Be glad you’re not in the UK right now, because we know you’d be beating down the doors of your local Burger King just to get your hands on the limited-time-only “Sprout Surprise Whopper,” featuring that most beloved of burger add-ons, Brussels sprouts.
Brussels sprouts are apparently associated with the holidays in the UK (maybe they are here too, though I’ve never come across it), so the King has created a Whopper topped with sprouts and emmental cheese.
Said someone in charge of culinary development at BK UK with a completely straight face:
We believe that taste is king, and as such, we wanted to create a recipe that would challenge existing sprout perceptions, and genuinely make sprouts a flavour to be reckoned with.
Judging by this statement on the BK UK Facebook page, it appears that even in Ol’ Blighty the response to the Sprout Whopper wasn’t exactly oohs and ahhhs: “[S]orry to hear some of you weren’t too keen on the idea of the Sprout Surprise Whopper yesterday, but we’re confident that The King can make even Brussels Sprouts taste good!”
Burger King creates festive brussel sprout burger [Marketing Magazine]
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This sounds nasty (but all BK does to me) – but I love Brussels sprouts. They’ve just received a bad rap…
You’re right. When cooked correctly Brussels Sprouts are good.
Cooked properly meaning tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted at about 375 until the outer leaves get browned and crispy.
(for me add garlic and parmesan cheese to the above) Nom nom nom
For me, replace salt and pepper with Tony Chachere’s and I agree.
let’s deep fry those bad boys and call it a day.
My mom recently chopped them up with onions and garlic and quickly sautéed them. They were a bit crisp and excellent. My vegetable-hating nieces even liked it.
Yeah, I love them, too. Brussels sprouts on a burger might be really good, but definitely not one from Burger King.
Avacado whopper yes, brussel sprout whopper no.
Brussels Sprouts are a Christmas tradition in Britain, as you said. I’d be interested to try it.
I would be all over that. Brussels sprouts are my favorite veggie.
I dont care for sprouts… but I would give one a go… Whats the worst that can happen? If its nasty I’ll just throw it away!
The aftertaste could be in your mouth all day!
I love Brussels sprouts too..I boil them till cooked, drain, then add a tablespoon of sour cream and coat them. Delicious.
Farts though…that’s another issue..
Oh my god, my mother roasted them for Thanksgiving this year. Cut in half, drizzled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper… I like them ok, but these were out of this world. If you’re a sprouts fan, you must try it.
The other thing I saw on a cooking show was pan-browning them in a similar manner.
Don’t forget to add the bacon. Everything is better with bacon.
I’ll try these thanks..
Roasting is the way to go. Whole garlic cloves, olive oil, a little salt — heaven.
In my family, Brussels sprouts are known as fart balls. My mother steamed them lightly first and then sauteed them with butter & onions, then seasoned them w/nutmeg. Mmmmm.
Oooh if it is deep fried, remove the meat patty and then you’ve got a really cool veggie burger. I’d try it.
I’ve tried to suggest to fast fooderies to make sweet potato(yams) fries, or mashed sweet potatoes, if they want to offer veggies to us. They seem to be about the cheapest veggies out there, and can be adapted to the fast food menu.
White Castle usually has Sweet Potato fries around this time of year. I don’t have one close to me any more, though, so can’t verify if they are still doing that or not.. a quick google search says they are, though.
A local chain (Arctic Circle, Utah) offers sweet potato fries year – round. My wife would kill me if I went there and didn’t get them. And Fry Sauce.
Burgerville (SW Washington and Oregon) has sweet potato fries…
Longhorn & Applebees have them.
Could have sworn I saw some at one of the fast food chains… perhaps was a trial cause I can’t figure out which one…
Is that extra patty the sprout-and-cheese bit? If so, I’ll take one minus the beef — I love Brussles sprouts!
Brussels sprouts are good (roasted, with a little olive oil and some salt), but they have no place in a BK. They shouldn’t be allowed within 500ft of a Whopper. You don’t go in to a BK looking to add to your vegetable allowance for the day.
I’m sorry, but I LOVE brussel sprouts (when cooked properly) and I really want to try this…
Is the first time Consumerist has turned into a recipe exchange?!
I think you a word.
Properly prepared, they go great with beef, so honestly, that doesn’t sound all that bad to me. I’m not sure I’d count on Burger King to really do them justice, but it has the potential to be good, if not the likelihood. If they halved them and did them on their flame grill, they might be quite good.
The deliciousness of vegetables is directly proportional to the sum of the amount of a) butter, b) cheese, c) batter applied.
Brussels sprouts are really dependent on preparation. You boil them or steam them they’re gonna taste bland at best. You’ve got to grill them or bake them for a half an hour or more at high temperatures to have them be really good. The photo naturally doesn’t show any evidence of that, but it’s Burger king…they’re not going to do that regardless.
Whoppers – the only burger you can taste for days……….Way too much “char” flavor!
I’ll take the Brussels sprouts, but you can keep the Whopper.
I would eat one of those.
Wow. The only way to make it better would be to make it with a liver patty.
/sarc
yuck
Burger King continues to step in it. Two BKs near my home right across the street from two McDonald’s. The McDonald’s always have a line at the drive-thru and packed parking lots, the Burger Kings are usually dead with no wait.
When will they fiqure out how to run a restaurant?
I hate fast food, but I love brussel sprouts (a LOT) and emmental cheese. I would try that in a heartbeat.
If it were vegan, I would eat it. The only time my family makes me Brussels sprouts is Christmas, even though they are my 2nd favorite veggie (1st is asparagus).
No surprise at the suspected nationality of those against adding more vegetables to a fast food menu…
Brussels Sprouts = good. Brussels Sprouts by Burger King, not so much.
Steam them for four minutes (NO MORE!), then sautee them in olive oil with garlic. NOM NOM NOM.
That actually looks quite delicious. Anyone want to give a total stranger round trip plane tickets to England for Christmas?
I think you will be lucky if someone mails you a “Whopper Sprout”. What DO you call these things?
I would love to at least try it here in the US.
I think Brussels sprouts are also underrated.
And they are seriously and I mean seriously good
for you, like broccoli and cauliflower and yams and
hominy and celery and ….. I’m sorry I just got carried
away. Meat (any kind lean) in moderation and veggies
in moderation and fruits in moderation and exercise in
moderation will keep you able to eat just about anything
you want and be healthy too.
Good advice gramps, really good advice now if I (as a young
person) would just take it.
Brussels sprouts are great.
Weird, because I hate cabbage.
The only healthy item on their menu that won’t clog your arteries.
I love brussels spouts. I literally eat them 2-5 times a week. The only vegetable that is better than them is asparagus. I would love to give this a try.
I’d try it. I love brussels sprouts.
Brussel Sprouts are still in season and one of the only fresh veggies still available in many colder climates. My father-in-law generally picks them from the garden on Thanksgiving morning in Maine and we have them with dinner. Sometimes they make it to Christmas but usually not. The UK is a bit warmer than Maine.
Should have gone with the cucumber whopper.
There is an independent Burger Palace (not it’s real name) in North Carolina that fries many varieties of veggies, including carrots, sweet potatoes, jalapenos and apples (okay, that’s a fruit). They are all quite good, but the okra is tops. We have teased the owner many times about “if it fits in your fryer you will sell it”. He says “If you will buy it, I will fry it.” So we brought him a frozen squirrel….
He might try sprouts if he got a money back guarantee from the supplier. I would try them a least.
i want one.