Oven roasted Brussel sprouts recipe with an irresistible bang bang sauce

Last Updated on March 24, 2021

I can’t believe that it took me ages to try out a roasted Brussel sprouts recipe. But a recent incident changed my mind forever and catapulted these “baby cabbages” into my Top 10 list of winter vegetables.
What exactly changed my mind I’ll share at the end of this blog post.

Roasted Brussel sprouts with Balsamic everyone goes crazy

Let me just tell you…when I finally took this mouth-watering dish out of the oven I invited my daughter and husband to snack one or two vegetables with me before dinner. 

The result: Overwhelmed by the taste explosion, we ate all the little balls right from the sheet pan until nothing was left for dinner;)

This day in November 2017, marked the beginning of a life long “love affair”. Make sure to read until the end of the blog post where I also share some facts on the nutritional value, especially the impressive Brussel sprouts fiber content and the various health benefits of this amazing cabbage type.

But first let’s jump into this sheet pan recipe, that will make your family fight over these veggies.

That’s what you’ll need

• Brussel sprouts, trimmed (remove wilted outer leaves) and halved
• Balsamic vinegar
• Date paste or Maple syrup (I prefer the fiber-rich date paste)
• minced garlic or garlic powder
• canola oil
• red chili flakes

Tip: If you want to replace canola oil with extra virgin olive oil for this recipe, then make sure to reduce baking temperature to 360°F/180°C and bake it a bit longer. They probably won’t come out as roasted as on the photos. But with olive oil I don’t recommend baking temperatures over 360°F/180°C.

Step by step instructions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 410 °F/210 °C. In a small bowl, whisk together Balsamic vinegar, date paste, minced garlic, canola oil and red chili flakes.

Step 2: Toss trimmed brussels sprouts halves in sauce.

Step 3: Spread them on a prepared baking sheet.

Step 4: Bake veggies for 30 minutes at 410°F/210°C  until Brussels are slightly charred and tender. The veggies will look shrunken, but this is ok. Remove from oven and taste them with salt and pepper.

Then you can snack them immediately…

…or transfer them into a bowl for a yummy side dish.

Watch how to make them

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.8 from 6 reviews

A delicious side dish with bang bang sauce

• Author: Gabi Rupp
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 45
• Yield: 3 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 500 grams/1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed (remove wilted outer leaves) and halved
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. date paste or maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
• kosher salt and pepper to taste (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 410 °F/210 °C 
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a bowl, whisk together canola oil, Balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic and red chili flakes.
4. Toss Brussels sprouts in sauce until fully coated and transfer them on the baking sheet.
5. Bake them for 30 minutes at high heat until they are slightly charred and tender. The veggies will look shrunken, but this is ok.
6. Season generously with salt and pepper. (optional)
7. Transfer them into a casserole dish.

Notes

• I love to serve them with baked salmon.
• Roasting veggies with parmesan is another great variation for ominvores.
• you can replace canola oil with extra virgin olive oil. Reduce baking temperature to 360°F/180°C accordingly and bake it a bit longer.
• Instead of fresh garlic you can also use garlic powder.
• Any leftovers can be reheated.
• You could even snack them just cold from the fridge.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 3

Keywords: Brussel sprouts, roasted vegetables, plant-based

Why these veggie balls didn’t really bother me

You know, Brussels sprouts are one of those vegetables my family and me have omitted for a long time. Hey, there are so many other vegetables around we prefer, that passing on this “bitter veggie balls” didn’t really bother me. My mostly plant-based kitchen offers anyway a multitude of different fruits and vegetables throughout the week.

I don’t know about you, but here in Germany baked Brussel sprouts are often served as side dish with roast goose. As none of us really enjoy goose the probability to eat these “mini cabbages” in a restaurant tends to zero. But recently something happened that turned my mind…

Bang Bang Brussel sprouts hype

When it comes to recipe inspirations or smart ideas in general, then Pinterest is my favorite place to go. Some weeks ago I spotted a recipe for “Bang Bang Brussels sprouts” by Lindsay Funston from delish.com that sparked my curiosity.

Can you imagine that this recipe was shared over 178,000 times on Pinterest since February this year. This kind of social proof was something I could not ignore. I had the strong urge to give this easy vegetable side dish a try.

As inspiration I used Lindsay’s recipe with “bang bang” sauce and turned it to a plant based recipe we could enjoy without guilt. Their recipe calls for store-bought chili sauce, but as you have seen I’ve made my own cleaner version instead. I hope you like it.

By the way, just in case you wonder… “Bang Bang” stands for a sweet, sour and spicy Asian sauce that is often used for Asian “Bang Bang chicken”. Nowadays you’ll find many “Bang Bang recipes” that are based on a sweet, sour and spicy sauce.

Nutrition facts & health benefits

Very high in nutrients and vitamins the nutritional value of the vitamin bombs can’t be praised enough. A mere 100 g of Brussel sprouts cover more than 100 percent of our daily requirement of vitamin C.

You’ll find almost 100 studies in PubMed that are concentrated on these mini cabbages. Over half of those studies show a connection between this cruciferous vegetable and cancer prevention. Here is just one study as example.

Furthermore these tender veggies protect us from colds and other infections. On top of that they contain secondary plant substances, which can help with arthritis, asthma and even autism.

Learn more about the many health benefits of Brussel sprouts including their detox support here!

Fiber in Brussel sprouts

These vitamin bombs are also high in fiber, ranking number 5 on our top 30 list of vegetables rich in dietary roughage (see above).

According to Harvard University Health Services about 53 percent of the fiber in the cooked vegetables is the soluble type. The soluble one feeds your gut bacteria, keeps you satiated and can reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

The remaining 47 percent is insoluble fiber which can promote regularity and support digestive health. Click through to learn more about high fiber foods.

Cabbage type with the highest protein content

Brussel sprouts have the highest protein content of all cabbage types with 4.9 g per 100 g. Given the high value of essential amino acids, this cabbage type is of great importance both for the vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Surprisingly 100 ml milk contains about the same amount of proteins, 5 grams per 100 ml.

Hopefully with this recipe and health benefit information you’ll have much more fun with these veggies in future. Let me know, how you have liked it.

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