I absolutely HATED them as a kid, those little balls of mushy nastiness, GAH! But THESE Korean Brussel Sprouts are absolutely delicious! What have I been missing?
I remember running OUT of the kitchen whenever my mom made Brussel sprouts, probably due to the fact she boiled them into pure slimy oblivion.
And that smell! Gah!
So all these years since I have avoided them like the plague. But having heard SO many people say how delicious they are if you ROAST them, especially with a little balsamic glaze, I figured it was about time I try them again.
After a quick search online, I soon realized everyone made them the same way....
- usually coated with some kind of oil
- roasted or air fried until crispy
- and tossed with some sort of sweet vinegary glaze.
And I immediately knew I wanted my recipe to be different. So I thought, "Instead of vinegar, why not kick it up a notch?" I LOVE Korean food, and I REALLY LOVE that spicy Korean chile flavor of gochujang....
So this is the recipe I created - and oh boy, they are GOOD!
- Sticky sweet
- Slightly spicy
- Savory
- Oil-Free
- Multiple cooking methods (instant pot, stove, air fryer, oven)
- And only 6 ingredients!
Hope you give them a try.
Korean Brussel Sprouts
You will want about 1 pound of fresh Brussel sprouts. Frozen will work too but you will want to thaw them first. Give them a rinse and pick off any weird leaves, and then cut them in half lengthwise.
Next, you want to pre-cook them before we toss them in the sauce and roast them.
- You can parboil them by tossing them into a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes
- Chef AJ likes to microwave hers in a steamer bowl for about 5-6 minutes
- Or you can use your Instant Pot for 1-2 minutes with a quick release (my method))
While those are heating up, you can make the sauce by whisking all the remaining ingredients in a 1-cup measuring cup.
- You can find gochujang at many grocery stores in the Asian section
- Whole Foods also carries it
- Trader Joe's may have it
- Or use my Amazon Affiliate Link
All that's left is to drain your Brussel sprouts, toss them with the sauce making sure they are coated evenly, then arrange them cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast at 400° F for 20 minutes.
Done.
You can sprinkle them with chopped green onion tops or sesame seeds as I did in the photo, or enjoy them just the way they are.
Let me know what you think and we'll see you soon!
Korean Brussel Sprouts
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
I absolutely HATED them as a kid, but THESE Korean Brussel Sprouts are absolutely incredible! Sweet & spicy deliciousness!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Brussel sprouts
- 2 Tbls gochujang chile paste
- 2 Tbls rice vinegar
- 1 Tbls maple syrup
- 1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F
- Clean Brussels and cut them in half lengthwise
- Parboil or microwave Brussels for 5 min. Alternatively, you can cook them in your Instant Pot for 1 min with a Quick Release
- Whisk sauce ingredients together
- Drain Brussels, coat with sauce, and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet cut-side down
- Roast for 20 minutes.
- Alternatively, you can also air-fry them using the same temp, checking or shaking them after 10 min
Kees Klinker
Excellent Korean-ish recipe. In my opinion it needs some small cubes bacon and a touch of Korean fish sauce. You may try it.
Lara
Im not sure where I went wrong. The brusselsprouts seemed thoroughly cooked after parboiling. I tried my best to drain. However when tossing with sauce it just seemed so wet. They came out yellow and way overcooked. I did had 1 tsp sesame oil but I don’t think this would cause this. Doing again- I wouldn’t parboil just toss dry into oven - and add touch of oil still.
JP Cali
OMG! These Brussel sprouts are AMAZING! This is hands down my new favorite way to cook them. I had to stop myself from eating the entire pound (although I didn’t leave much!)
Slaven - rainbowinmykitchen.com
Love this! What can you use instead of gochujang chile paste? Not sure I can get it here.
Ken
LOL, I'm with you on the boiled brussels sprouts. My mom bought frozen brussels sprouts many times when I was a kid, and the texture was disgusting.
Many years later, I discovered oven roasted brussels. Holy moly, those things are good. We make them frequently, and are even having them tonight.
I am not aware of the chile paste you mentioned, but it sounds very intriguing. I may have to give this a try.
Frances Smirnoff
Hi there,,,is there heat to this "spiciness? Sounds like it could be good...is there anything you liken the flavor to?
Dee Smith
Chuck, I have boatloads of gochujang POWDER that I bought for making homemade chili oil for Christmas gifts. Do you think I can add some water and make it into a paste and use that without spoiling the recipe? PS I love your recipes but the number of ads is cray-cray ♥️
Trish
I think it would work. Here are the ingredients that are in the gochjang paste that I buy:
Rice, tapioca syrup, red pepper seasoning (red pepper powder, water, salt, garlic, onion), water, sea salt, ethyl alcohol (to preserve).