Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Buffalo Ranch Dipping Sauce

Welcome to your next healthy addiction. Brussels sprouts are roasted in the air fryer to get them crispy and full of flavor with a touch of garlic and salt. The Buffalo - Ranch Dipping Sauce is PERFECT with them. And check out my tips for getting them crispy!

All you need are 4 ingredients and 20 minutes, for both prepping and air frying.

Updated October 3, 2022

Fall gatherings are ramping up with game day and Octoberfest parties. Thoughts turn to appetizers. Easy appetizers. And these Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts are an appetizer (or side dish) that everyone will seriously love.

The air fryer makes such quick work of roasting veggies, and brings a perfect crispy texture that's hard to get by a simple oven roasting. A great example of that is this recipe for Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes, which would be great with this Buffalo Ranch Dipping Sauce too.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 📆 Freaky Friday
• 🥂 Take Two Tapas
• 🧅 Ingredients + Notes
• 🔪 Recommended Equipment
• 📝 Instructions Overview with Tips
• 🔥 Tips to Get the Brussels Sprouts Crispy
• 🌱 Tips For Tender Brussels Sprouts
• 💡 Possible Variations
• 🥬 Make it Vegan
• 🤷‍♀️ FAQ
• 📇 More Brussels Sprout Dishes You Might Like
• 👩‍🍳 What Did Everyone Else Make??
• Air Fryer Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Buffalo Ranch Dip Recipe
• 🌱 Sign up for my emails, and get my 5 tips for easy vegetarian meals!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• You only need 4 ingredients to make both the Brussels sprouts AND the dipping sauce. OK, 6 ingredients if you include the olive oil and salt.
• These Brussels sprouts will air fry in 15 minutes.
• This dish can be a side dish or an appetizer for either a game day or dinner party.
• Brussels sprouts are super healthy.
• It's a great way to get your kids to eat Brussels sprouts
• Warm appetizers in fall and winter are instant hits!
• They're simply delicious.

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📆 Freaky Friday

What, you may wonder, is Freaky Friday??

For starters, it's how I found this fabulous recipe that I guarantee you will love.

It's a group of food bloggers who are secretly assigned one another’s blogs to make a recipe from. Then we all reveal who we had and what we made on the same Friday. And that's TODAY!

Many thanks to Michaela from An Affair from the Heart who created and hosts this blog hop. At the bottom of this post, you'll see a list of all of the other recipes our group cooked up - that's what makes it a blog hop :-).

This fabulous recipe for Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts comes from Jennifer at the Take Two Tapas blog.

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🥂 Take Two Tapas

Jennifer has been in the kitchen since she was old enough to hold a spoon. She's a self-trained cook who hates to do the dishes. (I hear ya, girlfriend!) And her recipes have been published in Parade, Cosmopolitan magazine, and Buzz Feed.

Take Two Tapas focuses primarily on small plates and cocktails. These small plates can be for dinner, party food, finger foods, dips and spreads, desserts or snacks. I've followed her blog for years now, and it's loaded with so many delicious recipes.

Although her blog is not vegetarian, many of her dishes are vegetarian-friendly or can easily be made vegetarian! I've got her Air Fryer Sweet Potato Latkes on my list to make next, along with these Halloween Popcorn Balls and this Easy Crockpot Hot Chocolate.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.

📝 Instructions Overview with Tips

Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!

Step 1

Prep the Brussels sprouts and garlic. Using a sharp chef's knife, slice the sprouts in half.

If you're not using purchased garlic paste, peel the garlic cloves, and finely mince.

Step 2

Toss everything together. Toss the sprouts with the garlic, olive oil and salt in a medium-large bowl.

Step 3

Air Fry. Pile the sprouts into the air fryer basket and air fry for 15 minutes. Don't crowd them too much. Be sure to toss them in the basket every 5 minutes. This allows hot air to circulate around them evenly so that they crisp.

Step 4

Make the dipping sauce. Stir together equal parts of Ranch Dressing and Buffalo Hot Sauce.

Step 5

Serve. These are best served warm, as they lose their crispiness once they're cooled.

🔥 Tips to Get the Brussels Sprouts Crispy

• Use an air fryer. An air fryer circulates hot air all around any food in the air fryer basket, which promotes a crispy skin.
• Don't pile the Brussels sprouts on top of each other. You need the hot air circulating all around them.
• Toss the sprouts every 5 minutes. This is crucial to getting crispy outer leaves. I recommend starting with them all facing down. After 5 minutes, turn them all over. After another 5 minutes, turn them all one last time. Use rubber coated tongs to turn them.
• Serve immediately, or before they reach room temperature. They're still delicious at room temp, IMO, but they won't be very crispy.
• I made these halved and quartered. I preferred them halved. The quartered sprouts didn't crisp up as well.

🌱 Tips For Tender Brussels Sprouts

Even though I like the outer leaves to be crispy, I want the sprouts to cook enough to be al-dente.

• If you want them softer than al-dente, pre-soak them in water for 10 - 15 minutes or microwave them for 3 - 5 minutes. Dry the outer surfaces completely with a towel before tossing with the garlic, oil and salt.

💡 Possible Variations

• Balsamic vinegar: Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar when you toss them in the bowl with olive oil, garlic and salt. Or add the balsamic vinegar after they're all crispy. Balsamic vinegar is a great partner with Brussels sprouts, like in these Pan-Fried Brussels Sprouts and Onions with a Fried Egg.
• Maple Syrup: When you turn the Brussels sprouts for the final time, baste them very lightly with maple syrup.
• Parmesan Cheese: Finish these Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with a flurry of grated Parmesan cheese.
• Celery salt: Use celery salt instead of kosher salt.

🥬 Make it Vegan

Use Hidden Valley Plant Powered Ranch Dressing.

🤷‍♀️ FAQ

Sometimes I see Brussels sprouts on a long stalk in my market. Is that a good way to buy them?

Buying them on the stalk ensures their freshness, so this is the best way to buy them. They will also likely have more nutrients because of this freshness.

Can I make Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts ahead?

They're best freshly out of the air fryer. But if you make them ahead, re-crisp them in the air fryer for 5 minutes, or until warmed through and crispy.

How should I store them?

Store them in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 4 - 5 days.

Can I freeze these crispy Brussels sprouts?

I don't recommend freezing them. The texture can be mushy when they thaw, and difficult to crisp.

📇 More Brussels Sprout Dishes You Might Like

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad with Caramelized Onions

Brussels Sprouts Crispy Chips with Nutritional Yeast

Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Quinoa

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👩‍🍳 What Did Everyone Else Make??

Now it’s time to see what all of the other participating bloggers made! Seriously, go check them out!

See all of our 2022 Freaky Friday Fall Edition Recipes

Hosted by - An Affair from the Heart

1. An Affair from the Heart - Pepperoni Pizza Bread
2. Aunt Bee's Recipes -  Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
3. The Culinary Compass - Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
4. Devour Dinner - Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice
5. Family Around the Table - White Chocolate Pumpkin Martini
6. Feast + West - Bourbon Caramel Sauce
7. Fresh April Flours - Butterfinger Poke Cake
8. Home Cooked Harvest - Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
9. Hostess at Heart - The BEST Pumpkin Pie Recipe
10. Kathryn's Kitchen Blog - Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
11. Life Currents - French Onion Bruschetta 
12. Off the Eaten Path -  Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip
13. The Speckled Palate - German Pancake
14. Sue Bee Homemaker - Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
15. Take Two Tapas - Crockpot Pizza Dip
16. The Wimpy Vegetarian - Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts