Brussels sprouts in fried rice? OH YEAH. Thinly sliced sprouts get stir-fried until tender and caramelized, while spicy sriracha baked tofu adds savory flavor and a touch of heat. This Brussels sprout fried rice is super simple to make, incredibly tasty, and basically the best thing ever to happen to leftover rice!
Brussels sprout haters still exist, and I have a handful of ways to win them over. You can douse your roasted Brussels sprouts in tasty seasonings to cooking up a batch of thinly sliced Dijon Brussels sprouts, to whipping up a batch of killer Brussels sprout pasta. Creative? Yep! Tasty? Hell yeah! But none of those are exactly shocking. Today I've got the Brussels sprout recipe you probably didn't see coming: Brussels sprout fried rice.
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I actually love Brussels sprouts in most forms (basically anything but those boiled ones we ate growing up — ick!), but this might be my absolute favorite. Thinly sliced sprouts cook up super tender, and stir-frying gives them crispy, caramelized edges. Because they're sliced so thin, they practically blend right in with the rice, but you still get that subtle crunch and pleasant bitterness. It's really good!
And it gets even better, because this Brussels sprout fried rice also features slightly spicy, sweet and savory bits of sriracha baked tofu. It contrasts beautifully with the earthy flavor of the sprouts, making this a hella scrumptious meal. And perhaps best of all, it's incredibly easy to throw together!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar, since the conventional stuff is often processed using animal bone char.
- Sriracha sauce. Make sure your sriracha is vegan. Not all brands are! I've linked to a vegan brand I use in the recipe card.
- Vegetable oil. Whatever high-heat oil you like to cook with will work, such as peanut, corn, or canola oil.
- Toasted sesame oil. Grab this in the international aisle at the grocery store.
- Cornstarch.
- Brussels sprouts. Stick with fresh sprouts for this recipe.
- Scallions.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Cooked rice. Fried rice works best with leftover rice, cold and straight from the fridge. Rice dries up during storage, which helps it crisp up. Having said that, freshly cooked rice will do in a pinch.
- Toasted sesame seeds.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Prepare. Get ready to make the baked tofu by preheating the oven to 400°F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the sauce. Stir some soy sauce, brown sugar, and toasted sesame oil together in a small bowl.
Bake the tofu. Stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, vegetable oil, and sesame oil. Add the tofu, stir, and add the cornstarch. Stir to coat then arrange the tofu on the baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, flipping the pieces once. They'll be darker and shrunken a bit when they are done.
Cook the sprouts. Heat your oil in a wok or skillet, then add thinly sliced Brussels sprouts. Stir-fry them for a few minutes. They'll become tender-crisp, a bit brighter, and browned around the edges.
Cook the aromatics. Push the sprouts to the side, then add the white parts of your scallions, minced garlic, and grated fresh ginger. Cook the aromatics briefly, stirring constantly.
Fry the rice. Add your cold, leftover rice to the wok or skillet, then pour in the sauce. Stir-fry the mixture for a few minutes, until your rice starts getting crispy. Make sure to stir and flip the entire time.
Add the tofu. Your baked tofu goes in last. Stir it in, then remove the wok from heat.
Finish the dish. Add the green parts of your scallions. Done!
Serve. Pile it onto plates or into bowls and give each serving a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, then dig in!
Variations
- Add heat. Put some extra sriracha or some cayenne pepper in your tofu sauce. You can also add these ingredients to the sauce for the fried rice.
- Protein swaps. Replace the sriracha baked tofu with some pan-fried seitan or tempeh, which you can absolutely season with soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, and toasted sesame oil if you'd like.
- Add veggies. Diced carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, or fresh baby corn can be added at the same time as your Brussels sprouts. You can also thaw some frozen veggies like peas or corn and throw them in at the end, with the tofu.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be! Just replace the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari.
If you make the recipe as written, it will have a mild kick. For a totally heat-free version, skip the sriracha.
Yep! Preferably use brown rice that's been in the fridge for a day or two. The texture of your fried rice will be a bit different, but it will still be delish!
Leftover Brussels sprout fried rice will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Brussels Sprout Fried Rice with Spicy Baked Tofu
Ingredients
For the Spicy Baked Tofu
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 16 ounces super-firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the Brussels Sprout Fried Rice
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups very thinly sliced Brussels sprouts
- 3 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 cups leftover rice, chilled (preferably 1-2 days old)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the Spicy Baked Tofu
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, vegetable oil, and toasted sesame oil together in a medium bowl. Add the tofu and stir to coat it in the sauce mixture. Add the cornstarch and stir until the cornstarch coats the tofu and is saturated with the sauce.
- Arrange the tofu cubes in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake the tofu for 30 to 35 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through, until the pieces have darkened and shrunk.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it aside while you begin to make the fried rice.
Make the Brussels Sprout Fried Rice
- Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, and toasted sesame oil together in a small bowl.
- Coat the bottom of a large wok or skillet with the oil and place it over medium-high heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the Brussels sprouts. Stir-fry the sprouts for about 3 minutes, until slightly tender, brightened in color, and darkened around the edges.
- Push the sprouts to the side, then add the white parts of your scallions, garlic, and ginger. Sauté the mixture for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly, until very fragrant.
- Add the rice and soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry everything for about 4 minutes, until the sauce dries up and the rice begins to get crispy.
- Stir in the tofu, then remove the wok or skillet from heat. Stir in the green parts of your scallions.
