These slow cooker Brussels sprouts free up space on your stovetop for all your Christmas dishes, and roasting them in the slow cooker in olive oil with fresh cranberries brings out that nutty flavour too!
Personally I enjoy adding Brussels sprouts as a green vegetable to lots of my meals during the winter as I am a fan of that slightly bitter, nutty flavour they bring.
In the UK they are a must-have vegetable with your Christmas dinner, alongside your turkey crown, cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, red cabbage and gravy.
I love the convenience of the slow cooker and it can be really useful at Christmas to cook lots of those dishes in your slow cooker.
This frees up space in your oven and on your hob for more dishes!
For a twist on the usual boiled Brussels sprouts why not try them this way, almost roasted in your slow cooker.
Why make this recipe
✔️ Save on oven space / hob space
✔️ More flavour compared to the usual boiled Brussels sprouts
✔️ Cooking slowly in this way retains loads of bite in your sprouts, no sogginess here!
✔️ Great to prepare in advance for Christmas
✔️ The dry heat and contact with the sides of your slow cooker even provides caramelization which means more flavour
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this recipe. You’ll find the quantities together with the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Brussels sprouts – I prefer to use fresh Brussels sprouts. I select medium sized, uniformly sized sprouts. If you wish to use frozen Brussels sprouts, I would recommend thoroughly defrosting and draining them before cooking, to avoid them going soggy.
- fresh cranberries – adding a few fresh cranberries adds a pop of colour as well as plenty of festive flavour. Their tart fruity flavour provides a nice contrast to the nutty Brussels sprouts. You could replace fresh cranberries with dried cranberries, although dried will not release as much flavour.
- olive oil – I keep extra virgin olive oil in my store cupboard so I would use this type of oil for cooking sprouts, as I love the flavour. You could use vegetable/sunflower oil to replace olive oil, however this will change the taste of the dish as those oils do not have add as much flavour.
- salt and pepper – to season the sprouts and bring out that earthy, nutty flavour.
- optional additions – the dish tastes great just as it is, but if you want you can add your own twist to the dish here, some of my favourites are balsamic vinegar, honey, some walnuts, Parmesan, feta or smoked bacon lardons. Drizzle over a little balsamic vinegar to liven up the flavour, or a little honey to sweeten. Add walnuts or other nuts to add crunch. Sprinkle over some grated Parmesan or crumbled feta for added cheesiness! Fry some smoked bacon lardons and stir them through before serving for saltiness and that delicious bacon flavour.
Instructions
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this slow cooker Brussels sprouts recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
- Wash the sprouts, remove any brown outer leaves, slice them in half lengthways. Put them in the slow cooker, drizzle over the oil, add the cranberries and season. Mix well to combine.
- Cook on high for 2 hours, then stir. Cook for a further 30 mins then remove from the slow cooker pot. Add your preferred additions (see my suggestions above in the Ingredients section) or serve as they are.
Serve as a side to your roast meals or Christmas dinner and enjoy.
Storage
You can keep leftover Brussels sprouts for around 3 days in the fridge if you cook too many.
Tightly cover the dish to keep the Brussels sprout aroma contained though!
Use them up in bubble and squeak with any leftover mashed potato and other leftover veg.
Reheat in the microwave until piping hot.
Freezing cooked Brussels sprouts is not recommended as the texture is affected by freezing.
All about sprouts
- In the UK, the season for Brussels sprouts is from October to March, they are a winter crop.
- Brussels sprouts are the same species as cabbages and other cruciferous vegetables. They grow as buds on large stalks.
- In some greengrocers you can buy sprouts still on the stalk, this is a great way to ensure they stay fresh for longer too. Picked sprouts only stay good for a week, while those on a stalk will last for 2 weeks in the fridge.
FAQ
No, they will cook through fully during the long slow cooking time so do not need to be parboiled or pre-cooked.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Slow Cooker Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 800 g Brussels sprouts fresh
- 2½ tbsp olive oil
- 70 g cranberries fresh
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground
Equipment
Instructions
- Wash the sprouts, remove any brown outer leaves, slice them in half lengthways.800 g Brussels sprouts
- Put them in the slow cooker, drizzle over the oil, add the cranberries and season. Mix well to combine.2½ tbsp olive oil, 70 g cranberries, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
- Cook on high for 2 hours, then stir. Cook for a further 30 mins then remove from the slow cooker pot.
- Add your preferred additions (for example a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or honey, a sprinkle of cheese, fried smoked bacon lardons or a handful of walnuts) or serve as they are.
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