A little spicy and tangy, these super flavorful Indian brussels sprouts are sure to steal the spotlight at your holiday table! This is an incredibly easy recipe and can be made either in the air fryer or oven. This dish has so many amazing textures and flavors that are sure to impress you and your guests!
Brussels sprouts are such an underrated and humble vegetable. Quite often, Brussels sprouts get a bad rap for being bland, flavorless and mushy. But with this recipe, you will be surprised at how delicious and flavorful they can be!
There's a few things I've done to elevate this humble vegetable - add a ton of flavor to it. I've used both spice blends and whole spices along with fresh aromatic vegetables to add a ton of flavor. Different textures also make this dish very enjoyable. The crunch of the brussels sprouts after it has been air fried/roasted along with the nuts and coconut add so much amazing texture that contrasts the soft and tender insides of the brussels sprouts perfectly. Finally, juicy pops of sweetness from the pomegranate seeds combined with that delicious tartness of the pomegranate molasses, takes this dish to a whole other level.
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Ingredients to make Indian brussels sprouts
- Brussels sprouts - are the star of this recipe. They belong to the cabbage family and resemble little cabbages. They have so many layers, like cabbages and turn out crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside when roasted/air fried.
- Avocado oil or any neutral flavored oil (with a high smoke point) will work in this recipe.
- Curry powder - I like using my homemade curry powder (which is a blend of the 5 most commonly used spices in Indian food) in this recipe. It adds so much flavor and that beautiful yellow color because of turmeric powder.
- Tempering (tadka) spices - I use brown mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried red chilies for tempering in this recipe. This combination of spices is such a classic in south Indian cooking and adds so much amazing flavor and aroma to this recipe.
- Ginger and spicy chilies - these too are classic aromatics used in Indian cooking. Fresh ginger pairs so well with the spices in curry powder and the minced green chilies add a subtle heat to this recipe.
- Walnuts add a lovely texture and crunch to this recipe and it pairs really well with the sweet and tart pomegranate molasses.
- Coconut adds so much amazing texture to this recipe. It is a classic ingredient used in south Indian cooking and pairs so well with the tadka spices.
- Lime adds freshness and bright citrusy notes to the roasted brussels sprouts.
- Pomegranate - I love adding pomegranate to savory recipes. The beautiful color and juicy pops of sweet tart flavor make any dish better!
- Pomegranate molasses is such an amazing ingredient. I highly recommend trying it out, if you've never tasted it. It is intensely tart and a little sweet and tastes amazing with Indian spices. It adds so much flavor to this recipe.
How to make Indian brussels sprouts
1. Trim the ends of the brussels sprouts and and remove any brown outer leaves. Cut them in half from stem to end.
2. Transfer them to a bowl and drizzle half the oil over the top. Sprinkle over the curry powder and salt and toss them well to coat them in the spices and oil.
3. Oven instructions: Transfer the brussels sprouts on a metal baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
4. Air fryer instructions: Transfer the brussels sprouts to the air fryer and cook for 8 minutes, then slide out the basket and shake it to toss the brussels sprouts. Cook for another 5-6 minutes, checking and shaking the basket often, until the brussels sprouts are very crispy.
5. Squeeze lime juice over the top and toss to combine.
6. In a large frying pan, heat the remaining oil on medium heat and add in the mustard seeds. When they start popping, reduce the heat the medium low and add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried red chilies. Fry them for 30-40 seconds or until the curry leaves turn crispy.
7. Now add in the ginger and green chilies and walnuts and saute for about a minute. The walnuts will get slightly darker in color.
8. Add in the shredded coconut and a pinch of salt and mix everything together. Cook this mix for about 2-3 minute so until the coconut becomes light brown and crispy.
9. Now add in the roasted brussels sprouts and toss gently to mix. Turn off the heat.
10. Garnish with cilantro and pomegranate seeds and drizzle the pomegranate molasses over the top before serving.
Tips and tricks
- Wash and dry your brussels sprouts really well. If the brussels sprouts are still wet, they will steam instead of roasting and you won't get those crispy edges. I like washing my brussels sprouts a few hours before I want to use them, so they dry naturally.
