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In response to a viewer question asking for holiday meal prep tips, Jeanette from our culinary team says: "Think outside the oven!" She loves her air fryer for weeknight meals—but it can be a holiday life saver too, because it's essentially a mini convection oven.
Here, she shows you how to use it to make a popular side dish—crispy Brussels sprouts—in less time. Making them this way also saves oven space, which is a huge help when it comes to holiday cooking.
Bonus: she even air fries her "roasted garlic" for a quick three-ingredient aioli that can be used to drizzle on top or as a dipping sauce.
For another holiday dish made in a time-saving kitchen gadget instead of the oven, check out Jeanette's Multicooker White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Blondies.
And speaking of time-saving kitchen gadgets, read our review of the Ninja Foodi Pro 5-in-1 Indoor Grill with 4-Quart Air Fryer.
Preheat air fryer to 400˚F.
Trim about ⅓ from the tops of the heads of garlic, just exposing the tops of the garlic cloves. Place the garlic on a sheet of foil, then drizzle each head with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Wrap the garlic, place in the air fryer and air-fry until the cloves are brown and soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool and reserve.
Combine the Brussels sprouts in a large mixing bowl with the remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until the Brussels sprouts are evenly coated. Pour into the air fryer basket and place in the center of the air fryer. Air-fry the Brussels sprouts until browned and crisp, 18 to 22 minutes.
While the Brussels sprouts are cooking, add the vegan mayonnaise to the bowl of a food processor. Squeeze in the cooled roasted garlic cloves, add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Pulse 10 to 12 times until combined.
Serve Brussels sprouts with roasted garlic aioli on the side or drizzled on top.