Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic
- Updated on Oct 22, 2020
I honestly never thought I’d see the day when I’d be writing about brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar (or cream) – and absolutely loving them.
Many people have a love/hate relationship with sprouts – though maybe that lessens a bit with age.
If you’re here looking for recipes for roasted brussel sprouts with balsamic, it probably means you love them. If you don’t already, you will soon.
Although for some the basic sprout is a fine vegetable on its own, for me it needs something more. A sprout isn’t a sprout without a little help.
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I still remember the Christmas dinners where each of us kids were forced to eat a single sprout. We all made a fuss, argued about the real need of eating the sprout.
It was just something to ruin our meals and it wasn’t fair that we had to eat one.
All except my little brother. He didn’t make a fuss. Barely said a word. Just quietly nodded, and agreed to eat his sprout. It soon disappeared from his plate. We were all quite amazed he enjoyed them so much.
But where did that sprout disappear to? The toilet! Years later we found out the little bugger had secretly been stashing them in his pocket, then heading off to the bathroom at the earliest opportunity to get rid of his hated sprout.
Pretty good for an eight-year old, I’ll give him that.
Don’t worry, these Brussel sprouts with balsamic are in no danger of being flushed away. They’re awesome. Absolutely delicious. And the secret?
Roast those Brussels sprouts until crispy!
That’s right – char them. Letting them go crispy and brown is a yes-yes. Make sure they cook well, and at a high heat.
They start to caramelise and the sweetness of the balsamic cream, or maple syrup, just adds to the flavour. Let them go even browner than they look in the pictures!
Speaking of which – you can choose how to make these most lovely of sprouts! If you can find a sweet balsamic cream like this, then use it! If you can’t, never fear.
A simple mix of standard balsamic vinegar (or even red wine vinegar) and maple syrup does the trick equally well.
Roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar – don’t let a good sprout down!
Of course, a plate of sprouts on its own may not be completely appealing. Unless you’re on a pretty hardcore diet consisting of sprouts alone, we’re going to guess you want to know what goes well with brussel sprouts?
We have a whole list of our favourite Christmas/Thanksgiving/family meal recipes right over here.
We also wholeheartedly recommend checking these out for further inspiration:
Mains
Sides
- Proper Roast Potatoes
- Glazed Carrots in Tarragon & Mint
- Parsnips in Syrup & Mustard
- Low-carb Garlic-mashed Cauliflower
- Healthy Sweet Potato Mash
- Colourful Christmas Slaw
Starters, Drinks and Desserts
Eating as vegan or vegetarian over the Christmas period REALLY isn’t difficult. In fact, it’s probably more of a challenge not to overeat! We can help there, too.
We’re proud to run the 30 Day Veggie Weight Loss Transformation and the 30-Day Vegan Challenge, where we help you to focus on satisfying, tasty and healthy vegetarian or vegan food for (you guessed it) thirty days.
Not only do you learn how to become veggie or vegan in the easiest way, it often comes with the unexpected benefit of weight-loss from all that lovely, healthy food.
Are Brussels sprouts good for you?
Whether you loved or loathed sprouts at Christmas dinner, there’s a good reason you were encouraged to eat them – they are little green nutrient bombs!
In fact a serving of just 4 Brussels sprouts counts as one of your recommended daily servings of fruit and veg.
Brussels sprouts are extremely rich in Vitamin K which has been helps to support strong bones and aiding wound healing.
They also contain high amounts of Vitamin C and folate, amongst other vitamins and minerals.
Brussels are a great option for anyone on a low carb diet such as Keto thanks to their lower carbohydrate content. They are also contain fibre which is important for digestive health and can keep you feeling satiated.
You can learn more about the nutrition benefits of Brussels sprouts here and the top health benefits of Brussels here.
Balsamic Brussels sprouts FAQ
We’ve compiled some common questions about these tasty little gems, but if we haven’t answered yours, just let us know in the comments.
Can you roast brussel sprouts whole?
You certainly can, but for this recipe we recommend chopping them in half (or even quarters for big ones) as this maximises the potential for that delicious crispy result that we are looking for.
Can roasted Brussels sprouts be made ahead of time?
Definitely – afterall, we understand how hectic the kitchen can become on Christmas day!
The best way to have your sprouts pre-prepared is to remove the stalks and chop them (steps 1 and 2 of our recipe) and store them in an airtight container in the fridge until needed for cooking.
We recommend only doing this a day or two in advance to keep them fresh.
Can I reheat roasted Brussels?
If you want to roast them ahead of time or warm up leftovers, you can do this too but beware that if you reheat them in the microwave you may find they lose some of that crunchy goodness.
Instead you may want to pop them into the oven on a lightly oiled baking sheet or saute them in a pan with a little olive oil until warmed through.
How long will roasted Brussels sprouts keep?
You can store any leftovers in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Roasted balsamic sprouts make a surprisingly tasty addition to salads, stir frys and of course vegetarian bubble and squeak.
Can you freeze them?
Yes, but they will likely become slightly soggy when reheated so it may be best to avoid this. If you do want to freeze them, it’s best to allow them to thaw overnight (in the fridge) and then reheat them as per the instructions above.
Ingredients
- 20 brussels sprouts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp balsamic cream (or 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar)
- 1 tsp maple syrup (or agave syrup or honey)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
- Chop the stems off the sprouts and remove any skanky-looking leaves (usually just the outer layer).20 brussels sprouts
- Chop the sprouts in half. If you have any really big ones, quarter them. We want all pieces roughly the same size.
- Put in a large bowl and add the olive oil. Give them a good stir to make sure the sprouts are well-coated.2 tbsp olive oil
- Place in a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes.
- When done (browned and slightly crispy) remove from oven a put back in bowl. Add the salt and pepper. Then add either the balsamic cream/syrup or the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Stir again, coating the sprouts.½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp balsamic cream, 1 tsp maple syrup
- Put them back in the oven roast for another 10 minutes. Let them get nice and dark – but of course stop them if they look like they’re starting to burn.
- That’s it! Eat on their own or serve as an awesome side dish (that might even outshine the main course!).
NOTES
Nutrition
Comments
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9 comments
These sound lovely, but I’m in the uk and I’ve never heard of balsamic cream. Is it the same as balsamic glaze? A thicker syrupy version of balsamic vinegar? Thanks
Exactly that!!
Made these as a side for dinner. Me and my hubby are a whole Costco sized bag of them. So so good
Woohoo! So happy to hear it. I firmly believe more people should try the sprouts with balsamic combo. Thanks for letting us know!!
Hi everyone! I’m just in the process of preparing this for dinner alongside baked rice with carrots 🙂 and wondering can you substitute maple syrup with honey? Tnx
Hi Suki, I might be a bit late, but yes, absolutely! I hope the recipe turned out tasty 😀
Yes it turned out great! Next time I’ll try adding little bit more acceto and honey to see what happens… or mix with some roasted slivered almonds or/and greek yogurt based dressing…?… so you see, you made me fantasize about sprouts 😀
Hahahahhahaha! Brilliant. It’s amazing what can be done with food when we really try 😀
Love This! So Yummy!