Stop Settling For Bitter Roasted Brussels Sprouts—Here's How to Make Them Nutty and Delicious

Brussels sprouts have had a real glow-up over the past couple of decades. They're on restaurant menus, they're often served with glamorous garnishes and sauces, and they're no longer automatically met with groans. We want to love them now. We know how good they can be—crispy leaves, nutty sweetness, with just enough bitterness to feel balanced. And yet, when Brussels sprouts fall short, they really fall short.

Instead of becoming deeply browned and savory, they often turn bitter, smelly, and aggressively mushy.. It's especially frustrating when you've cooked them at home and did everything right—or so you thought—and still ended up with a pan of vegetables no one's excited to eat. The problem isn't the vegetable, it's how we cook it.

The Science of Why Brussels Sprouts Turn Bitter

Brussels sprouts—along with kale, collards, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and more—belong to the Brassica family, which means they're full of sulfur-containing compounds. When you cook them slowly—by boiling, steaming, or roasting at too low a temperature (below about 400°F)—those compounds break down into the funky, sulfurous flavors and aromas people associate with bad Brussels sprouts. At the same time, slow cooking destroys the sharp, mustardy compounds that give sprouts their pleasant bitterness and complexity. In other words,  low heat brings out the worst in them while wiping out the best parts.

If your Brussels sprouts smell swampy or taste flat and bitter, it's likely not that they were cooked too little or cooked too much—it's that they were cooked too gently.

High Heat Is the Fix

Brussels sprouts thrive under high heat. When cooked quickly and aggressively, their cut surfaces brown and char, producing deep, savory flavors through the Maillard reaction. At the same time, their natural sugars caramelize and break down into simpler, sweeter compounds. That sweetness balances the bitterness instead of amplifying it.

Cooked at high heat, Brussels sprouts are never pale or limp—they're deeply browned, crisp at the edges, and just tender inside. If a few outer leaves get dark and brittle, that's not a mistake—that's flavor.

How to Roast Brussels Sprouts So They're Actually Good

You can get great results in a skillet over high heat, but roasting works just as well and is easier when you're cooking for a crowd. The key, as our former culinary director Kenji found in his roasted Brussels sprouts recipe, is to start hot with a very hot oven and pan and keep it hot througout cooking. Here's how to do it:

1. Preheat your oven to 500°F (260 °C) with the empty sheet pan inside. In a large bowl, toss halved Brussels sprouts with  a liberal amount oil and salt until they're evenly coated; both help promote browning and temper bitterness. Then carefully add them to the hot pan. You should hear immediate sizzling. If you don't, the pan isn't hot enough.

2. Arrange the sprouts cut-side down in a single layer and give them space. Crowding leads to steaming, and steaming is how Brussels sprouts lose all their appeal. Roast until the cut sides are deeply browned, and the outer leaves are crisp and shatteringly dry.

3. From there, you can add whatever flavors you like—acids such as vinegar or citrus juice, cheese, chile sauce, or a glossy glaze—but the method stays the same: high heat, hard sear, no hesitation.

Cook Brussels sprouts this way, and they stop being a vegetable you'll politely tolerate, but one you'll genuinely enjoy.