13 Brussels Sprouts Recipes for Thanksgiving

A platter of Brussels sprouts is a great addition to a Thanksgiving dinner, and these recipes, from simple roasted sprouts to a creamy gratin, will have even the most die-hard sprout-haters coming back for seconds.

Rabi Abonour

Updated November 13, 2020

Few foods have experienced as dramatic a transformation in reputation as Brussels sprouts. For decades, they were maligned as invariably mushy, smelly, and unappealing; these days, you can barely find a hip restaurant that doesn't serve them. It's easy to see why: When prepped and cooked correctly, these little brassicas have a wonderfully sweet and nutty flavor. Add in the fact that they're in season in fall and winter and they're a great candidate for adding to your Thanksgiving dinner.

Even if the pandemic is keeping your Thanksgiving small this year, any one of these recipes is all you need to change the minds of your sprout-hating family members or roommates. We've got roasted sprouts with balsamic vinegar, fried ones with shallots and chiles, a rich and creamy Brussels sprouts gratin, and more.

Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
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How to Roast Brussels Sprouts
Serious Eats Team
There are plenty of ways to cook Brussels sprouts, but one of the easiest and most rewarding is to simply toss them with salt, pepper, and oil and roast them in a hot oven. When we say hot, we mean it—crank it up to 500°F (260°C) to crisp the sprouts and give them a nutty sweetness. Lower temperatures will bring out those unpleasant sulfurous flavors that earned Brussels sprouts such a bad rap in the past.
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Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Shallots With Balsamic Vinegar
Vicky Wasik
Roasted according to our method, Brussels sprouts are tasty enough with nothing more than olive oil, salt, and pepper. But it's also easy to dress them up by incorporating additional ingredients. In this recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts, we add sliced shallots and balsamic vinegar; the latter turns into a tart glaze when it hits the hot pan.
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Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Chorizo and Sherry Vinegar
J. Kenji López-Alt
Brussels sprouts and cured pork were practically made for each other—bacon or pork belly is an obvious choice, but we're particularly fond of paprika-scented Spanish chorizo. Here, we sauté the chorizo with shallots, then drain the cooking oil onto the sprouts and roast them. Once they come out of the oven, we mix everything back together, toss it with sherry vinegar and honey, and serve.
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Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon, Pecans, and Maple-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Jennifer Segal
This recipe pairs sprouts and pork, too, subbing bacon for chorizo, adding crunchy toasted pecans, and dressing it all with a vinaigrette flavored with maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Be warned: These are so good, you might eat them all in the kitchen before they make it to the table.
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Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Kimchi and Ginger
J. Kenji López-Alt
If you're looking for a less traditional take, you'll be amazed at how well roasted sprouts work when paired with funky kimchi and fish sauce and pungent ginger. Acidic rice wine vinegar and just a little sweet honey round out the flavors, and chopped mint adds a hit of freshness.
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Fried Brussels Sprouts With Shallots, Honey, and Balsamic Vinegar
J. Kenji López-Alt
Roasted Brussels sprouts are delicious, but deep-frying is arguably an even tastier way to prepare them. Hot oil is perfect for bringing out the nutty flavor of the sprouts and leaving them with crispy nooks and crannies, perfect for soaking up sauces, like a sweet-and-tangy dressing made with honey and balsamic vinegar.
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Fried Brussels Sprouts With Shallots and Chilies
J. Kenji López-Alt
Where the last recipe uses honey to play up the sweetness of roasted Brussels sprouts, this one leans heavily toward the savory side, dressing the sprouts with a blend of fish sauce, ginger, lime, cilantro, and Thai bird chilies. Be warned that bird chilies are brutally spicy; if you don't think your family (or you) will be able to handle them, swap in a jalapeño or serrano instead.
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Seared Brussels Sprouts With Bacon Lardons
J. Kenji López-Alt
Searing Brussels sprouts in a hot pan gets them super crispy, and it requires neither the time commitment of roasting nor the mess of deep-frying. Though you can sear them in oil, we prefer to cook cured pork (in this case, lardons of bacon) in the skillet first, then use the rendered fat for the sprouts. Try adding other ingredients, too, if you like—we love throwing in sweet shallots.
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Warm Brussels Sprout Salad With Bacon and Hazelnut Vinaigrette
J. Kenji López-Alt
We love Brussels sprouts in a salad, too, but because the leaves are fairly tough, we usually prefer to cook them first. Here, we char the separated leaves in rendered bacon fat and dress them with a vinaigrette of the bacon fat, sherry vinegar, lightly crushed hazelnuts, and honey.
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Salt-Wilted Brussels Sprout Salad With Hazelnuts and Goat Cheese
Vicky Wasik
Salt-wilting is a great alternative to cooking for tenderizing Brussels sprout leaves. This salad gets the perfect texture from a combination of raw and wilted sprouts, which we mix with crunchy toasted hazelnuts, creamy goat cheese, and a citrusy tangerine vinaigrette.
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Over-the-Top Creamed Brussels Sprout Gratin
J. Kenji López-Alt
Roasting with bacon and deep-frying aren't exactly light treatments for Brussels sprouts, but if you want to make your sprouts dish even more of a gut-buster, Thanksgiving is the time to do it. This rib-sticking gratin loads up the sprouts with bacon (browned in butter for a smoky flavor), heavy cream, and shredded cheese. Helpfully, the entire dish can be prepared at the beginning of the week, then baked just before dinner on Thanksgiving Day.
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Creamy Brussels Sprout and Mushroom Lasagna
J. Kenji López-Alt
You may well be familiar with squash lasagna, but squash isn't the only vegetable that makes a good base for a Thanksgiving-appropriate version of this dish. Shredded Brussels sprouts add plenty of flavor and vibrant color to a lasagna, and they're particularly good when layered with mushroom duxelles and white sauce. Like the gratin, this dish can be prepared almost entirely in advance.
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Charred Brussels Sprouts and Leek Muchim With Coffee-Dijon Dressing
Vicky Wasik
For a Korean-inspired side dish, we char our sprouts, add raw leeks for crunch, and mix it all with a bold coffee-Dijon dressing. The bitterness of the Dijon and coffee is balanced out with ingredients like honey, cider vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. To get the ultimate punch from the mustard, we recommend adding it to the vinaigrette just before dressing the salad.
Get the recipe for Charred Brussels Sprouts and Leek Muchim With Coffee-Dijon Dressing

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