Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Cranberries is the absolute delicious fall or winter side dish!
Brussel sprouts, you either love ’em or hate ’em. In this house, we love them. Sprouts are so underrated. They get a bad rap and are a little stinky when you are cooking them, but I am going to make a bold claim and say that there is no veggie more delicious than a crispy roasted brussel sprout. Agreed? I hope so.
Simply roasted in olive oil and tossed with sea salt is one of my favorite preparation methods, but this recipe takes it a step further and adds maple syrup and balsamic vinegar before roasting. This adds some sweetness, since sprouts can be somewhat bitter, and the sugar in the vinegar allows them to get caramelized and crispy in the oven. After roasting, I toss in some dried cranberries and crispy bacon. These flavors all play so well together and I love the salty bite of the bacon with the cranberries. Cranberries+Bacon+Brussel Sprouts=A match made in Heaven.
I first made this recipe a few years ago for Thanksgiving and it has become my favorite way to prepare them. It is fast and easy enough for a weeknight, but they are dressed up enough that they are great for a special occasion or holiday. I made them this year both for my Easter dinner at my in-laws and for my own Easter dinner at our house. They are best made right before serving, but still taste great reheated the next day as leftovers.
Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Cranberries (whew, that’s a mouthful!) is a delicious recipe for any sprout lover and so good that you may get convert some non-believers as well!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. brussel sprouts, stalk cut off and then halved
- 2 tbsp. real maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 6 slices of turkey or pork bacon, diced into bite sized pieces
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries or craisins
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together the brussel sprouts, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
- Distribute evenly in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and stir. Return to oven.
- Meanwhile, cook bacon until crispy in a frying pan. (alternatively, you could use precooked bacon)
- 10-15 minutes after you returned the sprouts to the oven, check them and if they are brown and crispy around the edges, they are done.
- Remove from oven and add the cooked bacon and the cranberries. Stir to evenly distribute.
- Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
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I always though I absolutely hated brussels, but just this past Christmas my fiancé made a brussel dish that I actually loved!! And I adore anything balsamic, so have to try this!
I really think it is all in the preparation! And balsamic does make everything bettere!
Wow. Wow. Wowzers! These look totally amazing. You’re photography is phenomenal and your instructions are easy to follow. I just made (good) Brussel Sprouts for the first time a few weeks ago so I am really excited to learn more recipes because I LOVE Brussel Sprouts. I have most of these ingredients already so I will probably be making these in the next few days. Thanks so much 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words!!! I really appreciate it!! Please let me know if you make them!
Confession: I have never had brussel sprouts and have never wanted to try them until these pictures! These look and sound delicious!!
Thank you Crysta1! If you like cabbage, then you would probably like brussel sprouts!
I love roasted brussel sprouts – your recipe sounds so so good to me! I love putting balsamic on all kind of veggies that I roast, but I’ve never done so with brussel sprouts – definitely have to try this out! Oh, and maple is always a winner 😉
Thank you! I love the tartness of the balsamic with the sweetness of the maple! Perfect combination!
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I how many would you estimate this serves? I’m making it for 15 at a holiday dinner.
Hi Molly, I would definitely double the recipe if you are cooking for 15!
can i substitute honey for maple syrup? would that affect the recipe at all?
I think that would be fine! honey and balsamic go together really well!
Happy thanksgiving morning, Amanda,
Making this right now, and wondering if you had put the dried cranberries in with the Brussels to roast. ? They look a little roasted in the picture. Thanks,
Judy Edward
Sorry Judy I just saw this! I added them at the end, but you could roast them a little to bring out the flavor!
I ended up putting the cranberries in pan with the bacon, frying both up a little longer, then adding to the roasted BS’s… essentially, just heating them. My thought was they might burn easily because they’re sweet, so I didn’t want to chance it. Anyway, everyone loved them, my hostess wanted the recipe.
Thanks, Amanda, I will be following you.
Whats your best recommendations for reheating? Let say make these early before steaks are finished and i want to warm them up again. Do you suggest oven or microwave?
I would suggest the oven to keep some of the crispiness from roasting! Although, I have served these at room temperature before and they were still good!
Thanks for the great recipe (:
So glad you liked it!