How to Air Fry Frozen Brussels Sprouts (or Fresh!)

Quick and easy, this recipe for Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts shows you just how to air fry frozen Brussels sprouts as well as fresh ones to make them both taste delicious with minimal effort and clean up. This is a healthy, fast, and convenient side dish served up with a delicious smoky vegan mayo.

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Hey Internet, have you seen those memes on social media: “Does anyone actually eat Brussels sprouts?” I always laugh because I actually LOVE Brussels sprouts.

However, I grew up eating them prepared in a delicious way: roasted with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sometimes there was a little soy sauce in there too.

Most people I’ve talked to who are Brussels haters have only ever had them one way. Steamed and plain.

Sorry, that’s just not right in my opinion.

My husband is the perfect case study. He thought he hated Brussels sprouts before he met me, and had only ever had them steamed.

I made him my dad’s version and he loved them! Ever since we’ve been experimenting with Brussels sprouts--I even made these roasted apple Brussels sprouts which is are also really good.

But today we’re here to talk about one thing: how to air fry frozen Brussels sprouts. I’ll also tell you how to do it with fresh ones too, but here’s the thing about frozen…

It’s so convenient! You don’t have to wash them, cut off the woody stems, or deal with all the extra leaves that get everywhere. Just toss them in your air fryer.

This is a great way to get a healthy veggie on your plate any time of the day, no matter how busy you are.

The ingredients list is pretty dang short. I’m adding ingredients for a little smoky vegan mayo too, just as a little sauce but to be honest you really don’t need it.

What You’ll Need

• Frozen (or fresh) Brussels sprouts: I looked in multiple grocery stores and the only frozen Brussels sprouts I ever saw had the word “petite” in their name, so they are smaller than some larger sprouts you might see in the fresh produce section. However, the recipe can easily be adapted to large sprouts--just cook a bit longer. Fresh Brussels sprouts also work--I’ll show you how to do that too.
• Olive oil, optional: It’s completely optional but it does make them taste a little better. The Brussels sprouts should still be a little moist when we season them, but if they’re not and you don’t want to use oil, just brush or toss them with a little water, vegetable broth, or soy sauce and then sprinkle on the seasonings so they stick.
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper: You can also use any seasonings you’d like!
• Optional add-ons, to serve: Grated vegan parmesan cheese (we love using Violife, but here’s a homemade recipe for vegan parmesan topping if you prefer) and homemade vegan bacon bits. You can make these while the Brussels sprouts cook if you’re so inclined.

Smoky Vegan Mayo Dipping Sauce

If you’d like to make the dipping sauce, it’s super easy to whiz up in the blender. It’s based on my vegan mayo recipe.

Blend the following ingredients until smooth:

• 1-16 ounce package silken tofu (or 1 ½ cups soaked raw cashews or sunflower seeds + water to blend if using this substitution)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon sea salt

And that’s it! It makes a lot, so go ahead and store the leftovers to use on sandwiches, as a salad dressing, etc.

How to Air Fry Frozen Brussels Sprouts

This section is specifically for frozen Brussels sprouts. Skip to the next section if you’re using fresh sprouts.

• Add the frozen sprouts directly to your air fryer basket or tray in a single layer.
• Cook for 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). If your air fryer is like mine, it’s temperature is only set in increments of 10 (so I can’t do specifically 375, only 370 or 380), it’s fine to do 380.
• Remove the basket and add the Brussels to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil or a little broth or water or soy sauce, then sprinkle on the sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Stir gently and return to the air fryer in a single layer. You can do this all in the air fryer but I found a lot of my oil and seasoning were falling through the holes in the basket so it was better to do it in a bowl. You can use the same bowl to serve them in to save dishes.
• Cook 4-6 more minutes in the air fryer until starting to crisp and brown. Note that fresh Brussels sprouts are more likely to get really crispy, but these frozen Brussels sprouts taste REALLY darn good like this.
• While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, you can blend up your smoky vegan mayo ingredients (or if you’re in an old apartment with wonky power like me, you may have to wait till the sprouts are done, ugh).
• Optional topping time: If you want to top these like I did with vegan parmesan cheese and vegan bacon bits, go ahead and prepare those now. If you’d prefer to make your own vegan parmesan topping, I have a super quick recipe for that as well. If you prefer, you could also use a balsamic glaze, or a bottled salad dressing, or even a sauce like lemon miso tahini or vegan teriyaki sauce.
• And you’re done! Serve your air fryer Brussels sprouts hot with a little bowl of the dipping sauce on the side. Sprinkle with desired toppings and enjoy.

How to Air Fry Fresh Brussels Sprouts

The process is similar to frozen but it starts a little differently.

• Start by washing and trimming the woody bottoms off your sprouts. Cut them in halves or quarters so they’re all about the same size. Discard or set aside the leaves that fall off--they’ll burn in the air fryer--not in a dangerous way, just in a not-super-tasty way. I like to save the leaves that fall off and toss them in my salads.
• Soak the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. This makes the cooked sprouts more tender and less dried out (as the air fryer sucks out most moisture). Then drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
• Toss with olive oil (or water, vegetable broth, or soy sauce), sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper and air fry 12-16 minutes (depending on size and desired level of crispiness) at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius), shaking the basket halfway through so they cook evenly.
• Top with vegan parmesan cheese and vegan bacon bits and enjoy!

