My Brussels sprout stir-fry is bold, flavorful, and perfect for busy weeknights! Made with crispy tofu, tender caramelized sprouts, and a savory-sweet peanut sauce with a kick of chili crunch. This easy dinner comes together in just 30 minutes!
Brussels sprouts… love ’em or hate ’em? I rarely meet anyone who feels “meh” about them — most people have strong opinions! Well, I love them, and one of my missions in life is to get others on board. That’s why I create dishes like my sweet and sour Brussels sprouts, Dijon Brussels sprouts, and lemon Brussels sprout pasta. And today’s spicy peanut stir-fry just might turn even the skeptics into fans!
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What makes this one so irresistible? The sprouts are steamed until tender, then seared to crispy-edged perfection. Toss in golden pan-fried tofu and a mouthwatering, spicy peanut sauce that’s good enough to eat with a spoon, and you’ve got a quick, 30-minute meal that will make a Brussels sprout lover out of anyone.
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.
- Peanut butter. This recipe works best with creamy natural (runny) peanut butter. Conventional peanut butter should work, but you may need to thin the sauce with more water and reduce the amount of brown sugar a bit.
- Soy sauce. Tamari and liquid aminos also work!
- Brown sugar. Use organic brown sugar. Conventional granulated sugars are often processed using animal bone char.
- Chili crisp. Chili crisp is a chili oil made with fried chiles and seasonings. It's generally pretty mild as chili oils go, but can vary by brand. You can find it in the international aisle of many grocery stores, or online.
- Toasted sesame oil. You can also find this in the international aisle of most grocery stores.
- Water.
- Vegetable oil.
- Tofu. Super-firm tofu works best in this recipe. Firm or extra-firm tofu can be substituted, but will need to be pressed before using.
- Brussels sprouts.
- Garlic.
- Peanuts. Use roasted and salted peanuts for maximum flavor.
- Scallions.
- Rice. Whatever type of rice you normally enjoy with stir-fries is fine. I'm a big fan of jasmine rice with this recipe, and especially my coconut jasmine rice.
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!
Step 1: Make the sauce. Whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili crisp, sesame oil, and water together. Feel free to make any adjustments to suit your taste.
Step 2: Cook the tofu. Heat some oil in a skillet, add your tofu cubes, and cook them for a few minutes, flipping them a couple times, until they're golden brown. Transfer them to a plate.
Step 3: Steam the Brussels sprouts. Add the Brussels sprouts to the skillet, along with some water. Heat the water to a boil, then cover the skillet and let the sprouts steam for a few minutes. Uncover the skillet and let them keep cooking until the water dries up.
Step 4: Sear the sprouts. Add some oil to the skillet and toss it with your sprouts. Cook them for a few minutes, flip, then cook for a few minutes longer and repeat. You want to get them nicely browned.
Step 5: Sauté the garlic. Push the sprouts aside, then add minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté it briefly, stirring to prevent burning.
Step 6: Sauce it. Return the tofu to the skillet and add the sauce. Cook the stir-fry for another minute, to thicken the sauce.
Step 7: Finish the stir-fry. Take your stir-fry off of heat and add some chopped peanuts and scallions. It's ready to go!
Step 8: Serve. Pile your Brussels sprout stir-fry onto plates and enjoy it with some rice.
Variations
- Spicy cashew stir-fry. Got a peanut allergy, or just prefer a different nut? Try subbing cashew butter and chopped cashews.
- Switch up the protein. Replace the tofu with tempeh or seitan.
- Noodle stir-fry. Make some extra sauce and add cooked rice noodles during step 6.
- Add veggies. Veggies that pair well with Brussels sprouts in this particular recipe include carrots, red bell peppers, and baby corn.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can! Just replace the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari.
It has a mild kick. You can alter the amount of chili crisp to adjust the heat level to your preference.
Leftover Brussels sprout stir-fry will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days. The sauce may dry up during storage, so add a splash of water if needed.
You can, although the taste and texture of this dish is best with fresh. If using frozen, let them thaw first and skip the steaming step, since frozen Brussels sprouts are partially cooked.
More Vegan Stir-Fry Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Peanut Brussels Sprout Stir-Fry
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili crisp, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons water
For the Stir-Fry
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super-firm tofu, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
- ¼ cup water
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
For Serving
- ¼ cup roasted and salted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 2 scallions, chopped
- Cooked rice
Instructions
- Whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set this aside for now.
- Coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet with one tablespoon of the vegetable oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the tofu cubes, arranging them in a single layer. Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping the pieces once or twice, until they're golden brown and crispy on most sides. Move them to a plate.
- Add the Brussels sprouts and water to the skillet. Raise the heat to high and bring the water to a boil, then lower it back to medium. Cover the skillet. Let the sprouts steam for about three minutes, until they're bright green and beginning to get tender but are still a touch undercooked. Uncover the skillet and let the water continue simmering until it has completely evaporated.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Toss the Brussels sprouts to coat them with the oil, then arrange them in an even layer. Raise the heat to medium-high. Leave the sprouts undisturbed for about a minute, then flip them and let them cook for another minute. Repeat one or two more times, until the sprouts are tender and browned in spots.
- Push the Brussels sprouts to the side, then add the garlic. Sauté the garlic for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Stir the garlic and Brussels sprouts together, then add the tofu back to the skillet. Pour the sauce over the Brussels sprouts and tofu, then cook the mixture for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and clings to the Brussels sprouts and tofu. Be careful to prevent burning.
- Remove the skillet from heat, then stir in the scallions and chopped peanuts.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
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Quick and easy recipe. We found it to be quite tasty. This is a keeper.
Delicious! I made a few changes, like air frying the tofu, brussels sprouts, carrots, and red bell pepper, and using Sambal intead of the chili crisp since I dont like onions. Frying tofu always ends up a crusty mess when I try. It was delicious! Thank you!
I think I’ll
Try with broccoli! I have no Brussels sprouts