These roasted Brussels sprouts with goat cheese and honey will be your new favorite side dish. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside with the goodness of goat cheese and honey. You'll never want to make Brussels another way again.
If you're a Brussels hater, you need to try them this way... this recipe might just change your mind! The beauty in this recipe is all about the goat cheese and honey.
After the Brussels are fried and cooked, they are topped with creamy goat cheese crumbles and drizzled with sweet honey. Be sure to add the goat cheese right away so that it starts to melt ever so slightly… drool!
These Brussels sprouts are the perfect side dish to any meal, but especially in the fall and around the holidays! In addition to these, green beans with onions and mushrooms, air fryer carrots, kale and butternut squash salad, wild rice salad, fall quinoa salad, and roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts are also good options for a clean eating holiday side dish.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Flavorful. No boring and plain Brussels sprouts here. Mouthwatering flavor that is sweet and savory.
- Healthy. Brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable, like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower, so they are a nutrient powerhouse! They are rich in antioxidants, contain cancer protective compounds, high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and more!
- Easy side dish. Only a few simple steps and ready in under 30 minutes!
- Extra crispy. The key to these crispy Brussels is cooking them on stovetop first (cut side down) before roasting in the oven.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Here are some specific call-outs, and when needed some tips on keeping the ingredients clean.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS - The star of this side dish... no substitutions here 😉 Because Brussels aren't heavily sprayed with pesticides (bugs don't like them) no need to splurge on organic.
GOAT CHEESE - Also called "chevre." You can buy crumbled goat cheese/chevre or a block and crumble yourself. And if goat cheese just isn't your thing, you could try feta, blue cheese, or gorgonzola.
EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL - You'll need the oil for frying the Brussels sprouts. You can either use EVOO or avocado oil.
HONEY - You can use an all-purpose honey like acacia or clover, or you could try any variation of honey you'd like.
Clean food tip: Look for raw unfiltered honey, as it does not go through the same processing as commercial honey. A lot of the flavor and health benefits honey is known for are lost during processing of conventional honey.
Buying and Preparing Brussels Sprouts
First, let me clear one thing up....there is an “s” at the end of Brussels… confusing, I know! But anyway, I felt that was important to share. Moving on...
Buying Brussels sprouts: Look for Brussels sprouts that are roughly the same size and are bright green. They should be firm and tightly packed. Also, avoid Brussels with wilted leaves or are soft to the touch. Size doesn't necessarily matter, but typically the smaller the less bitter.
Cutting Brussels sprouts: It's super easy to prep the Brussels! Start by cutting the bottom off of the Brussels sprout and then cut in half lengthwise. You can toss (or eat/save for a salad) the outer leaves that fall off when cutting.
How to Make
You will need a cast iron skillet, or other oven safe skillet for this recipe. I have not made these in anything other than cast iron, but any oven safe skillet should work.
1. Prep the Brussels by cutting the bottoms of each piece and slicing in half lengthwise.
2. Spread oil on bottom of skillet and place Brussels sprouts, cut side down, in skillet.
Cook Brussels on the stovetop over medium high heat until the cut sides are brown and crispy. This should take about 10 minutes (do not stir), but I would start checking around 8 minutes.
3. Once Brussels are crisp on the cut side, sprinkle with ½ tsp. salt and gently stir. Place skillet directly into oven that's been preheated to 425F. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until Brussels can be pierced with a fork and are browned and crisp. Mix half way through cooking time.
4. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle crumbled goat cheese and drizzle with honey. Add more salt to taste.
You can either place in a serving bowl or serve these Brussels sprouts with goat cheese directly from the skillet. Enjoy!
Tip: These are best served right from the oven to maintain the crispiness.
They Key to Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Listen up! The secret to crispy Brussel sprouts is a 2 step process. You need to fry them first in order to get them nice and crispy on the edges and then you need roast them in the oven. Doing one and not the other will not yield the same results.
In order to fry and then transfer to the oven, you need an oven safe skillet, like cast iron. They are inexpensive and are pretty much great for everything. I recommend a Lodge Cast Iron skillet.
Serving Suggestions
As mentioned, these are such an easy side dish that is great for any meal. They would also make a delicious and lovely appearance at a brunch. Either way, try these Brussels sprouts and goat cheese and honey alongside one of the below.
Air Fryer Frozen Salmon
Dairy-free Vegetable Frittata
Slow-cooker Pulled Pork
FAQs
The recipe as written makes enough for 3-4 small servings (although my husband and I easily devour this with just the 2 of us), so plan accordingly. If you are making for more than 3-4 people, you can double, or even triple, the recipe.
