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These Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts are so flavorful and evenly cooked edge-to-edge. A 40-minute sous vide cooking followed by a quick sear in the pan achieves the ideal texture that’s tender in the center and beautifully caramelized and crispy on the outside.
This is a foolproof and no-fail recipe! Perfect for a Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish.
Featured on Best Sous Vide Vegetable Recipes
What Is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is a cooking method from France where food is vacuum-sealed and slow-cooked in a water bath at a precise temperature. The even cooking creates an unparalleled texture and very flavorful food.
Why Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts?
- Brussels sprouts have a bad reputation for being easily overcooked. Sous vide cooking produces a softer and more tender texture than other cooking methods.
- As the vegetables are cooked in a sealed bag, they retain all the nutrition and flavors.
- Sous vide machine cooks the vegetable evenly all the way through, and you’ll get an even texture edge to edge. The outer leaves won’t get burned before the centers cook through.
- Never overcook your Brussels sprouts. As the sous vide method cooks the food to the temperature you set, you don’t need to worry about overcooking again!
Ingredients
- Brussels Sprouts: Wash your veggies and dry them properly. Remove any dry leaves. Trim the ends and then slice the sprouts in halves lengthwise. I like to cut them into halves, but you can also sous vide them whole. You’ll need to increase the sous vide time to 1 hour if you are cooking whole Brussels sprouts.
- Olive Oil: Use regular olive oil for this recipe. Avoid extra virgin olive oil as it has a lower smoke point.
- Salt: I used regular salt, but you can use coarse salt or sea salt.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper works the best.
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1: Pre-heat the sous vide machine
Pre-heat the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 183°F (84°C).
Step 2: Prepare Brussels sprouts for sous vide
Rinse them first, and then trim the brown ends off the sprout base. If some sprouts are larger than others, you can cut them into halves so they cook at the same speed.
Step 3: Mix with seasoning
In a large bowl, mix the halved sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss until they are evenly coated.
Step 4: Vacuum seal the bag
Add Brussels sprouts to a ziploc bag and arrange in a single layer. Use multiple bags if necessary. Then Seal the bag. You can use a vacuum sealer or zip-top bags using the “water displacement” technique.
Step 5: Sous vide cook
Place the bag in the water bath, and cook for 40-45 minutes. (Note that you’ll need to use sous vide weights or some heavy kitchen items to weigh down the bag, otherwise, it will float above the water)
Step 6: Sear
Add oil to a skillet on medium-high heat. Once hot, add brussels sprouts and sear for 2-3 minutes or until lightly caramelized.
Tips And Tricks
- Start with fresh green Brussels sprouts, discarding any becoming blemished or yellowish.
- Try to use Brussels sprouts of similar size for even cooking. If you end up having some that are larger than others, you can cut them in half.
- Pack the brussels sprouts in a single layer for even cooking. Use sous vide weights if needed to keep the bag submerged.
- In addition to seasonings during cooking, consider topping with freshly grated parmesan, bacon bits and/or a bit of lemon juice before serving.
Temperature And Time
Set your sous vide cooker at 183°F (84°C) for the best result. It will produce the perfect tender and soft brussels sprouts.
- Cooking Brussels sprouts halves: 40 to 45 minutes depending on the size of your Brussels sprouts
- Cooking Brussels sprouts wholes: 1 hour
Ways To Use Sous Vide Cooked Brussels Sprouts
There are so many amazing ways to serve Brussels sprouts.
- Serve as a side dish and drizzle with sauces such as balsamic vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Top with some minced parsley, bacon bits, grated parmesan, or pine nuts.
- You can also mix it with other vegetables or salads.
FAQs
How can I prevent the sous vide bag of brussels sprouts from floating?
The biggest challenge of cooking veggies sous vide is that the vacuum-sealed bags tend to float on the surface of the water. As the food needs to be completely submerged into the water in order to be properly cooked. You can either use sous vide weights or heavy kitchen items to weigh down the bag. Make sure the seams are above the water if you use zip-top bags.
How to seal the bag without a vacuum sealer?
