Easy Brussel Sprout Stir Fry

This Easy Brussel Sprout Stir Fry is packed with flavor and just slightly crunchy thanks to toasted ramen noodles and sesame seeds. It can be made with shrimp for added protein or without to keep it vegetarian. These are not your grandmother’s brussel sprouts!

My husband and I adore brussel sprouts. Here in Pennsylvania, they’re in season during the the fall and winter, and we’ve eaten a lot of them in the last few months. (We try to eat mostly seasonal produce because it’s fresher, tastier, more affordable, and often grown more locally). So while I hate to admit it, we’re starting to tire of our beloved brussel sprouts at this point in the year.

But we recently inherited a pack of brussel sprouts from my brother-in-law. We’re currently plant-sitting for him (he’s staying out of town during the COVID-19 crisis), and he told us to take any perishables left in his refrigerator. You know I love free food and I hate for things to go to waste, so we brought these abandoned brussels home. However, I knew I would need to find a creative way to spruce them up. Enter: Easy Asian Brussel Sprout Stir Fry.

Are they Brussel Sprouts or Brussels Sprouts?

I’m an English as a Second Language teacher and a bit of a grammarian, so I feel the need to address terminology for a second. Technically, they’re called Brussels Sprouts, because they originated in Brussels, Belgium. I know this and I even starting out writing this post using the correct term. But listen, I just. can. not. with the double plural. Try saying Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry. How bad does that sound? So yes, I’m choosing to say it incorrectly for the sake of my own sanity. Please forgive me, grammar gods.

How to make brussel sprout stir fry

This brussel sprout stir fry is super easy to prepare and can be made all in one frying pan. I like to make it with shrimp for extra protein, but you can certainly omit the shrimp and keep this dish vegetarian. Here are the basic steps:

1. Thinly slice the brussel sprouts. The slicing disc on a food processor works perfectly for this and saves a lot of time. Prep your aromatics (mince garlic and ginger and chop green onions).
2. Toast ramen noodles pieces and sesame seeds.
3. Sauté the aromatics in a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce*, and brown sugar.
4. Stir fry the brussel sprouts in the sauce.
5. Add the ramen noodles and sesame seeds. Serve with chili sauce or sriracha to add a little spice.

*Oyster sauce adds tons of umami to this dish, but don’t fret if you don’t have it or can’t get it easily. I’m a proponent of deliciousness but not a proponent of shelling out money for specialty ingredients you’ll only use once. For me, it’s worth it to keep a variety of Asian sauces on hand, because I cook with them frequently and have affordable access at my local Asian grocery store. If this isn’t true for you, go ahead and skip the oyster sauce. I promise it will still taste great!

This Easy Brussel Sprout Stir Fry is quite versatile. Serve it as a side dish or a main course, over rice or by itself. It will be delicious no matter what.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Easy Brussel Sprout Stir Fry

This flavorful stir fry showcases brussel sprouts as the main ingredient! It can be made vegetarian by omitting the shrimp. Not your grandmother's brussel sprouts!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: Brussel sprouts, Quick and Easy, Stir fry

Servings: 4 servings

Cost: $6.18 per recipe / $1.54 per serving (without shrimp); $11.98 per recipe / $2.99 per serving (with shrimp)

Equipment

• Food processor with a slicing disc
• Large frying pan

Ingredients

For the brussel sprouts

• 1½ lbs fresh brussel sprouts thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• ⅓ cup green onions chopped
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 packs ramen noodles without the flavor packet
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil for the frying pan
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• chili sauce or sriracha optional, for serving

For the shrimp (if using)

• 1 lb raw shrimp peeled
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 tbsp green onion chopped
• 1 tsp vegetable oil for the frying pan
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

Make the brussel sprout stir fry

• Wash brussel sprouts and trim the ends. Then thinly slice them in the food processor using the slicing disc. If you don't have a food processor, you can chop them by hand, but try to keep the slices as thin as possible.
• Peel and mince the garlic and ginger, then chop the green onions. Note–if you choose to make shrimp with this dish, chop all the garlic, ginger, and green onions at the same time and separate them.
• Open the two ramen noodle packs and discard the seasoning packets. Break apart the noodles into ½-inch pieces. Then heat a frying pan to medium-high heat (without oil). Add the noodle pieces in a single layer and toast them for about 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently so they don't burn. Remove the noodles from the pan.
• In the same pan, toast the sesame seeds in a single layer for 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove the sesame seeds from the pan.
• Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in the frying pan. Then add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and sauté for 1 minute. They will become very fragrant.
• Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and sugar to the pan. Stir until incorporated.
• Then add the sliced brussel sprouts to the frying pan, stirring to evenly coat them in sauce. Sauté for about 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the brussel sprouts are soft but not mushy.
• Remove from heat. Stir in ramen noodle pieces and top with sesame seeds. Serve with chili sauce or sriracha if desired.

Make the shrimp (if using)

• In the same pan you used for the brussel sprouts, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Then add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and sauté for 1 minute.
• Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, then stir until incorporated.
• Add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until it's no longer translucent on the sides. Remove from heat.

Notes

• Save time by cooking the shrimp in another frying pan at the same time as you cook the brussel sprouts.