Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
Roasting Brussels sprouts with maple syrup, bacon, and sweet potatoes transforms them into a perfectly caramelized, savory-sweet side dish.
Are you trying to come up with a different vegetable side dish for Thanksgiving that’s easy, fast, and delicious? This Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sweet Potatoes is the answer.
Health Benefits of Roasted Brussels Sprouts
There are obvious health benefits to roasting vegetables at high temperatures. They maintain more of their texture, therefore fiber, and will maintain many of their nutrients.
This will be the only vegetable dish you will need because it has all of the wonderful flavors of this truly American holiday in one easy dish!
The other inherent beauty of this side is that it will cook in less time than it will take your turkey to rest.
As I said, this one has it all: sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, maple, bacon, caramelized onion, roasted pecans, and cranberries. All the beautiful flavors of the fall.
What you Need
- Brussels sprouts: Try to find smaller sprouts if possible. They will be more tender. Cut the stem end off of them, strip any damaged leaves, then cut them in half or quarters if they are very large.
- Sweet Potatoes: Any size sweet potato is fine. Cut the chunks according to the size of the Brussels sprouts, keeping in mind that the sweet potato will take longer to cook, so cut them smaller.
- Bacon: You can use any kind of bacon. If you use poultry bacon, there is no need to render the fat. If you use pork bacon, render the fat before finishing the recipe.
- Nuts: Pecans are preferred, but walnuts are also delicious.
- Dried Cranberries: Packaged dried cranberries are fine, but you can also dry cranberries at home.
- Maple Syrup: Use pure maple syrup, not imitation syrup.
- Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is a good choice.
- Seasoning: Kosher or sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
How to Make Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Thinly slice the onion. Trim the Brussels sprouts by cutting off the stem end and remove any damaged outer leaves. Peel an cut up the sweet potato. If you’re using pork bacon, render a lot of the fat from the bacon.
This can be done the day before you cook it. Let the rendered bacon cool and place it on top of the vegetables in an airtight container.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add all of the ingredients, except the bacon to a large bowl.
Drizzle with the olive oil and maple syrup. Toss them all together.
Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup. Spread the ingredients out in a single layer.
Place a cooling rack on top of the vegetables. Arrange the rendered bacon on top of the vegetables. The remaining will fall onto the vegetables and impart them with the bacon flavor.
Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, Move the bacon off of the vegetables and flip them with a spatula. Flip the bacon over.
Return the roasting pan to the oven and continue roasting for another 10 minutes. Check the bacon halfway through to see if it is crisped. If so, remove it.
Check the vegetables for tenderness. If they are tender to your liking, they are done; if not, flip again and continue roasting until they are done to your liking. They usually take about 40 minutes in total.
When the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are golden brown and tender sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top.
Check out the short YouTube Video for full instructions!
More great vegetable sides
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Roasting the vegetables together makes them nice and caramelized, including the onions.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Maple Roasted Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups trimmed Brussels Sprouts
- 2 medium sweet potatoes cut into wedges
- 3/4 cups pecans, rough chopped
- 3/4 cups dried cranberries
- 3/4 medium onion , thinly sliced
- 6 slices extra lean duck or turkey bacon
- 4 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3-4 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or sea salt
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onion. Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut up the sweet potato. If you’re using pork bacon, render a lot of the fat from the bacon.3-4 cups trimmed Brussels Sprouts, 2 medium sweet potatoes, 3/4 medium onion, 6 slices extra lean duck or turkey bacon
- This can be done the day before you cook it. Let the rendered bacon cool and place it on top of the vegetables in an airtight container.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add all of the ingredients except bacon in a large bowl.
- Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.3/4 cups pecans, rough chopped, 3/4 cups dried cranberries, 4 tablespoon maple syrup, 3-4 tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or sea salt
- Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easier cleanup. Spread the ingredients out in a single layer.
- Place a cooling rack on top of the vegetables. Arrange the rendered bacon on top of the vegetables. The remaining will fall onto the vegetables and impart them with the bacon flavor.
- Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, Move the bacon off of the vegetables and flip them with a spatula. Flip the bacon over.
- Return the roasting pan to the oven and continue roasting for another 10 minutes. Check the bacon halfway through to see if it is crisped. If so, remove it.
- Check the vegetables for tenderness. If they are tender to your liking, they are done; if not, flip again and continue roasting until they are done to your liking. They usually take about 40 minutes in total.
- NOTE; If using pork bacon, render some of the fat out of the bacon first, in a separate skillet.
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Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published November 11, 2016. Updated December 8, 2024.
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This would definitely make a great side to any meal. Love the addition of caramelized onions.
Caramelized onions are great in just about any dish. Aren’t they, Stephanie? Thank you so much for your comment!
Yum! Looks so good! Would be a great holiday side 🙂
I’m making them again for Thanksgiving we loved them so much! Thanks for your comment Hannah!
This looks so delish!! Love sprouts!
I agree! Thank you so much for your comment, Veena! Have a great day!
This sounds great! I had never even tasted sprouts when I was growing up, and when I finally tried them as an adult I was shocked to find out how much I liked them. Now I try new sprout recipes whenever I get a chance!
I’m the same way, Elizabeth! I love them now! Let me know how you like them when you give them a try! Thanks for your comment!