15 minutes.
It's an easy vegetable recipe that pairs with practically any main dish. Plus, our honey mustard dressing will make them a family favorite!
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Check out our best vegetable sides recipe collection!
Air frying is terrific because it allows you to cut preheating and cooking time of a standard oven in half or more.
For instance, Brussels sprouts in the air fryer only take about 10 minutes to transform into delicious, slightly charred sprouts with a nutty and pleasantly bitter-sweet taste.
Don't expect full-on crispy air fryer brussels sprouts. Only the outer leaves will be a little crispy, and the sprouts will have an al dente, tender-crisp texture, which is lovely.
Serve them with our tasty honey mustard dressing - its sweet, tangy, mustardy flavor pairs perfectly with the charred, bitter-sweet sprouts.
They are the perfect side dish, and our advice is to make a double batch cause you are going to eat half of them before dinner is served.
Ingredients
Brussels Sprouts
Get fresh, bright-green Brussels sprouts that are firm to the touch.
Avoid the soft and bruised ones with brown-black outer leaves, as they are not fresh.
If you have bruised sprouts with dark external leaves, you can remove one or two layers until you reach fresher leaves.
We haven't tested this recipe with frozen sprouts.
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil is essential in cooking Brussels sprouts because it transfers the heat more evenly and adds a beautiful flavor.
Salt and pepper
Roasted vegetables need salt and pepper, and Brussels sprouts are no exception. So we use sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Honey Mustard Dressing
| INGREDIENTS | SUBSTITUTIONS |
|---|---|
| Extra virgin olive oil | Avocado oil |
| Dijon mustard | American mustard |
| Honey | Maple syrup, agave syrup |
| Lemon juice | Orange juice, balsamic vinegar |
| Salt | |
| Black pepper | Red pepper flakes |
| Garlic powder | Freshly grated garlic |
Instructions
As a first step, clean the Brussels sprouts if necessary. To do so, remove the darker outer leaves and chop the woodier stem off.
Cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise and add them to a medium bowl.
Season with olive oil, salt, and black pepper, and toss well.
Preheat your air fryer for 3 minutes at 350°F or 180°F.
Add the Brussels sprouts to your air fryer basket. They CAN overlap. There's NO NEED to arrange them on a single layer.
Tip: if you are cooking more than 1 pound (450 grams) of sprouts, we would advise cooking them in batches so that you don't overcrowd the air fryer.
Air fry at 350°F or 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how you like them. Then, shake the air fryer basket every 3 minutes to allow even cooking.
Cooking time might vary depending on the air-fryer model and on the size of the sprouts; however, check them at the 10-minute mark to ensure they are not burning.
Tip: Go for 10-12 minutes if you like them tender-crisp. Go for 15 minutes if you want them softer and more charred.
Transfer onto a serving platter and serve as is, or drizzle with our finger-licking honey mustard dressing.
Optionally you can sprinkle the cooked brussels sprouts with freshly chopped parsley or red pepper flakes.
Honey mustard vinaigrette
Add extra virgin olive oil, mustard, honey or maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to a small jar.
Shake well and pour over the sprouts. You can also make the dressing in a bowl, whisking the ingredients together.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Brussels sprouts in an air fryer as an appetizer with:
- Crostini with olive tapenade or green 5-minute pesto.
- Tomato Bruschetta: a quick and easy appetizer idea for the whole family.
- Eggplant pizza with fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce and cheese.
- Easy kale chips: a wholesome and super crispy alternative to chips.
Serve as a side dish with soup, pasta, or casserole:
- Hummus pasta with sautéed mushrooms, a 20-minute weeknight dinner idea.
- Cauliflower soup: a wonderfully creamy and cheesy soup without cheese.
- Eggplant Parmigiana: a classic Italian comfort food everyone loves.
- Lemon pasta: simple, tangy, and delicious; it's a perfect everyday dinner.
Tips
Keep an eye on them: air fryers cook much faster than ovens, and your sprouts might be ready in as little as 10 minutes. So keep an eye on them to prevent them from charring too much.
Shake the basket: if you, like us, are using a basket air fryer, it is recommended to shake it several times while the sprouts cook. Shaking allows for even cooking of the veggies.
Preheat the air fryer: preheating has two benefits. First, the food will cook faster and won't get soggy. You only need 3 minutes, and you can do so while you prep the veggies.
Don't leave the food in the air fryer: as soon as your Brussels sprouts are cooked, take them out of the air fryer basket and arrange them on a serving plate. Keeping the food in the air fryer - even if the air fryer is off - traps the steam that will make your veggies soggy.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: to get ahead in the kitchen, you can prep the dressing you can, clean and cut the sprouts a day before, and keep them in the fridge in an airtight container.
Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Reheat: if with dressing, reheat them in the microwave for 2 minutes. If without dressing, you can reheat them in the oven, air-fryer, or microwave.
Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.
Questions
Brussels sprouts are made up of thin leaves layered on each other. While the sprouts seem sturdy and resistant to heat, the individual leaves are not. If you set a too-high temperature or keep the sprouts for too long in the air-fryer, the outer leaves will burn. Also, air frying without at least a bit of oil makes the outer leaves more susceptible to burning.
We recommend air-frying Brussels sprouts with a thin coating of extra virgin olive oil at 350°F or 180°C for about 10 to max 15 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket every 3 minutes to allow the sprouts to cook evenly.
Brussels sprouts should be slightly charred outside and bright green and tender-crisp inside. However, they are not supposed to be burnt.
Yes, you can air fry Brussels sprouts without oil. However, they might take a little longer to cook, and they will burn more quickly, so keep an eye on them.
Brussels sprouts don't get crispy but rather tender-crisp. Only the outer leaves will crisp up, but they will only stay crisp for a few minutes after cooking them.
No, there is no need to soak Brussels sprouts before cooking.
Cutting brussels sprouts in half allows them to cook faster without burning outside.
More Cabbage Recipes
- Shaved Brussels sprout salad: a delicious way of enjoying raw Brussels sprouts.
- Roasted Brussels sprouts: like air-fried ones, but cooked in the oven.
- Rainbow roasted vegetables: roast them in the oven with other veggies for a beautiful side.
- Braised red cabbage: if you like sprouts, you'll love our braised red cabbage with apples.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Easy air fryer asparagus: tender, crisp, slightly charred, just delicious.
- Air fryer cauliflower: like roasted cauliflower but in half the time.
- Crispy air fryer tofu: a simple, fast, fuss-free way of cooking tofu.
- Air fryer green beans: they turn out perfect in the air fryer.
- Quick air fryer zucchini: probably our favorite air fryer recipe. We make it all the time!
For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.
Recipe
Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons mustard Dijon or American mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey sub maple syrup for vegan
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Clean the Brussels sprouts if necessary. Remove dark outer leaves and chop off woodier stems.Cut sprouts in half lengthwise and add them to a mixing bowl.
- Toss with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
- Preheat air fryer for 3 minutes at 350°F or 180°C.Add Brussels sprouts to air fryer basket. They can overlap; there's no need to arrange them on a single layer.
- Air fry at 350°F or 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender-crisp and slightly charred outside.Shake air fryer basket every 3 minutes to allow even cooking. Check them at the 10-minute mark as they burn easily.
- Transfer onto a serving platter, serve them as is, or drizzle with our honey mustard dressing.
Honey Mustard Dressing
- To a small jar, add olive oil, mustard, honey, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Shake well and drizzle over air fryer Brussels sprouts. You can also whisk the ingredients in a small bowl.
Video Recipe
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