Best Damn Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

Air fryer brussels sprouts seasoned to perfection with Parmesan cheese and ranch seasonings. Crispy on the outside, tender and delicious on the inside.

Your air fryer is the perfect appliance for making so many delicious foods. With this recipe, we’re not actually making “fried” Brussels sprouts, but rather using the air fryer in place of a standard oven to make “roasted” Brussels sprouts. Have you had roasted Brussels sprouts before? If not, you’ve in for an amazing treat!

Why Make Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts?

Brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable that are in the same family of vegetables that includes broccoli and cabbage. Specifically they are a member of the Gemmifera Group of cabbage and are know for their edible buds. Brussels sprouts can be cooked a number of different ways, but by far, they are at their best when they are roasted. The flavors brought on from roasting can be described as savory, slightly nutty, and even a tad sweet – especially the smaller sized sprouts.

The process of air frying does not involve immersing food into oil, but rather uses rapid moving heat to circulate around the food, thus cooking the food and creating a crispy outer layer. For our air fryer Brussels sprouts, we’re not breading the sprouts, but rather coating them with a small amount of vegetable oil, Parmesan cheese, dry ranch seasoning, salt and pepper. That’s it! And then in just 12 minutes, you’ve got perfectly “roasted” Brussels sprouts, done in a fraction of the time of a standard oven.

How to Choose Brussels Sprouts

Picking out the right Brussels sprouts is actually quite easy. Most often, Brussels sprouts are found loose, or already removed from the stalk, in most produce stores or supermarkets. They vary in size and can be as small as 1 inch in diameter, to as large as almost 3 inches in diameter – or about the size of an egg! The best Brussels sprouts are generally medium in size, have a good, compact and tight inner leaf, no brown or yellow leaves, and may feel slightly heavy for their size. The most important factor when cooking air fryer Brussels sprouts is to select sprouts that are all similar in size. You do not want a mixture of small and large. So take a moment and select the ones that are similar in size to ensure even cooking and and best results.

How to Prepare Brussels Sprouts for Cooking

Preparing Brussels sprouts for cooking couldn’t be easier. Wash the Brussels sprouts of any dirt or debris and dry thoroughly. Use a small knife and cut off as much of the stem as possible. If you’ve purchased Brussels sprouts loosely, the stems are likely to be minimal but you should still trim as necessary. Remove any loose, small or damaged outer leaves. For this recipe, we’ll be cutting the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise.

How to Make Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

Making Brussels sprouts in your air fryer couldn’t be easier! We start with 1lb of fresh, cleaned and trimmed medium sized Brussels sprouts. We cut them in half lengthwise and place them in a bowl. Next we add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and toss the sprouts so they are all evenly coated. Next, we mix together the dry ranch seasoning, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and toss it in with the sprouts. Use your hands and make sure the Brussels are all evenly coated with all the mixture.

We then place the coated Brussels sprouts into our air fryer basket or tray, close it up, and air fry at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Check on them every few minutes and give them a good toss in the basket, or flip halfway through if using a tray style air fryer.

When done, remove from the air fryer onto a serving plate and coat with any additional salt, pepper or Parmesan cheese to desired taste.

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