Love them or hate them, it’s always useful to know how to cook the perfect Brussels sprouts. This quick guide shows you how along with a few tips and tricks. Plus there’s a selection of delicious Brussels sprout recipes to inspire you.
Brussels sprouts are available, here in the UK, from mid-October to the end of February. I’ve just received the first of the season in my veg box. And it made me think about all those Brussels sprout haters and what a shame that was. I’m sure a lot has to be laid at the door of those hideous yellow mushy sulphurous sprouts some of us were forced to eat during school dinners.
How to Cook The Perfect Brussels Sprouts
A good Brussels sprout is a wondrous thing. It should be green, slightly al dente and never sulphurous. In fact, cooked well, they have a lovely nutty flavour. The key to how to cook the perfect Brussels sprouts is to cook them for a very short time. Anything over six minutes is probably too much. Got an egg timer?
Brussels sprouts ready to trim. 
Trim the bases and remove any damaged leaves. 
Halve any larger sprouts, so they are all more or less a similar size. 
Rinse the sprouts in water, then cook them in a little salted water for no more than six minutes.
You can see from the above photos that I didn’t have the perfect batch of Brussels sprouts. The size differentials were quite marked, they weren’t in the best condition and they’d been sitting in the fridge for a few days. Yet despite this, the finished cooked sprouts were still really good and they had that classic nutty flavour.
Personally, I like to serve Brussels sprouts cooked this way with a little butter and a good grinding of black pepper. But you could just as easily serve them au naturel or with a drizzle of peppery extra virgin olive oil. Another alternative is to stir in a spoonful of homemade pesto.
We ate this lot with smoked tofu, yoghurt, olives and spring onions rolled in Greek flatbreads. It was one of the best meals we’ve had in a while.
Top Tips for Cooking the Perfect Brussels Sprouts
- DON’T mark the bases with crosses. This is not only a complete waste of time, but it’s likely to make the sprouts soggy.
- Keep the cooking water for making the gravy or adding to a soup or stew. It’s really nutritious and it’s a shame to waste it.
- If you’re cooking the sprouts as part of a big roast dinner, make sure they are the very last thing you cook so they can be served hot and freshly cooked.
- Not all Brussels sprouts have to be green. You can get purple ones too.
- Best not to use frozen sprouts if you want to serve them simply boiled.
- There’s more ways to cook a sprout than just boiling them though. You can steam, roast or stir-fry them. If you shred them finely they make a good salad too.
- Buy on the stem if you can. This will keep them fresher for longer.
- For the ultimate in fresh Brussels sprouts, you could grow your own. The best ones I’ve ever eaten were cooked about ten minutes after they were picked. But I have to confess, I’ve never tried growing them myself. I like the idea, but to be honest, kale is easier.
Some Brussels Sprouts Recipes You Might Like
If sprouts are to be part of a grand roast feast, such as Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving, I personally like them to be served relatively plain. They thus act as a foil for all the other tastes, textures and rich sauces that abound. However, there are plenty of other things you can do to a Brussels sprout than just boil it.
Asian roasted Brussels sprouts with cashews via The Flexitarian
Baked Brussels sprout tater tots (vegan) via Yup, it’s Vegan
Broccoli and shredded Brussels sprout salad (vegan) via Veggie Inspired
Brussels sprouts and goat’s cheese tart via Planet Veggie
Cacio e pepe Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and ricotta via oat & Sesame
Cranberry, chestnut and tofu facon Brussels sprouts (vegan) via The Vegan Larder
Pan fried sprouts with walnuts, honey and stilton via Easy Peasy Foodie
Roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic via Stacey Homemaker
Roasty smoky Brussels sprouts with chickpeas (vegan) via The Taste Space
Stir-fried Brussels sprouts with leeks, ginger, garlic & chilli (vegan) via Tin and Thyme
Teriyaki rice bowl with tofu and sprouts (vegan) via Tin and Thyme
If you’d like even more recipe ideas for Brussels sprouts, take a peek at my Brussels Sprouts Pinterest board.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you found this quick guide on how to cook the perfect Brussels sprouts useful, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more side dish recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Perfect Brussels Sprouts. PIN IT.
How to Cook the Perfect Brussels Sprouts – The Recipe
How to Cook the Perfect Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 350 g Brussels sprouts
- 150 ml water
- pinch sea salt
- knob of butter (about 10g) (optional)
- freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Trim off the sprout bases and remove any damaged leaves.
- Half any particulaly large sprouts.
- Give the trimmed sprouts a quick rinse in a bowl of water.
- Place the cooking water and salt in a medium sized lidded pan and bring to the boil.
