You know those restaurant-style crispy Brussels sprouts with a sweet and tangy glaze? This is how you make those at home in your air fryer!

Video: Air Frying Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Cutting the Sprouts

The short version: Use medium-sized spouts, cut them in half, but don’t cut off the stem end first.

More info: To make these crispy Balsamic Brussels Sprouts in the air fryer, start by prepping your sprouts. I like to use medium Brussels sprouts, about an inch across, cut in half to increase their surface area. More surface area means more places for browning and crispiness. Also, if you cut them in half, the balsamic and the honey can kind of get in between the leaves and add more flavor right in there.

If your Brussels sprouts are bigger or smaller it’s ok, but try to choose ones that are roughly the same size so they all cook at the same rate. If you have a variety of sizes, cut the biggest sprouts into thirds or quarters to even things out.

And no, I don’t cut off the stem end unless it’s really sticking out. The reason is that it’s going to help hold the leaves together. If you cut it off and then cut the sprouts in half, a lot of leaves will fall off.

Not that leaves falling off is a bad thing. In fact, the few leaves that you do have falling off just naturally in the cutting process are actually going to get extra crispy in the air fryer. And we want those extra-crispy bits, right? But we just don’t want ALL the leaves to fall off. Some leaves falling off is good. All leaves falling off is bad.

Seasoning the Sprouts

Next, add the sprouts to a mixing bowl with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Give them a good stir so they all get coated with the oil and vinegar mixture. It doesn’t look like much, but I promise there’s enough to go around as long as you mix the sprouts. Let them sit and marinate for a few minutes while your air fryer heats up.

Air Fryer Temperature for Crispy Brussels Sprouts

Preheat the air fryer to 360°F. That is hot enough to brown the sprouts, but not too quickly. The key to delicious Brussels sprouts is that they have to soften a bit inside while also getting browned outside. If you cook them at too high a temperature, they’ll get too dark before they get soft in the middle.

Once they’re a bit browned outside and soft inside, you can then blast the heat on them to really crisp them up. I like to add some honey for the sugar that will help get them even crispier.

How Long To Cook Sprouts in the Air Fryer

You’ll be air-frying the Brussels sprouts at 360°F until the sprouts are tender inside and just beginning to crisp. That’ll be 15-18 minutes, giving the basket a toss halfway through (some leaves will fall off, but those will crisp up nicely so it’s a good thing!).

Then drizzle them with that honey and crank the heat to 400°F so that they get nice and crispy and caramelized. They’ll only need 2-4 minutes at 400°F once you’ve added the honey. And then it’s time to eat!

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This post originally appeared in January 2020 and was revised and republished in October 2024.