Maple roasted brussels sprouts are cooked with smoky thick-cut bacon for a one-pan side dish brimming with bold flavor. Everything caramelizes beautifully to elevate a simple recipe, making this a great choice for everyday dinner or holidays like Thanksgiving.
After preparing then devouring green beans with bacon and onion, it was only a matter of time before I snuck thick-cut bacon into other vegetable recipes. Not that "sneaking" is a very fitting verb choice here as the bacon, from its smoked flavor to larger pieces, makes itself known in a delicious way, but you know what I mean.
A must when it comes to brussels sprouts for me is that they'll be very roast-y. Deep dark brown with the outer leaves crisp. Boiling them? No thanks. These maple bacon brussels sprouts accomplishes that goal and then some, roasting in a cast iron pan for an amazing caramelized texture and flavor.
Beyond brussels sprouts and bacon, you'll need maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper for this recipe - kitchen staples. They each add a delicious element to this slightly-sweet-but-decidedly-savory side dish that makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Simple Ingredients
- Brussels Sprouts: One pound is used for these maple bacon brussels sprouts. Try and find sprouts that are similarly-sized so they roast evenly.
- Bacon: Thick-cut bacon (as thick as you can find it) is strongly recommended over standard-width slices for its heartiness. It also syncs up nicely with how long the brussels sprouts take to roast.
- Maple Syrup: Maple plays off of the smoky savory flavors to really elevate roasted brussels sprouts and bacon. Choose pure maple syrup and not a maple-flavored pancake syrup.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: For a nice complementary, but subtle, tang.
- Garlic: Bumps up the flavor! It's ideal to mince fresh garlic cloves versus using the jarred stuff for the best flavor.
- Salt & Pepper: To keep things basic, though you can add whichever dried herbs and seasonings you'd like.
Easy Recipe Steps
- Par-cook the bacon. Cook the chopped bacon for 4 minutes just so the bacon starts releasing some fat. Don't cook it fully! We just want the fat to start releasing for the brussels sprouts to roast in. Forget just being efficient, the smoky bacon flavor that permeates the brussels is something special.
- Add everything else to the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the halved, brussels sprouts, garlic, salt, pepper, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar. Stir well.
- Roast. Roast at 400°F for 30 minutes, removing the pan to stir everything up every 10 minutes, until toasty and caramelized to your liking.
Tips and Tricks
- Cast iron reduces dirty dishes. Ideally choose a large cast iron skillet for these maple roasted brussels sprouts as it can go from the stovetop to the oven. If you don't have one, you can use a regular skillet and transfer the mixture to a large enough baking dish where the ingredients can fit in mostly a single layer for optimal roasting. The baking dish will not be pre-heated, so adjust the timing as needed.
- Cast iron accessories. Two inexpensive (sub-$10) accessories help make cooking with cast iron a breeze.
- Handle mitts - I don't trust myself to remember not to grab the hot cast iron pan handle once I'm in the zone of throwing together a recipe, so covering the handle with a secure-fitting mitt while the pan is on the stovetop or immediately after it comes out of the oven protects your hands from burns.
- Cast iron pan scrapers - make clean up so much easier! All those burnt bits stuck to the bottom of the pan come up nicely after a short hot water soak without worrying that you'll scratch the pan.
Related Side Dish Recipes
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Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
- 16 ounces brussels sprouts cut in half
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely-minced
- Big pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse brussels sprouts and remove any yellowish or discolored outer leaves. Cut off and discard the bottom ends and slice each brussels sprout in half vertically. Set aside for now.
- Chop bacon and add to a large cast iron pan (ideally 12-inches) heated over low-medium heat on the stovetop. Par-cook for 4 minutes so that some of the fat has liquefied in the pan, but the bacon is not yet fully cooked. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add brussels sprouts and minced garlic to the pan with the bacon and stir. Season with salt and pepper, then pour in the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Stir/toss so that the brussels sprouts are well coated.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Roast for 30 minutes, removing the pan to flip the brussels sprouts and stir everything up every 10 minutes. These maple bacon brussels sprouts are done when they're well browned and the edges are crisp.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition DisclaimerNote: The photos in this post were updated in June 2024 from the initial publish date in 2019. The ingredients are the same, but over the years I've simplified the prep to where the bacon isn't cooked ahead of time, rather everything is synced up to roast together. Easier that way!
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Samantha says
This recipe couldn't have been any better. I never imagined my whole family would be fighting over Brussels sprouts! Delicious.
Alyssa says
So glad you liked them! 🙂
Nellie Tracy says
This is probably the best way ever to eat brussel sprouts!
Alyssa says
Thank you! I tend to agree. 🙂