These Longhorn steakhouse copycat brussel sprouts will turn anyone into a vegetable lover! With the help of an air fryer, these brussel sprouts are perfectly crisp - Far from those dreaded mushy steamed ones. Topped with a sweet and spicy glaze, you might forget you're eating brussel sprouts!
These sprouts make the perfect side to a ribeye steak, or a prime rib roast just like at Longhorn Steakhouse, but also work perfectly with a classic roasted chicken or crispy chicken cordon bleu. If you're looking for more fun ways to eat brussel sprouts, you'll love my soy-glazed brussel sprouts, which are a Red Lobster copycat, or these PF Chang's kung pao brussels sprouts!
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👩🏽🍳Why This Recipe Works
They are a fantastic restaurant copycat: This recipe is inspired by the delicious side dish at Longhorn Steakhouse. While I opted out of deep frying like the restaurant does, the flavours are similar, and super delicious! Another personal Longhorn Steakhouse favorite of mine is their baked bacon mac and cheese, which happen to go perfectly with these sprouts, too!
A quick and easy side: This restaurant favorite does not take tons of time to come together. The air fryer crisps up the sprouts in under 15 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time to get the sauce started.
The sauce is full of flavor: Packed with honey, Calabrian chillies and the right amount of salt, this glaze is packed with balanced flavors. If you know someone who doesn't like brussel sprouts (like your kids), this sauce WILL change their mind. If you're a fan of this sauce on brussel sprouts, you'll love my roasted hot honey carrots, too!
No deep frying required: The Longhorn version of this recipe deep fries the sprouts. While deep frying does produce the absolute crispiest sprouts, it is messy and time consuming, and not to mention slightly less healthy. This air fried version keeps things a little bit lighter, and easier to clean up.
🥘Ingredients
- Brussel sprouts: Fresh brussel sprouts are the best option for this recipe, as they have a lot less moisture than frozen ones. The excess water that will com out of frozen brussel sprouts will not yield the best, crispiest results. If you only have frozen brussels sprouts on hand, my Mexican chipotle brussels sprouts are the perfect way to use them!
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar caramelizes slightly different than white sugar because of the added molasses, which is ideal for this sauce. Light brown sugar will work best for this sauce, but dark brown sugar is completely fine too.
- Calabrian Chilli Paste: Calabrian chillies originate from Calabria, Italy. They have a spicy, salty, and smokey flavour. The chilli paste usually is made with chillies packed in oil. Note that the actual Longhorn Steakhouse version of these brussel sprouts uses a Calabrian spice mix, which is slightly harder to find in regular grocery stores. These chillies will add slightly more texture to the sauce, which you will not see in the restaurant version.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖Substitutions
- Honey: Honey can be substituted with maple syrup for a similar element of sweetness.
- Calabrian chillies: Fresh fresno chillies or red serranos can be used in place of Calabrian chillies. Alternatively, you can use hot paprika if you would prefer to stick with dry, ground spices.
- Brussel sprouts: If you are completely anti-brussel sprouts, broccoli is a delicious substitute for these sprouts.
🔪Variations
- Deep fried: If you want to stay true to the restaurant version of this recipe, you can deep fry the sprouts in a neutral oil, like canola or peanut oil, until they are crisp. Drain on paper towel and salt the brussel sprouts when they are straight out of the fryer. You can follow the remaining recipe as is.
- Oven-roasted: These sprouts can also be oven-roasted. Spray with cooking spray and season with salt. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400°F. Keep an eye on them as they bake!
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
PREP WORK BEFORE COOKING
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prep the brussel sprouts - Cut the root off of the brussel sprouts, and then halve them. Remove any of the outer leaves that are discoloured or bruised.
In a mixing bowl, spray the brussels sprouts with cooking spray, and season with salt [to taste].
Transfer the sprouts to an air fryer basket, and air fry for 10-12 minutes at 375°F. [photo 1]
While the sprouts are cooking, prepare the glaze. Add all the ingredients to a sauce pan, and place over medium-low heat. [photo 2]
Cook the glaze until the water has mostly evaporated, and the glaze has thickened. You should be able to coat the back of a spoon, and draw a line through it.
Once the sprouts are done cooking, transfer to a serving dish. Spoon the glaze over the sprouts, and serve. Alternatively, you can toss the sprouts with the glaze in a bowl, and then serve.
💭 Expert Tips
Select fresh brussel sprouts: Start with fresh, firm brussel sprouts. Choose ones that are small to medium-sized, as they tend to be more tender, flavorful, and less bitter.
Stir the glaze constantly: The sugar content of the glaze can burn easily if left alone. To prevent any of the glaze from sticking and burning at the bottom of the pot, stir the glaze constantly.
If your air fryer basket is not large enough: Be sure to shake the basket while cooking the sprouts so everything gets a chance to brown evenly. Alternatively, you can air fry the brussel sprouts in batches.
Customize the amount of spice: You can lessen the amount of Calabrian chilli in the glaze to make this glaze more mild.
🍽 Make Ahead & Storage
You can trim and halve the Brussels sprouts a day or two prior to serving this recipe. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook them.
The glaze can be premade up to 2 days prior. Cool the glaze, and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat the glaze on the stove in a saucepan over low heat.
I recommend making the brussel sprouts the day you are going to serve them, to avoid them getting overly charred or crisp by reheating.
Store leftover sprouts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat wrapped in foil, in the oven or the air fryer, to avoid hardening the sprouts and glaze.
⭐Recipe FAQs
Brussel sprouts taste very similar to green cabbage. Brussel sprouts are slightly more bitter than green cabbage, but have a very similar flavour profile.
I do not recommend freezing cooked brussel sprouts, particularly these ones that are glazed. They will retain a lot of moisture upon freezing, and will alter the crispness and texture of the sprouts and glaze.
To achieve crispy Brussels sprouts, make sure they're well coated with oil and spread them out in a single layer when air frying or roasting. Don't overcrowd the air fryer basket or roasting pan, as this can result in steaming rather than crisping.
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Longhorn Copycat Brussel Sprouts {Air Fryer}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Brussel sprouts - halved
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- ½ cup Water
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1 ½ tablespoon Calabrian chilli paste
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 4 cloves Garlic - minced
- Salt - to taste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, spray the brussels sprouts with cooking spray, and season with salt.2 cups Brussel sprouts, Salt
- Transfer the sprouts to an air fryer basket, and air fry for 10-12 minutes at 375°F.
- While the sprouts are cooking, prepare the glaze. Add all the ingredients to a sauce pan, and place over medium-low heat. Cook the glaze, stirring constantly, until the water has mostly evaporated, and the glaze has thickened. You should be able to coat a spoon, and draw a line through it.½ cup Brown sugar, ½ cup Water, ¼ cup Honey, 1 ½ tablespoon Calabrian chilli paste, 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika, 4 cloves Garlic, Salt
- Once the sprouts are done cooking, transfer to a serving dish. Spoon the glaze over the sprouts, and serve. Alternatively, you can toss the sprouts with the glaze in a bowl, and then serve.
✱Recipe Notes
- If your air fryer basket is not large enough to spread the sprouts in one layer, shake the basket while cooking the sprouts so everything gets a chance to brown evenly.
- Customize the amount of spice by lessening the amount of Calabrian chilli in the glaze.
Superna says
Made these today and wow it was the perfect side dish!
Carmen Gesualdo says
I made this recipe today and it delicious ?.
Sunena Anand says
So glad you enjoyed it, Carmen! 🙂