Perfectly Crispy Brussels Sprouts – A Couple Cooks

Here’s the secret to the best crispy Brussels sprouts! They’re roasted until blackened and caramelized, then tossed with a tangy sweet balsamic sauce.

These crispy Brussels sprouts are so crispy, you’ll think they were fried. But they’re baked! You know those crispy Brussels that you can get at a restaurant? These are just as good. They’re baked until impossibly crunchy, then tossed with a balsamic and honey sauce that brings in the tangy and sweet notes. Alex and I could eat at least 10 pans of these in a sitting, so we try to make only one at a time! Here’s how to do it in your kitchen!

The secret to making ultra crispy Brussels sprouts

Every time we see crispy Brussel sprouts on a menu, we can’t resist ordering them. This formerly hated vegetable has had a huge resurgence in popularity lately. And for good reason: roasting or frying these cruciferous veggies makes them taste infinitely better than the cooking methods of decades ago. Turns out, you can recreate restaurant-style glamour at home using simply your own oven. It’s an easy side dish that tastes much greater than the sum of its parts.

Here are a few tips to getting the crispiest sprouts in town:

• Roast at very high heat (450°F). The best roasted veggies are roasted at very high heat, otherwise they’ll steam and turn out soggy.
• Place them on the baking sheet cut side down. Turn down all those flat sides, and you’ll get the perfect browning.
• Don’t roast anything else at the same time! This one’s important. To get crispy Brussels sprouts with the recipe below, make them the only tray thing in the oven. Cooking other foods at the same time changes the cook time and moisture level.

Avoid silicone baking mats

Alex and I suggest using parchment paper in all of our roasting recipes. Parchment paper is great for easy cleanup: so food doesn’t get glued to the pan! If you don’t have any parchment paper, you can roast right on the baking sheet; you’ll just have a trickier time cleaning it later.

Avoid using a silicone baking mat for this recipe. We’ve found the silicone baking mats make veggies more soggy. To get the crispiest of crispy Brussels sprouts, use either parchment paper or skip it and roast them right on the tray.

Toss with balsamic sauce if desired

Follow all those hints, and you’ll have supremely crispy Brussels sprouts! To take them over the top and make restaurant-style flavor, we tossed them with a balsamic and honey sauce. It adds huge tangy sweet flavor. Here are a few notes on the sauce:

• Omit for the crispiest sprouts. Adding the sauce does wet the sprouts, making them a little less crispy. So if your goal is ultra crispy, try them without it first. But it does add huge flavor, so we liked it with the sauce.
• Use maple syrup for vegan. The flavor is great with honey, but it tastes almost exactly the same with maple syrup. So it’s a great vegan substitute!
• Add hot sauce for a spicy variation. If you like the heat, add a little hot sauce into the honey balsamic sauce.

Crispy Brussels sprouts variations

There are lots of other tasty ways to top crispy Brussels sprouts! Here are few more ideas we’d recommend:

• Shaved Parmesan or Pecorino cheese: Make them even crunchier by tossing with aged cheese halfway through the bake time.
• Pecans: Top with toasted pecans or glazed pecans for another crunch.
• Goat cheese or feta crumbles: Top with goat cheese or feta before serving to add a salty, savory flavor.
• Balsamic reduction: Add a drizzle of concentrated sweet tart flavor by adding Balsamic Reduction.

More Brussels sprout recipes

This popular veggie is delicious any night of the week, for easy weeknight meals or entertaining. Here are a few more Brussels sprout recipes you might enjoy: