Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts with cilantro and peanuts are crispy, tender, spicy, sweet, and addictive – so basically, they’re amazing!
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Last May, Mr B and I had tickets to see Marc Cohn at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, so we decided to make a night of it. We started out with a light meal at Southpark Seafood (our current Portland happy hour spot!) before the concert.
With a relaxed-chic vibe, this northwest Portland eatery features sustainable seafood and farm-fresh ingredients, and while their happy hour drink menu is just average ($6 house wines and sangria, $5 local brews), Southpark Happy Hour Eats are outstanding in every way.
For our meal, Mr B ordered six Oysters on the Half Shell [$6/3] for himself (I don’t do raw oysters) while I opted for the Spicy Shrimp & Grits [$10]. We also shared a Caesar salad [$6] and an order of their signature Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cilantro & Peanuts [$7], and finished with a board of their amazing Maple Cream Puffs (with maple pastry cream, maple frosting, AND candied pecans) [$5].
The entire four-course meal for two was less than $40… in Portland!!! (Excluding beverages and tip, of course). AND, everything was delicious!
We especially enjoyed the Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts – they were literally the best Brussels sprouts I’ve ever eaten! Crispy, tender, spicy, sweet, and addictive are just a few of the adjectives to describe these amazing oven-roasted sprouts.
I immediately put it on my list of recipes to figure out and blog about (as in, I opened Evernote right there at the restaurant and typed myself a quick reminder). I’ve heard that Southpark will just give you the recipe if you ask, but I was interested in learning more about its mysterious new-to-me ingredient, Gochujang paste, so I decided to take it as a challenge.
What is Gochujang Paste?
Gochujang Paste, or Korean Red Chili Paste, I’ve since learned, is a savory, sweet, spicy fermented condiment made from chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soy bean powder, and salt. It gets its sweetness from the glutinous rice and has about the same consistency as a thick hoisin sauce or tomato paste, but is much stickier.
You can find Gochujang paste at almost any Asian market. If you’re at all worried that the Gochujang paste will make the sprouts too spicy, don’t be. The end result is a savory, sweet, almost mapley Brussels sprout with a subtle but respectable hint of heat.

Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 1/2 tablespoons Gochujang paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Chopped cilantro plus extra for garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts plus extra whole peanuts for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line a heavy sheet pan with a Silpat mat (or with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray) and set aside.
- With a paring knife, remove the base off of each Brussels sprout and cut down the middle from stem end to flower.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, honey and Gochujang paste. Add in Brussels sprouts and toss to coat.
- Spread prepared Brussels sprouts evenly on prepared sheet pan. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Roast Brussels sprouts in preheated oven 25-30 minutes (depending on how large your sprouts are), or until the sprouts are dark golden. (See note.)
- Remove from oven. Sprinkle peanuts and cilantro evenly over roasted sprouts and then transfer everything to serving dish. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro and peanuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
If you love these Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts, you’ll probably love our Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad, too – Check it out!
The sauce in this recipe (olive oil, vinegar, honey, and paste) has a multitude of uses beyond Brussels sprouts, from chicken marinade to kale chip dressing.
I’m not sure how close this is to the Southpark Seafood recipe, but it sure tastes spot-on. I hope you enjoy these Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cilantro & Peanuts as much as we do!
Additional recipe credit: While the inspiration for this post came from Southpark Seafood, the actual recipe shared here is an adaptation of this recipe by The Garlic Pad.
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