Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Brussels sprouts can be sweet and nutty by hitting them with high heat until browned and crisp.

Why It Works

  • Extremely high heat, plus a preheated roasting pan, gives the Brussels sprouts sweet flavor and a nutty char.
  • Halving the sprouts creates more surface area, allowing them to develop plenty of crispy brown edges.

Brussels sprouts are unique creatures. When cooked poorly, they can give off a strongly sulfurous aroma that many find unpleasant. But if you can crack through that aroma and release the natural sweetness hiding underneath, then you're rewarded with one of the most delicious vegetables around.

Caramelized roasted brussels sprouts presented in Dutch oven

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

The key is to use the full-on, frontal-assault, no-prisoners-taken, blast-the-sh*t-out-of-'em approach, a.k.a. very high heat. This allows the exteriors of the vegetables to caramelize and brown, producing sweet by-products, while at the same time making sure that they don't have enough time to develop the really sulfurous aromas that slower cooking can yield.

While the oven preheats to 500°F, I split my Brussels sprouts, then toss them with olive oil. In order to get them as hot as possible as fast as possible, I preheat their roasting pan, too.

Tossing the vegetables as they cook can lead to more even browning, but letting them rest on one side will produce more interesting textural contrasts. I like to switch it up depending on the mood I'm in.

If you want to get really crazy, Brussels sprouts love cured pork. Crisp up some bacon, pancetta, or chorizo in a skillet; save the crisp bits; use the fat to roast the sprouts; then toss them together with the meat when they come out of the oven.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Vicky Wasik

December 2013

This recipe was cross-tested in 2022 and lightly updated to guarantee best results.  Instead of using the uppermost rack, we now recommend using the upper-third rack.

Recipe Details

Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 20 mins
Active 20 mins
Total 25 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds (675g' 24 ounces) brussels sprouts, trimmed and split in half

  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-third position, place a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on it, and preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). Toss sprouts with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove baking sheet from oven and add brussels sprouts, working quickly to turn them all cut-side-down. Return to oven and roast until tender and deeply browned, about 20 minutes total. Serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Rimmed baking sheet

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
101 Calories
7g Fat
8g Carbs
3g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 101
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 10%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 234mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 70mg 352%
Calcium 41mg 3%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 360mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)