The first time I tried to make Air Fryer Crispy Brussels Sprouts With Honey Butter, my brussels sprouts were already air-frying by the time I realized I was out of turmeric. And butter. So I thought to myself, What would FoodTok put on air-fryer brussels sprouts? And the answer was ranch seasoning. And it was so so good. But, at the insistence of my editor, this article is not about ranch seasoning—it’s about air-frying.
While I’m still new to the world of air-frying, I do know that brussels sprouts and air fryers are meant to be. That continuous blast of hot air gets the sprouts crispy on the outside while keeping the insides tender, and the leaves that get blown off will be even more brittle and charred. As long as you make sure there’s enough oil coating the vegetables for them to sizzle and brown (in this case, two tablespoons is sufficient), an air fryer does a better job than most ovens ever could at perfectly executing brussels sprouts recipes. I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, praise be, but if I were I’d put my air fryer to work on this recipe and free up my oven to handle what it does best—the turkey—and the stove to take care of…too many other things.
The brussels sprouts alone might be crispy-charred perfection, but the butter is the real reason I keep telling everyone I know about this recipe. On our air-fryer episode of “Food People,” Rachel described it as “a sweet, sticky, tangy, golden sauce,” and ever since then I’ve been dreaming about it. First, fresh ginger and ground turmeric get sizzled in a little olive oil, then comes butter, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and, finally, lemon juice. If it sounds like an explosion of flavors packed into a luscious amount of butter that gets poured over your hot, crispy sprouts, well, that’s exactly what it is.
No shade to ranch seasoning, but this recipe is better. A total cinch and a Thanksgiving savior, all you need to do is steal a burner long enough to make that sauce and you’re golden. And crispy. And buttery. Perfection.
