Satay Sprouts (Vegan & Gluten Free)

Satay Sprouts are the flavour bomb we’ve been looking for all these years. Incredibly simple to put together, these satay coated brussels make a unusual canape, side for a feast or even a vegan main course.

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I am so excited to finally share my awesome Satay Sprout recipe with you! I first came up with the idea when planning a Boxing Day menu which was something a little different from the turkey fest from the day before.

I’m a firm believer that satay sauce improves nearly everything it touches. My homemade Satay Sauce is super easy to throw together and has a tonne of uses. My Satay Chicken Skewers remain a favourite but I wanted to create something to cater for a vegetarian friend too. And so the spark of inspiration took me.

And then I had to make a second batch on the 27th because we were all raving about them and we’d cleared the first bowl within minutes!

I refined the recipe a little as I made it a few more times and hit on the idea of turning them into kebab type skewers. Have you ever tried to photograph a bowl of brown sauce coated sprouts? No me neither and I didn’t want to try. Skewers it was!

As a result what I hit on was a genius canape idea. How cool would these be brought round at a cocktail party or as an intro course at an Asian Feast? The answer is “very”!

The main point to note is that the slightly sweet but spicy and nutty sauce just works fantastically with the earthy bitter sprouts.

How to Serve Satay Brussels Sprouts

So I’ve hit on a few ideas already. You can serve them right on the skewer as a canape option. Or leave them off the skewers and put a cocktail stick into each one.

I’ve enjoyed serving the sprouts as a side to main courses by simply adding a skewer to the side of my serving bowl. The person eating then gets the personal option of eating them separately or sliding them off the skewer and onto their plate.

You can of course not use skewers at all. You can simply mix the cooked sprouts into the sauce and serve in a bowl. They just won’t look as pretty!

Make Satay Sprouts into a Feast

I truly believe that you can make any dish into a proper feast! Whether thats a feast for one after work on a Tuesday, a casual feast for four on a Friday evening or a feast for 12 for a special occasion!

So far I’ve served Satay Brussels on the side of almost every Asian inspired recipe in my repertoire.

For my alternative Boxing Day Feast I also served plain chow mein, Sticky Rice, and a simplified version of my Korean Belly Pork. This all came after a tofu heavy dumpling festival including my Vegan Har Gow Dumplings and a turkey and cranberry version of my Siu Mai dumplings.

For a smaller everyday feast, I put a sprout skewer on the side of some egg fried rice, Chilli Ginger Courgettes and Sweet Chilli Salmon. They would be equally at home on the side of my Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry for a fully vegan feast.

To move away from the rice and noodles, these sprouts are also fab served with something a little different like my Coriander Couscous.

Ingredients for Satay Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts

Fresh is best but frozen is just fine. You might notice a runty looking sprout making up the numbers in the step-by-step photos below. I didn’t have enough fresh sprouts so I popped a frozen one in to make up the numbers. It was smaller but otherwise just as delicious.

To prep a sprout, I cut off a little of the nobbly end and then peel off any gnarly looking outer leaves. My sprouts had been in the fridge quite a while and looked like bin fodder. But with a few leaves peeled off, they were perfect. If you want to cross them, do. I don’t think it makes any real difference.

The cooking time given yields a fairly soft sprout. Simply cook for less if you like a crunchier affair.

Satay Sauce

I almost always use my stash of homemade satay sauce in this recipe. But there is nothing wrong with using a jar or a bottle of sauce. Pick your favourite and go with it.

Be Flexible

This recipe really is a gateway to a million other options. Satay green beans? Satay butternut squash? Satay courgettes? Satay tofu?

Cook your ingredients and coat in warm satay sauce. Use a skewer or don’t.

Or you could use another sauce on your sprouts. Sweet chilli brussels sprouts? Teriyaki sprouts? The Korean bossam glaze from my Pork Belly recipe?

Or, and I’m thinking very outside of the box here. As a canape, how good would sprouts drizzled with homemade Caesar Dressing taste? Oh I cannot wait to try this out!

