Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Toasted Pecans, and Dried Cranberries is an easy Christmas side dish that will add colors and vibrancy to your holiday menu!
This is such a perfect Christmas recipe. Roasted Brussels sprouts taste great combined with the classic holiday ingredients, such as pecans and dried cranberries. Dried cranberries provide a nice, sweeter contrast to the Brussels Sprouts. And, there is a little bit of crunch from toasted pecans and chopped cooked bacon. This side dish is bursting with colors!
If you enjoy colorful holiday recipes, you will also love green beans with bacon and butternut squash and Brussels sprouts.
What I love the best about this Christmas Brussels sprouts recipe is that it fits so well with the traditional holiday side dishes, such as green beans, potatoes, and stuffing. It’s a perfect recipe for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve or any other holiday!
This side dish is packed with vegetables and nuts. It’s healthy, gluten-free, and rich in fiber!
Roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon have become one of my favorite holiday recipes.
Other holiday side dishes
If you want to discover other colorful and vibrant holiday side dishes, check out these recipes:
- Garlic and Bacon Green Beans – crispy and crunchy green beans sautéed with garlic and bacon in olive oil and butter on the stovetop.
- Creamy and Crunchy Salad with Peas, Bacon, and Pecans – easy and beautiful side dish for the holidays!
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries - this vibrant recipe will work perfectly for both Thanksgiving and Christmas!
- Winter Fruit Salad with Maple Lime Dressing – the holiday ingredient list includes red apples, pears, clementine oranges (or mandarin oranges), kiwi fruit, dried cranberries, and pomegranate seeds.
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Pomegranate – perfect healthy holiday salad features Poppy Seed Honey-Lime Dressing.
Christmas main courses
Brussels sprouts and bacon will pair well with any Christmas main course. I recommend that you try one of these recipes for your holiday dinner, especially the duck:
- Roast Duck is a perfect holiday main course! This Roast Whole Duck has tender and juicy meat, crispy skin, and it’s glazed with the honey-balsamic glaze to give the duck a beautiful roasted look.
- Duck Breast with Cranberry Sauce - this recipe will make a perfect main dish for any special night, an anniversary celebration, or holidays, especially Christmas or New Year’s Eve.
- Lamb Chops with Cranberry Balsamic Reduction - this recipe features holiday ingredients, such as pomegranate seeds and pecans. Simple lamb chops marinade is made of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Roasted Cornish Hen is made with root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes) and onions.
How to make Brussels sprouts with bacon
1) Start by cooking the bacon in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes. After the bacon is cooked, drain it of fat and chop it up into smaller pieces.
2) Next, prepare the Brussels sprouts by tossing them with olive oil and salt. Add them to a baking sheet.
3) Roast the Brussels sprouts in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes.
4) Finally, in a medium bowl, combine together roasted brussels sprouts, chopped cooked bacon, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries.
Tips and tricks
- To save time, roast both Brussels sprouts and bacon on 2 separate baking sheets at the same time, on the same rack in the oven.
- Optionally, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the final dish. The dish should already have enough oil from Brussels sprouts and the cooked warm bacon.
- Soak dried cranberries briefly in hot water to plump them up. This will make dried cranberries juicier, softer, and more vibrant.
How to make it ahead
- If you plan to make this dish a day ahead, don’t add nuts. Add nuts only when ready to serve (to make sure they are crunchy).
- Reheat this dish in a shallow pan, such as a sheet pan or a sheet cake pan lined with parchment paper. Spread the ingredients on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Reheat for about 15 minutes in the preheated oven at 350 F. Then add toasted pecans, when ready to serve.
Serve this cold or hot?
- This dish is best served immediately, warm or at room temperature.
Substitutions
- Don’t want to use pecans? Use pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or pine nuts.
- You can use dried cherries, raisins, or chopped dried figs instead of dried cranberries.
- What is a good substitution for regular bacon? Use prosciutto, duck bacon, or turkey bacon.
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Pecans, and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 12 oz Brussels sprouts ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 cup pecans
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
How to Roast Brussels Sprouts
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Slice all Brussels sprouts in half.
- In a medium bowl, combine halved Brussels sprouts, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and toss to combine.
- Place Brussels sprouts on the baking sheet, cut side down.
- Roast in the oven at 400 F for about 25 minutes. During the last 5-10 minutes of roasting, turn them over for even browning, the cut sides should be partially charred but not blackened.
How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
- Line the separate baking sheet with foil. Add the bacon slices in one layer. Bake in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is done. You can do it at the same time as roasting the Brussels sprouts.
- Drain bacon of fat and slice the bacon into small bites.
How to Toast Pecans
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add pecans in one layer.
- Toast the pecans for about 5 minutes (maybe a bit longer) in the preheated oven at 350 F until they get darker in color.
Prepare Dried Cranberries
- For best results, briefly soak the dried cranberries in hot water. Bring a small pot of water to boil.
- Add dried cranberries to a medium bowl. Pour hot water over the cranberries and soak them for about 10 minutes. Drain.
