Asian Brussels sprouts with soy sauce and honey become wonderfully caramelized when baked. It’s the perfect side dish to Asian style meat or fish!
When I was a kid, my Dutch-born dad used to make the simplest Brussels sprouts – boiled in salted water. The Dutch are wonderful people, but traditional Dutch cuisine is VERY light on seasoning. 🙄
Strangely enough, I actually loved those simply boiled sprouts, even as a kid. But these days, I’m looking for a bit more flavor when cooking vegetable recipes.
This is an especially flavorful recipe
One of my favorite recipes that I make quite often is roasted Brussels sprouts with garlic and Parmesan. They are wonderful.
But there’s something about these Asian Brussels sprouts. The combination of soy sauce, honey, and garlic makes for an especially flavorful dish. And the small amount of honey I add promotes beautiful and delicious caramelizing.
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty and nutritious side dish. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
Fresh Brussels sprouts: Sometimes I make life easy by buying them pre-washed and cut in half. But it’s not difficult to prep them yourself.
Avocado oil: This neutral-tasting oil has a high smoke point, making it very suitable for high-heat roasting.
Light soy sauce: I almost never use traditional soy sauce. I find it too salty. You can also use a gluten-free alternative and add salt as needed.
Honey: Just a little to balance out the other flavors and promote caramelizing.
Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar.
Crushed red peppers: They don’t make this dish very spicy. They just add an interesting layer of flavor.
Sesame seeds: I use them mostly for garnish.
How to make Asian Brussels sprouts
Unlike the boiled vegetables of my childhood, these sprouts are baked in the oven. Prior to baking them, I season them with a tasty sauce of soy sauce, honey, and garlic. The amount of honey I use is small, so the recipe is still low carb.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Toss the sprouts with the remaining ingredients except for the sesame seeds.
Arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roast for about 30 minutes at 350°F, shaking the pan twice during baking. The shaking helps promote even baking. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
How to make them crispy
By baking them! In the oven, the sprouts become browned and crispy thanks to the natural sugars found in the vegetables. And if you add a bit of honey, like I do in this recipe, the caramelizing is even more pronounced, and happens faster.
Apart from baking them, my best tip for getting them crispy is to ensure that they are completely dry before you mix them with the sauce and bake them.
How to serve Asian Brussels sprouts
They make the perfect side dish to any Asian-style meat or fish. I often serve them with Asian meatballs or with Chinese spare ribs.
This is a very forgiving recipe. So if you want to serve them with a main dish that requires a slightly different cooking temperature, you can usually place the sprouts in the same oven, and simply bake them for a shorter or a longer time.
What about leftovers?
Leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. I gently reheat them in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.
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Asian Brussels Sprouts
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (or use a gluten-free alternative and add salt as needed)
- 0.5 tablespoon honey*
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup.
- Place the Brussels sprouts in the pan. Toss with the oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic and crushed red peppers, using a large spoon or your hands. Arrange the seasoned Brussels sprouts in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Roast until browned, about 30 minutes, shaking the pan twice during baking.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.
NOTES
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.