Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts

These Garlic Butter Roasted Brussels Sprouts make the perfect vegetable side dish. You’ll whip up Brussels sprouts in a matter of minutes on the stovetop.  It doesn’t hurt that they’re oil free and gluten free.

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Table of Contents

• Why I Love Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts
• Ingredients for these Crispy Brussels Sprouts 
• How to Clean and Trim Brussels Sprouts
• How to Cook Brussels Sprouts on The Stovetop
• How to Store and Reheat Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Butter
• Tips For Crispy Brussels Sprouts
• Substitutions for Sautéed Brussels sprouts
• How Do You Crisp Up Cooked Brussels Sprouts?
  • How to Crisp Up Cooked Brussels Sprouts in the Oven
  • Here’s How to Crisp Up Cooked Brussels Sprouts on the Stove Top
  • Why Won’t My Brussels Sprouts Get Crispy?
• Should I Soak Brussels Sprouts Before Roasting?
• Should I Boil My Brussels Sprouts Before Frying?
• Can You Overcook Brussels Sprouts?
• Should You Roast Brussels Sprouts Cut Side Up Or Down?
• What Tastes Good On Brussels Sprouts?
• What Goes Well With Garlic Butter?
• How Do You Make Brussels Sprouts Taste Better?
• How To Prepare Brussels Sprouts For Roasting
  • How to Prepare Brussels Sprouts for Roasting
• Can I Use Frozen or Canned Brussels Sprouts?
• How Do I Choose The Best Brussels Sprouts?
• More Plant Based Side Dishes

Why I Love Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts

• Vegetarian
• Gluten Free
• Fast – This recipe takes only 15 minutes to make.  
• 4 Ingredients – You only need 4 ingredients!
• Oil Free – If you’re on an oil free diet you can still enjoy.

Ingredients for these Crispy Brussels Sprouts

• Brussels Sprouts
• Butter
• Lemon
• Garlic

How to Clean and Trim Brussels Sprouts

1. Rinse the sprouts under cold water while they are still in the mesh bag.  This keeps them from rolling away into your sink.  You can also use a strainer or bowl.
2. Remove any outer leaves that look yellowed, dirty or slightly rotted by ripping them off with your hands.  You can usually skip this step since most of the outer leaves will fall off when you slice the sprouts.
3. Using a knife, slice the woody stem off on the bottom of the sprout. 
4. Place the stem side down on a cutting board.  Next slice them in half from top to bottom. Using your fingers to hold the two halves together, slice them again the other way to create four wedges. It’s O.K. if a few leaves fall off.

How to Cook Brussels Sprouts on The Stovetop

• Trim Brussels Sprouts by removing the outer yellow or brown leaves. Cut off the woody stem on the bottom. Then Slice them into four quarters.
• Melt 1 Tablespoon of Butter in the pan. Make sure there is enough butter to coat the entire bottom of the pan, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the Brussels sprouts. The pan should be hot enough for you to hear sizzling when you add the sprouts. 
• Don’t flip or stir the Brussels sprouts for 1-2 minutes. Flip them and repeat. When the pan starts to get dry add the lemon juice to deglaze the pan. Continue to sauté until the sprouts are soft on the inside and have browned on the outside.

How to Store and Reheat Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Butter

Fridge: The Brussels sprouts will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to six days.

Freeze: Brussels sprouts don’t freeze well, they get soggy.

Reheat: To reheat Brussels sprouts put them on a sheet pan and place them in the oven for 20 minutes at 275 degrees.  You can also reheat them in the microwave but this will make them softer.  The best way to reheat them is in a skillet.  They will get crispier and taste just as good as when you first made them.

Tips For Crispy Brussels Sprouts

I want you to be able to make this dish perfectly the first time and the one-hundredth time.  So here are my pro tips!

1. Watch them.  Sprouts with a golden brown color are tasty but burnt ones taste like tar.  So keep an eye out and stir.  If your Brussels sprouts are burning quickly add more butter to the pan.
2. Use a large skillet, preferably a cast iron skillet.  You want to get as many of the sprouts directly on the bottom of the pan as possible.  The sprouts will only get crispy when they have direct contact with the skillet.
3. Add something acidic like lemon or vinegar. The acid will neutralize the sprouts natural bitterness.
4. Serve the sprouts in the skillet you cooked them in.  I love popping the skillet right on a trivet.  You’ll also have less dishes to clean.  Obviously, be careful not to burn yourself or dinner guests.  Tell them it’s hot!

Substitutions for Sautéed Brussels sprouts

• Instead of Butter – You can use olive oil or safflower oil instead.
• Instead of Fresh Garlic – You can use a ¼ tsp of garlic powder instead of fresh cloves.

How Do You Crisp Up Cooked Brussels Sprouts?

In order to crisp up cooked Brussels sprouts you have to evaporate any excess water in the sprout. The best way to do this is to reheat them exactly how they were cooked in the first place. That means you should reheat them on the stovetop or in the oven.

How to Crisp Up Cooked Brussels Sprouts in the Oven

Arrange the Brussels sprouts on a foil lined baking sheet and cook them at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Here’s How to Crisp Up Cooked Brussels Sprouts on the Stove Top

Heat up some butter or olive oil in a pan over medium low heat and cook the sprouts for about 4 minutes. Make sure to stir them often so that they don’t burn.

Why Won’t My Brussels Sprouts Get Crispy?

There are a few reasons your Brussels Sprouts won’t get crispy:

• You used canned or frozen Brussels sprouts.
• They were roasted at too low of a temperature.
• The heat on the stove top is not high enough.
• You didn’t use enough butter or oil.
• You tossed them too much. Leave them alone for longer so they can brown on the bottom of the pan or baking sheet.

