Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts (Air Fryer, Viral TikTok)

Try this delicious vegan, gluten free crispy smashed Brussels sprouts recipe that you can make in less than half an hour. This recipe has just under 50 calories and 58% of your daily vitamin C intake in a single serving.

If you’ve never tried roasted Brussels sprouts, you have to try this recipe.  By smashing Brussels sprouts, you take them to the next level of deliciousness.  

Brussels sprouts are super crunchy and crispy and taste like an indulgent treat.  Who would have thought there would be so much goodness in something so great tasting? 

It takes me just 5 minutes to make the preparations to cook this recipe. And the cooking itself only takes just 25 minutes.

A single serving of this recipe contains just below 50 calories and has 9% of the recommended daily intake of protein.

I like to have these Brussels sprouts with my tofu sausage, Greek potatoes, vegan toad in the hole, and cranberry sauce.

Sometimes instead of the toad in the hole, I make either Yorkshire pudding or Yorkshire pudding wraps to go with these Brussels sprouts. They are quite similar in taste and only have a few differences in the cooking steps.

All these delicious recipes make up my Vegan Sunday Roast Dinner Under 400 Calories. Saying that may sound like it’s a lot of work, “Sunday roast”, “calories” etc., etc. But I promise you, all these recipes are super quick and easy to prepare. 
Plus, in addition to creating a flavorful meal, all these recipes are vegan and gluten free, which is why this is my ultimate solution for a filling and satisfying family meal.

❤️️ Benefits

• This recipe contains 46.8 calories per serving
• This recipe contains 4.5g of protein per serving
• One serving of this recipe contains 58% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C
• This recipe is made from a combination of vegan protein, whole food sources of carbohydrates, vegetables, essential fats, and ingredients that make the dish extremely tasty.
• This easy recipe takes 5 minutes of active preparation time and 25 minutes of cooking time.  You can use the cooking time to get on with other things.
• This recipe is made extra tasty by the addition of my vegan cheese seasoning.
• I have simplified this recipe by limiting the number of ingredients and using everyday, simple ingredients such as olive oil and black pepper.
• This recipe and all recipes on my website are vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, lactose-free, free from refined sugar, vegetarian, and are based on whole foods.  
• All of my recipes follow my own diet plan called the Plant Plate 400. In addition,  my recipes also adhere to the following diets, the Mediterranean diet, the 1200 Calories a Day diet, Clean eating, the Macrobiotic diet, the Alkaline diet, the Ornish diet, the Daniel Fast, and the Starch Solution diet.

📋 Ingredients

Here is a labeled photo of all the ingredients I used in this recipe.

🧑‍🍳 Substitutions

• Brussels sprouts: Replace this with cauliflower or broccoli.
• Olive oil: Use any oil you choose.  Or omit the oil completely and just saute the vegetables in a little water.
• Homemade Vegan Cheese Seasoning: You can replace this with 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic, pinch of paprika, pinch of mustard powder
• Sea salt: You can replace it with any salt of your choice or 1 tablespoon of tamari.
• Ground black pepper: Replace the ground black pepper with any herbs or spice blend of your choice.

The Structure Of A Plant Based Plate

Each of the recipes I create fits into my Plant Plate System.  This system incorporates 5 food groups into every meal. 

The 5 food groups are 1) Plant Protein, 2), Leaves, Fruit, And Veg, 3) Aesthetic Additions, 4) Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates, and 5) Taste

This recipe is a vegetable side dish that can be added to any dish.  It falls under the “leaves, fruit & veg” category on the Plant Based Plate and is not a complete meal.

The diagram below helps you visually see how this element features on a Plant-Based Plate.

Click here to discover more about my Plant Plate System and some of the benefits of eating this way.

Although I have categorized this recipe as a vegetable side dish, broccoli is actually so high in protein that it made it into the top 20 source of vegan protein list.

Here’s how this recipe is structured according to the Plant Plate System.  

Adding each ingredient to the following categories helps you to easily see how to make substitutions.  It also lets you know the exact reason why the ingredient is in the recipe. 

Plant-based protein

• Brussels sprouts

Leaves, fruit & veg 

• Brussels sprouts

Aesthetic additions

• n/a

Nutrient packed carbohydrates

• n/a

Taste 

• Olive Oil
• Vegan cheese seasoning
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

🥘 Recommended equipment

Here are the main kitchen equipment tools I have used to create this recipe.

📖 Instructions

Here is a brief summary of the steps needed to make the recipe.  See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full detailed instructions.

• Boil the Brussels sprouts.
• Then squash the Brussels sprouts.
• Spray them with oil, season them, and bake them. 

🍲 How to serve

Arrange the crispy Brussels sprouts on a plate and serve.

👩‍🏫 Frequently asked questions

❄️ How to store leftovers

This recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.  Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up by wrapping it in kitchen foil and cooking it in an air fryer or oven.

🥗 Ways to use this recipe

Here are some of my favorite ways to use this recipe: 

• Tofu Sausage Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
• Dried Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
• Vegan Toad In The Hole Recipe (Gluten Free)
• Vegan Yorkshire Pudding Wrap Recipe (Gluten Free)
• Air Fryer Greek Potatoes Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
• Gluten-Free Vegan Yorkshire Pudding
• Vegan Sunday Roast Dinner Under 400 Calories (Gluten Free)

🍚 What to serve with this recipe

If you’re looking for side dishes to serve alongside this recipe, here are some of my best recommendations.

🍝 Vegan carbohydrate side dishes

Serve this recipe with any of the following carb side dishes which are all around 100 calories per serving: 

• Creamy Mashed potatoes
• Easy Boiled Baby Potatoes
• Easy Skin On Boiled Potato
• Crispy Homemade Baked French Fries
• Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
• Most Crispy Vegan Jacket Potato
• Easy Whole Baked Sweet Potato

For more options, see all of my best vegan, gluten-free carbs side dishes.

🌮 Plant-based protein side dishes

Here are some plant-based protein side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe.  They are all under 150 calories per serving and are based on the highest sources of vegan protein.

• Vegan Zucchini Fritters
• Smoky Tempeh Bacon
• Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan protein recipes.

🌭 Vegan meat side dishes

Here are some vegan meat side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe, and are great substitutes for regular meat.  These are all under 150 calories per serving.

• Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Meatballs
• Easy Vegan Meatloaf
• Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
• Vegan Jackfruit Shredded Chicken
• Crispy Roasted Soya Chunks

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan meat recipes.

🍶 Vegan dips

Here are some vegan dips or vegan sauces that go very nicely with this recipe and are very quick to make.  These are all under 50 calories per serving.

• Quick Gluten Free Vegan Gravy Recipe
• Vegan Ranch Dip Recipe
• Creamy Edamame Guacamole
• Easy Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
• Creamy Hummus Recipe (No Garlic)
• Creamy Vegan Poppy Seed Dressing
• 2 Minute Hot Sauce Recipe
• Creamy Vegan Italian Dressing Recipe
• No Oil No Tahini Hummus

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan dip recipes.

🫑 More tasty vegan vegetable side dishes

If you’re looking for some more vegetable side dishes that are all under 100 calories per serving, check out some of my other recipes:

• Easy Vegan Cheesy Broccoli
• Vegan Zucchini Fritters
• Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
• Nacho Cheese Baked Kale Chips
• Easy Baked Mushroom Bacon
• Russian Pickled Tomatoes

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan vegetable side dishes.

📖 Recipe

Now it’s your turn to make magic with food.