We love that crispy, crunchy, tangy taste you get when brussels sprouts are cooked on the cast iron skillet with only lemon and garlic. Here’s how to make crispy brussels sprouts using the stovetop and a simple recipe with one secret step. We make this recipe at least once a week and pair it with a chicken or steak on the side. You can also add bacon or parmesan cheese on top – yum!
In our homestead, we like to have one veggie, one protein, and one grain for dinner every night. Usually we will do a chicken or steak, a stovetop veggie, and sourdough bread or skillet potatoes. Brussels Sprouts are one of our favorite side dishes to pair with chicken or beef. This recipe only has a few ingredients and is simple to make – but there is a simple secret to how to make crispy brussels sprouts. I am posting this recipe alongside a few other bloggers who are sharing delicious Thanksgiving recipe ideas. You can check out their recipes at the bottom of this page.
Many people don’t care for brussels sprouts, but this may be because they haven’t found the right way to cook them. For example, if you microwave frozen brussels sprouts, you may end up with a soggy cabbage-like side dish that doesn’t smell too great. And we don’t want that!
When I started cooking brussels sprouts, I fell in love with the crispy leaves, and topped with two of my favorite flavors – lemon and garlic. Sometimes, we even add parmesan cheese and bacon on top. These brussels sprouts are great on their own, topped with all the fixings, and taste great when heated up as leftovers too.
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Health Benefits of Brussels Sprouts:
Brussels Sprouts are…
- Low in calories but high in many nutrients, especially fiber, vitamin K and vitamin C. This means you get lots of bang for your buck!
- High in kaempferol, an antioxidant that may reduce cancer growth, decrease inflammation, and promote heart health.
- High in fiber, which can promote regularity, support digestive health, and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and Vitamin K, a nutrient important for blood clotting and bone metabolism.
- An excellent source of ALA omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation, insulin resistance, cognitive decline, and blood triglycerides. We are always looking for ways to add omega-3 fatty acids into our diets!
- High in antioxidants and contain compounds that may help lower levels of inflammation.
- A good source of Vitamin C, an antioxidant that’s important for immune health, iron absorption, collagen production, and the growth and repair of tissues.
Source – Healthline.com
You will need:
- Cast iron skillet (if you don’t have one, just use your regular skillet on medium/high heat)
- about 2 pounds of organic whole brussels sprouts, cut in halves twice
- garlic salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 t lemon juice (about a half a lemon)
- Dried italian herbs if desired
- Optional toppings: Parmesan cheese and freshly cooked bacon
Video Tutorial: Come cook with me!
How to make crispy brussels sprouts on the stovetop:
- Rinse your brussels sprouts
- Cut the ends off of the sprouts and then cut them in half. For the larger sprouts, you can cut them in half again.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat (for me this is about a 5/6 on the electric stovetop) and add a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Add the sliced brussels sprouts to the pan. Ideally, you would have them laying flat and not stacked on top of one another.
- Add garlic salt, cracked pepper, and any other herbs or seasonings of your choosing. For this recipe I like just garlic salt and pepper.
- Let the brussels saute for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, here’s where the magic happens. You’re going to add 1/4 cup of filtered water to the pan and let it quickly evaporate. This gives the sprouts that caramelized, crispy flavor.
- If desired, squeeze a half of a lemon over the top and serve immediately.
- Some of our favorite toppings for brussels sprouts are parmesan cheese or bacon.
Our family loves this recipe, and I hope that yours does too! If you are serving to children, consider serving with parmesan cheese and/or bacon, and only serving them a few leaves at a time. This will provide a few extra flavors on their plate to get a few leaves in their bellies!
Want more stovetop veggie ideas?
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Enjoy this recipe and thanks for sharing in our Homestead!
How to make crispy brussels sprouts on the stovetop
This fun and simple recipe uses a cast-iron skillet to cook crispy brussels sprouts. The secret to getting a crispy leaf is to add water at the end to caramelize the flavors on the leaf. This takes practice, so follow the steps below and enjoy. Serves 2 adults for a large serving or 4 adults for a side dish.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- About 2 pounds of organic brussels sprouts
- Garlic salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 t lemon juice
- Dried italian herbs if desired
- Optional toppings: Parmesan cheese and freshly cooked bacon
- Rinse your brussels sprouts
- Cut the ends off of the sprouts and then cut them in half. For the larger sprouts, you can cut them in half again.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat (for me this is about a 5/6 on the electric stovetop) and add a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Add the sliced brussels sprouts to the pan. Ideally, you would have them laying flat and not stacked on top of one another.
- Add garlic salt, cracked pepper, and any other herbs or seasonings of your choosing. For this recipe I like just garlic salt and pepper.
- Let the brussels saute for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, here’s where the magic happens. You’re going to add 1/4 cup of filtered water to the pan and let it quickly evaporate. This gives the sprouts that caramelized, crispy flavor.
- If desired, squeeze a half of a lemon over the top and serve immediately.
- Optional: Add parmesan cheese and/or bacon, and enjoy!
- We like the cast iron skillet because it gives that extra crispy-ness, almost like a BBQ. But if you don’t have one, you can use a regular skillet, on medium/high heat
- This recipe took me some practice! Knowing the right amount of olive oil and water to add can vary depending on the size of the brussels sprouts and the heat of your stove.
- Serve immediately if possible. We love these brussels sprouts right off the skillet.
More recipes you may enjoy…
Cranberry Harvest Pie
Sweet Potato Casserole with Homemade Marshmallows
Soft Dinner Rolls
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream
This sounds and looks delicious! I can’t wait to make these during the holidays 🌲
They are one of our favorites, forsure. For the holiday you can add bacon 🙂
mmmm I LOVE this Alexis! I’ve only made Brussels sprouts a handful of times and I’m always a little intimidated. I can’t wait to try these. Thank you!!
Oh good!! Yes, we really like cooking them this way. We are picky as well. Just throw on whatever flavors you guys enjoy!
I am a recent convert to brussel sprouts. I always roast them in the oven, just because of the amount I make. However, I am going to try adding the lemon, that sounds delicious!
Oh fantastic Jenn! Yes, the lemon gives it such a fresh flavor!