If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use Ziploc Freezer Bags, which are perfect for sealing the food. The technique is called the “water displacement method” by using the pressure from the water to force all the air out of the bag.
Just place the bag with seasoned brussels sprouts on the counter, arrange the brussels sprouts in one single layer. Seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
Can I sous vide frozen brussels sprouts?
You can absolutely sous vide cook Brussels sprouts directly from frozen. Just add an extra 30 minutes of cooking time and they will come out perfectly tender.
Do I need to cut brussels sprouts in half before sous vide?
You don’t need to cut brussel sprouts in half for sous vide, as the flavors will develop regardless of how they’re cut. I like to halve or quarter very large brussel sprouts for serving purposes, but it really comes down to personal preference.
Why won’t my brussels sprouts get crispy?
If you want crispier brussel sprouts, you will need to stir-fry them in a skillet over medium-high to high heat for a few minutes after sous vide. The outer leaves will brown and crispen up during this process.
More Sous Vide Vegetables
- Sous Vide Carrots
- Sous Vide Potatoes
- Sous Vide Corn On The Cob
- Sous Vide Zucchini
- Sous Vide Broccoli
If you’ve tried this sous vide Brussels sprouts, leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!
Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts Recipe (+VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Brussel sprouts fresh*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional for Serving
- parmesan cheese
- balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Fill a large container or pot with water. Attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 183ºF/84ºC.
- Wash and dry Brussels sprouts. Trim the ends and then slice the sprouts in halves lengthwise.
- In a large bowl, mix the halved sprouts with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss until they are evenly coated.
- Add the Brussels sprouts into a zip-lock bag and arrange in a single layer. (Make sure to arrange in one layer. If your bag is not large enough, use multiple bags). Feel free to use a vacuum sealer if you have one.
- Seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique or a vacuum sealer. (Just seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.)
- Keep the bag in the warm water bath and cook for 40 to 45 minutes. Make sure to submerge the Brussels sprouts completely. You can use heavy kitchen items such as saucepan and kitchen tongs to weight down the bag.
- When the time goes off, take the bag out and remove Brussels sprouts from the bag. Pat dry with paper towels. (Wet surface will interfere with searing).
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Add Brussels sprouts and fry for 3-4 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
- Serve warmly, and drizzle with optional balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
Notes
- *If you cook with frozen Brussels sprouts, add 20-30 minutes to the cooking time to allow for thawing in the water bath.
Video
Nutrition
UPDATED JULY 15, 2020: This post was originally published on October 18, 2019. We spiffed it up and added a brand new video to make it sparkle!
KKW says
Followed your methods for cooking the sprouts with my joule. They were perfect. I finished them off in a cast iron skillet. During the cooking, I cooked six strips of low sodium bacon in the skillet. So, I seared the sprouts in that rendered fat until they were charred a bit. I made a gastrique of white balsamic, hot pepper flakes and sugar. When the sprouts were ready to be served, I crumbled the bacon into them and poured the gastrique over them. Amazing combo of sweet, salty and just a hint of heat. I can make myself sick eating these, they’re so delish! Mostly happy to have a more forgiving way to cook the sprouts two perfection which takes the guesswork out of oven roasting at very high temps. Thanks!
izzycooking says
Glad that you like the recipe, and thank you very much for sharing your experience! Great idea to pour the gastrique over the Brussels sprouts!
Katie says
I’m going to have my sous vide set at 130 degrees for steak, can I put my brussel sprouts in at the same time or will the results be disappointing?
Sue says
The sprouts realLy need the 83F. The steak definite wanted the 130F. You will just have to break down and buy another Stick Vide Stick. 😱. I have never regretted getting a second one as most vegetables want 183F and most proteins need much lower temperatures than that! Enjoy!
reply-katie says
Different temperatures. More like 185F for veggies because they have pectin.
Sharon says
What about cooking your protein first and setting it aside while you cook your vegetables then finish the protein off in a pan before serving. Maybe even put your veg in at the lower temperature to start them with the protein and increase it after the protein is done? My protein is usually salmon.
BillyBob says
Thanks for that question Katie. I had the same thought also.