These chili garlic air fryer brussels sprouts are the perfect combination of sweet, salty and spicy. They’re so easy to make, crispy and perfect for a simple side dish or appetizer. They’re gluten free and can be made vegan!
It took me a few years to hop onto the air fryer bandwagon since I usually shy away from appliances that I don’t really need. I mean, isn’t an air fryer just like a mini oven?! Well, no. It’s not!
Air fryers make everything crispier and somehow tastier. But also easier. These air fryer brussels sprouts are crispy, full of flavor and ready in 20 minutes. Plus, they’re so good dipped into my favorite and popular peanut sauce.
Brussels sprouts definitely get a bad rap because the texture can be not so great sometimes. But I can easily eat the whole batch of these in one sitting, so do yourself a favor and double the recipe!
Serve them as a simple appetizer, it’s easy to eat them like potato chips, or alongside my salmon bowls, or crispy garlic tofu.
Ingredients needed
BRUSSELS SPROUTS. You need one pound of fresh brussels sprouts. I do not recommend frozen since frozen veggies generally don’t crisp very well.
OIL/SALT. A bit of olive oil and salt will coat the brussels before air frying to ensure they get really crispy.
SAUCE. A simple chili garlic sauce that’s the perfect combination of spicy, sweet and salty. You’ll need some soy sauce or tamari, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, honey and sesame oil.
How to make brussels sprouts in air fryer
Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut the ends off your brussels sprouts, then cut in half. Add to a bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt.
Transfer to your air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes, tossing halfway.
Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce. When the brussels are done, toss with the sauce, then air fry an additional 2-3 minutes to make them extra crispy.
You can add the sauce right in the air fryer, which is what I did, but that can make clean up a bit messy, so you can transfer to a bowl, toss with the sauce, then add back into the air fryer.
Garnish with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Benefits
An air fryer is more or less a compact convection oven on your counter.
- An air fryer cooks food by blowing hot air down and around it, making the foods you air fry crispy in a very. short amount of time
- Air fryers are great as an alternative to deep frying foods such as chicken nuggets! You don’t need copious amounts of oil when you use an air fryer. Just one tablespoon for these air fryer brussels sprouts!
- One of my favorite parts of the air fryer over an oven is that it preheats very quickly, in just 4-5 minutes for my model.
How to store
In the fridge. Refrigerate Brussels sprouts in an airtight storage container for 3-5 days. However, they are definitely best served fresh if you want to maintain the crispy texture.
To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-5 minutes or until warm and crispy.
To Freeze. Unfortunately, the Brussels sprouts will get mushy once thawed and the crispiness won’t keep, so I don’t recommend freezing them.
Serving suggestions
As an appetizer: Serve them exactly as is as a simple appetizer! If you can find really small brussels sprouts, you can air fry them whole which makes them a bit easier to serve as an app.
As a side: I love serving these alongside some crispy tofu, salmon, or simple grilled chicken with rice.
More air fryer recipes you’ll love!
If you try this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out! Be sure to follow me on instagram and subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes.
Chili Garlic Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 1 pound brussels sprouts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the ends off your brussels sprouts, then cut in half.
- Add to a bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt.
- Transfer to your air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes, tossing halfway.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce.
- When the brussels are done, toss with the sauce, then air fry an additional 2-3 minutes to make them extra crispy.
- You can add the sauce right in the air fryer, which is what I did, but that can make clean up a bit messy, so you can transfer to a bowl, toss with the sauce, then add back into the air fryer.
- Garnish with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Bob says
Made this tonight. Easy and delicious!
Definitely keeping this recipe and making this again, and again, and likely again.
Claire Cary says
Amazing, thank you!