The smashing success of sprouts, the Brussels kind

If your Brussels sprouts aren’t smashing sales, the cruciferous vegetable that looks like a miniature cabbage may still be evoking whiffs of dirty wet socks.

And many of us know these sprouts have so much more potential.

The last few years, creative restaurant chefs have changed the humble, misunderstood sprout’s reputation, as consumers realize they can sauté or roast their sprouts, add bacon, maple syrup or cheese (or all three?) to up the umami factor.

But now, there’s TikTok, the 2021 source for cooking hacks and viral recipe videos: Use it for your promotional ideas, in-store and online.

TikTok isn’t just a toy for dancing teens. Retailers and marketers can tap into produce trends via this social media platform of short videos, or reels.

Case in point is the smashed Brussels sprouts trend.

MeatLikeMike, who has 1.4 million followers, may post mostly meat-cooking videos as his TikTok name suggests, but he occasionally hails the goodness potential of Brussels sprouts. His Crispy Smashed Roasted Brussel [cq] Sprouts recipe earned 1.1 million likes, 348,100 shares and more than 7,100 comments.

Followed by 5.7 million people, LowCarbStateOfMind, run by Jackie Hartlaub, has posted about smashed Brussels sprouts at least twice, first in December 2020 and then in March 2021. Her latest post features Garlic Parmesan Smashed Brussels Sprouts.

AboutThisMuch is an anti-inflammatory, whole food cook who shows how to make his version, using garlic powder and paprika, plus a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (it really does taste like Parmesan) at the end, with a dip in dairy-free yogurt with lemon juice. He has 103,200 followers, which is still a lot of eyeballs, if you think about it.

BalleHurns’ “sweet n spicy sprouts wif creamy lime sos” looks genius, and 601,500 others agreed, spelling liberties included. This vegan home cook has 2 million followers.

Shoppers need to be aware how decadently cool your Brussels sprouts can be.