Brussel Sprouts in a Crockpot

Crockpot brussel sprouts with bacon or without is the best side dish ever. Tender and delicious green vegetable that is mouth watering with a ton of flavor. This is the best way of cooking frozen brussel sprouts or fresh.

This is a great way to cook vegetables in a slow cooker during the holidays and NOT take up space in your oven. Just throw them in with some bacon, parmesan, olive oil and seasonings of your choice. An easy Crockpot recipe you’ll make over and over again.

There are so many ways to cook brussel sprouts I tell you, and we’ve done them all. The biggest key to YUM when it comes to this green vegetable is to just get them nice and tender right?? Okay, and bacon is a must too but we’ll get to all of that later. 😉

Yes you can bake in the oven and frozen brussel sprouts in air fryer even come out great. BUT if you love cooking low and slow this will be a hit in your house too.

Back in the day I used this pot to make like everything. Most of what I thought of was the main dish like making a frozen roast in slow cooker for dinner BUT then I thought of easy side dishes. I mean I had a few different sizes so I literally could make a complete meal without ever turning on my oven, and I did.

I’ll say these are an acquired taste, and many don’t start to like them until they’re adults. 40 was when I started making them all different ways and really loving the taste. It takes a bit of finessing really, with all the different flavors that make them go from oh good, to OH MY!

Ingredient Notes

Fresh brussels with stems removed and halved is ideal

If you dice up some smoked bacon and toss them with a bit of olive oil and red wine or balsamic vinegar it makes them delicious. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and there you go.

Red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar will give them more flavor and create steam in order to make them tender in the pot with the butter which will melt and keep them moist as well while cooking low and slow.

If you wanted to add some minced garlic into the mix too that would be good, I was out….I know, tragic. Walnuts and/or dried cranberries are other ideas to add into the mix too. This mixture works in the oven too like our roasted brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar we make.

You don’t even really need to spray the inside with non stick spray because it doesn’t really stick to the sides, but you can.

Made with Frozen Brussel Sprouts

It is possible to do this but in all honesty I don’t think it is the best way of how to cook frozen brussel sprouts just because the end result is a softer texture. If you don’t mind that then go for it. You are best off with a bag already cut in half like you see below so they steam at an even rate so the outside isn’t as soft but yes is possible the same way as explained below.

What is the best way to clean brussel sprouts?

You’ll want to rinse them off under the sink first. Then have a cutting board ready so you can cut off the hard stem on one end. Before that, remove the outer leaves, there will be about 3. Those really are the only areas that could have potentially become dirty. Then cook whole or slice in half for a quicker cook time.

Do you cut the ends off brussel sprouts before cooking?

Yes, you don’t want that hard stem, and the outer leaves are usually the dirtiest part so go ahead and toss those too. Use a sharp knife and it will only take you a few minutes to prep these mini cabbages.

Tips for Success

When slow cooking I always recommend using the low function. Some may say 3 hours or on high for 1 but really that defeats the purpose of this machine. Speeding it up doesn’t do anything justice. Sprouts cooked low ands slow with a balsamic glaze or just with some oil and seasonings get perfectly fork tender and just the best.

At the end if you want a stronger flavor you can whip up a balsamic reduction and drizzle that on top. There will already be a great flavor to them but some people really like a thick, sweet sauce on top.

If you want them crispy like our baked brussels sprouts at 450 you would want to pour on to a sheet pan and broil for a few minutes until golden brown on the tops. If you want a duo, and one that is cold to choose from, make a bowl full of our shredded brussel sprout salad to serve together.

Best way to save leftovers

Worried this will make too much for your family? They save quite well so no worries my friend. Let me tell you what I do if it’s an overkill. Enjoy what you like and then turn off your pot so they can totally cool off. Once room temp. then you should use a plastic container, or a small freezer bag. I like the latter better quite frankly.

It is to spoon into that bag and then zip 90% closed. Then purse that little opening open and use your mouth to suck all that air out of there. If you have one of those fancy air seal bagging systems then by all means use that, we don’t.

How to Reheat Leftovers

Make sure you spoon in as much sauce you have left in your Crock to keep them babies nice and moist when you save leftovers too. Then you can enjoy them again the next day. The best way to reheat brussel sprouts is to use your air fryer y’all. I kid you not, this is a game changer.

Preheat that machine for 400 for 5 minutes. Then pour into the basket for about 4 minutes shaking the basket at minute 2. If you want them crispier add a few more minutes. Remove and enjoy. It will crisp up the outsides so they won’t be soggy or too soft anymore.

If you love this idea you could do this in small batches after this initial recipe is done. It adds a bit of texture to the dish but the insides are still nice and fork tender. Either way it’s delish.