- Divide onto plates and top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on ingredients, brands, portion sizes, and preparation methods.
Thank you for teaching me this recipe! Simply delicious. My goddaughter said it is her favorite tofu dinner. I have you to thank for making me feel like a chef.
This is fantastic! My whole family loved it- even my picky 9-year-old! I doubled the recipe because I have a large family.
My cooked rice (the jasmine variety) was very soft & fluffy, so I put it in the AIR FRYER in small batches - all 6 cups since it was a double recipe. 350 degrees for 12 minutes. It worked like a charm! Crisped up nicely & it was delicious.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be preparing this often.
I wanted this for lunch but since it was lunchtime, I decided to prep this dish for my dinner. As I was heating my leftover soup for lunch, I marinated the tofu, sliced the Brussels sprout, put the sauce together, and put the rice in my rice cooker; (all while waiting on my soup for lunch to heat up). After lunch, I put the cooked rice in the refrigerator to chill. Dinner (this dish) was fast and easy since everything was prepped. Very flavorful even to someone (hubby) who isn't a sprout fan.
We love this recipe and after buying the brussels sprouts, I shred them all in my food processor and make this recipe, always! Use remaining sprouts to add crunch to salads for the remaining week. It is fantastic and the tofu recipe can be used in multiple dishes, so double it. Thank you Alissa for one of many great recipes.
Excellent. Definitely will make again. Love this tofu recipe to use in other dishes, too. Thanks!
LOVE THIS!!
Also great without rice if you're trying to reduce carbs or calories. Just up the brussels :)
And very forgiving if you're missing one of the seasonings.
Tge recipe sounds great. Can’t wait to try. What can I sub the sriracha sauce with if I don’t have it on hand?
You could use another type of hot sauce. The flavor will vary slightly but it should still be delicious! Enjoy!
Has anyone ever doubled tofu and halved the rice for a lower carb option? How many servings should the recipe make in its original form?
I've made it without any rice and I still love it. Just replace with equal (or more) volume of brussels sprouts. There are also some great veggie rice options out there, like Right Rice or "riced" cauliflower.
Pretty good and pretty simple and quick to make. Thank you!
I'm glad you like it!
Made this last weekend WOW what a star recipe this is now a firm favourite. I doubled the amount of tofu and I'm glad I did as it was so tasty.
Might try this recipe with cauliflower rice, we shall see!
I'd love to hear how it turns out!
I haven’t made this yet but is it possible to shred the Brussels sprouts using a food processor with the slice blade? I don’t have a mandolin and the thought of doing it by hand sounds tedious. It looks amazing though and healthy and I can’t wait to try it!
I haven't tried, but I think that would work well!
Food processor is how I always do it! Works great and you can keep pre-shredded brussels sprouts on hand in the fridge for a few days.
I am convinced that just by eating it, it will be so delicious Thanks for sharing this wonderful article.
Thank you! Enjoy!!
i made this at home for a friend and I and let me tell you, we licked our plates it was so good. the only thing i really added was bell peppers, mushrooms and siracha :) thank you keep it up!
Those sound like delicious additions!! I'm glad you both enjoyed it!
I absolutely love Brussels and put them in everything too! I have been wanting to make fried rice at home so this will be my next Brussels sprout adventure!
Aren't they wonderful?! I hope you enjoy this!
*doubled
:)
My husband made this for me and WOW. I have never been a fan of fried rice until I had this. We doubles it so he could take the leftovers to work but I beat him to them! We paired it with some boc choy and garlicky sautéed kale to bulk it out. So good!
Yay!! I'm so glad you both enjoyed it!! Bok choy ank kale sound like delicious additions! Thanks Katherine!
OMG! Just made this tonight. Outstanding!!! Can’t wait to share this recipe!
Yay!! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Nancy!
Made this tonight because we had some extra Brussels sprouts I needed to get rid of. All I can say is, wow, this was incredibly delicious! I’m sending the recipe to all my vegan friends. Thank you.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
This was amazing. I do have a question though: what is your secret to crispy rice? We made sure that it was a day old and cold, but all it did was burn to the bottom of the wok. What did we do wrong?
I'm glad you enjoyed it!! I actually prefer a cast iron skillet over a wok. I know wok is supposed to be the way to go for fried rice, but if it's well seasoned you should't get any sticking. I also find the flat bottom of a skillet makes it easy scoop up the rice on the bottom so none of it sits there too long and burns.
Aahhhh, excellent tip!! I doubled the recipe (to feed a family of 7), so figured the wok would be better suited for the volume of ingredients. But I see I might be better off using our cast iron, and cooking it in two batches instead. I did want to point out though, that while the rice didn’t crispen up as my heart had desired, the flavor was a dream. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow!
I'm so glad to hear that!! Thanks Jenny!
This was fantastic! Where is the 5 star button? We loved it. The way you thinly cut the B.S. (Brussels sprouts;) made all the difference. We all agreed that just the fried rice part, even if had no time to bake the tofu, was really delicious. A definite keeper and Pinned! Thanks again!
Awesome! This was one of my favorites too! I'm always telling people who aren't into Brussels sprouts to try slicing them thin - it's like a whole different veggie. So glad you enjoyed this. Thanks Nina!
One of my favorite meals now!! Simple but so delicious and healthy! Made it twice in 1 week :)
I'm so glad you like it! Thanks Kellie!
This looks SO delicious Alissa! Brussels sprouts get a bad rap but they can be really gorgeous - as this recipe shows!! :)
How about Tournai Greens?