Assembly
- In a large bowl, combine roasted Brussels sprouts, warm chopped cooked bacon, toasted pecans, and soaked dried cranberries. Toss everything together. The olive oil from Brussels sprouts and fats from bacon should be enough to coat the ingredients. If desired, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to mix with the salad (optional).
Notes
- Drizzle with a balsamic glaze. Make the balsamic glaze by cooking down the balsamic vinegar together with a small amount of honey or brown sugar until the mixture reduces by about half. For example, combine 1 cup of balsamic vinegar + ¼ cup of honey or brown sugar and cook it down. Consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of the spoon but should not be overly thick.
- Drizzle with a very high-quality aged balsamic vinegar made in Italy. Aged balsamic vinegar is often sold in specialized stores or sections of foreign foods at some grocery stores. High-quality Italian-made aged balsamic vinegar is usually expensive but it does not need cooking down. Just use it as is. And, you don't need to use much.
- Or, use your favorite balsamic vinaigrette-based salad dressing.
- You can use white balsamic vinegar to brighten this dish!
Looking for more THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES?
- I have created a comprehensive recipe collection of 60 Thanksgiving side dishes conveniently categorized by ingredient: Green Beans, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes, Acorn Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Asparagus, Broccoli, etc. It's a great resource to browse through for a last moment holiday inspiration! This side dishes will also work great for Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Looking for a complete THANKSGIVING MENU?
- Be sure to check out my 50 Best Thanksgiving Recipes (The Complete Holiday Menu) - it includes everything: Fall-inspired holiday appetizers, side dishes, salads, main courses, pasta recipes, desserts, and even breakfast. This holiday menu features proven, tried, and true Thanksgiving dishes that have been reader favorites for years (I've been publishing recipes since 2012).
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Roni
Can I add butternut squash to this?
Julia
Absolutely! Roasted butternut squash would be great here!
Annette
This side dish looks delicious! I definitely will be adding thus to my Thanksgiving meal.
Julia
Annette, I am so glad you like this recipe! It's a great Thanksgiving side dish!
Cindy
Can't wait to make this! Looks delicious! Hard to go wrong with good ingredients.
Julia
Thank you, Cindy! I agree - it's hard to go wrong with these ingredients!
ANDREA
Sounds delish ! I will be making tomorrow ! I think I may add a little goat cheese at the end too to give it a little freshness
Julia
Andrea, I hope you like it! I think the addition of goat cheese is a great idea - I add it to lots of dishes! Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
Renee
How do I incorporate fresh cranberries?
Julia
Fresh cranberries are pretty tart, I am not sure they would work well in this recipe because they are so tart.
Rachel
how far ahead can you make this...minus pecans?
Julia
You can make this for up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it, covered, until ready to serve.
Pat Menzies
I really want to make this, however it will not fit in my oven with the Turkey. Can it be made the day before and heated up for dinner?
Julia
Yes, you can make this side dish a day ahead minus the pecans. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to reheat. Add pecans right before serving.
Jim
Sure wish i could Pin the recipe
Julia
Hi Jim! I will be adding this functionality soon, probably in December.
Sara
I found this on pinterest. You can always add your own pin by copying the website url and adding it from pinterest itself.
Julia
That's a good tip. And, I will be adding the pin functionality soon, sometime in December.
Lou
If I toast the pecans 5 hours before mixing in, they’ll stay crunchy??
Julia
They will stay crunchy if you toast them 5 hours prior to adding, as long as you add them right before serving!
Leslie
What a pretty dish! This will be a part of our Thanksgiving feast this year . . . Can't wait to try it!
Julia
Hi Leslie! So glad you will be using this recipe for your Thanksgiving this year! Enjoy! 🙂
Lori
Would adding pomegranate seeds for a garnish be too much?
Julia
I think pomegranate seeds would be beautiful and a perfect seasonal touch!
Jessica
How many pecans do you recommend? I don't see a measurement.
Julia
Hi Jessica, I just used a cup measurement and used 1 cup of pecans.
Jessica
Thank you!
Julia
You are very welcome! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
K
Such a pretty picture. I couldn't resist! I thought the recipe also had roasted beets (guess I didn't read very carefully). But the roasted beets were a delicious addition. I made a honey/sriracha sauce and tossed the brussels sprouts in it when they were mostly cooked, then tossed them again when they were finished. I spooned the brussels sprouts over the beets and added the cranberries. (I didn't have any nuts and skipped the bacon.) I'll definitely make it again with beets, sprouts, nuts, and maybe bacon, too. Yum.
Julia
Beets are amazing with this recipe! In fact, I have a recipe coming that will feature beets and Brussels sprouts. In general, I am a huge fan of beets! Love your addition of honey sriracha sauce, too! Thank you for such a helpful and thoughtful comment!
Karen
I am bringing this to my sons for Thanksgiving because Brussels are his favorite, can this be made ahead of time and reheat it maybe hold the bacon and the pecans aside and toss
Julia
This can be made ahead and reheated. Keeping ingredients separate helps. You could actually mix everything, except pecans, and then add pecans right before serving. That way, pecans will not get soggy.
Sherry
Looks delicious! Do you think a brown sugar and butter sauce would be good on this?
Julia
I think it would be good, as long as it's served hot or warm immediately. I also think using candied nuts would be a nice touch.