I don't recommend this. These really are best straight from the oven. If you make ahead of time and reheat later, they won't be crispy.
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
The bitterness of Brussels resides in their centers. Choosing smaller Brussels sprouts and cutting them in half before cooking helps to minimize the natural bitterness. If they are still bitter, cooking for longer helps too.
More Side Dishes for You To Try
Eat Clean.Be Healthy!
-Sara
If you make this recipe, please let me know what you think! I would so appreciate you leaving a star rating and/or comment below. And don't forget to share a photo on Instagram or Facebook and mention @CleanPlateMama!
Eat Clean.Be Well!
-Sara
Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese and Honey
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Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Brussels sprouts
- 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt plus more to taste
- 2 ½ oz. goat cheese, crumbled
- 1-2 tbsp. raw honey (amount depends on how sweet you'd like them to be)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Cut bottoms off of Brussels sprouts and cut in half lengthwise.
- Spread oil on bottom of skillet and place Brussels sprouts, cut side down, in pan.
- Cook Brussels on the stovetop over medium high heat until the cut sides are brown and crispy. This should take about 10 minutes (do not stir), but I would start checking around 8 minutes to ensure they don't burn.
- Once Brussels are crisp on the cut side, sprinkle with ½ tsp. salt and gently stir. Place skillet directly into preheated oven.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until Brussels can be pierced with a fork, or until they are browned and crisp. Mix half way through.
- Remove from oven, and immediately sprinkle crumbled goat cheese and drizzle with honey. Add more salt to taste.
- Best served right away. You can either serve directly from skillet or transfer to a bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
- I have two cast iron skillets, so when I double/triple the recipe I use two skillets and fry them at the same time. You can transfer them all to one skillet when roasting in the oven if you have a larger skillet
- If you'd like, you can also add toasted walnuts or make festive with dried cranberries or pomegranate seeds after they come out of the oven.
Nutrition
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Ann
The combo of the goat cheese and honey was so good!
Christine
Seriously, so good! These have become a common side dish in our house!
Sara
Yay, happy to hear!
Mel
I made this serving for 4, hoping to have leftovers and my partner and I ate the entire pan of them whilst exclaiming "soooo goood" between mouthfuls ha ha! These are so simple and fantastic, I was surprised that a 5 ingredient dish (including salt!) could be so incredible. Will be adding this to our regular rotation in our house.
Sara
Thanks for sharing, Mel! I'm so glad to hear you both enjoyed it so much! Maybe I should update the serving size 🙂
Krista
Awesome recipe, would double it next time!
Sara
Thanks for the note! So glad you enjoyed. And I often do double the recipe... they go fast!
Patty at Spoonabilities
I have to try this ASAP. The melty goat cheese and honey sound heavenly! So yum!
Sara
It is heavenly! Can't wait for you to try them!
Aimee Mars
The combo of the goat cheese and honey is pure magic. I don't love brussels sprouts alone but this combo is so delicious!
Sara
Couldn't agree more and so glad to hear you enjoyed these!
Dana Sandonato
I am smitten with this recipe! Love the goat cheese. Never had it with Brussels sprouts before and I'm all over this!
Sara
Thanks for taking the time to let me know! Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe.
Beth
These brussels (with an 's') sprouts are great! I appreciated your 2 step tip on how to get them crispy and will cook them that way going forward!
Sara
So glad you found that helpful!
Caroline
I do love Brussels sprouts paired with a little sweet but haven't thought to add goat cheese as well. But it does work so well with honey I can't wait to try them all together.
Sara
You won't be disappointed 🙂
Bruce Weeks
Wow, A flavor-packed recipe that is healthy. I cooked this for my wife, and we both loved it.
Sara
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know... I appreciate that. And am so happy to hear you and your wife loved it!
Melissa
I think these are my favorite way to eat brussles! ive made these multiple times now and tonight I added lightly chopped becans to the skillet at the same time I transferred the brussles into the oven. So good! Thanks for sharing!
Sara
I agree... it's my favorite way to eat Brussels as well! And love the addition of the pecans. Thanks for sharing!
Barb
These sound so good. Can I use frozen Brussels sprouts?
Sara
Thanks... they really are the best! I have not tried frozen, so I can't say for sure how they would turn out. I do know frozen Brussels are usually whole and probably won't result in the same crispiness as fresh, but you could try using them. If you follow the recipe as written, you'd still want to cut them in half. If not, you could roast them whole (skip frying them in the skillet first) and then just add some honey and goat cheese once they are out of the oven - that way you'd still get the flavors from the honey and goat cheese. Let me know if you do try using frozen... I would love to hear how it goes!