Halve Brussels sprouts, toss with oil and salt, then air-fry at 195°C / 380°F for 15 to 18 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes. Cut-side down at the start gives the crispiest caramelisation. The dark, charred outer leaves are the goal — that's where the flavour lives. Smaller sprouts go quartered (10-12 min); large ones halved or in eighths.
| Size | Time |
|---|---|
| Small (under 2cm), quartered | 10–13 min |
| Medium (2-4cm), halved | 15–18 min |
| Large (4cm+), halved or quartered | 18–22 min |
| From frozen | 18–22 min |
Cook frozen Brussels sprouts at 195°C / 380°F. No thaw — thawing creates puddles. Add oil and salt at the halfway shake, not the start.
Outer leaves should be deeply browned, almost black at the edges — that char is flavour, not failure. The cut side should have a dark caramelised crust. Inside, a fork should pierce the core easily without resistance. Pale Brussels sprouts mean undercooked or basket too cold.
Brussels sprouts contain glucosinolates — sulfur compounds that make them bitter when overcooked or steamed. High-heat air-frying caramelises the surface sugars before those compounds break down, which is why air fryer Brussels taste sweet and nutty where boiled ones taste like cabbage. The black-edge char is concentrated flavour from the Maillard reaction.
Read the science →Yes, always. Whole sprouts char on the outside before the centre cooks. Halving (or quartering for large ones) exposes the cut surface for caramelisation and lets heat reach the centre at the same rate.
Three keys: pat dry after washing, toss with enough oil to coat every surface, and start cut-side down in a single layer. The loose outer leaves char into thin crisps that taste like vegetable bacon.
Yes — cook at 195°C / 380°F for 18-22 minutes. They release a lot of water, so cook longer than fresh and skip oil at the start. Add oil and salt at the halfway shake.
Either undercooked (cook longer until charred) or overcooked at low heat (the sulfur compounds break down with extended low-heat cooking). High heat fast caramelisation gives the sweetest result.
Cooking times are starting points compiled from authoritative sources and verified against the Renardo Cuisine air fryer testing chart. Your appliance wattage, food thickness, and starting temperature may shift results — always verify protein doneness with an instant-read thermometer.
