Broiled Grapefruit With Brown Sugar and Flaky Salt

Name: Broiled Grapefruit With Brown Sugar and Flaky Salt
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 grapefruits, preferably pink or ruby; 4 tablespoons light brown sugar; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; Honey, for drizzling; Ground cinnamon (optional); Flaky sea salt, for serving

By Melissa Clark

Updated Jan. 19, 2024

Broiled Grapefruit With Brown Sugar and Flaky Salt — Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.

Total Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 4(571)
Comments: Read comments

A classic at a fancy breakfast or brunch, the best broiled grapefruits have a glossy caramelized topping covering sections of the warm, juicy citrus. This recipe also includes a little cinnamon for a heady fragrance, and a touch of sea salt, which softens the bitterness of the grapefruit peel. It’s best served warm from the oven, when the brown sugar is still melted and syrupy. Ruby or pink grapefruits make for the prettiest presentation, but white ones work just as well, and have a livelier, more acidic flavor.

Featured in: Four Breakfasts as Festive as the Season

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

2grapefruits, preferably pink or ruby
4tablespoons light brown sugar
2tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Honey, for drizzling
Ground cinnamon (optional)
Flaky sea salt, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Move the rack 4 inches away from the broiler, and turn it on.
Step 2
Halve the grapefruits through their equators. Using a paring knife or a grapefruit knife, cut the sections away from the membranes and pith so they are easy to spoon up. Place grapefruit halves, cut-side up, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each grapefruit half with 1 tablespoon brown sugar, then drizzle with melted butter and a little honey. Sprinkle cinnamon over the tops if you like.
Step 3
Broil grapefruit until the sugar melts and caramelizes, 2 to 5 minutes. (Broilers vary a lot so watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn.) Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5

571 user ratings

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Comments

elleb5 years ago

We dispense with the broiling step. Put a grapefruit in each bowl. Add sugar, etc., then add a bit of 150 proof rum and light it on fire!! Voila!! Toasty flaming grapefruit. For extra cheer, add a pretty maraschino cherry in the middle!! Squeeze the extra grapefruit juice into the remaining rum. Talk about a pick me up!!

India5 years ago

I'd forgotten about broiled grapefruit! It was a weekend, winter treat my late mother used to make. And SO delicious! I need to add grapefruit to my shopping list and make some. Thanks for the reminder!

f. shanlyn4 years ago

Wow , I grew up with this dessert in the 50's! Pretty much as described. Another twist, would be to save the scooped out shells, throw in a few grapefruit sections, stuff with vanilla ice cream and freeze, Then for a spectacular dessert, whip up some egg whites into a meringue, cover the frozen shells, place under the broiler-watch carefully! Voila, Grapefruit Baked Alaska.

Indy Cook5 months ago

I just made this for my Mom who was visiting, since I picked up 4 cases of citrus this morning. She used to have broiled grapefruit as a young adult and it brought back many memories for her.

zeke1 year ago

Delightful! I was out of honey and my partner doesn’t eat dairy so I substituted date syrup and splashes of olive oil. It was a hit!

Melissa1 year ago

This was so delicious. I used just over half the called for brown sugar, which cut the bitterness but kept the tart without being overly sweet.

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