Toaster Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Toaster Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts have tender-yet-toothy middles, crispy outsides, and are so easy to make. With just a few pantry staples and your toaster oven (or air fryer), you can turn boring Brussels sprouts into a delicious side dish that everyone will enjoy!

Roasted Brussels sprouts in a bowl with lemon wedges.

Brussels sprouts have gotten such a bad rap. I blame steaming and boiling. They’re common methods for cooking these mini cabbages but the results are not great (aka mushy).

Roasting at a high temperature with oil caramelizes the sprouts. Bringing out their natural sweetness without turning them into a mushy mess.

And if you’re cooking only a small batch for two people, your toaster oven (or air fryer) is truly the right machine for the job!

Bowl of whole Brussels sprouts, pepper grinder, and ramekins with salt and olive oil.

Recipe Ingredients

Brussels Sprouts: Look for firm vibrantly-colored sprouts that are similar in size if possible. Before rinsing, remove any browning or discolored leaves. 

Oil: Olive oil adds a rich savory flavor but avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or melted coconut oil will work. 

Seasonings: Salt and black pepper with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice taste delish, but if you’re in the mood for something different grab a jar of seasoned salt, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, Everything Bagel seasoning, za’atar, or your favorite seasoning blend. The options are truly endless! 

How To Cook Brussels Sprouts In a Toaster Oven

1. Adjust the cooking rack to the bottom placement, select the BAKE setting, and preheat the toaster oven to 425ºF. If your oven runs hot, you’re cooking with a convection toaster oven, or your seasoning has sugar in it (like most taco seasoning), reduce the temperature to 400ºF.

Sliced brussels sprouts on a cutting board.

2. To prepare the Brussels sprouts, give them a good rinse and dry well. Then trim a little off the stems if they are browned.

Leave any tiny sprouts (1-inch or smaller) whole and slice the remaining sprouts in half lengthwise through the stem end. Chop larger sprouts into quarters. 

The goal here is to cut them into similarly sized pieces. If all of the pieces are the same size (including any little whole sprouts) they will all cook at the same rate.

Brussels sprouts halves on a dark roasting pan.

3. In a large bowl, combine the chopped Brussels sprouts, oil, salt, and pepper. With clean hands, toss everything together to get all of the pieces evenly coated. Then arrange the sprouts in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan.

Roasted Brussels sprouts on a small black pan.

4. Cook the sprouts for 10 minutes, then give them a stir. At this point, I like to use a fork to carefully turn each sprout so its interior is facing down onto the pan. This way all of the exposed parts get nice and caramelized.

When you stir them, take note of how the sprouts are cooking. If they’re browning too quickly it’s okay to reduce the temperature.

Continue cooking until the sprouts are browned to your liking and fork-tender in the middle, about 5 to 15 minutes more depending on how large they are. Our sprouts usually take about 20 minutes. 

Closeup of cooked Brussels sprouts with lemon wedges in a bowl.

5. Enjoy the sprouts served warm with lemon wedges or drizzled with a flavorful small-batch dressing like our Orange Vinaigrette, Dijon Vinaigrette, or Sriracha Vinaigrette.

Can you make Brussels sprouts in an air fryer? 

Yes, but with a few changes to the temperature and cooking time. 

  • Preheat the Air Fryer to 370°F or 375°F. 
  • In an air fryer toaster oven, you can use a regular pan or an air fry basket. Make sure to put a pan under the basket to catch any loose leaves, seasonings, or roasted bits. 
  • Shorten the cooking time. Our drawer-style air fryer usually takes 11 to 12 minutes, while the toaster oven air fryers need a little longer, about 12 to 15 minutes. 
  • Keep an eye on them near the end as it’s easy to overdo it with the crisping and end up with burnt sprouts.  
Two sets of roasted Brussels sprouts in an air fryer drawer and basket.

Tips and Variations

If you find your sprouts are browning too fast, lower the temperature. Or try moving the pan to the middle rack if your oven has multiple rack placements. 

