These roasted brussels sprouts are perfectly tender and caramelized, with crunchy bacon, red onion and sweet balsamic vinegar, they're completely irresistible.
Roasted brussels sprouts with bacon is the ultimate flavor combination. I've tried making brussels sprouts many different ways - on the stovetop, in the oven, on the grill, covered, uncovered, low heat, high heat. My favorite way of preparing them is always roasting them.
This method yields the most perfect brussels sprouts every time, by using a super easy trick - roasting them in the oven, covered for half the time with foil and uncovered for the second half of the roasting. You will get brussels sprouts that are completely cooked through but still firm enough to hold their shape and not get mushy. At the same time, they are caramelized, so they're golden brown, slightly sweet and a bit charred. Oh, so good! I love how you can taste the multiple layers as you bite through each sprout.
The crisp, smokey and salty bacon and the caramelized red onion complement the hearty brussels sprouts so well. The balsamic vinegar evens out all these flavor combinations because it has just a touch of sweetness and the acidity really comes through and elevates this simple side dish into something extra special.
Ingredients:
The complete list of ingredients and their exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- brussels sprouts
- Make sure to trim the stems and remove any yellow or wilted leaves for the best texture.
- olive oil (avocado oil is another great option)
- Olive oil helps the Brussels sprouts get that perfect golden-brown, crispy texture.
- Avocado oil is a fantastic alternative if you’re looking for a higher smoke point.
- bacon
- Bacon adds savory, smoky goodness and a nice crunch.
- red onion
- Red onions offer a mild sweetness that balances the savory bacon and Brussels sprouts.
- You can also use yellow or white onion instead of the red.
- garlic
- salt, ground black pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- The balsamic vinegar adds a tangy-sweet kick that pairs beautifully with the roasted vegetables and bacon.
- Instead of balsamic vinegar, you can also use balsamic glaze, which is more concentrated and sweeter.
How To Make Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, placing a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven, so that it will heat up as the oven is preheating.
- Preheating the baking sheet will mean that the brussels sprouts will start to sear and cook as soon as they hit the baking sheet, which means they will get a head start in cooking. It's like preheating a skillet to get a good sear.
- Prep the brussels sprouts.
- Cut the larger brussels sprouts in half vertically, leaving the smaller ones whole. In a large bowl, toss the brussels sprouts with ½ - ¾ teaspoons of salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper and the olive oil, mixing to combine.
- Roast the brussels sprouts.
- When the oven is preheated, take the hot baking sheet out of the oven and place the brussels sprouts onto the baking sheet cut side down. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon until golden and crisp. Set aside the bacon in a separate bowl. Drain most of the bacon grease, leaving about 1 - 1 ½ Tablespoons in the skillet.
- Next, cook the red onion in the same skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper, until softened. Clear some room in the center of the skillet and add the garlic. Saute just until fragrant, about a minute. Add the balsamic vinegar.
- When the brussels sprouts have roasted for 10 minutes, remove the foil and continue roasting for 8-10 more minutes, until the brussels sprouts are the color and texture that you like. Flip them over as needed.
- Lastly, toss the roasted brussels sprouts with the bacon and onion mixture until evenly combined. Serve hot.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
This is especially convenient around the holidays when you have a lot of recipes to cook. Wash, prep and cut the brussels sprouts and keep them in your refrigerator, very well covered until ready to cook.
Balsamic glaze will make the brussels sprouts sweeter and have a thicker coating. The balsamic vinegar has a bit of sweetness, but the "sauce" will be thinner and make the brussels sprouts have more of an acidic (very mild) flavor.
It's very similar to preheating the skillet before adding your food to get the best sear. Also, covering the baking sheet with foil will "steam" the brussels sprouts first, cooking them through, then you remove the foil and get more color and char on the brussels sprouts.
You'll have a lot more surface area to spread out the brussels sprouts and they will get a better sear. I use mine all the time for so many recipes. It's very great quality and really durable.
Extra large rimmed baking sheet - affiliate link
Video of Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
These Bacon and Onion Brussels Spouts are prepared with a perfect method to achieve perfectly tender and caramelized sprouts that makes them completely irresistible.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: Sides
Ingredients
- 2 lbs brussels sprouts
- ¼ cup olive oil (or any other mild flavored oil, such as grapeseed, avocado, canola, sunflower, etc.)
- salt, ground black pepper
- 2-4 strips of bacon, chopped into small pieces
- 1 medium red onion (a yellow onion works just as well)
- 3-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, placing a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven, so that it will heat up as the oven is preheating.
- Meanwhile, cut all the brussels sprouts in half. In a large bowl, toss the brussels sprouts with ½ - ¾ teaspoons of salt and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper and the olive oil, mixing to combine.
- When the oven is preheated, take the hot baking sheet out of the oven and place the brussels sprouts onto the baking sheet cut side down. Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until it's mostly cooked through.
- Add the red onion to the bacon and continue cooking, on low heat, uncovered, until the onions are tender. If there isn't enough bacon grease and the onions start to get too brown before they are cooked through, pour in a little bit of water and continue cooking until the onions are tender.
- Scrape some of the bacon-onion mixture away from the bottom of the skillet and add the minced garlic to that spot, cooking the garlic for 30 seconds - 1 minute.
- Pour in the balsamic vinegar, mix it all to combine and then place into the same large bowl that you used to toss the brussels sprouts.
- When the brussels sprouts have roasted for 10 minutes, uncover them (discard the foil) and continue roasting for another 10-12 minutes.
- When they are cooked through and golden on the bottom, mix them together with the bacon and onions. Serve warm.
Sounds lovely going to try it for Christmas 🎄is it ok if I cook it the day before and just reheat it thanks 🎄
Yes, you can reheat the brussels sprouts the next day, Pauline.
Loved this recipe!!! I originally saw the recipe on Olga's instagram post and saved it so I could come back to it when ready to make it. I made them last night and was so pleased with them. I'm always searching for a Brussel sprout recipe cause we eat a lot of them but I have yet to find a recipe that I love. The brussels were fork tender one would have believed they were boiled first. There wasn't any bitter taste that is normal for brussels too. This will now be my go to recipe.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write, Tara. I am so glad yu enjoyed this recipe for brussels sprouts.
Hi Olga! I wanted to ask if you can cook them the day before Thanksgiving and next day warm them up. Or if you can even cook them on a thanksgiving day earlier in the day and then reheat before dinner? Thank you!
I prefer them cooked right before serving, but you can just reheat them, if you prefer.
Made these on thanksgiving. They were a hit 😋😋
Thank you!
I made them for Thanksgiving...oh my goodness, they are the best. They were a hit at the table and I will be making them on a regular basis. Finally as recipe that it awesome.
Looks sooo delcious!! Defiantly making space for this side dish ☺
Looks amazing. Can't wait to make this. Seems like they will be so flavorful. The ingredient list-mmmmm.
Ahh finally a recipe to explain how to get them perfectly roasted because usually mine are still a bit hard when I’m done with them! Excited to try this side dish out! Thanks Olga!!!!