I make this easy Brussels sprouts stir-fry by shredding the sprouts first and then sauteing them with garlic, spices and chickpea flour. It's a flavor-loaded side dish and you can serve it with any Indian meal - my favorite is dal and rice.
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Simple Brussels sprouts stir-fry
Brussels sprouts are in season during winter and early Spring and I love getting them on the dinner table in recipes like these Brussels sprouts roasted with rosemary and garlic and Brussels sprouts pasta. If the meal I'm serving is an Indian one, with dal and rice or roti, I make this simple but mouthwatering Brussels sprouts stir-fry.
Brussels sprouts are nutritious and they are delicious in stir-fries. They also play especially well with Indian spices (although they are not a vegetable traditionally eaten in India) because these miniature cabbage lookalikes behave much the way cabbage does in Indian recipes. If you need more proof of just how tasty Brussels sprouts are in Indian dishes, try my Brussels sprouts stew where the flavor of the sprouts dovetails beautifully with spices and coconut milk.
The stir-fry comes together quickly and you need just 10 ingredients, including a few pantry spices and chickpea flour or besan. The chickpea flour is sifted over the sprouts when they are half-cooked and it wraps around them, creating a delicious, savory coating. Let the sprouts caramelize just a bit at the bottom of the pan (don't burn them!) for even more flavor.
A quick note about shredding or shaving the sprouts: I've tried doing this with a food processor slicer blade, shredder attachment, and with just a good old knife. The shredder makes the shreds too small, so I quickly ruled that out. The slicer blade is better, but the shreds are a little too irregular for my taste because the slicer cuts some of the sprouts into cross sections. So I just used a knife, which meant an investment of about 10 minutes for a pound of sprouts. I really did prefer this because I got the most even results, and it's the method I'll be using the next time I make these.
So Simple... So delicious. The spice blend brings out the full flavor of the Brussel sprouts.
-Ruth
Recipe card
Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne (or paprika or red pepper flakes)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
- 6 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts (washed, trimmed, then sliced into thin ribbons with a knife or in a food processor)
- 2 tablespoon chickpea flour (besan)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium high heat.
- Add the cumin seeds, wait a few seconds for them to slightly darken and become aromatic. Turn the heat down and add the turmeric, cayenne and ground coriander.
- Immediately add the onions and garlic to the pan and stir to mix. Stir in a bit of salt.
- Sauté the onions for 3-5 minutes until they turn translucent. Stir in the shredded Brussels sprouts.
- Cover the pan and cook five minutes over medium-low heat until the Brussels sprouts are tender but still al dente.
- Sift the chickpea flour evenly over the sprouts in the pan. Mix it in and cover the pan again. Turn heat to low and let the sprouts cook 10 more minutes, stirring a few times in between to make sure everything cooks evenly, Once the sprouts are tender, check salt and turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition Information
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How to make Brussels sprouts stir-fry
Temper the spices
Tempering, or tadka, is the Indian method of blooming spices in hot oil. When blooming spices, it's a good idea to leave the range hood or kitchen exhaust fan turned on. Don't leave the powdered spices in the pan too long as they can burn. Add the whole cumin seeds first, wait a few seconds for the seeds to slightly darken, then add the powdered spices quickly followed by the onions and garlic. Mix the spices into the onions.
Sauté onions and garlic
You don't need to brown the onions because they will continue to cook with the sprouts. Just wait 3-5 minutes, stirring a few times, until they are translucent.
Add the Brussels sprouts
Mix the Brussels sprouts in with the onions and spices and stir in a bit of salt. Cover and let the sprouts cook in their own steam until they are halfway done and still have a bit of a bite.
Sift chickpea flour over sprouts
It's really important that you sift the chickpea flour onto the sprouts and don't just dump it in. Chickpea flour tends to clump together and by sifting it on you will ensure that it coats the sprouts evenly. Once you've mixed the flour into the sprouts, cover the pan again and let the sprouts continue to cook until they are tender. Stir a few times in between. If the sprouts start to burn at the bottom of the pan (some caramelization is okay) you can add a couple of tablespoons of water. Turn off the heat when the sprouts are tender and the chickpea flour doesn't taste raw anymore.
Recipe FAQs
You can use the same ingredients and technique to cook purple or green cabbage or green beans.
Serve the stir-fry with any dal of your choice (I love this yellow dal) and basmati rice or roti.
Refrigerate the sprouts for up to four days and freeze for up to three months. Thaw and reheat before serving.
First published March 17, 2017. Updated and re-published on March 2, 2026.
Ruth Eisenbud says
So Simple... So delicious. The spice blend brings out the full flavor of the brussel sprouts. This recipe celebrates the flavor and wholesome goodness of a back to basics plant based diet.
Vaishali Honawar says
Awesome! So happy to hear.
Sheila says
I was so attracted to this recipe.. but i wanted it for dinner, not as a side dish. So i added cubes of lightly fried tofu and walnut halves, before adding the besan flour. I swapped the ginger for chilli flakes too.. just a personal preference. Delicious nutritious and capricious ? loved it!
Vaishali says
Sheila, That sounds so amazing, with the tofu and the walnuts. What a great idea, and one I'll be trying too!
Priscilla says
Yum! I will definitely be making this. I love to use shredded Brussels sprouts, but I never thought to use my food processor. Great idea! And I have never tried them with Indian spices. Thanks for the recipe! Love your blog!
Vaishali says
Thanks, Priscilla, I hope you try! The food processor really does work great for this.