Brussels sprouts have a bad reputation because most people have only had them boiled. The air fryer solves this in around 15 minutes: circulating heat caramelises the cut face while keeping the centre tender. Most videos agree on 400 °F and a halfway shake; where they diverge is on washing, how to handle loose outer leaves, and what to add at the end.
Short verdict
Cooking with Coit is the one to start with. It explains the reasoning behind each step — no washing, because moisture kills crispiness; loose leaves held back until the halfway point — and uses a two-stage balsamic glaze that adds flavour without soaking the sprouts. For a richer result, The Stay At Home Chef uses a butter-and-oil base with mid-cook Parmesan and takes ten minutes flat.
The ranking
1
Best overall
Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts
Cooking with Coit · 6:12 · Feb 2022
Justin at Cooking with Coit works through a five-ingredient recipe over six minutes: halved Brussels sprouts, three cloves of minced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. He runs the air fryer at 400 °F for 15 minutes, shaking at the halfway mark, and applies balsamic vinegar in two stages: one tablespoon before cooking, a second tossed through at the end 5:17.
Why it ranks here: The standout tip is the loose-leaf handling at 2:50: pull the detached outer leaves out before the full cook starts and add them back at the seven-and-a-half-minute mark, so they crisp rather than burn. The explanation of why skipping washing matters is specific enough to stick: 'moisture is literally the enemy of crispy' 1:02. Commenters confirm the result: one describes them as rivalling 'Brussels sprouts from fancy steakhouses.' The non-auto transcript makes every quantity clear.
~6 min watch · easy · air fryer only · 15 min cook
2
Best for garlic butter
Air Fryer Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts
The Stay At Home Chef · 2:22 · Jan 2023
The Stay At Home Chef trims and halves 1–1½ lb of Brussels sprouts and coats them in ¼ cup of melted butter plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. The sprouts go into the air fryer at 400 °F for 5 minutes; Parmesan is then grated directly onto them 1:33 before a further 5 minutes.
Why it ranks here: The butter-and-oil fat base 0:54 gives a richer result than olive oil alone, and grating the Parmesan at the halfway point lets it melt into the cut faces rather than sitting cold on top at serving. Ten minutes total is the fastest complete recipe in this group. The non-auto transcript is brief and exact — useful if you are already comfortable with the basics and want a steakhouse-style variation.
~2 min watch · easy · air fryer only · 10 min cook
3
Best for tender centres
The BEST Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts | Crispy, Tender, and Flavorful Air Fried Brussel Sprouts
Joe Duff - The Diet Chef · 2:40 · Feb 2022
Joe Duff at The Diet Chef washes and halves the sprouts, soaks them in a cold-water bath 0:55 while mincing two cloves of fresh garlic, then drains and seasons with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. He air fries at 380 °F for 10 minutes with a halfway shake, adds 2–3 minutes for extra char, and finishes with freshly grated Parmesan and flaky salt.
Why it ranks here: The cold-water soak is the one technique no other ranked video uses. A commenter who had given up on air-fried sprouts because they dried out tried this method and found them 'great.' The lower temperature of 380 °F is deliberate: pre-hydrated sprouts need slightly less heat to stay tender at the centre while browning on the outside. Short and focused. The technique is genuinely distinct.
~3 min watch · easy · air fryer only · 10–13 min cook
4
Simplest ingredients
10 min. Brussels Sprouts in an Air Fryer
The Unprocessed Method · 3:35 · Dec 2019
The Unprocessed Method uses four ingredients: olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, tossed through halved sprouts and air fried at 400 °F for around 10 minutes with a halfway shake. The presenter also covers the nutritional case: one cup of Brussels sprouts is 40 calories with roughly 4 g of fibre.
Why it ranks here: If you want sprouts tonight with nothing unusual in the cupboard, this is the video. It is honest about shortcuts — the presenter notes her husband skips trimming the stems entirely and 'I guess it's not gonna kill you' 1:49. A commenter adds that air fryers without a preheat function need 15–20 minutes at 400 °F to achieve the same result as the standard 10-minute method on a preheated machine.
~4 min watch · very easy · air fryer only · 10–15 min cook
5
Best for post-cook seasoning
How to Make Air Fried Brussel Sprouts
Fit Life Foodie · 6:56 · Apr 2021
Fit Life Foodie places halved sprouts cut-side up in the basket with olive oil and sea salt, then cooks at 400 °F for 12–16 minutes before transferring to a bowl. Post-cook seasoning uses balsamic reduction applied in two stages, then garlic powder and red pepper flakes tossed through, with the remaining reduction drizzled over to finish 5:07.
Why it ranks here: Seasoning after cooking lets you taste before committing to heat and acidity levels. The two-stage balsamic coats evenly without making the sprouts soggy. Note that this video places sprouts cut-side up rather than cut-side down; in an air fryer, where heat circulates from all directions, both orientations produce crispy results, but cut-side down gives more browning on the flat face.
~7 min watch · easy · air fryer only · 12–16 min cook
Where the videos disagree
Should you wash the sprouts before air frying?
Cooking with Coit says explicitly not to: peeling the outer leaves is sufficient, and any surface moisture is 'literally the enemy of crispy' 1:02. The Unprocessed Method and Joe Duff both wash theirs; Joe Duff goes further with a deliberate cold-water soak.
Our read: Cooking with Coit's logic holds for maximum crispiness on the outer leaves. Joe Duff's soak is a deliberate technique with a different goal — tender centres — not a mistake. Skip washing if crispiness is the priority. Use the soak if you want a softer interior.
What temperature works best?
Four of the five ranked videos use 400 °F. Joe Duff uses 380 °F alongside his water-soak method. Trazia Rae's unranked clip uses 350 °F for a longer 20-minute cook with a sweet glaze.
Our read: 400 °F is the consensus and produces consistent results in 10–15 minutes. The lower temperatures reflect different methods: pre-soaking and sugar-heavy glazes that can scorch at higher heat. For plain or lightly seasoned sprouts, 400 °F is the reliable default.