- Add the Brussels sprouts and boil lightly for four to six minutes or until the sprouts are al dente, but still beautifully green. You can test with a sharp knife, but trying one is a surer way to tell.
- Drain off the water and serve immediatly with the butter and pepper if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Sharing
I’m sharing this quick guide on how to cook the perfect Brussels sprouts with Easy Peasy Foodie for #CookBlogShare.
I love sprouts but the rest of the family dont like them so I dont get them that often:(
Oh boo, how disappointing. Have you tried roasting them? It might just tempt them.
Great tips and recipe. Brussels sprouts are a Winter staple at home. Love them except when they are soggy! My favourite way of cooking them is by roasting them. Thanks for including my recipe in the roundup!
Roasted sprouts are delicious and I often cook them that way too. But if I’ve got lots of rich dishes to feast on, I quite like my sprouts plain.
So good to see a champion for Brussels Sprouts. I sometimes feel I am fighting a lone battle to convert others (including all my family members) to the deliciousness of this much maligned vegetable. Nothing better than a well-cooked sprout with a knob of butter!
Oh no Rosemary, that’s terrible. I blame school dinners! I hope you start to make progress soon.
I really love Brussels Sprouts. Apparently I’m odd for that. I love the ideas you’ve given me on how to cook them.
Well I’m not sure why it’s odd to love Brussels sprouts, but I’m very glad you do Sisley.
YUM! I love sprouts. And I totally agree about cooking them last and not for too long. Not a fan of soggy sprouts. Thanks for including my recipe in your roundup! Eb x
My pleasure Eb. Soggy sprouts are no fun at all.
You’re so right – I think the reason why Brussels sprouts have a poor reputation is because people have only eaten them as overcooked lumps of yellowish-green mush. I love them and I think they’re best when cooked until just tender and served in a simple way like with butter and a bit of seasoning. Perfection!
I’m completely with you on all this Byron. I’m just heading in to town now and might see if I can pick up some sprouts en route.
Brussel sprouts are a staple side dish in our house this time of year! I usually just roast them, so I appreciate your tips on how to cook them perfectly! I’m picking some up at the market later this week, so I’ll be sure to remember your tips!
Well roasted sprouts are great too. It’s just if they are part of a big feast, I reckon plain can sometimes be best.
I love sprouts but my go-to recipe has bacon in it. I can’t wait to try some of these delicious veggie recipes!
Now you’ve mentioned your go to recipe Cat, you’ve given me an idea for a veggie version which might work well.
i’ve not seen purple sprouts before. how pretty. we adore brussels sprouts in this house. so nice roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt and some bacon. not that you eat bacon of course:-) cheers sherry
Hahaha, thanks Sherry. Purple sprouts aren’t particularly common, but they make a nice change.
Great post Choclette, Brussels sprouts are so delicious but can be completely ruined if cooked too long, I agree. I think people who claim not to like them have probably been subjected to soggy sprouts as children. They need to read your post!
Thanks Monika. I was subjected to plenty of soggy sulphurous sprouts when I was a child, but luckily I was saved by my mother’s cooking. She always cooked her sprouts well.
We don’t cook sprouts often, i have never tried them this way! You made it look very simple! When perfectly made, these cute lil things would make a lovely side on the dinner table!
Cooking sprouts is very simple. The key is to not use too much water and not to cook them for too long.
A big bowl of blanched Brussels sprouts is one of my favorite things to eat! Thanks for including me 🙂
Oh yes, blanched. That’s a very good way of describing my recipe Shannon. And thanks for contributing one of your recipes.
We all love sprouts! I like them just boiled, but also as part of a stir fry! They are yummy. I didn’t like them as a kid, but my mother is very much an over boiler of veg!!
I’m so glad you came through the childhood dislike of overdone sprouts and out the other side. Seems such a shame to miss out on such delicious veg.
My favourite winter veggie :-)9 Have been having them lately though my stomach starts complaining about it..well, I don’t care. LOL I love them with lots lots lots of butter :-))
Glad to hear you love them Angie. Well it’s true lots of butter will probably make them taste even more delicious, but I do try and go easy on the butter given how much I bake with the stuff.
Love it! The rice bowl you made looks delicious. I do sometimes think outside of a roast dinner with sprouts but not often enough! But I’m going to want to boil those bad boys for a minimum of 20 minutes. We like em’ good and soggy in this house!!!
Aghhhh, Chloe, I should have known some people would love the yellow sulphurous mushy kind of sprouts and that you would be in that camp!
ha ha! Mostly I rile against my childhood food but this is one of the things that I embrace! I will actually eat them cooked lightly too don’t worry. But we’ll probably get the sprouts on for Christmas some time next week!!!
You do make me laugh Chloe, but I’m relieved that you can tolerate them cooked properly too.