Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

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These Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts are hot, crunchy, and so simple to make!

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I'm coming at ya this week with another favorite air fryer recipe: Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts. These sprouts are addictively crunchy and bursting with bright and fresh flavor. Best of all, they're made with only 4 clean ingredients and are ready in a snap!

On what is very close to my one year anniversary of getting my first air fryer, I am sharing my 8th air fryer recipe with!

I'm not usually the type of person who buys new appliances just to buy them. After all, my kitchen is already a little too close to capacity with all my various other cooking apparatus and tools.

But, when I started seeing what people could do with air fryers -- and how it was unfortunately difficult to get the same results in the oven -- I caved and asked for an air fryer for Christmas.

Boy am I so glad I did! Though I have published less than one air fryer recipe per month, I use that bad boy multiple times a week. Sometimes, I wish I even had two of them so I could air fry both the main course and side dish.

I love my air fryer for many reasons, with the top of that list being how quickly and cleanly it works. With a simple seasoning and a quick 10-20 minutes in the air fryer, you can make almost any fresh vegetable into a crunchy, savory, and addictive experience.

(Yes, that's right. I said vegetables can be addicting! I guess there can be worse vices. Anyways...)

Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite veggies to air fry. After just shy of 15 minutes of frying, you have a veggie that rivals the deep-fried variety you can find in restaurants.

Like the quick side dishes you love for busy weeknights, it's super easy, too. All you need to do is season the veggies with salt and pepper, pop in the air fryer, and your dinner side is just minutes away.

But, don't leave these favorite veggies just for a quick dinner. They can easily earn their place at a Christmas or holiday dinner, too. Finish them off with some grated or shredded hard cheese, toasted almonds, or dried cranberries and you have a deceptively impressive dish the whole family will love.

Whenever and however you serve them, I hope you enjoy this air fryer anniversary as much as I do. Cheers!

This air fryer Brussel sprouts recipe is...

• Healthy
• Crispy
• Crunchy
• Bursting with bright and fresh flavor
• Ready in under 20 minutes
• Made with only 4 clean ingredients
• Naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan
• Perfect for quick weeknight dinners
• Fancy enough for holiday feasts

This easy and healthy side dish is one that I just can't stop making... or eating! When something is this accessible, fresh, and flavorful, it's begging to be on your table on repeat. Try out this recipe today!

Recipe ingredients:

I am super happy to report that the ingredient list is short today, folks! When it comes to fresh veggies in the air fryer, less is often more and that is definitely the case with these air fried Brussel sprouts. 🙂

• Brussels sprouts - the richer the green color and smoother the leaves, the better. See my notes below on how to trim the sprouts.
• Olive oil - we only need one tablespoon to get these veggies nice and crispy
• Salt - brings out all the flavors in the Brussels
• Lemon juice - enhances the dish; brightening up the flavors while not tasting tart or sour. A must for this recipe!

Ingredient substitutions

• Oil - avocado oil can substitute easily for the olive oil
• Lemon juice - almost any other vinegar or acid should work fine on these veggies, too. I recommend red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or white wine vinegar!

How does air frying work?

Air frying works by quickly circulating hot air around the food that is being fried. Because the hot air gets the food crispy like oil does, you don't need as much oil to get your dish nice and crispy.

Why do you need to shake the basket when air frying?

Since air frying is accomplished by circulating hot air, an important factor to consider when air frying is the air food surface area ratio.

One way to keep this ratio high is by not air frying large batches of food at once. Another way to encourage it is to shake the basket of vegetables frequently. This helps to expose uncooked portions of the food and helps the veggies to air fry evenly.

What air fryer do I use and recommend?

How do you trim Brussels sprouts?

To trim Brussels sprouts all you need to do is cut the base of them off and remove any brown or damaged leaves.

For this recipe, we will also be cutting the brussels sprouts up before air frying. In this case, if your sprouts are small, just cut them in half. If your sprouts are large, cut them in quarters.

If you have a mixture of large and small, still cut them up according to size. The more uniform the vegetables are the more evenly they will cook!

Are you supposed to peel brussels sprouts?

Not necessarily. Only peel your brussels sprouts if the outer leaves are browned, bruised, or damaged. If the outer leaves are smooth and bright green, however, there is no need to peel the sprouts.

How to make Brussels sprouts in the air fryer...

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees with the basket inside.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss together the brussels sprouts, oil, and salt.
3. Add the brussels sprouts to the preheated air fryer basket and fry for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket every 4-5 minutes, or until the sprouts are cooked-through and cooked to your desired degree of crispiness.
4. Squeeze the lemon juice over the sprouts and toss until covered. Serve hot!

Air fry brussels sprouts pro-tips & cooking notes:

• Cut your brussels sprouts all the same size - cut your large sprouts in quarters and your smaller sprouts in half, so all of your vegetables are the same size. This helps the brussels sprouts cook through and crisp up evenly.
• Shake the brussels sprouts as you cook - as mentioned above, this also helps the sprouts air fry evenly
• Don't skimp on the lemon juice - it may look like you're adding a lot of lemon juice. Don't worry, though. The lemon juice won't make the vegetables sour. Instead, it will make the brussels sprouts flavor pop!

What do you serve air-fried brussels sprouts with?

This recipe is an incredibly versatile side dish. It can go with almost any main dish; I tend to serve it anywhere I would serve roasted broccoli, blistered green beans, or sauteed zucchini.

Otherwise, you can serve these brussels sprouts at your next Holiday dinner and they're even fantastic at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner!

What can you top the veggies with?

Tools needed to make this recipe:

• Air Fryer -- I use and highly recommend this one; I've also heard fantastic things about this one
• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons
• Cutting board
• Chef knife
• Silicone spatula
• Citrus juicer

More brussels sprouts recipes:

• Brussels Sprouts Slaw
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Figs & Manchego
• Maple Lime Fried Brussels Sprouts

More air fryer recipes:

• Air Fryer Vegetables
• Air Fryer Potato Skins
• Frozen Broccoli in the Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Tater Tots
• Air Fryer Zucchini
• Air Fryer Salmon
• Air Fryer Butternut Squash
• Air Fryer Smashed Garlic Potatoes
• Air Fryer Green Beans
• Air Fryer Kale Chips

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If you made and liked this recipe, don't forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went for you in the comments! It always makes my day to hear from you!