Four words you don’t often see together: mouth-watering Brussels sprouts.
I can see it now, you’re raising an eyebrow and giving me the stink eye because your “b.s.” detector is going off. In fact, you probably didn’t even click on this post!?
*sings* I’m all by myself.
Or, maybe you share my excitement for this misunderstood vegetable. There are many of you out there! I know this based on my Instagram comments recently. In fact, one of you said the photo made your “mouth water” which served as inspiration for this recipe title!
I loathed these green, leafy orbs most of my life until that one glorious day when I roasted the heck out of them with some good oil and sea salt. I forgot to set the timer and consequently “over-cooked” them a bit, but as I stood there over the pan popping them into my mouth, one by one, I realized I hit the jackpot. Browned, almost caramelized bottoms, crispy, blackened leaves, and a tender yet “meaty” texture. Yes, I just said meaty texture. For a veggie, that is.
I also converted Eric into a Brussels sprouts fanatic with this method, and I’m sort of regretting it.
“I never thought I’d see the day when I’d eat an entire pan of Brussels sprouts.”
(That is a direct quote from Eric recently. What have I done?)
In this post I’ll divulge my go-to method for roasting these misunderstood sprouts, and I’ll share my favourite ways to flavour them. They really are the perfect canvas for creating all different kinds of flavours depending on your mood.
The elephant in the room: Brussels sprouts are a bit of a pain to prep (ok, I won’t sugar coat it, they are my nemesis!), however I timed it and 2 pounds takes me 10 minutes to trim so it could be worse?). You can’t go wrong coercing a helper to cut the prep time in half. Or why not just designate the entire task to your favourite relative? wink, wink. muhauha.
The Brussels prepared below are lovely as is, but I encourage you to try all kinds of different spices, glazes, dips, sauces, etc. Here are a few of my favourite flavours:
A drizzle of pomegranate molasses or balsamic reduction with pomegranate arils (very festive!) – you can skip the Harissa here.
Garlic infused – try minced garlic cloves, garlic-infused oil, garlic salt
Teriyaki sauce – pairs well with sesame seeds
Barbecue sauce (I’ve been known to use BBQ sauce as a dip!)
Coconut curry sauce or your favourite curry powder
Sriracha or other hot sauce
Hummus (we’re loving roasted red pepper hummus with these lately)
Ground toasted nuts or seeds like pecans or sesame seeds. I want to try hemp hearts too.
I really had fun with this photoshoot; I hope you enjoy! I thought it would be fun to start adding “glow tips” to some photos. Let me know what you think!
Mouth-Watering Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Yield
4 side servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is my current go-to method for preparing Brussels sprouts. I lightly coat them in melted coconut oil, season with sea salt and Harissa spice blend, and then roast until charred and crispy. Keep in mind that the amount of roasting time will vary depending on your oven and how fresh the Brussels sprouts are. It's best to keep an eye on the first batch. After roasting I love to drizzle the smallest amount of melted coconut oil on top and then toss them again - this just takes them over the top on the mouth-watering scale and it also rehydrates them after roasting. This recipe can be changed up so many ways too. For a festive twist, try drizzling Pomegranate molasses or Balsamic reduction on top (you can skip the Harissa for a more neutral flavour) and serve with fresh pomegranate arils. We also love dipping the sprouts in roasted red pepper hummus or a sweet Barbecue sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, outer leaves removed (6 cups prepped)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted or olive oil*, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon dry Harissa spice blend**
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- With a paring knife, trim off the ends of the sprouts, then slice in half lengthwise, and pick off any loose outer leaves. Place the prepped sprouts into a large bowl.
- Add the oil onto the sprouts in the bowl and stir or toss with hands until throughly coated. Add the Harissa and salt, and stir until combined.
- Spread the Brussels sprouts onto the prepared baking sheet in a uniform layer. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper.
- Roast the sprouts for 20 minutes, then flip with spatula, and continue roasting for another 5-15 minutes until browned to your liking. I tend to "overcook" these because I like them crispy and charred (I usually brown mine more than the photos show). Smaller sprouts will brown faster than larger ones.
- Drizzle with a teaspoon or so of melted coconut oil and quickly toss to coat. This infuses with flavour and moistens them a bit after roasting. Sometimes I also sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds if I have some on hand. Taste and add another tiny pinch of salt, if desired, and serve immediately - the hotter the better.
Tip:
*If using melted coconut oil, make sure that your Brussels sprouts are at room temperature before mixing in the oil. If the sprouts are chilled from the fridge, the oil will harden when mixing. Keep in mind that using virgin coconut oil will impart a very light coconut flavour. You can use flavourless refined coconut oil if you prefer.
**I found the Harissa spice blend at Whole Foods in the US (it’s the Whole Foods Market brand). It contains: paprika, caraway, chilis pepper, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic, peppermint, sea salt. I’ve also been told that it can be found at Bulk Barn and Sobey’s in some Canadian locations. You can also find it online here.
