Name: Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, shredded; 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup heavy cream; ¼ teaspoon nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon paprika; ¼ teaspoon onion powder; 2 cups Gruyère cheese

A combination of brussel sprouts, cream, and cheese make the most decedent Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin. A perfect side dish for any holiday table!

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A skillet filled with cheesy brussel sprouts au gratin with a wood spoon scooping some up.

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Brussel Sprouts Gratin: Brussel Sprouts with Cheese

If you are searching for the ultimate brussel spouts holiday recipe this is the one…

Brussel Sprouts, Cheese, Cream.. you can’t go wrong!

This is an easy side dish as such a good addition to the holiday table. Brussel sprouts are baked with cream, cheese, and spices to make a delicious baked gratin.

This is a recipe I kind of stumbled into a year ago when I had a ton of extra brussel sprouts I needed to use. I made it once and just knew it had to become a new favorite holiday side dish for my family.

For my version of this dish I did a lot of testing of how the brussel sprouts are actually cut. I noticed that a lot of the are only halved or quarter cut in most recipes, this was just okay, but I felt like the creamy cheesy sauce never truly integrated when the sprouts were like that. So I decided to try them shredded. YES I hit it, once they were shredded it made such a perfect dish. Everything mixing together they way it should be!

So get excited and let’s make some Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin.

Overhead view of a cast iron skillet with cheesy brussel sprouts.

Equipment

For this recipe you don’t need anything too fancy, you really don’t need a lot actually. What I found works best for this recipe is making the whole dish start to finish in a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet no worries at all!

You can use any other oven proof skillet. OR if you don’t have an oven proof skillet after you are done with the skillet steps simply transfer the brussel sprout mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle on the cheese and then transfer to the oven to cook.

Beyond the skillet you will need typical kitchen equipment.

Ingredients

Unsalted Butter – This recipe starts with butter, you will want to make sure it is unsalted so that you don’t overpower the dish with salt!
Brussels Sprouts – Shredded! So you can either grab pre-shredded brussel sprouts to shred them yourself. This will be the biggest aspect of how long prep time is for this dish, If you are buying pre-shredded that will almost eliminate the prep time because really all you have to do then is measure ingredients out. If you have to prep the brussel sprouts yourself just note that it does take a little time. If you are shredding them yourself you can just grab a knife and get to work or you can use a mandolin. I find that just shredding them with a knife goes just as quickly as trying to get out my mandolin.
Garlic – Using a fresh clove of garlic and mincing it yourself will help create the best flavor.
All-Purpose Flour – During testing I quickly realized that there would need to be some thickening agent so just a little flour is used. If needed you can substitute a gluten-free four as long as the type is known for being a thickening agent.
Kosher Salt – Kosher salt works best in cooking because of the way it dissolves into the food but if you don’t have kosher salt you can use sea salt instead.
Heavy Cream – The recipe has cream so you know it has to be good right!
Nutmeg, Paprika, & Onion Powder – For flavoring just small amount of these spices to help provide flavor, nothing that will overpower the dish as a whole.
Gruyère Cheese – I found gruyère to have the perfect melt point and flavor. If you have trouble find gruyère I suggest using a sharp cheddar cheese as a replacement.

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Ingredients to make Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin.

pro tip

You can cook on a lower temp (let’s say 350º F) with other side dishes if needed. Just keep in mind that the time to cook will go up. Just look for the dish to be bubbling and for the cheese on top to be melty and starting to turn golden brown.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400º F.

Add a large oven proof skillet or cast iron to medium heat on the stovetop. Add the butter to melt.

Once the butter is melted, add the brussel sprouts and sauté the brussel sprouts for about 5 minutes. It will seem like a lot at first but they will reduce as they cook.

Collage showing the steps of making brussel sprouts au gratin with melted butter, and shredded brussel sprouts.

Collage showing the steps of making brussel sprouts au gratin with sautéd brussel sprouts, flour, and seasonings.

Add the minced garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add the flour and mix everything to coat.

Add the nutmeg, paprika, salt, onion powder, and heavy cream, toss. Turn off the heat. Add 1 ½ cups of the cheese and mix everything together. Top the brussel sprouts with the remaining cheese.

Collage showing the steps of making brussel sprouts au gratin with floured brussel sprouts and cheese getting added in.

Collage showing the steps of making brussel sprouts au gratin with cream getting added to the brussel sprouts, extra cheese being placed on top, and the finished dish after cooking.

Transfer to the oven and cook until bubbly about 16 to 19 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Skillet with a wooden spoon scooping up cheesy brussel sprouts au gratin.

tips, tricks and questions

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can prep the dish ahead of time yes.

Up to one day in advance you can prep the dish up to the step where you put it in the oven to bake. So sauté the brussel sprouts, add the flour, spices, cream, and cheese. Remove from the heat and ensure it is in whatever dish you will be baking it in. Add the remaining cheese and let cool before covering and transferring to the fridge. You can refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to heat up take the dish out and let it rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. Transfer to the oven and cook. It might take 5 to 10 minutes longer than written since the dish is being heated from cold. Just keep an eye on the dish to make sure it is bubbling and starting to slightly brown on top when ready.

Can I reheat this?

I found the best way to reheat is on the oven. he microwave did not do great.

To reheat transfer the baking dish to the oven at 350º F for about 15 minutes.

Make this your own:

Love breadcrumb topping, add some breadcrumbs. If you are crazy about bacon some cooked bacon would do really well in the dish!

If you like this Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin Recipe you might also like these other side dishes:

what to serve with this

Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

Overhead view of a full thanksgiving table with the roasted turkey in the center with crispy golden brown skin from dry brining on a large platter.

Dry Brined Turkey

glaze being poured over a spiral ham with pineapple slice

Crockpot Ham with Pineapple and Cherries

Roast Chicken with Vegetables

Yield: 8 servings