These Air Fryer Frozen Brussels Sprouts are going to be your new favorite side dish! The sprouts are air fried until crispy and then topped with bacon, balsamic glaze, and Parmesan cheese. Delish!
$7.20 per recipe / $1.20 per serving
When we celebrated my birthday last year, I ordered these brussels sprouts and fell in love!
They were by far the best thing I ate that night.
I decided then and there that I had to recreate the recipe so I could eat these delish veggies whenever I wanted!
This recipe works because it’s:
- Quick and easy. The entire recipe comes together in about 15 minutes. You can’t ask for easier than that!
- Bursting with flavor. One bite of the flavor fusion from the balsamic, bacon, and Parmesan and you’ll forget you’re eating a healthy vegetable!
- Fancy without the fuss. These elevated brussels sprouts are so fancy, take them to your next dinner party and everyone will think you’re secretly a chef!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix ¼ cup olive oil, 1 Tablespoon anchovy paste (optional), and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning in a small bowl.
Add 12 ounces of frozen brussels sprouts to the olive oil marinade and stir to coat.
Add the brussels sprouts to your air fryer basket and cook for 5 minutes.
While the brussels sprouts are cooking, chop 3 pieces of turkey bacon into bite-sized pieces.
Cook in a frying pan over medium heat until the pieces are crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
After 5 minutes, shake the air fryer basket to redistribute the brussels sprouts and return to the air fryer.
Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the brussels sprouts are crispy, but not burnt.
Transfer the brussels sprouts to a serving dish and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, bacon and balsamic glaze. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
You can make this recipe with fresh brussels sprouts too! Just check them after cooking for 10 minutes because they’ll most likely be done sooner than the frozen sprouts.
The anchovy paste is totally optional! I used it because I had some on hand after making a Caesar dressing, but if you’d like to mimic the umami taste of the anchovy paste you can try these substitutes:
- Soy sauce
- Miso paste
- Worcestershire sauce
- Fish sauce
Turkey bacon is going to be the healthiest option, but if you don’t like turkey bacon, look for one that is nitrate free.
Recipe Cost
This recipe costs $7.20 to make, which is only $1.20 per serving! It’s a crazy-affordable dish for how fancy it seems.
I bought my brussels sprouts on sale and stuck them in the freezer, but if you buy them fresh and not already trimmed, you can save even more money.
- Olive oil: $0.80
- Anchovy paste: $0.65
- Italian seasoning: $0.18
- Brussels sprouts: $3.49 (notice from the pictures I got these on sale for much less!)
- Turkey bacon: $0.79 (I buy this at Sam’s Club in bulk to really save money!)
- Parmesan cheese: $0.75
- Balsamic glaze: $0.54
Serve This With
This brussels sprouts recipe goes great with:
- Creamy Tortellini Alfredo
- Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken
- Elevated Hamburger Helper
- Leftover Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
- Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- Crock Pot Italian Roast
- Creamy Pasta Bake
FAQs
The frozen brussels sprouts will be pretty difficult to trim, but if you want to trim the stem end of the Brussels sprouts and remove any loose outer leaves before cooking them in the air fryer, you can try!
The brussels sprouts will also most likely be trimmed if they are packaged and frozen.
The Brussels sprouts should be tender on the inside and golden brown and crispy on the outside when they’re done cooking. You can test for doneness by piercing them with a fork or knife.
If you’ve tossed the brussels sprouts in the olive oil mixture, they shouldn’t stick, but if you do experience any sticking, gently push the brussels sprouts around in the basket to unstick them. Then pour a little leftover oil over the sprouts and stir to coat. Alternatively you could spray them with cooking spray.
Air Fryer Frozen Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon anchovy paste, optional
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 12 ounces frozen brussels sprouts
- 3 pieces turkey bacon, nitrate free
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- balsamic glaze, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix olive oil, anchovy paste (optional), and Italian seasoning in a medium bowl.
- Add frozen brussels sprouts to the olive oil marinade and stir to coat.
- Add the brussels sprouts to your air fryer basket and cook for 5 minutes.
- While the brussels sprouts are cooking, chop turkey bacon into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook in a frying pan over medium heat until the pieces are crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- After 5 minutes, shake the air fryer basket to redistribute the brussels sprouts and return to the air fryer.
- Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until the brussels sprouts are crispy, but not burnt.
- Transfer the brussels sprouts to a serving dish and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, bacon and balsamic glaze. Serve warm.