Should I Soak Brussels Sprouts Before Roasting?

No you should never soak Brussels sprouts before roasting them! Water will make the cellular wall of the sprout soggy which will make it impossible for them to get crispy in the oven.

Should I Boil My Brussels Sprouts Before Frying?

No you should never boil Brussels sprouts before roasting them! Boiled water will make the cellular wall of the sprout soggy which will make it impossible for them to get crispy in the oven.

Can You Overcook Brussels Sprouts?

Yes you can over cook Brussels sprouts if you don’t use a healthy coating of butter or oil. Cooking Brussels sprouts without enough oil will make it easy to over cook them since they’ll dry out and get rubbery. In order to get crispy sprouts you need to use oil or butter to protect the delicate leaves from burning instead of charing.

If you use enough oil it will be hard to over cook Brussels sprouts.

Should You Roast Brussels Sprouts Cut Side Up Or Down?

You should roast Brussels sprouts cut side down. Flip them half way through cooking to cut side up so that the bottoms can also brown on the surface of the baking sheet.

What Tastes Good On Brussels Sprouts?

Sweet and bitter toppings taste good on Brussels sprouts like maple syrup, agave, lemon, honey, mustard, garlic, olive oil and butter.

What Goes Well With Garlic Butter?

The better question is what doesn’t go well with garlic butter? Aside from Brussels sprouts garlic butter goes well with so many savory roasts, baked goods and more.

• Slather garlic butter on homemade challah bread.
• Garlic butter goes well on scones.
• Roasted chicken
• Melted onto steak
• Brushed onto salmon before cooking
• Bass
• Carrots
• Sweet Potatoes
• Regular Potatoes with some extra rosemary and black pepper.
• Brushed onto roasted corn
• Stir garlic butter into cooked rice
• Sauted shrimp
• As a sauce for a light pasta dish
• Melted onto steamed vegetables.

These are just a few of the ways I like to use garlic compound butter.

How Do You Make Brussels Sprouts Taste Better?

Brussels sprouts are notorious for tasting bad. They are considered to be the most hated vegetable in England. And yet so many people love roasted Brussels sprouts! So what makes them so good? There are lots of things you can add to Brussels sprouts to make them tasty.

The reason people don’t like the natural taste of Brussels sprouts is because they are bitter. Bitter is one of the important of the five flavors but most Americans are unaccustomed to it. So leafy vegetables like sprouts and endives are not favored by people in the United States.

This bitterness is easily cut by adding an acid. Acidic ingredients like mustard, lemon and vinegar add bright, fresh notes. Acids are best known for providing a balance to bitter and sweet flavors. So here are a few acids you can add to your Brussels sprouts to combat bitterness:

• Balsamic vinegar
• Lemon
• Lime
• Vinegar
• Mustard

Another type of flavor that combats bitterness is sweetness. Bitter sweet is a famous word and flavor combination! Here are a few sweet ingredients you can add to Brussels sprouts:

• Maple syrup
• Honey
• Agave
• Authentic Balsamic Vinegar (Cheap balsamic vinegar is cut with red wine so it isn’t sweet. Real balsamic vinegar has been aged for up to 25 years and has a real sweet taste to it.)

To read more about authentic balsamic vinegar check out this post: Is Balsamic Vinegar Gluten Free?.

How To Prepare Brussels Sprouts For Roasting

Brussels sprouts may look intimidating when they’re on the vine but don’t worry. It’s easy to prepare sprouts for roasting. For detailed instructions on how to trim Brussels sprouts check out the section I wrote about it in the beginning of this post.

How to Prepare Brussels Sprouts for Roasting

1. Trim the base off of the brussels sprout and peel away the outer layer of leaves.
2. Slice them in half.
3. Toss the Brussels sprouts with garlic, oil and butter.
4. Place them cut side down on a baking sheet to roast.

Can I Use Frozen or Canned Brussels Sprouts?

Technically you can use frozen or canned Brussels sprouts for this recipe, but I don’t recommend it for a few reasons:

• Frozen and canned Brussels sprouts are full of water and are therefore soggy. Since they retain so much water its hard to cook them up until they are crispy. The finished product will be soggy and not that flavorful.
• Water, olive oil and butter don’t mix well. Since the frozen/canned Brussels sprouts contain so much water they will actually repell the fat so they won’t get flavored. The finished Brussels Sprouts will taste bland.

While frozen Brussels sprouts have some good uses they are not good for roasting. You’re better off using fresh Brussels sprouts to make garlic butter Brussels sprouts at home.

How Do I Choose The Best Brussels Sprouts?

One of the best ways to make amazing roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic butter is to start with good quality raw Brussels sprouts. If you aren’t sure how to pick fresh Brussels sprouts don’t fear. Follow these simple rules and you’ll be an expert Brussels sprouts picker.

• Look for tight bright green heads.
• Don’t buy Brussels sprouts with loose leaves.
• Avoid Brussels spouts with lots of black spots which indicate the presence of mold.
• Brussels sprouts should be heavy for their size. This indicates that they’re fresh.
• Go for smaller sprouts. The smaller they are the sweeter they will be.
• Large Brussels sprouts are more bitter.
• Try not to buy Brussels sprouts with lots of yellow leaves. Yellow leaves indicate that the sprouts are older and not as fresh.

More Plant Based Side Dishes

• Vegan Brussels Sprouts Salad
• Rainbow Roasted Carrots with Harissa Yogurt Sauce
• Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
• Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Ginger Miso Dressing

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