This Side Dish Pairs Well With

• Vegan Steak
• Seitan Turkey
• Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy
• Beyond Meat Meatloaf
• Vegan Portobello Mushroom Steaks
• Lentil Mushroom Loaf
• Seitan Chicken
• Vegan Corned Beef

Anything Else?

As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too. And now you know how to air fry frozen Brussels sprouts! We kept eating these while we were trying to photograph them!

These air fryer Brussels sprouts are:

• Super easy
• Quick to make
• Crispy yet tender
• Honestly a little bit addictive
• And the perfect side to any hearty meal… a good way to get your veggies in too!

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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How to Air Fry Frozen Brussels Sprouts (or Fresh!)

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• Author: Liz Madsen
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

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Description

Quick and easy, this recipe for Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts shows you just how to air fry frozen Brussels Sprouts as well as fresh ones.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Brussels Sprouts

• 1 pound (16 ounces) frozen (or fresh) Brussels sprouts, petite OK (see note 1)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or water, veg broth or soy sauce) (see note 2)

Smoky Vegan Mayo Dipping Sauce

• 1-16 ounce package silken tofu (or 1 ½ cups soaked raw cashews or sunflower seeds + water to blend if using this substitution)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¾ - 1 teaspoon sea salt

Optional Toppings

• Vegan parmesan cheese (grated store-bought or homemade parmesan topping
• Vegan bacon bits
• Balsamic glaze (I didn’t use this, but some like it on their Brussels sprouts)

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Instructions

How to Air Fry Frozen Brussels Sprouts 

1. Cook 10 minutes: Add the frozen sprouts directly to your air fryer basket or tray in a single layer. Cook for 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). If your air fryer is like mine, it’s temperature is only set in increments of 10 (so I can’t do specifically 375, only 370 or 380), it’s fine to do 380.
2. Season: Remove the basket and add the Brussels to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil or a little broth or water or soy sauce, then sprinkle on the sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Stir gently and return to the air fryer in a single layer. You can do this all in the air fryer but I found a lot of my oil and seasoning were falling through the holes in the basket so it was better to do it in a bowl. You can use the same bowl to serve them in to save dishes.
3. Cook a bit more: Cook 4-6 more minutes in the air fryer until starting to crisp and brown. Note that fresh Brussels sprouts are more likely to get really crispy, but these frozen Brussels sprouts taste REALLY darn good like this.

How to Air Fry Frozen Brussels Sprouts 

1. Prep Brussels sprouts: Start by washing and trimming the woody bottoms off your sprouts. Cut them in halves or quarters so they’re all about the same size. Discard or set aside the leaves that fall off--they’ll burn in the air fryer--not in a dangerous way, just in a not-super-tasty way. I like to save the leaves that fall off and toss them in my salads.
2. Soak: Soak the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. This makes the cooked sprouts more tender and less dried out (as the air fryer sucks out most moisture). Then drain and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
3. Season and cook: Toss with olive oil (or water, vegetable broth, or soy sauce), sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper and air fry 12-16 minutes (depending on size and desired level of crispiness) at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius), shaking the basket halfway through so they cook evenly.

For both:

1. Make the sauce: While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, you can blend up your smoky vegan mayo ingredients (or if you’re in an old apartment with wonky power like me, you may have to wait till the sprouts are done, ugh).
2. Optional topping time: If you want to top these like I did with vegan parmesan cheese and vegan bacon bits, go ahead and prepare those now. If you’d prefer to make your own vegan parmesan topping, I have a super quick recipe for that as well. If you prefer, you could also use a balsamic glaze, or a bottled salad dressing, or even a sauce like lemon miso tahini or vegan teriyaki sauce.
3. Serve: And you’re done! Serve your air fryer Brussels sprouts hot with a little bowl of the dipping sauce on the side. Sprinkle with desired toppings and enjoy.
4. Store: These little dudes are definitely best the first night. If you have leftovers, store them for 1-2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I recommend you reheat them in the air fryer too.

Notes

• Note 1: I looked in multiple grocery stores and the only frozen Brussels sprouts I ever saw had the word “petite” in their name, so they are smaller than some larger sprouts you might see in the fresh produce section. However, the recipe can easily be adapted to large sprouts--just cook a bit longer. Fresh Brussels sprouts also work--I’ll show you how to do that too.
• Note 2: It’s completely optional but the olive oil does make them taste a little better. The Brussels sprouts should still be a little moist when we season them, but if they’re not and you don’t want to use oil, just brush or toss them with a little water, vegetable broth, or soy sauce and then sprinkle on the seasonings so they stick.
• Note 3: Grated vegan parmesan cheese (we love using Violife, but here’s a homemade recipe for vegan parmesan topping if you prefer) and homemade vegan bacon bits. You can make these while the Brussels sprouts cook if you’re so inclined.

• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Side
• Method: Airfryer
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, Sugar-Free, Can Be Oil-Free, Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts, How to Air Fry Frozen Brussels Sprouts