These Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Balsamic and Maple Syrup are about to be your new favorite vegetable side dish! The crispy brussels sprouts are coated with a sweet and savory maple balsamic glaze and topped with salty bacon pieces, bringing out sweet, savory, salty, and umami flavors in every bite. Perfect for any holiday table but easy enough for even a quick weeknight dinner! {gluten-free & paleo}
Table of Contents
Roasted Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
Sprouts are often a love-it-or-hate-it kind of veggie, but these roasted Brussel sprouts with bacon, balsamic and maple syrup always end up in the love-it category.
The sweetness and richness of the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and crispy bacon balances any earthiness you get from the sprouts, and they’re roasted until crispy and almost buttery inside. There’s nothing better alongside a slice of Thanksgiving turkey or roast chicken. It’s a must-make recipe!
Reader Review
“I tried this roasted maple bacon Brussel sprouts recipe the other day! Oh baby it’s a beauty. Absolutely delicious! Going to take this recipe with me at Christmas and introduce it to my boys. If only you were around 50 years ago to share this recipe with my Mom. I might have enjoyed Brussels sprouts so much more back then.” – Al
For more vegetable side dishes, be sure to try my Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes and French Green Beans with Bacon too!
Why We Love These Maple Bacon Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
- Ready in 25 minutes flat
- Super easy recipe for holidays, entertaining, or just because
- Loaded with flavor upon flavor upon flavor
- Made with simple ingredients
- Formulated by a Registered Dietitian to be nutritious, yet still flavor-packed
- Great source of fiber to stay full and support healthy digestion during an indulgent time of year
- Perfect for meal prepping!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh Brussels sprouts: Look for brussels sprouts with bright green heads that are firm and heavy for their size with tightly packed leaves. Remove the outer leaves, trim down the stems, and slice them in half before roasting.
- Olive oil: Helps the Brussels sprouts to get nice and crispy in the oven. I typically like to use extra virgin olive oil, but you could also use lite if preferred.
- Pure maple syrup: Adds a nice sweetness to the glaze, which complements the balsamic and bacon.
- Garlic: Use freshly grated garlic for best results.
- Dijon mustard: Adds a slight tanginess to the glaze. Use smooth to ensure that it gets evenly distributed in the glaze mixture.
- Balsamic vinegar: Good quality balsamic vinegar will generally have ‘Grape must, tradizionale’ listed first on the ingredients list. This means that it has been aged for at least 12 years, and the vinegar will be thicker and sweeter. If you prefer to go with a cheaper variety, it still works well but may have a slightly sharper flavor.
- Bacon: Adds a nice saltiness and light crunch to this recipe. I typically like to look for a reduced sodium bacon to lower the sodium content. After cooking the bacon, place on some paper towel to soak up some of the grease to cut back on some of the saturated fat.
How to Make Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Maple
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk together the ingredients for the maple balsamic glaze in a small bowl.
- Place the brussel sprouts in a large bowl and toss with half the maple balsamic mixture until they’re well coated.
- Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet (you may wish to use two pans; feel free to use parchment paper for easy clean-up) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender on the inside and golden and crispy on the outside.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized frying pan, cook bacon slices for 10-12 minutes over medium high heat until crispy.
- Transfer to a cutting board, dab with some paper towels to get rid of excess grease, and cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Transfer roasted brussel sprouts to a serving bowl or tray. Just before serving, drizzle remaining maple balsamic sauce over brussel sprouts and toss until every distributed. Add bacon and toss again. Serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to distribute the brussel sprouts in a single layer on the sheet pan to ensure that they cook up evenly and get nice and crispy. For best results, place them flat side down to help the edges get deeply golden and crispy when roasted.
- Although it may be tempting to skip this step, it’s very important that you reserve half the maple balsamic sauce to drizzle on the brussel sprouts after they’re baked. It really helps to amplify the flavor when you pour some of the sauce on just before serving.
- Although I typically recommend flipping roasted vegetables halfway through the cooking time, in this case, it’s not necessary. Brussel sprouts tend to get more crispy on the outside if you don’t flip them.
Scroll to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
How to Store
How to refrigerate: These maple bacon brussel sprouts can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. They generally taste best when fresh out of the oven since you get all of those nice crispy bits, but the flavor is still good after they’ve been sitting in the fridge for a few days.
How to Reheat
Oven method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the Brussels sprouts out in a single layer on a baking sheet and reheat them for 10 to 12 minutes.
Microwave method: For a quicker method, you can also reheat them for 1-2 minutes in the microwave, but they won’t be as crispy using this method.
Recipe FAQs
Although brussel sprouts can be cooked in a number of ways, my personal favorite way to cook them is by oven roasting them. It makes them tender on the inside and lightly crispy on the outside, while bringing out a nice caramelized flavor, especially when baked in the maple balsamic glaze.
