Roasted Brussels Sprouts · Brown Butter, Lemon
Brussels sprouts get a bad reputation, but that’s because most people overcook them or boil them into oblivion. When you blanch them briefly, sear them in a hot cast iron skillet, and finish them in a screaming hot oven, they transform. The outside gets crispy and caramelized, the inside stays tender, and a drizzle of brown butter at the end adds a nutty richness that makes them irresistible.
This is a simple technique, but each step matters. The blanch gives you a head start on cooking the dense centers. The stovetop sear builds flavor and color. The oven roast crisps up the outer leaves and finishes the cooking. The brown butter ties it all together. Brussels sprouts cooked this way are sweet, nutty, and deeply savory.
They pair with just about anything – roasted chicken, steak, pork chops, salmon – but they’re good enough to eat on their own.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts · Brown Butter, Lemon
Chef Griffin's Brussels Sprouts recipe – blanched, seared in cast iron, and roasted with brown butter. Crispy, caramelized, and irresistible.
Ingredients
Method
Blanch the Brussels Sprouts
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts into the boiling water and cook for exactly 2 minutes. This is just enough to start softening the dense centers without turning them mushy.
- While the sprouts are blanching, prepare a large bowl of ice water. After 2 minutes, use a slotted spoon or spider to transfer the Brussels sprouts directly from the boiling water into the ice bath. This stops the cooking immediately and sets their bright green color. Let them sit in the ice water for a minute or two, then drain them thoroughly. Pat them completely dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of browning, so make sure they’re really dry.
Preheat the Oven
- While you’re blanching and drying the sprouts, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). You want it ripping hot.
Sear in Cast Iron
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and let it melt and get hot. Once the butter is foaming and the foam starts to subside, add the Brussels sprouts. Try to place them cut-side down as much as possible – that’s where you want the browning.
- Let them cook without moving them for 3-4 minutes. You’re building a caramelized crust on the cut sides and getting some color on the outer leaves. Season generously with salt and pepper. Give them a toss or stir to flip some of them over, then cook for another minute or two. You want good color and some charred bits on the leaves.
Roast in the Oven
- Transfer the entire cast iron skillet to the preheated oven. Roast for 12-15 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife and the outer leaves are crispy and deeply browned. The timing depends on the size of your sprouts – larger ones will take the full 15 minutes, smaller ones might be done in 10-12.
Brown Butter Drizzle
- While the Brussels sprouts are in the oven, make the brown butter. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Let it cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty and fragrant. This takes 3-5 minutes. Watch it closely – it goes from perfect to burned quickly. As soon as it’s golden and smells amazing, take it off the heat.
- Alternatively, if your cast iron isn’t too crowded, you can add the extra butter directly to the hot pan when the sprouts come out of the oven and swirl it around until it browns.
Serve
- Remove the skillet from the oven (careful – the handle is screaming hot). Drizzle the brown butter over the Brussels sprouts and give them a toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed – they might want a bit more salt or a crack of black pepper.
- Transfer to a serving dish or serve straight from the cast iron. Serve with lemon wedges on the side. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens everything up and cuts through the richness of the brown butter.
Notes
Blanching the Brussels sprouts gives them a head start on cooking. It softens the dense cores just enough so that by the time the outsides are crispy and caramelized, the insides are perfectly tender. Without the blanch, you’d have to roast them much longer to cook the centers, and by then the outer leaves would be burned.
Searing them in cast iron on the stovetop builds a caramelized crust that you can’t get from roasting alone. That Maillard reaction – the browning and flavor development – happens best with direct contact with a hot surface. The cast iron holds and distributes heat beautifully, giving you even browning.
Finishing in a hot oven crisps up all those loose outer leaves and ensures even cooking throughout. The high heat (450°F) is key. Lower temperatures steam the sprouts instead of roasting them, and you lose that crispy texture.
Brown butter is the final touch that makes this dish special. The nutty, toasted flavor of the milk solids complements the natural sweetness of the Brussels sprouts. It’s richer and more complex than plain melted butter, and it ties the whole dish together.
Choosing Brussels Sprouts
Look for firm, bright green Brussels sprouts with tightly packed leaves. Smaller sprouts tend to be sweeter and more tender, but medium or large ones work just as well – you just might need to cook them a minute or two longer. Avoid any with yellowing leaves or loose, wilted outer layers.
Trim the stem end and peel off any damaged or discolored outer leaves. Halve them lengthwise through the stem so they hold together. If you have a few very large sprouts, cut them into quarters so everything cooks evenly.
Cast Iron is Key
Cast iron is perfect for this technique. It goes from stovetop to oven seamlessly, it holds heat exceptionally well, and it develops incredible browning. If you don’t have cast iron, use a heavy oven-safe skillet. Avoid nonstick pans – they can’t handle the high heat and won’t give you the same caramelization.
Don’t Have Cast Iron?
If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can still make this recipe. After blanching and drying the Brussels sprouts, sear them in a regular skillet on the stovetop with the butter until browned (3-4 minutes). Then transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the preheated 450°F oven for 12-15 minutes until tender and crispy. Drizzle with brown butter before serving. You lose a tiny bit of the concentrated flavor that cast iron provides, but the technique still works beautifully.
Make Sure They’re Dry
This is the most important step. After blanching and shocking in ice water, dry the Brussels sprouts thoroughly. Pat them with towels, spread them out on a clean kitchen towel for a few minutes, whatever it takes. Wet vegetables steam instead of browning. You want them bone-dry before they hit the hot skillet.
Timing the Brown Butter
You can make the brown butter while the sprouts are in the oven, or you can brown the butter directly in the cast iron after the sprouts come out. Both work. If you make it separately, you have more control and less chance of burning it. If you do it in the cast iron, it picks up any fond (browned bits) left in the pan, which adds even more flavor.
Serving Suggestions
These Brussels sprouts pair beautifully with just about any protein. They’re excellent with roasted chicken, grilled steak, pork chops, or pan-seared salmon. They also work as part of a vegetable-forward meal alongside roasted root vegetables or a grain salad.
The lemon wedges aren’t optional – the bright acidity cuts through the richness of the brown butter and balances the dish. A good squeeze of lemon right before eating makes a huge difference.
Leftovers
Brussels sprouts are best eaten right away, but leftovers can be reheated in a hot oven or skillet. They won’t be quite as crispy as when they’re fresh, but they’re still good. You can also chop them up and add them to scrambled eggs, grain bowls, or pasta.
