Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

These are the most exciting and flavorful Brussels sprouts I’ve had! The combination of sweet, spice, and heat make this undeniably the most interesting Brussels recipe I’ve tried and enjoyed so thoroughly.

I was unable to find the Chaat Masala but went ahead without it. With the amount of flavor these have, I can’t imagine what the Chaat Masala would add and would fear I would no longer taste the sprouts. However, I will still plan to try it in the near future to see why the creator of the recipe adds it.

Interestingly, the cranberries are written as optional, but trust me, they should be mandatory. They really make the dish. I didn’t have macadamia nuts, but believe they would be the perfect addition and will be sure to have them next time.

The timing was spot on. It took less than 10 minutes to get everything prepared and I feel this makes 6 plentiful servings.

I should preface this by saying that I freaking love roasted Brussels spouts. They make an appearance in my home at least twice or thrice weekly thanks to how easy and versatile they are. I will even keep a tupperware full of pre-cooked sprouts in the fridge that I will reheat and serve with eggs and bacon for breakfast. This was a lovely spin on plain old Brussels sprouts roasted with oil. It’s very autumn-centric, so if you need a dish for Thanksgiving or a fall potluck, this is it.

For the life of me, I could not find chaat masala–I had garam masala on hand and went with that. All timing per the original recipe was fine.

These are not my mother’s Brussels sprouts! I admit that while I didn’t like them as a child, I love them as an adult. My go-to is simply to roast them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. This recipe elevated Brussels sprouts to a new, wonderful level and required a minimum of additional effort. The spice blend is amazing.

While my initial thought was to omit the cranberries, I’m so glad that I didn’t. The spices are very forward in this dish and the cranberries offered a nice counterbalance to them. The chaat masala and toasted macadamia nuts were a great finish.

This recipe is very straightforward. I had all of the spices in by cupboard with the exception of the chaat masala. I did have to search high and low for it, finally ordering it on Amazon. I think that the recipe would have been just as successful if I had substituted garam masala, which is readily available in most grocery stores.

Next time, I may adjust the amount of cayenne that I use to 1/4 teaspoon. My husband and I loved spicy food, but it may be a little overwhelming to guests who are sensitive to spice.

I served the Brussels sprouts with grilled pork tenderloin. It was a wonderful pairing. I cannot wait to make this dish again. It may even have a space at our Thanksgiving table.

These spicy roasted Brussels sprouts were delicious and so easy to prepare it felt a little guilt-inducing to put so little effort into their preparation.

The dressing was delicious as-is but the chaat masala added a fruity, floral note that was unexpected and reminded me of other Indian vegetable dishes I’ve had. The dressing came together easily and the heat from the cayenne added a really nice note to the mix. I couldn’t find unsweetened cranberries so I left those out of the dish and the chaat masala required a slightly out-of-the-way trip to an Indian market since I couldn’t find it at any local grocery stores.

The sprouts roasted and browned in 20 minutes, and even the loose leaves were brown and not burned in that amount of time.

The dressing would go well with almost any type of roasted vegetable. Sweet potatoes come to mind, but roasted carrots, butternut squash, or a mix of vegetables would be great. Any type of nut would also work with this dish, especially hazelnuts or almonds.

Wonderfully spicy Brussels sprouts that are worth making year round. I thought I had tried just about every variation on preparing brussels sprouts, from raw salads to slightly stir fried leaves to full on bacon and roasted chestnuts (all these dishes have earned me a rep with friends and family as a bit of a brussels sprouts evangelist), but this was totally new. The spiciness and slight caramelization of the leaves works well with the slight bit of sweet cranberries (and you could substitute dried cherries if you wanted). The only adjustment I might make is to dial back the black pepper if you think that might be too much heat for your family or guests. I wasn’t familiar with Chat Masala, but it was easy to find recipes and make my own freshly toasted and ground, and now I have a new spice blend in my arsenal.

You could choose large or small sprouts – I had a pound bag of smallish ones, tho I usually like larger ones when I am choosing each one myself. I trim so there are no speckles or blemishes, so before after trimming, I had just over 3 cups (310g), and I had enough dressing I could have thrown in extra ones and still coated them all. It was hard to locate dry cranberries that did not have any sweetening, so I opted to plump mine in water rather than the added sweetness of the apple juice. My macadamia nuts were already toasted by me the day before, and on the light side, so I think next time I make this (like tomorrow!) I will add them with the cranberries so they get a little extra toasting and warmed. The cooking time was perfect and if this was truly a side dish, it would serve 4+, it also makes a great meatless-anyday meal for two.

Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite side dishes. I remember as a kid I hated the smell when they were cooking but one time my parents asked me to try just one. And of course, like most of my family’s cooking, they were covered in butter and seasonings. They were absolutely delicious. This is when my relationship with Brussels sprouts began.

This recipe was different than I have ever made them before. The flavor of these Brussels sprouts were to die for. It had a spicy kick with tons of flavor and the sprouts were almost caramelized. I thought the idea of plumping the cranberries with the apple juice was fantastic. I feel I could use that for a lot of additional recipes. The macadamias on top were just and added bonus. I will definitely be making this recipe again.

I did not do the quick broil as I felt they were perfect after the five minutes. But everyone’s oven is different.

Do not reserve these Brussels sprouts just for Thanksgiving dinner. They are super easy to make, even though some of the ingredients may not be (both the chaat masala and the macadamia nuts deemed impossible for me to find!). The dressing’s flavor is assertive enough to stand up to the sprouts, but do adjust the amount of cayenne to suit your taste. That much tongue-twisting heat isn’t for everyone and may affect your enjoyment of the rest of your meal.

I would have liked more cranberries in this dish. They added a nice sweet tartness to counterbalance the heat of the cayenne.

Like I said before, I skipped the chaat masala and the macadamias. I don’t think the flavor is lacking due to the missing spice. A nut would add nice crunch and I would think that toasted almonds would stand in nicely. And don’t even think about not lining the baking sheet—there’s turmeric involved!

The cooking time was spot on and I didn’t need to broil them at the end. Everything was perfectly cooked and lovely. As a lone side, these Brussels sprouts would serve 4 but as part of a large meal or buffet they could stretch to 6.

I’m a Brussels sprouts enthusiast. They are such an easy vegetable to prepare—simply toss with oil, salt, and pepper and roast in the oven. Because they’re so simple to make, I was drawn to this new combination of spices to add to them. The combination of warm spices like cinnamon with the more spicy ones was excellent. The flavors were both exotic yet familiar. Also, the addition of cranberries and macadamia nuts was an excellent textural surprise. The super crunchy nuts and plump, juicy cranberries contrasted and complemented the sprouts beautifully.

This would be a wonderful side dish for Thanksgiving or, as I served it, with dinner on the porch on a warm summer evening.

The dressing adhered well to the sprouts. There was just enough for all the sprouts to have a thin layer of dressing covering them.

The chaat masala made a great finish to the sprouts. It tasted like eating a delicious salty snack.