Crispy Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
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I’ll probably never make Roasted Brussels sprouts again after discovering Sautéed Brussels Sprouts. They’re tastier and quicker to make than roasting them. Cooking Brussels sprouts on the stove top is the fastest and simplest way to make crispy Brussels sprouts.
Why You’ll Love Sautéed 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 Oil Free Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
- Brussels Sprouts
- Unsalted Organic Butter
- Lemon
- Pepper
How to Make Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
- Step One: Melt 1 Tablespoon of Butter in the pan. Make sure there is enough butter to coat the entire bottom of the pan. If there isn’t, add more. Once the butter starts to get hot, add the Brussels sprouts. The pan should be hot enough for you to hear a sizzling sound when you add the sprouts.
- Step Two: Do not flip or stir the Brussels sprouts for 3 minutes. This will allow them to get charred. Flip them and repeat. When the pan starts to get dry add the lemon juice. This will deglaze the pan and intensify the flavor of the Brussels sprouts. Continue to saute until the sprouts are soft on the inside and have browned on the outside. About 15 minutes.
Substitutions for Stove Top Brussels Sprouts
- Make it Vegan: Swap out the butter for a vegan butter or olive oil.
Health Benefits of Brussels sprouts
These little green veggie balls are rich in Vitamin K, A and C. They are a great source of Folate (B9 vitamin) and Manganese. Folate is important for the development of a fetus. Pregnant women should eat Brussels sprouts to avoid spina-bifida in conjunction with a folic acid supplement (the synthetic form of folate). Brussels sprouts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Brussels sprouts help reduce the risk of cancer and have tons of antioxidants.
Tips for Buying Sprouts
- Look for Brussels sprouts that look tight. If they have a lot of loose leaves, like a blooming flower, they aren’t fresh.
- Blemishes on the leaves are O.K.. You’ll be removing them later. Don’t buy Brussels sprouts if they have deep cuts.
How to Clean and Trim Brussels Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts used to look intimidating to me. They always look dirty or large. In the store sometimes they’re still on a branch! In the past, I didn’t want to take home a branch of Brussels sprouts. I always bought the pre-washed and chopped Brussels sprouts. Happily to spend an extra few bucks in lieu of extra work.
At the Natural Gourmet Institute I learned how to prep Brussels sprouts for cooking. It’s fast, simple and much cheaper than buying them pre-washed. If you want to make this recipe EVEN FASTER than you can still buy them already prepped.
- Rinse the Brussels 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.
- Remove any outer leaves that look yellowed, dirty or slightly rotted by ripping them off with your hands.
- Using a small paring knife slice the woody stem off and discard it.
- Placing the stem side down on a cutting board. Next slice them in half from top to bottom. Then using your fingers to hold the two halves together, slice them again the other way to create four wedges. They should look like lemon wedges.
- It’s O.K. if a few leaves fall apart. The stem will hold them together.
Tips For Making Crispy Brussels Sprouts On the Stove top
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!
- Don’t let them burn. 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.
- Use a large skillet. You want to get as many of the sprouts directly on the bottom of the pan as possible. This will also make sure they don’t fall out of the pot while you are sautéing.
- Serve right away. While these Brussels sprouts taste good cold, they are amazing while still sizzling hot.
- Adding an acid like lemon to Brussels sprouts helps combat their bitterness and makes them more delicious. Instead of lemon you can also use balsamic vinegar.
Equipment: To make these Brussels sprouts you will need a large frying pan, a cutting board and a sharp small knife.
Stove Top Prepared Brussels Sprouts Facts
While I haven’t tried to use canned or frozen Brussels sprouts in this recipe yet. I don’t think it would work that well since they get soggy when frozen or stored for a long time.
While I’ve never tried to use frozen Brussels Sprouts I would imagine that it wouldn’t work. Brussels sprouts don’t freeze well. They usually get soggy so it would be hard to crisp them up on the stove top since they’ll already be mushy.
The best way to get the bitterness out of Brussels sprouts is to cook them with a bit of acid. For this recipe I chose to use lemon, but you can use other types of acidic ingredients like balsamic vinegar.
No! You definitely do not want to soak the Brussels sprouts before cooking because they become soggy when they get wet. Not to mention the fat won’t stick to the Brussels sprouts when you put them in the pan wet. Since oil prevents food from burning the separation of fat and water will cause your sprouts to burn too quickly.
Heck yeah! After learning how to sauté Brussels sprouts, I don’t think I’ll ever go back to roasting them. It’s much faster to sauté them.
I wouldn’t cook Brussels sprouts in any water. Boiling Brussels sprouts will result in bitter sprouts that taste awful. Not to mention your house will stink to high heaven. Sprouts naturally contain a lot of hydrogen sulfide gas. Which is very smelly. When you heat up the sprouts this gas starts to escape into the air to create an aroma similar to farts.
Who wouldn’t want to cook like Jamie Oliver? You can use my recipe to cook Brussels sprouts on the stove top just like Jamie Oliver’s recipe. See the how to prepare sautéed Brussels sprouts section for detailed instructions.
How to Store Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
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 in a skillet. They will get crispier and taste just as good as when you first made them.
How to Serve Sautéed Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts taste 10x better when they’re hot than they do cold. So I like to serve them straight in the cast iron skillet I cooked them in with an extra squirt of lemon juice. People go nuts when they taste these crispy Brussels sprouts right out of a hot pan because they’re amazing.
You can serve this vegetable side dish with:
More Brussels Sprouts Recipes
- Roasted Brussels with Goat Cheese.
- Vegan Brussels sprouts Salad
- Garlic Butter Brussels Sprouts
- Maple roasted Brussels sprouts with lemon tahini sauce
Crispy Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 3 C Brussels Sprouts trimmed and quartered
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Organic Butter
- 1 Lemon juiced
Instructions
- Trim Brussels Sprouts by removing the outer yellow or brown leaves. Cut off the woody stem on the bottom. Then slice them into four wedges.
- Melt 1 Tablespoon of Butter in the pan. Make sure there is enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the butter starts to bubble, add the brussels sprouts. The pan should be hot enough for you to hear sizzling when you add the sprouts.
- Do not flip or stir the Brussels sprouts for 1-3 minutes. This will allow them to char. Flip and repeat. When the pan starts to get dry add lemon juice. Continue to saute until the sprouts are soft on the inside and have browned on the outside (10 minutes).
