Caramelized Brussels Sprouts! Golden, sticky, sweet, tangy, and a little spicy, they are absolutely impossible to resist. You can pair them with pretty much anything, and they make a perfect holiday side dish.
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"Oh man, these were so good I was shamelessly licking the pan before cleaning dishes!" - Cheryl ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
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Caramelized Brussels Sprouts coming in hot! We're tossing them in a sweet and tangy dressing, roasting until golden and caramelized, then tossing them in a little leftover dressing before serving. They are like little sponges and suck up all of the fresh flavour into their caramelized goodness.
After photographing this recipe, I devoured the entire bowl. This Brussels sprouts recipe is that good!
Mel x
P.S. Love Brussels sprouts? My Cranberry Pecan Brussels Sprout Salad makes a great holiday side too!
🤍 WHY YOU'LL LOVE MY CARAMELIZED BRUSSELS SPROUTS
- They are sweet & delicious! - Caramelizing the sprouts and tossing them in the sweet and tangy dressing cuts any bitterness.
- Flavour-packed - The roasted sprouts suck up the dressing like little sponges. Even sprout haters will be all over these!
- Caramelized on the outside, tender & sweet on the inside - The combination of textures and flavours is unreal.
- Versatile - Simple enough for midweek, impressive enough for entertaining.
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Brussels Sprouts - Fresh is best, but frozen will work in a pinch. You will need to cook them for a little longer to get them nicely caramelized, though.
- Vinegar - You can use either apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar. They are delicious with both.
- Thyme - This can be fresh or dried. Oregano would work well too, or Italian seasoning.
- Olive oil - Don't attempt to make these without oil, or they will stick terribly. If you do omit it, you will need to line your tray with parchment paper, and they won't caramelize as well.
- Maple syrup - This is for flavour and smoky sweetness. You could probably use brown sugar instead, but I haven't tried it.
- Garlic - The recipe says 2 cloves. I always have to rein myself in when recipe developing! I love garlic so often double and sometimes triple it when making them for myself. If you love garlic too, I say go with your heart!
- Chili flakes - This isn't a really spicy dish. There is just a hint of heat which works really well with the savoury/sweet flavour. You can safely omit or reduce the chili if you prefer.
Important Note
The Brussels sprouts shrink a lot while cooking (almost by half). As a side, this recipe will be a stretch for any more than 4 people, so double or triple it if necessary. Don't worry about leftovers because they reheat really well.
How To Make Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Can't wait to make this delicious vegan side dish? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen.
Mix up the dressing in a small bowl.
Throw the halved sprouts on a large rimmed baking sheet, toss them in about ¾'s of the dressing (not all), turn them all cut side down (important for the best caramelization), then roast. It's important not to line the pan. They need contact with the metal. Parchment paper or silicone liners stop them from caramelizing well.
Roast until deeply golden and caramelized.
Transfer them to a serving bowl and drizzle over the remaining dressing before tossing gently. Give them a few minutes to suck it all up before devouring!
Serving Suggestions
Serve the Caramelized Brussels Sprouts as they are, or fancy them up with a sprinkle of pomegranate arils and shaved vegan parmesan cheese or crumbles of salty vegan feta. The salty cheese and sweet Brussels sprouts taste so good together!
This is a vegan side that will go with pretty much anything, but it's particularly good for holiday feasting. I love serving these delicious Brussels sprouts alongside Thanksgiving and Christmas favourites like vegan roast, vegan beef and vegan ham (pictured below), and other vegetable sides like Brussels sprouts salad, air fryer carrots, red cabbage with apples, and vegan mashed potatoes or vegan scalloped potatoes.
Recipe FAQs
You can clean and half the sprouts, then store them in a sealed container in the fridge, and you can make the dressing the day before and keep it in a jar in the fridge. Then it's just a case of tossing it all together and roasting on the day.
No. They do not need to be blanched, soaked, or parboiled.
Recipe
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Author:Ingredients
- 1lb (16 oz or 453 grams) brussels sprouts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (real not pancake syrup!)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced very finely or grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Wash the Brussels sprouts, remove any damaged outer leaves, trim the bases a little, then half the sprouts vertically. Put them on a large metal baking tray. Large enough that they won't be crowded. Don't use ceramic or glass, and I recommend not lining the tray for the best caramelization.
- Mix all of the other ingredients together in a small bowl to make a dressing.
- Toss the sprouts with about ¾ of the dressing. I find it easiest to use clean hands. Reserve the remaining dressing until the end.
- Spread them all out in a single layer, mostly cut side down and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through and deeply caramelized. The time will vary slightly from oven to oven and depending on what kind of baking tray you use, so keep an eye on them towards the end.
- Transfer the caramelized sprouts to a serving bowl and spoon over the remaining dressing. Give them a gentle toss, then leave them for 1 to 2 minutes so they can suck up the dressing before serving.
NOTES
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Mary says
This recipe is delicious!
Claudia Silvestre says
Love it… perfect and easy..
Renee Soqui says
I made these last week. We loved them! I plan to make them for a big family dinner next week. I used honey instead of maple syrup. Next time I will try half honey and half maple syrup.
Note: The baking pan gets very sticky and hard to clean. Next time, I will use parchment paper on the pan, coated with PAM.
Nancy Dutkin says
Excellent recipe! I used baby Brussels sprouts and just roasted them for 15 to 20 minutes. Delicious. Will definitely make this again.
Lwallace says
I did this recipe and it came out Delicious i paired it with some diced up tomatoes and a lil shredded cheese and drizzled it with the leftover dressing. It was so delicious i will continue to make this for family and friends
Nicole says
These were absolutely delicious! I used frozen ones and I just cooked them for a bit longer. For the last 10 minutes I turned up the temperature a bit to get them extra caramelized.
Susan says
Wow! So good that I ate a helping while waiting for the rest of my dinner to finish cooking! Thanks, Melanie.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that when making these! 🤭
Cheryl says
Oh man, these were so good I was shamelessly licking the pan before cleaning dishes...lol.
Melanie McDonald says
Ha ha! So pleased you enjoyed them!
Cassiopea says
I burnt them! :( I don’t know how that happened…
Spillt User says
Not sure how, but this did not caramelize or crisp my Brussels sprouts. The flavor is pretty good but they did not cook well
Susan Garriques says
These were AMAZING!!! My husband doesn't care for brussels sprouts, so I got to eat them all myself. They are even good cold!!
Melanie McDonald says
Love that! So pleased you enjoyed them!
Mary says
Thank you for the recipe Melanie! The Brussels sprouts were so tasty. My husband kept going back for “seconds”. I really like your website and continue to recommend your recipes it to others.
Deb says
Could these be air fried?.
Melanie McDonald says
I haven't tried it. I think you might lose a lot of the dressing in the process though.