Deep-fried Brussels Sprouts with Chipotle-Bacon Mayo

A couple of years ago, I tried deep-fried Brussels sprouts out at a restaurant. It was magic. Crispy, greasy magical magic. I wanted to try making this at home, and it turned out to be super easy and just as delicious.

Start with DRY, room-temp Brussles sprouts. Why? Oil and water don’t mix. Even a small amount of moisture will create explosive, slightly scary little pops and plonks when you deep fry. Why room temp? You want your oil to stay hot, and cold Brussels will mess with that.

Once you have these two things down, you’ll still want to drop the halved Brussels in ONE AT A TIME, wait about 30 seconds, then drop in another. Proceed with caution!

After you’ve deep-fried, you’ll be left with these gorgeously crispy Brussels sprouts.

Brussels love a fatty+smokey component, and this Chipotle-Bacon mayo is the perfect sauce to drag them through. I used Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage here, but you could use chopped Sweet Earth Benevolent Bacon, tempeh bacon, or mushroom bacon.

More Brussels+Bacon inspo here!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shiitake Bacon

Vegan Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Paprika Cream Sauce

Shiitake Bacon

Vegan Bacon Egg + Cheeze Biscuit

Crispy Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts

Loaded Baked Potato Hash Brown Waffles

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Deep-fried Brussels Sprouts with Chipotle-Bacon Mayo

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

• Author: erin wysocarski
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 2-4 servings

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Ingredients

for the chipotle-bacon mayo

• 1 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage, finely chopped and crisped in a hot pan (see Notes for other options)
• 2–4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1–4 TB chipotles in adobo, chopped
• 1/2 cup vegan mayo
• 1/4 cup chipotle fabanaise (I used Sir Kensington’s) 

for the Brussels sprouts

• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved, completely dry and at room temp
• canola or grapeseed oil, for frying

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Instructions

to make the chipotle-bacon mayo

1. Combine all sauce ingredients. Adjust to taste. 

to fry the Brussels sprouts

1. Place several inches of oil into a heavy pan. I use a small cast-iron pot for this.
2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Insert a chopstick into the pot, touching the bottom of the pan. If bubbles form around it immediately, you are ready to fry.
3. Place ONE Brussels half, cut-side down, into the oil. If there is any moisture whatsoever in the sprout, the oil will pop and may sprurt a little out of the pan. This should subside after several seconds. Do not place another sprout into the pan until the first one has completely calmed down.
4. Check the other Brussels during the fry time. They can be removed and placed back onto the baking sheet to cool. (I placed a cookie cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.)
5. Serve with the chipotle-bacon mayo.

Notes

1. These sprouts can be recrisped in an air fryer for several minutes at 400.
2. Other vegan bacon options that can be used are prepared seitan-based, tempeh or mushrooms (see blog post for links).

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

THIS WEEK’S DISCOVERIES, FAVORITE FINDS + GRATITUDE:

A very kind (and patient!) friend showed me how to knit a couple of weeks ago. Since then, I’ve loved camping out of my couch, making a gazillion knit stitches, and relishing the calm+meditative process. I won’t be whipping out anything sophisticated anytime soon, but I’m loving the soothing repetition. This video by RJ Knits was super helpful as a refresher in the beginning. I’ll be watching more from him as I go along!

The Moth podcast

Simple, gorgeous, well-written storytelling that will give you all the feels. The final sentence or two read by the storyteller at the end of each hour always makes me tear up!