This easy side dish is full of holiday flavor and color! Even dyed-in-the-wool Brussels sprouts haters like these!
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Oven-roasted bacon Brussels sprouts are delicious, nutritious, and ready in just 30 minutes!
- This quick and easy side dish is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner but tasty enough for your upcoming Christmas dinner.
- The size of your Brussels sprouts affects the cooking time, so keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
Lightly coated in sweet maple syrup and roasted next to strips of salty bacon—can you think of a more delicious way to serve veggies?
Even if they aren’t usually your favorite side dish, I promise your whole family will beg for this Brussels sprouts and bacon recipe!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Swap out regular bacon for thick-cut turkey bacon if you want a low-fat option. It's not as indulgent, though!
- Roast minced garlic cloves and sliced red onions alongside the Brussels sprouts and bacon for more savory flavor.
- Serve with a drizzle of balsamic glaze for more tang! To make a balsamic reduction, simmer balsamic vinegar on the stovetop over medium heat with sugar or honey until it thickens.
- Sprinkle a handful of pine nuts, chopped pecans, or crumbled walnuts on top for a little extra crunch.
- Add some feta cheese during the last few minutes of roasting.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Pour the maple syrup mixture over the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl and toss to coat.
- Spread out the Brussels sprouts in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil.
- Sprinkle the pieces of bacon on top of the Brussels sprouts and roast.
🥫 How to store leftovers
Allow leftover bacon Brussels sprouts to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to three days.
Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts do not freeze well.
Make your sprouts and bacon crispy again in the oven or air fryer. Bake at 350 degrees F for about five or so minutes until heated through.
You can also microwave them for about a minute, which is great in a pinch. However, microwaved Brussels sprouts do get a little soggy.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: To prepare your Brussels sprouts for roasting, peel off the outer leaves (and any that are yellow), trim off the tough base, and slice each sprout in half lengthwise.
- The size of your Brussels sprouts affects the overall cooking time—larger sprouts need to roast a little longer than small ones.
- Arrange your Brussels sprouts in a single, even layer with the flat sides down to ensure perfectly crispy sprouts. You need to use a large baking sheet so your sprouts have enough space to get crisp.
- Use thick-cut bacon because thin slices cook faster. You want crispy bacon, not burnt bacon!
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil crimped around the edges of the pan rather than a sheet of parchment paper. Aluminum foil creates a sealed layer between the pan and the bacon grease so it doesn’t burn.
👩🍳 FAQs
No, I don’t recommend it. Fresh Brussels sprouts are best for this Brussels sprouts and bacon recipe. Frozen sprouts need to be roasted at a very high temperature and only for about 15 minutes.
If you follow the recipe and set your oven to 400 F, you should get perfectly crispy Brussels sprouts every time! If yours are soggy, you may have overcrowded the pan or used too much olive oil.
Absolutely! Follow the recipe and preheat your air fryer to 400 F. You may need to cook your bacon Brussels sprouts in batches, depending on the size of the fryer basket. Overlapping sprouts won't get crispy.
You bet they are! Bacon Brussels sprouts are a great Thanksgiving and Christmas side dish for low-carb and keto diets. You'll want to leave the maple syrup off, however. They’re also dairy-free and gluten-free, too!
📚 Related recipes
- Easy Crockpot Collard Greens with Bacon is a classic Southern side dish of buttery, tender greens. Bacon makes veggies taste rich!
- Old-fashioned Green Beans and Potatoes is an easy recipe straight from Grandma’s kitchen—make ‘em in a Dutch oven or a slow cooker.
- Creamy Whipped Sweet Potatoes are flavored with cinnamon brown sugar and chipotle in adobo seasoning for a Southwestern kick!
🍽️ Serve with...
Serve bacon Brussels sprouts with a main course of Fried Pork Chops and Gravy. Enjoy tender, golden-brown pork chops in less than 30 minutes!
Then, serve up a tasty slice of Easy Buttermilk Cornbread on the side, made in the classic Southern style with real buttermilk and no sugar. You just can't beat it with melted butter and honey dripping down the sides!
Finally, for dessert, treat your family to a hearty serving of Buttermilk Pecan Pie! It has the creamy, tangy mouthfeel of old-fashioned buttermilk pie with the nutty crunch of classic pecan pie.
Don't forget to complete your pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream.
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A heavy-duty baking sheet is a must!
📞 The last word
These are so pretty on the Thanksgiving table!
Don't keep them just for Thanksgiving, though. They're so easy they're great for everyday meals, too.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Cranberries
Print Pin Recipe SaveIngredients
- 1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts , trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
- 6 strips thick-cut bacon, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, optional
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Cut bacon in a large dice. Set aside.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
- Mix the brussels sprouts into the olive oil mixture until well coated.
- Spread the brussels sprouts, cut side down, over the baking sheet.
- Sprinkle with the bacon.
- Bake 20 - 30 minutes or until brussels sprouts are charred on the outside and tender. The bacon should be crisp.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Sprinkle with dried cranberries.
Notes
-
- To prepare your Brussels sprouts for roasting, peel off the outer leaves (and any that are yellow), trim off the tough base, and slice each sprout in half lengthwise.
- The size of your Brussels sprouts affects the overall cooking time—larger sprouts need to roast a little longer than small ones.
-
- Arrange your Brussels sprouts in a single, even layer with the flat sides down to ensure perfectly crispy sprouts. You need to use a large baking sheet so your sprouts have enough space to get crisp.
-
- Use thick-cut bacon because thin slices cook faster. You want crispy bacon, not burnt bacon!
-
- Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil crimped around the edges of the pan rather than a sheet of parchment paper. Aluminum foil creates a sealed layer between the pan and the bacon grease so it doesn’t burn.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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