Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan

This mouthwatering Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan recipe has it all. Fresh green veggies, sweet caramelized onions, sauteed garlic, and parmesan all drizzled in hot honey for a sweet, spicy, savory, and delicious side dish.

🍯 Hot Honey

Hot honey is such a popular item these days and is now made by a number of brands. But it's super simple to make at home. Just infuse some simple honey with red pepper flakes by warming it on the stove while you make the Brussels sprouts.

I’ve experimented with various ways to make homemade hot honey using ingredients like Frank’s Red Hot, Sriracha, and spices like paprika and cayenne pepper. But really one of the best ways is to combine honey and red pepper flakes. This simple combination gives you both sweet and heat but doesn’t overpower the dish by adding other flavors.

I love to use hot honey on all sorts of things like this Hot Honey Crispy Chicken or Hot Honey Lemon Pepper Wings, but it is super satisfying on these Hot Honey Brussel Sprouts.

Variations

Below are a few ideas for variations for these Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts to make use of what you may already have in your pantry:

• Cheese: Use feta cheese or goat cheese.
• Nuts: Add toasted walnuts or sliced almonds.
• Hot Honey: Use a few tablespoons of maple syrup with the red pepper flakes, or use Mike's Hot Honey, or your favorite hot sauce with honey if you prefer to skip the step of making it yourself.
• Onions: Caramelized red onions also work really well with Brussels sprouts, or keep it easy and top with green onions.
• Other: Add crispy bacon for an extra flavorful side dish, add garlic powder instead of whole garlic, or add a few cracks of black pepper.

🛒 Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make this Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts With Parmesan as well as a few tips as to where to get the ingredients and what to look for.

• Honey: Regular honey, any brand/type will work.
• Red Pepper Chili Flakes: Add heat to the honey.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I highly recommend using extra virgin olive oil. It is used to sauté the ingredients and imparts so much flavor to the dish. I love to use Trader Joe’s or Costco’s Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is flavorful, but not overpowering.
• Yellow Onion: To julienne an onion cut the ends off the onion. Then cut the onion in half starting at one of the exposed ends. Then cut each half into slices by angling a sharp knife into the rounded edge of the onion. This creates slices that are the same size which helps them to caramelize evenly.
• Garlic: Keep it simple by keeping the garlic whole. It adds flavor to the dish, and simplifies the work, but does not overpower the Brussels sprouts.
• Brussel Sprouts: I recommend using fresh Brussels sprouts. Trim the ends and cut them in half, or quarters for really large ones.
• Champagne Vinegar: I love the brand called O Olive Oil and Vinegar sold at Whole Foods. It's used in this dish to cut some of the sweetness given that the caramelized onions and the hot honey are both sweet. The O brand is expensive, but it lasts a while and we use it in lots of dishes and salads, like this Spanish Salad. Otherwise, you can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Don’t worry, it doesn’t make the dish taste like vinegar, it just cuts the sweetness slightly.
• Parmesan Cheese: I like to use shaved parmesan to make the dish look extra appetizing. I use a mandolin and shave a wedge of parmesan, but you could use a knife to cut thin slices or grate the parmesan if that’s easier, or buy shaved parmesan at the grocery store.
• Salt: Use salt to season the dish to your preference. If you don’t know where to start add ¼ teaspoon salt. Or if you want to take it up a notch, finish the disk with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt if you have it.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Step 1. Hot Honey: Add the honey and red pepper flakes to a small saucepan. Set to a heat setting of warm on the stove. Ensure that it does not simmer or boil. Keep on warm while working on the rest of the dish. Simmering will reduce the water content making it harder to spoon over the Brussels sprouts.

Step 2. Caramelized Onions: Bring a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan to medium heat (this should be a setting of 4 out of 10 on an electric stove or the equivalent on a gas stove). Add two tablespoons of olive oil and the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized about 8-10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.

Step 3. Garlic: Turn the heat down slightly (to a setting of 3 out of 10), and add another tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.

Step 4. Add Brussels Sprouts: Turn the heat back up slightly and add the Brussels sprouts along with another 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Sauté, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes until they turn a light golden brown. Do not allow the Brussels sprouts to burn. Make sure that the Brussels sprouts are in a single layer in the pan. If the pan is overcrowded they will steam rather than caramelize.

Season with salt to taste.

Step 5. Add Champagne Vinegar: Drizzle the Brussels sprouts with champagne vinegar and toss. Add the caramelized onions back in and stir to combine.

Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with the hot honey mixture, and top with shaved parmesan and flaky sea salt if you have it.

The Brussels sprouts are best eaten the same day while they are warm, but you can store any leftover hot honey in an airtight container to use on another dish.