Here we go – Thanksgiving is happening here on WGC!! It’s not Thanksgiving without my favorite Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Recipe. This dish is sure to win over everyone at the table and be an instant hit on Thanksgiving.

Are you guys getting as excited about Thanksgiving recipes as me? It’s going to be the best day EVER!! So don’t mind me while I dive head first into Thanksgiving food for the next 3 weeks. We have a lot of ground to cover and we need to be fully prepared! To kick things off I want to share with you, what I believe to be the best Brussels Sprouts Recipe there is.
This Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Recipe (with lemon and garlic) is probably one of my favorite green veggie dishes ever. And especially this time of year. These have made an appearance at our Thanksgiving dinner for the last 9 years in a row and I’ll never forget the first time I served it at my grandparents house.
The day before Thanksgiving I told everyone my menu – and my Uncle looked at me like I was nuts. Sautéed Brussels Sprouts?!? Whaaaaaaat. Who are you? I’m not eating that – is what he said. And I was like, “listen, I’m gonna need you to take a deep breath… and stop acting like you’re a 4 year old (he was 49 at the time). Try them tomorrow and hold your horses.” And then, as predicted, the next day he had 3 servings. THREE SERVINGS PEOPLE!!! If that’s not proof that this is the best recipe than I don’t know what is!
These take almost no time to prepare and you could even clean, trim and prep the Brussels Sprouts the day before so it makes cooking them even easier!
PS – are you thinking of putting this on your Thanksgiving menu? Check out the full What’s Gaby Cooking menu here along with the master prep schedule to keep things organized and on track!
And if you need more Thanksgiving Ideas check out this roundup of 80+ Thanksgiving Recipes and Ideas
Did you love this Brussels Sprouts Recipe? If so check these out:
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Crispy Lemon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pomegranate Seeds
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Garlic Brussels Sprouts Pasta

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 2 pounds brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the trimmed Brussels Sprouts and sauté for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown and fork tender, giving them a stir halfway through to ensure they cook evenly.
- Once golden brown on some sides, add the butter, red pepper flakes and garlic and sauté for 1 minute more until fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve as needed.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
I’m having a love affair with Brussels Sprouts this year. If there are garlic allergies, and there are, what would be a good alternative for that in the recipe? Skip it? Or replace it with?
Maybe shallots?
You have made us brussels converts!!! Can’t get enough of them!!!
Sauteed sprouts are a weekly staple in my house this time of year. I am definitely trying the lemon garlic butter next time!
Perfection, I want the whole tray!!
It IS going to be the best day EVER (Tangled style if you’re a Disney fan)!!!!!!!!!!! This is a such a great, classic recipe. Love it!
these are so good! A regular in our kitchen & my favourite way to enjoy 🙂 thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
How would these taste, made ahead of time and reheated?
They would still be delicious – but not crispy if you made them and ate them right away
These are the most delicious Brussels Sprouts I have EVER tasted. Made them today as a side dish to a grilled chicken breast — BIG YUM!!!
made these today but mine didn’t get that charred look or get crispy… not sure why they didn’t caramelize. Like the flavor profile, but got any thoughts on crisping it up? Seemed like there might not have been enough oil maybe?
did you make sure your pan was super hot before adding them in? A bit more oil could help for sure too!
I tried your recipe and it was absolutely delicious. My only question I have is there is no mention of “turnIng” the broccoli over. I did because it would.ve never become “fork tender”.
As I said my husband and I loved this recipe
Patti Zahn
Hello Gaby,
I am going to make this tonight. Although I do not have any I am also thinking about using a couple of strips of bacon, cooking them up crumbling them up and also using the bacon grease for the oil.
LOVE that idea!
These are perfection!! Love!!
I have to agree! Brussels Sprouts are a great Thanksgiving side!
These were great! I read the other reviews and kept the pan a good higher medium and used a bit more oil was perfect! Halfed the recipe for two! Thank you for sharing!
Just watched the video as well! So the butter goes in when the oil goes on? And the zest with the garlic? The directions are a little different so wanted to check if makes a difference/which is correct. 🙂
clarified!! butter and olive oil up front!
Hi! Any recipe for crispy Brussels Sprouts? Thank you!
Brussels for the win!
Just made the Brussels sprouts tonight and they were delicious. Will be on Thanksgiving menu
Marcia
You’re right, it’s not thanksgiving without these goodies. These sprouts look second to none! I love the addition of pepper flakes for a little kick. – jessie from cakespy
Hey Gaby I’m going to try this delicious recipe tomorrow night. I just hope they come out right. I will let you know the outcome
I made this recipe and loved it. My husband and daughter (both picky with vegetables) gobbled them up. The only changes I made was to cut the sprouts smaller and added sesame seeds towards the end. I’ll be making it again and again. 🙂
Can I use lime instead of lemon?
sure – but it will change the flavor profile!
I worship this vegetable. I started eating them again in 2016. I hated sprouts since I was a kid. Now I know that it was how my grandmother made them. Lol
Gaby – These are amazing! I’m making them again tonight; that’s 3 nights in a row!! Thanks.
Can you add Parmesan at the end or will that not go well with the lemony flavor?
I do it all the time – delish!
Does it have to be unsalted butter?
you can use salted butter! Just be careful how much you salt it afterwards so it doesn’t become too salty
Made these tonight. Super lemony! But I used a large lemon and have a great zester; so there was a lot of zest. I also sautéed chicken breast chunks. I decided to put them together with the Brussel sprouts to take up some of the lemon flavor….delicious! I served it with spaghetti squash. I now have a new go to menu.
Simple and flavorful. Thank you
I had fun making these, my husband really wanted some for dinner. They turned out great, except he opts to leave out the red pepper flakes next time. Thank you for this recipe.
These were fantastic. I usually roast my Brussels sprouts with bacon but I was having Christmas guests who don’t eat pork. These had great reviews so I decided to try it. Absolutely delicious and a big hit. I forgot to add the red pepper at the end, but honestly we didn’t miss it. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I think I liked it better than the bacon recipe. Fast, easy and sooooo tasty. Great as a weeknight side dish but also good enough for company. Definitely adding this to my regular rotation. Thank you!!
I have never made Brussel Sprouts everytime i tasted them i hated them .But wow this recipe blow my mind .I loved it and so did my family.
I didn’t have garlic on hand (why?!) So I used garlic powder instead and it was great! Trying to stop myself from finishing them all right now cuz I need them for food prep 🙁
My family is hooked on these Brussel Sprouts..best recipe I’ve tried this year.
These are my absolute favorite.
These really are life changing!! They are a seasonal favorite in this house.
I’m going to try this tomorrow night!!
I actually was going to save this recipe for thanksgiving, buttttt i had Brussel sprouts and made them last night instead. They were perfect. Crispy, and the garlic/lemon was just the right combo of flavors this them. Obviously i will make them again for thanksgiving! Thanks, Gaby!
I can remember when most people would gag at the mention of Brussels sprouts. They were usually either steamed or boiled, and the smell was repulsive. With the advent of roasting and sautéing, that has all changed. This easy, quick recipe is just one of dozens or recipes I’ve seen in recent years to make this once-maligned vegetable into a socially acceptable topic at the dinner table. Thanks for sharing it.
Was skeptical about the amount of lemon juice and garlic. Was perfect.
Perfect for any season!!
So basically, what I’m hearing you say is that the secret is butter. And I’ve confirmed, yes indeed Brussel sprouts truly are their best with butter, I just want to know, how has this escaped me for all these years. Thank you.
Truly excellent…thanks!
These are going to be the greatest hit!!