You’ll love the flavor and simplicity of steamed Brussels Sprouts with Horseradish Cream Sauce! Steamed sprouts with a tangy sauce on the side and ready in 20-minutes! This healthy side dish pairs beautifully with prime rib, beef tenderloin or turkey!

Steamed brussels sprouts garnished with bacon bits and horseradish cream sauce.

Brussels sprouts are one of those cruciferous vegetables you either hate or love, but I think you’ll LOVE them with this lemon infused Horseradish Cream Sauce!

I used to call these “little cabbages” because that’s what they look and taste like! This recipe takes 20-minutes to make and is a beautiful side dish for just about anything!

You’ll love this recipe!

This healthy and easy Brussels Sprouts recipe comes together in no time! And no, these are not like your Grandma’s overcooked brussel sprouts!

Quick and easy – ready in 20-minutes!
Great flavor combination – the horseradish gives the sprouts a little sass!
Healthy – they’re loaded with Vitamins C & A; low-fat, low-cholesterol and high in fiber! All good stuff!
Pairs well with with just about any protein or seafood – serve these with steak, chicken or salmon!

These tender sprouts can be steamed whole or sliced; I prefer to steam them whole because they seem to fall apart when sliced first. If you want to serve them sliced, cut them in half after you steam them.

Here’s what you need

For best results, I recommend using a steaming basket that fits in a medium to large saucepan and you’ll need a saucepan lid. One pound of Brussels Sprouts, baking soda, butter, all-purpose flour, milk, buttermilk, prepared horseradish, lemon juice and salt.
Prepared horseradish is usually in the cold seafood section. Do not substitute with a “horseradish cream sauce” that’s on the condiment aisle in the grocery store – it’s not the same as “prepared horseradish”

How to steam tender Brussels Sprouts

Clean and remove any tough outer leaves from the brussel sprouts

In a medium to large saucepan, add about 3″-4″ inches of water and baking soda (the baking soda is added to the water to help keep the vegetables bright green)

Bring the water to a boil; place the steamer basket in the saucepan then add the prepped brussel sprouts; leave the lid OFF for the first 5- minutes then reduce heat to low and place a cover on the saucepan. Leaving the lid off at first releases the natural gases and acids in the sprouts, which results in a brighter green, flavorful vegetable.

Steam the brussel sprouts for 20-minutes or so – just until they’re barely fork tender. Turn the stove heat off, leave the brussels sprouts in the steamer covered until ready to serve. (Don’t let them sit for more than 10-minutes)

How to make the Horseradish Cream Sauce

While the brussels sprouts are steaming, make this easy Horseradish sauce:

In a medium size saucepan on medium-low heat, melt butter, whisk in flour, add milk and buttermilk. Combine well, remove from heat; add horseradish and lemon; stir till combined; salt and pepper to taste

You can drizzle the sauce over the steamed Brussels Sprouts, or serve it on the side. I like to garnish my steamed brussels sprouts with bits of cooked bacon.

If you want a thicker sauce, sprinkle in more flour; if you want it thinner, add more milk (note: you’ll have to slightly adjust the amounts of salt, horseradish and lemon if you do either of these)

Yield for groups

A pound of Brussels sprouts is about 20-25 sprouts, depending upon how big they are…I allow about 4 sprouts per person. If you choose really small sprouts, allow 5-6 per person. The sauce recipe makes one cup.

If you’re drizzling the sprouts with the sauce, one cup should be enough. However, if you’re serving the cream sauce on the side, double the recipe because people always want more sauce.

Tips

When steaming brussels sprouts, you want to steam them just until they’re tender and still bright green; if you cook them too long, they turn an ugly gray-green color and get mushy

Let the milk and buttermilk sit out a little while before you add them (you don’t want to add super cold dairy)

Use a whisk to get any lumps out of the butter/flour mixture (the roux)

When are Brussels sprouts in season?

Brussels sprouts are “in season” from around October to March. These “little cabbages” are usually available in the grocery stores year-round, but they’ll be cheaper during these months.

If you can’t find any good fresh ones, check out the frozen section of your grocer. No matter if they’re fresh or frozen, a quick steam will produce tender brussels sprouts with the best flavor!

How to select the best Brussels sprouts

Choose the darkest, smallest sprouts you can find. Make sure there’s no brown spots…if there’s a brown spot on the outer leaves, you can just pull that off, but for the most part, you want the darkest green, small ones

Make ahead and storage

Store the Horseradish Cream Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, either put it in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.

Sauce thickens upon refrigeration, so you may have to add a little water.

Horseradish Cream Sauce being spoon drizzled over brussels sprouts

Brussels Sprouts with Horseradish Cream Sauce

Tender Brussels Sprouts drizzled with a lemon infused Horseradish Cream Sauce.

5 from 17 votes

Print Rate

Course: Sauce, Side Dish

Cuisine: International

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 22

Yield: cups

Author: Anecia Hero

Ingredients

1 pound Brussels Sprouts
4 tablespoons butter , salted or unsalted
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 tablespoons flour , all-purpose
⅔ cup buttermilk ,2% or whole
½ cup milk , 2% or whole
1 tablespoon horseradish , prepared from a jar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
bacon bits or Parmesan cheese , as garnish (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Rinse and drain Brussels Sprouts; remove any brown or ugly leaves from them
1 pound Brussels Sprouts
In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, add 2"inches water; add baking soda; place steamer basket in pan; add Brussels Sprouts; cook for 3-minutes uncovered, then place lid on pan
2 teaspoons baking soda
While they're steaming, make the sauce
In a medium saucepan on medium-low heat, melt butter
4 tablespoons butter
Whisk in flour
4 tablespoons flour
Add milk and buttermilk; cook till warm; remove from heat
½ cup milk, ⅔ cup buttermilk
Add horseradish and lemon off heat; stir well
1 tablespoon horseradish, 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Plate Brussels Sprouts and drizzle sauce over them or serve it on the side; garnish with bits of cooked bacon or fresh Parmesan cheese
bacon bits or Parmesan cheese

Notes

Yield:

A pound of Brussels Sprouts is about 4 cups…or 4 sprouts per person. You’ll find a bag of sprouts with about 20 in it, so a bag would feed 5 people.

For simplicity sake, allow four sprouts per person.

This recipe makes about one cup of sauce.

If you’re drizzling the sauce, one cup should do it. If you’re serving it on the side, double the sauce recipe.

Baking Soda:

The baking soda helps keep the Brussels Sprouts green; cook the sprouts for 3-minutes with the lid off, then put the lid on

Sauce:

For a thicker sauce, sprinkle in more flour; for a thinner sauce, add more milk

Note: if you change the texture of the sauce ingredients, you’ll need to adjust the amounts of horseradish, lemon and salt to taste

Don’t have buttermilk?

No Problem! Pour 2/3 cup milk into a measuring cup; add the juice of a half a lemon; stir and let it sit for a few minutes to thicken

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 1cupCalories: 222kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 7gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 747mgPotassium: 545mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1320IUVitamin C: 99mgCalcium: 131mgIron: 2mg

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