Nutrition Information
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Looks yummy! I’ve been on a huge Brussels Sprouts kick lately. Totally addicted to them. I leaf them and eat them raw into salads, too. But….compost the “scraps??” I eat all of that! The only part I get rid of is the very bottom. All the outer leaves I either roast or use in salad. Good stuff!
Oh, Marie, I’m so glad you feel the same way! When I read “compost the scraps”, my jaw dropped because those scraps end up being the crispiest parts in the baking dish!
I wonder if saving the bottoms for broth would be worth doing. Surely there’s some nutrition that can be extracted, if not flavour!
My favorite seasoning for Brussels sprouts is mustard-maple-miso. Alliterative and delicious!
Wow, can’t wait to make theses, love all the options. The hummus is calling me.
Love the “glow tips”!
I love roasted Brussels sprouts! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Angela! I can’t wait to try it!
About the outer layers – I discard the ones with dirt but sometimes good leaves do fall off. In that case I toss them in olive oil and salt and roast them while keeping a close eye and they kind of turn crispy like kale chips. yum!
We usually do it with turmeric and oil and they taste amazing ! Exited to try those new combinations, thanks ! :)
Love Brussels sprouts! I never throw away the outer leaves. Instead, I toss them in oil along w the halved sprouts and roast. The leaves turn into crispy salty bits of deliciousness – think Brussels sprout chips as you roast them. These are the best part!
Just missing one…. Maple syrup!!!! I put them in the oven for about 20 mins with just a little oil on them. Take em out, drizzle with maple syrup and a little bit of apple cider vinegar, a dash of salt if you want, put them back in for 5. And voila! Crack.
Strange! Never had them at home but for school lunches in the 1970s. And believe it or not our beloved lunch ladies actually roasted them! Exotic for the time! And delicious. Of course, this is back when each school had a kitchen and home-cooked 97% of the food served. I just remember two things that would be considered processed — those long skinny fish portions and perfectly round chicken patties — and naturally heavily breaded.
I click on every post featuring brussels sprouts. I cannot understand people not liking them. I had them for the first time as a grown-up, there were no such things as brussels sprouts in Romania during my childhood, I only knew them by name from American films, where they were only mentioned as a hate object. I never let that influence me in a negative way, on the contrary, I was intrigued and happily ate them the first chance I got. :) I love the new ideas!
Does anyone have a trick for roasting them without stinking up the house? I absolutely love-love-love roasting them using the above method and eating them hot off the pan, but I’ve been relegated to indulging in them and making them only once a year…because of the smell. Even with the windows open, small fan, and hood fan going (while it’s snowing out!), the house still smells like cruciferous rotteness. The sprouts themselves are fresh and beautiful, but they staaank and my family has nixed my sprout-roasting privileges :(
Roasting brussel sprouts is the only way we’ll make them! The flavor is out of this world and I was so happy when my family heartily agreed that I should bring them as a side to our Thanksgiving dinner this week. I’m bringing roasted parsnips to my in-laws’ dinner and that’s always a hit too. I’d love to see a recipe or roundup for that veggie as well :) Happy holidays!
Angela these roasted brussels sprouts look so good! Like you I used to HATE brussels sprouts when I was younger and now I absolutely love them. My mom adds them to mashed potatoes too which tasted absolutely amazing. You have to try that :)
I can’t wait to try adding some of the flavors you suggested. Especially garlic sounds perfect!
Brussels sprouts are amazing! My husband converted me to the dark side of Brussels sprout obsession two years ago, and I am so glad he did! We usually roast ours after tossing them in some toasted sesame oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Delicious! We’ll have to give this a try as well. Thank you! :)
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make them! I also love the “glow tips”!
Uhhhh. SOLD. Brussel sprouts are veggies that I love but always seem to forget about. THANK YOU for putting them front row centre for me again. :)
I think I should try these. My favorite part of our current favorite recipe (maple balsamic ving. brussel sprout with sweet potatoes from I Could Never Go Vegan) is when I have leaves get all crispy. It is like kale chips!
I’m so glad I found this post because I am in charge of making the brussel sprouts for Thanksgiving dinner!! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Perfect. Crispy. Versatile.
We LOVE roasted Brussels sprouts in my house:) Probably our most favorite method is drizzling them with a mixture of olive oil, orange juice, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and sprinkling with salt and pepper, tossing well and roasting until a bit charred and crispy. I usually throw a garlic clove or two, unpleeled, onto the pan to roast as well, then squeeze it out onto the sprouts after cooking, mix really well. So yummy!
We had our first brussels sprouts of the season tonight, and they were so good just roasted with olive oil and salt… I’m definitely one of those who won’t stop snacking out of the pan. I’ll keep these ideas in my back pocket to jazz them up over the next few months.