Make it Vegetarian or Vegan

Great news. My Satay Sprout skewers are vegan! This does assume that the satay sauce you use is vegan.

My homemade version is, so if for some reason you are struggling to find a vegan shop-bought sauce, making it yourself is a great and easy option.

Make Satay Brussels Sprouts Allergy Friendly

Assuming that you are using my homemade Satay Sauce recipe with gluten free soy sauce, this recipe is free from gluten, dairy and egg.

Nut Free: Satay sauce contain peanuts. A variation of the sauce can be made by substituting another nut butter if only peanuts are the issue. Sunflower seed butter provides another non-nut option. Do also consider if sesame seeds are appropriate as some nut allergies come with related sesame allergies.

Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.

Equipment Notes for Satay Sprouts

You do not need any real specialist equipment to make this recipe.

You will of course need some basics like a knife to cut and trim the sprouts, a couple of small saucepans and something to stir and drizzle the sauce like a small silicone spatula.

If you are choosing to go the skewer route then you will need skewers! I use short bamboo skewers but you could equally use metal skewers instead.

A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.

Get Ahead

This isn’t a difficult recipe to put together right before serving. But you can certainly make the Satay Sauce well ahead of time if making your own. And the spouts can be trimmed and put in a pan ready for boiling.

You could also part cook the sprouts and then just warm them through before splitting, skewering and drizzling.

Another option would be to put them together fully (don’t bother warming the sauce) and then reheat them in the oven just before sprinkling with toasted sesame seeds and serving. This would be especially ideal if they’re being served as canapes.

Leftover Satay Sprouts

Satay Sprout Skewers will reheat but will never look quite as pretty. Thats if pretty is a word we can really use here!

I have popped them into the microwave and heated them back up on the hob. I do of course take the skewers back out first.

They can be frozen but beware that they will be on the soggier side once defrosted and reheated.

Satay Sprouts Tips

I have boiled rather than roasted the sprouts. I personally find roasted sprouts to be on the bitter and dry side. And I really do prefer them boiled. But if you wish to roast then drizzle, please be my guest.

You obviously need to be quite careful when skewering. Try to keep as central as possible.

My sprouts were on the large side. If yours are on the small side, you can consider doubling the number of sprouts and putting 3 whole ones on each skewer.

Saying that, put as many whole or half sprouts on a skewer as you wish.

But then again, and this tip is by no means important, if you are looking for some visual appeal in your skewering, stick with odd numbers. 3,5,7 or 9 sprouts will look better than 2,4,6 or 8.

Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?

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More Vegan Side Dishes

The Recipe

Satay Sprouts (Vegan Recipe)

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Satay Sprouts are the flavour bomb we’ve been looking for all these years. Incredibly simple to put together, these satay coated brussels on a skewer make a unusual canape, side for a feast or even a vegan main course.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Servings 6 skewers

Author Chloe

Equipment

• Electric Kettle
• Saucepan – Small
• Sharp Knife – Small
• Chopping Board – Small Plastic
• Wooden Skewers – Small

Ingredients

 

MetricUSA Measurements

 

0.5x1x2x4x

• 9 Brussels Sprouts
• 100 ml Satay Sauce
• 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds - optional
• Salt

Instructions

 

• Pop the kettle onto boil.
• Trim 9 Brussels Sprouts. (Trim the end and remove any damaged outer leaves.
• Put the sprouts into a small sauce pan and cover with the now boiling water. Add salt and stir.
  
• Leave to boil for 10 minutes then drain.
  
• In the meantime, add 100 ml Satay Sauce to another small saucepan or microwaveable bowl.
  
• Warm it though until hot either on the hob or in the microwave.
• Once the sprouts have drained, cut them in half lengthways.
  
• Skewer 3 sprout halves onto each skewer.
  
• Drizzle over the hot satay sauce.
  
• Sprinkle 1 tsp Sesame Seeds over the top (optional) and serve.
  

Step by Step Video

Nutrition (Approx)

Serving: 1Skewer | Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

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