Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts {Whole30, Paleo, Keto}
This easy side dish of Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts is so delicious and healthy. Perfectly caramelized in the air fryer, these roasted and crispy brussels sprouts are Whole30, paleo, keto, and vegan. The perfect gateway brussel sprouts recipe for anyone new to trying this amazing veggie!
Roasted and crispy air fryer brussels sprouts are nothing like the gross boiled or steamed fart bombs of our youth.
Oh, no, my friends, these suckers are heavenly and caramelized and have an almost sweet taste thanks to the roasting.
Can You Air Fry Frozen Brussels Sprouts?
Yes!
One of the benefits of using an air fryer (I have and love this one) is you can get easy and crispy food with less oil than traditional roasting.
We roast so many dang vegetables in the Cook household that I even created The Ultimate Guide to Roasting Frozen Vegetables. We love the convenience and how affordable cooking with frozen vegetables is!
And if you love roasting veggies (who doesn’t), try these Baked Cauliflower Patties. They’ll blow your mind and are an awesome breakfast topped with a fried egg (and lots of hot sauce!).
More Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes
You’ll love all these air fryer vegetable recipes like Crispy Fried Onions, Air Fryer Cauliflower, Air Fryer Zucchini Chips, 9 Easy Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes, and Air Fryer French Fries.
What to Serve With Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
I’m a sucker for a dipping sauce, and I highly recommend using Sriracha Vegan Aioli, Cilantro Chimichurri, Lemon Tahini Salad Dressing, or Sweet Potato Fries Dipping Sauce (great on more than just sweet potatoes!).
For the main dish, I suggest Paleo Roast Chicken, Paleo Salmon Cakes, or Chicken Gyro Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.
Need more sides for your meal? You’ll flip over these Fluffy Mashed Potatoes.
How to Trim Brussels Sprouts
Cut the base end off of the brussels.
Cut the brussels in half and peel away the external leaves. Little bits of dirt and debris can hide in those outer leaves like evil ninjas.
Add them to a bowl of cold water and allow them to soak for five minutes. Drain and prepare in your preferred method.
Pro tip: if you have larger sprouts, cut them in half and then into half again.
How to Make Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
*You’ll find a printable and detailed recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Lightly spray the basket with olive oil cooking spray. Toss the sprouts in a bowl with olive oil and add to the air fryer.
Cook for 9 minutes or to your desired level of crispy. I prefer to check my sprouts halfway through and I also take that time to shake the basket. Pro tip: to ensure even cooking, don’t crowd the basket. It’s better to make two batches than to fill the basket to the brim.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Every person prefers their veggies roasted to a specific level. Use common sense and check on your brussels during the cooking process to see what works best for you.
- Yes, you can make these ahead of time! Store in an air-tight container and microwave for 30 seconds. Just don’t be the a-hole who takes them to work and stinks up the breakroom kitchen.
- (oven method) Make sure the oven is fully preheated before you add the sprouts. The high heat helps to crisp them up without making them soggy.
- (oven method) Don’t overcrowd the pan with too many brussels as it will cause them to steam instead of caramelizing and roasting. Use a second pan if you need to cook a lot.
- (oven method) You’ll want to cook these brussels sprouts on the bottom rack of the oven to help sear these little guys into sweet roasted oblivion.
Variations
- Try the seasoning from these Spicy Sweet Potato Fries to kick up the wow factor on these air fryer brussels sprouts.
- Throw in some crispy bacon for a smoky and delicious flavor. You can add uncooked bacon with the rest of the ingredients and cook along with the sprouts. Or just add some cooked bacon at the end for crunchy little bites of meat candy.
- Toss finished sprouts with a squirt of fresh lemon juice and top with Parmesan cheese.
- Hit the finished brussels with a splash of balsamic.
More Delicious Vegetable & Air Fryer Recipes
- Spicy Green Beans
- 10 Easy Whole30 Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Five Minute Sesame Snow Pea Recipe
- Air Fryer Roasted Garlic Recipe
- Air Fryer Egg Rolls
Click Here to Pin This Recipe
Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving of Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts has 1 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Making this recipe or others?
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This easy side dish of Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts is so delicious and healthy. Crispy and caramelized thanks to the oven or air fryer.
Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F for 5 minutes.
Toss the sprouts in a bowl with olive oil and add to the air fryer.
Lightly spray the basket with olive oil cooking spray. Add the sprouts and cook for 9 minutes or to your desired level of crispy.
Salt finished sprouts to taste.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a rack on the lowest setting.
Combine brussels, olive oil, salt, and garlic cloves in a bowl. Toss to coat.
Dump the bowl onto a rimmed baking sheet and spread the veggies around to give them space. Now, be annoyingly anal-retentive and make sure they are all cut side down on the pan. Annoying, but this is going to give you the best sear possible!
Bake for 12 minutes. Stir, and bake for another 3-8 minutes depending on your desired level of crisp (I do 6 minutes).
Make sure the oven is fully preheated before you add the sprouts. The high heat helps to crisp them up without making them soggy. Cook on the bottom rack.
Don't overcrowd the basket (air fryer method) or pan (oven method) with too many brussels as it will cause them to steam instead of caramelizing and roasting. Use a second pan if you need to cook a lot.
Every person prefers their veggies roasted to a specific level. Use common sense and check on your brussels during the cooking process to see what works best for you.
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I have a pack of brussels sprouts in the freezer waiting to be oven roasted on your instruction but now I’m going to have to try them in the air fryer too!! Thanks for the tips!
Three words – GET.IT.GIRL
When I started making these both of my children (one who is 43) turned their noses up and made snarky comments and gagging noises. Once they got over themselves they finished the entire bowl. I won’t mention that one used a mixture of ketchup (barf), sweet and sour sauce, chili sauce and god knows what else as a dipping sauce.
That is quite the complex dipping sauce those two are crafting!
Will definitely be making these this week! Also, how did you not include the everyday I’m Brusselin’ bottle in the background of one the pictures?!? 😂 Just ordered mine today!!
Haha, freaking missed opportunity Eva! Doh!!!
Thanks for your support! 🙂
These air fryer brussels sprouts are so Instagrammable and adorable! As you know I made it a short while ago and it was lovely! Thx, Sarah for sharing!
I’m so glad it worked out well for you! Gotta love a roasted veggie that doesn’t heat up the house.
OMG!!! I made these last night and they were AMAZING!!! My husband is an incredibly picky eater who usually only eats canned veggies and canned fruits, but he actually ENJOYED eating these!! This recipe has definitely been placed in my tried & true recipe book!! Thank you for this amazing recipe!! Happy New Year to everyone!! May it be blessed!!
Yahoo Megan! I love that you won over a picky eater with these sprouts. May 2019 bring you more and more successful kitchen experiments.