It’s possible that the pan is overcrowded and too much steam is being produced so the brussel sprouts aren’t able to crisp up. For best results, spread the brussel sprouts out on the pan and give them plenty of breathing room.
You may wish to use two baking sheets arranged on different racks near the middle of the oven, rather than trying to fit all of the brussel sprouts on one pan.
Another reason your brussel sprouts might not be getting crispy is because you’re using too low of a cooking temperature. I recommend cooking the brussel sprouts at 400 degrees F so that they can get nice and crispy with golden edges.
I recommend cutting the brussel sprouts in half before roasting and lying the flat surface directly on the pan if possible to ensure that they get nice and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. If brussel sprouts are not halved prior to roasting, they will take longer to roast and will not get as tender, crispy and caramelized.
For best results, look for brussel sprouts that are similar in size so that they cook up evenly. Smaller brussel sprouts tend to be sweeter and more tender than larger ones.
Serving Suggestions
These roasted brussel sprouts with balsamic and bacon pair well with so many different dishes from simple weeknight meals to more elaborate holiday dishes! They’re really the perfect Thanksgiving side dish, but we love to serve them for Christmas as well.
Pair baked brussel sprouts with all your favorite holiday entrees and sides, like:
- Air Fryer Boneless Turkey Breast
- Christmas Beef Roast
- Cranberry Sausage Stuffing
- Healthy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Healthy Squash Casserole
Recipe Variations
- Make this recipe vegetarian or vegan: Leave out the bacon.
- For extra crunch: Add some nuts like crunchy pecans or slivered almonds for a nutty flavor.
- Lighten it up: Use crumbled turkey bacon instead.
- Add a sweeter kick: Toss in some dried cranberries at the end. You can also sprinkle some pomegranate seeds on top, too.
- Use bacon fat: Instead of olive oil, you can use the rendered bacon fat for even more bacony goodness.
What Readers Are Saying
“I made this and I put a whole package of maple bacon but kept the measurements for sauce and they were amazing!! I will be making this again, family loved it.” – Jade
“Delicious! I roasted the brussel sprouts as per the instructions, then to finish off I added the roasted sprouts to the pan of heated bacon (I used pre cooked bacon crumble from Costco) and added the last bit of sauce to finish caramelizing. Spectacular!” – Katia
“Made this exactly as the recipe directed for a Friendsgiving gathering. Everyone commented on how much they loved the sprouts. Made again for Thanksgiving dinner and the only thing different was adding pecans. We really loved this recipe.” – Charlotte
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Green Beans with Cranberries and Almonds
- Kale Beet Salad
- Green Beans with Red Peppers
- Healthy Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower
- Roasted Ranch Carrots
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon, Balsamic and Maple Syrup
Ingredients
For the maple balsamic sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
For the brussel sprouts
- 4 cups halved brussel sprouts (about 1 1/2 pounds brussel sprouts)
- 6 slices of reduced sodium bacon cooked until crispy
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the maple balsamic glaze in a small bowl.
- Place the brussel sprouts in a large bowl and toss with half the maple balsamic mixture until they're well coated.
- Spread brussel sprouts evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet (you may wish to use two pans). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender on the inside and golden and crispy on the outside.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized frying pan, cook bacon for 10-12 minutes over medium high heat until crispy. Transfer to a cutting board and cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Transfer roasted brussel sprouts to a serving bowl or tray. Just before serving, drizzle remaining maple balsamic sauce over brussel sprouts and toss until evenly distributed. Add bacon and toss again. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Look for brussel sprouts that are similar in size so that they cook up evenly. Smaller brussels sprouts tend to be sweeter and more tender than larger ones.
- Before halving the brussel sprouts, slice off the nubby ends, as they tend to be more tough.
- Be sure to distribute the brussel sprouts in a single layer on the baking sheet to ensure that they cook up evenly and get nice and crispy. For best results, place them flat side down to ensure the edges turn deeply golden and crispy when roasted.
- Although it may be tempting to skip this step, it’s very important that you reserve half the maple balsamic sauce to drizzle on the brussel sprouts after they’re cooked. It really helps to amplify the flavour when you pour some of the sauce on just before serving.
- Although I typically recommend flipping roasted vegetables half way through the cooking time, if this case you don’t have to. Brussel sprouts tend to get more crispy on the outside if you don’t flip them.
- After cooking the bacon, place on some paper towel to soak up some of the grease to cut back on some of the saturated fat.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted November 2019 and was updated November 2024 to include more helpful tips and photos.
So good and yummy! I did add feta cheese!
So happy you enjoyed them! Love the addition of the feta too! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a rating and review :)
Made these for thanksgiving and they were a hit!
That’s awesome – so happy everyone enjoyed them! Thanks so much for reporting back :)
Brussels sprouts never tasted better!
Thanks so much Alan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I appreciate you swinging back to leave a review :)