Wait to add any sauce until the sprouts are almost finished roasting (like we did with this recipe for sriracha maple roasted brussels sprouts). Otherwise, they will get soggy. 

You may see a few crispy loose leaves on your pan. Don’t toss them out; they have a ton of flavor and a unique texture like a Brussels sprouts chip!

Small bowl of golden roasted Brussels sprouts with lemon wedges.

More Tasty Toaster Oven Vegetable Recipes

Closeup of cooked Brussels sprouts with lemon wedges in a bowl.

Toaster Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Yield: 2 Large Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

A terrific veggie side for any meal! We made ours with just salt and pepper but try mixing things up and use your favorite seasoning blend.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Fresh Brussels Sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • ¼ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt, or to tast
  • ¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat your toaster oven to 425°F on the BAKE setting (see notes for convection adjustments).
  2. Wash and dry Brussels sprouts. Leave any that are smaller than 1-inch whole. Slice the remaining sprouts in half lengthwise or quarter if they are larger. Try to slice all of the sprouts into similarly-sized pieces.
  3. Place sprouts on a rimmed toaster oven pan and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (or your favorite seasoning blend). Using your hands toss everything together to evenly coat the sprouts with oil and seasoning.
  4. Cook sprouts until browned, caramelized, and fork-tender, about 15 to 25 minutes depending on their size. Smaller sprouts will cook faster, larger ones will take longer. Halfway through the cooking time stir the sprouts and take note of how they're cooking. If they are browning too fast, turn down the temperature/reduce the cooking time.
  5. Enjoy the sprouts served plain, with lemon wedges, sriracha sauce, or your favorite topping.

Notes

Convection Adjustments: If you're cooking with a convection toaster oven/countertop oven reduce the temperature to 400ºF and begin checking your sprouts early.

Air Fryer Directions: Preheat to 370°F or 375°F. Add prepared sprouts to the basket and cook for 6 minutes. Carefully flip or toss the pieces and continue cooking until fork-tender, about 5 to 6 minutes more. Toaster oven-style air fryers usually take a little longer, about 12 to 15 minutes total.

Oil: Olive oil adds a nice savory flavor but you can use any oil you want. Avocado oil, grapeseed oil, and melted coconut oil work well too.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 8 ounces (or half of recipe)
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 7.5gSaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 347.4mgCarbohydrates: 20.4gFiber: 8.7gSugar: 5gProtein: 7.7g

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 Comments

  1. Love this website! Just discovered the Pinterest connection. What about using frozen Brussels sprouts and frozen broccoli? Do not have regular access to fresh vegetables. More economical for my budget to buy frozen vegetables.

    1. Hi Teresa!

      You can definitely cook frozen veggies in your toaster oven. We do frozen broccoli all the time. Here’s a post showing how to do it and a few tips: https://toasterovenlove.com/roasted-frozen-broccoli/

      Frozen whole Brussels sprouts can sometimes end up soggy when roasted. To keep the soggy to a minimum I’d cook them for about 10 to 15 minutes, let them cool a little, slice them in half and then continue cooking. That way the insides will have a chance to get a little roasty.

      Happy Cooking!

    1. Von, I’m really sorry about your sprouts that’s a bummer. It sounds like 400F or even 375F is going to be a better temperature for your oven.

      We use this recipe to make sprouts in our toaster oven and countertop ovens a lot without a problem but maybe the sprouts were smaller or your oven runs warmer than ours? Have you tested its temperature accuracy: https://toasterovenlove.com/toaster-oven-temperature-and-heating-tests/

      By chance, are you using a convection toaster oven? In that case, it’s best to reduce the temperature and cooking time as the oven is actually hotter than the temperature on the dial – you can see more about that here: https://toasterovenlove.com/7-things-you-should-know-about-convection-toaster-ovens/

      Thanks for leaving a comment, I’m going to update the recipe card to include more information and timing tips since everyone’s ingredients and ovens are different – we don’t want anyone ending up with burnt sprouts.