Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts With Bacon

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Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts With Bacon are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Salty bacon with crispy brussels sprouts, there’s not a better side dish out there!

This 6 ingredient side dish is super easy to make and can be ready in under 15 minutes.

If you love this recipe, give one of these easy recipes a try next: Air Fryer Eggplant Fries, Parmesan Air Fryer Zucchini, or Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes.

Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts With Bacon Recipe

No more soggy steamed brussels, these simple air fryer brussel sprouts with crispy bacon are an easy side dish that will quickly become your family dinner go-to. 

You can serve your crispy air fryer brussel sprouts a few different ways: you can top them with a balsamic glaze or add a drizzle of honey or sweet maple syrup for a sweet and salty delicious side dish. 

Air frying vegetables is the best way to quickly add a healthy side dish to any meal. They’re low-carb and one of my favorite healthy vegetables. It takes around 15 minutes to air fry and the clean up is easy! 

Ingredients you will need

With just a few simple ingredients you’ll have a great side dish to serve for weeknight dinners, with a holiday meal, or to use for meal prep during the week.

Brussels sprouts: you will need fresh brussels sprouts for this air fryer recipe. I like to buy the ones that are already cut in half for convenience at my grocery store.

Bacon: feel free to use any kind of bacon that you’d like. Keep in mind, if you’re using flavored bacon (hickory smoked, applewood smoked bacon, etc.) your flavor may be a little different in the end. Be sure to use strips of bacon and not bacon bits. 

Seasonings: you will need garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.

Parmesan cheese (optional): parmesan cheese is totally optional, but I love topping mine with cheese, so they have a little bit of extra flavor! 

How to make Brussels sprouts in the air fryer

1. Preheat the air fryer to 350° F.

2. Prepare the brussels sprouts. Remove the first layers of the brussels sprouts and cut off the stem bottom. Then, cut the brussels sprouts in half.

3. Season the brussels sprouts. Add the brussels sprouts to a large mixing bowl and spray them with olive oil or avocado oil. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then, toss the brussels sprouts until evenly coated with all the seasonings.

4. Combine bacon and brussels sprouts. Cut the bacon strips into 1-inch pieces and add them to the bowl with the brussels sprouts and mix.

5. Air fry the brussels sprouts. Place your brussels sprouts in the air fryer basket and cook for five minutes, toss, then cook for 5 minutes more.

6. Serve. Transfer the brussels sprouts and bacon to a serving plate, top with grated parmesan cheese, and serve!

If you’re like me and enjoy a dipping sauce with your brussels sprouts, you might enjoy this Tiger Sauce with them!

Why did my brussels sprouts burn in the air fryer?

• Make sure to shake your air fryer halfway through cooking so that the air hits every part of your sprouts. This will also allow them to get crispy on each side rather than burning.
• Your air fryer is too high. For this recipe, make sure that your air fryer only hits 350 degrees; if it’s any hotter, your brussels sprouts may burn. You may notice the outer leaves have burnt more than the whole sprout.
• Your air fryer is too crowded. This will make your air fryer brussels sprouts with bacon become extra crispy (or burnt) on the top but super soggy in the middle. For best results, if you have a smaller air fryer and need to do multiple batches with a single layer, that’s okay; it’s so much better than burning your food!
• The size of the sprouts can also affect cooking time. Smaller sprouts may take less cooking time than larger sprouts, keep an eye on them to make sure the small ones don’t burn.

Can you put raw bacon in an air fryer?

Yes! Air fried bacon is one of my favorites. There are just a couple of things I like to double check when cooking bacon. It gets so crispy and cooks way faster than in the oven.

Can I air fry brussels sprouts without oil?

You can; however, they do get a better and more even crisp. The good thing about air fryers is that you don’t need any oil when cooking foods in the air fryer; the circulating air is what helps cook and makes this perfect side dish a little crispy.

Can you put aluminum foil in an air fryer?

Yes, you can definitely put aluminum foil into your air fryer, but make sure you poke some holes in it so the air can still circulate around the food.

How do I store leftover brussels sprouts?

I really enjoy making extra air fryer brussels sprouts so that I can use them for meal prep. You can store leftovers fridge for up to five days if they’re stored in an airtight container.

To reheat, toss your brussels sprouts into the microwave for about 15-20 seconds or until they’re warm all the way through. You can also place them back in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees F to get nice and crispy again.

More easy air fryer recipes to try

• Cheese Bites
• Air Fryer Baked Spaghetti
• Garlic Knots
• Air Fryer Apple Chips

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