Spicy Teriyaki Fried Brussels Sprouts in the Air Fryer

Fresh Brussels sprouts are delightful with a crisp outside and tender inside in this Spicy Teriyaki Fried Brussels Sprouts in the Air Fryer recipe.

Brussels sprouts were a vegetable I didn’t eat as a child because my mother didn’t. Those little green balls of tightly-wound leaves intrigued me, but the odor of them boiling did not.

But then I hit my late teen years and I grew curious about the foods I’d never tasted: Sweet potatoes, sushi and Brussels sprouts. So I tried them, one by one, and fell in love.

These days, when a restaurant offers Brussels sprouts as a side, I will often skip the fries in favor of the vegetable that once reminded me of baby cabbages (for the record, they are not baby cabbages at all. They are cruciferous vegetables, more closely related to broccoli and kale).

And that’s precisely how I discovered and fell in love with fried Brussels sprouts. A local restaurant/bar had them on the menu as an appetizer, tossed with a sweet-spicy sauce. One taste and I was hooked.

These Spicy Teriyaki Fried Brussels Sprouts are made in an air fryer, which means they have less fat than their deep-fried counterparts. But they are so crispy and so delightful with the sauce that’s a mixture of teriyaki glaze and chili garlic sauce.

Now, there are undoubtedly some who’d see these and think “those are just burnt!” and I get it — they do look a bit like that, don’t they? But what those people don’t know is that those dark, crispy outsides surround a tender inside. And the sauce, in all its sweet-spicy glory, makes every layer a delight.

How to make Brussels sprouts in an air fryer

I recently purchased a small, slim-line air fryer. It’s great for about two servings of whatever you feel like making. I chose this style and size for its compactness and because I wasn’t sure this device would be something I’d use on the regular for family meals.

I’m pretty happy with the size. When I need to make enough for four servings, I just cook things in two batches. But most often, the size is perfect because I use it when I am cooking for one or two.

To make Brussels sprouts in an air fryer, you first need to prepare the sprouts. I’ve tried them several ways and like them best when halved for cooking. This allows them to develop a lovely crispy outside while remaining tender and green on the inside.

I find quartered Brussels sprouts to get too done in the air fryer.

Toss them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Then cook them. I set my air fryer to 350 degrees and cook them for two cycles of about 12 minutes each, removing the basket and tossing them in between those two cycles.

Now that your Brussels sprouts are air fried, what do you do with them? Toss them with a sauce, of course! I mean, you could totally eat them straight from the air fryer. But they are even better sauced.

The sauce for this recipe is a simple mixture of teriyaki glaze and chili garlic sauce. Both are available in most grocery stores in the Asian foods section.

Mix them up and then toss with the Brussels sprouts.

These make an excellent side dish. Try them alongside a burger or grilled chicken.

Do you have any foods you didn’t eat as a child that you love as an adult? Share in the comments!