- Adjust the spices depending on how spicy your curry powder is. You could also use a blend of your own spices or any store bought spice mix.
- Make it more or less spicy by adding more or less green chilies in this recipe.
- Double or halve recipe depending on how many people you want to feed!
- Use your favorite nuts instead of walnuts if you are not a fan of them. Feel free to leave out the nuts, if you are allergic to them.
- Don't skip the pomegranate seeds as it adds a lovely pop of sweet and tart flavor that goes so well with the spices.
Oven v/s air fryer
Both air frying and baking produce amazingly crispy and tender brussels sprouts. Which option you use will depend on a couple of criteria:
- Air fryer: Air fried brussels srouts turn out delicious and the biggest advantage of this method is that it takes about half the time to cook compared to the oven method. However, most air fryers are small and this method will work well only if you are making a small batch of this recipe. This option is perfect when you are making a small batch for 2-3 people.
- Oven: oven baked brussels sprouts also turn out amazing but take twice the amount of time compared to an air fryer. However, if you are making a large batch, then this is the way to go. You can make a very large batch at once using multiple baking trays (and doubling this recipe) and they will all be perfectly crispy and ready at the same time! This option is perfect when you have company over or are serving a crowd.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't my brussels sprouts get crispy?
There's a couple of reasons why that could happen.
1. Your brussels sprouts were not completely dry, so they ended up steaming instead of roasting.
2. You didn't coat the brussels sprouts with enough oil, so they can get crispy in the air fryer/oven.
3. Your oven/air fryer wasn't hot enough. Hotter temperature ensures those delicious crispy edges.
Should I cut my brussels sprouts in half before cooking?
If your brussels sprouts are very small, you can leave them whole. I like cutting the bigger sprouts in half as more surface area = more crispy edges.
What can I replace pomegranate molasses with?
Pomegranate molasses has an amazing tart and sweet flavor. If you can't find it easily, you can replace it with date and tamarind chutney which has a similar flavor profile.
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Recipe
Indian brussels sprouts
Ingredients
Oven roasting/air frying
- 2 lb brussels sprouts
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- kosher salt
- 1 lime
For the tempering
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 15 curry leaves
- 4 dried red chilies
- 3 spicy green chilies (Thai green peppers) (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (finely chopped)
- ¼ cup walnuts (roughly chopped)
- ½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional)
Instructions
- Trim the ends of the brussels sprouts and and remove any brown outer leaves. Cut them in half from stem to end. Transfer them to a bowl and drizzle half the oil over the top. Sprinkle over the curry powder and salt and toss them well to coat them in the spices and oil.
Oven instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F/200C.
- Transfer the brussels sprouts on a metal baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Squeeze lime juice over the top and toss to combine.
Air fryer instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 375F/190C for about 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the brussels sprouts to the air fryer and cook for 8 minutes, then slide out the basket and shake it to toss the brussels sprouts. Cook for another 5-6 minutes, checking and shaking the basket often, until the brussels sprouts are very crispy. Squeeze lime juice over the top and toss to combine.
For the tempering
- In a large frying pan, heat the remaining oil on medium heat and add in the mustard seeds. When they start popping, reduce the heat the medium low and add in the cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried red chilies. Fry them for 30-40 seconds or until the curry leaves turn crispy.
- Now add in the ginger and green chilies and walnuts and saute for about a minute. The walnuts will get slightly darker in color.
- Add in the shredded coconut and a pinch of salt and mix everything together. Cook this mix for about 2-3 minute so until the coconut becomes light brown and crispy.
- Now add in the roasted brussels sprouts and toss gently to mix. Turn off the heat.
Serving
- Garnish with cilantro and pomegranate seeds and drizzle the pomegranate molasses over the top before serving.
Clotty Gomes says
Looks colourful and delicious.