Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar & Walnuts - quick and easy to make vegan side dish, perfect for any occasion including Christmas!
Brussels sprouts are one of my favourite winter veg and even though I have always liked them, it was only few year back when I really started enjoying them properly.
What has turned ok Brussels sprouts into unbelievably delicious Brussels sprouts you ask? Well, the answer is roasting them!
Roasted Brussels sprouts are just fantastic! Slightly crispy on the outside and almost buttery soft on the inside, they're to die for!
Add few extras like balsamic vinegar and maple syrup reduction, some toasted walnuts and perhaps dried cranberries (especially around Christmas time) and you've got yourself fancy-pants vegan Brussels sprouts side dish that is good enough for any special occasion.
Jump to:
- ✔️ Why should you try this recipe?
- 🥘 Ingredients & substitutions
- How to prepare Brussels sprouts for roasting?
- 🍽 Equipment
- 💭 Top Tips
- 🥡 Storing and freezing
- 📖 Variations
- 🍴 Serving suggestions
- ❓ FAQs
- 🔪 How to make Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic & Walnuts?
- 😋 More Brussels sprout recipes
- 📋 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
✔️ Why should you try this recipe?
- Tastiest way of serving brussels sprouts
- Makes great vegan and vegetarian side dish for any occasion
- Naturally gluten-free
- Enjoyed by Brussels sprouts sceptics
- Perfect for Christmas, Thanksgiving or just with your Sunday roast
- Easy to make using handful of ingredients
- Ready to serve in 30 minutes
- Basic roasted brussels sprouts recipe that can be elevated with couple of extra ingredients to make it that extra special or kept super simple too
🥘 Ingredients & substitutions
Brussels sprouts - Our star ingredient! When choosing your sprouts make sure to pick the ones that look nice and bright without too many yellowing outer leaves.
Oil - I'm afraid this recipe will simply not work without good drizzle of oil. Ensure it covers your sprouts nicely for that lovely crispness. Use your favourite oil here. It's cold-pressed rapeseed oil for me.
Salt & Pepper - That's all the seasoning you really need for perfect roasted Brussels sprouts.
Balsamic Vinegar & Maple Syrup - If you fancy elevating your sprouts that bit more, then simple reduction of balsamic vinegar and maple syrup will do the trick.
***PRO TIP***
Instead of balsamic vinegar and maple reduction you could also use blackberry vinegar gently reduced down to lovely, sticky drizzle.
There is no need to add maple syrup with blackberry vinegar as it's sweet enough.
Walnuts - I love crunchy, gently toasted walnut pieces with my sprouts. They really do make a difference. Feel free to substitute with roasted pumpkin seeds for nut-free option.
Dried Cranberries - They add a bit of tang and colour especially around Christmas time.
How to prepare Brussels sprouts for roasting?
- Gently trim the woody end of each sprout.
- Remove any large outer leaves, especially if they started to turn yellow or are slightly bruised and don't look too appealing.
- Give Brussels sprouts a good wash in a bowl of cold water or by putting them in a colander and under the tap with running water.
- Dry Brussels sprouts really well with clean tea towel as wet sprouts won't crisp up properly in the oven.
- Cut larger sprouts in halve and leave the small ones whole and you're ready to proceed with the recipe.
🍽 Equipment
Large ceramic baking dish to roast brussels sprouts in to allow fair bit of room for them to nicely colour and crisp up. You could, however, use any large baking dish or tray you want.
Small Saucepan for preparing balsamic vinegar and maple reduction.
Small, non-stick frying pan for toasting walnuts.
💭 Top Tips
- When choosing Brussels sprouts go for ones that feel nice and firm with minimal (if any) yellowing outer leaves.
- Try and keep your sprouts even in size for them to cook evenly. Leave small ones whole and halve larger ones.
- Don't overcrowd your baking dish as it will cause Brussels sprouts to steam rather than roast and they won't end up as crispy.
- Don't be tempted to put the side with Brussels sprouts to the cold oven, make sure it is well preheated first.
- This recipe will give you quite a bit of balsamic vinegar and maple syrup reduction but if you don't use all of it, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks.
🥡 Storing and freezing
Roasted Brussels sprouts are simply the best straight after they come out of the oven, however, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For best results, I would suggest reheating them gently in the oven preheated to 180C/350F for 5 minutes until warmed through.
You could reheat them in the microwave but be prepared for soggy result.
I wouldn't recommend freezing roasted Brussels sprouts as it will affect their texture.
📖 Variations
Your basic roasted Brussels sprouts recipe can be varied depending on your mood or the occasion.
Consider swapping walnuts for chestnuts for more Christmassy vibe.
Sprinkle of vegan parmesan or even simple nutritional yeast will also add extra layer of flavour.
Add thinly sliced garlic clove to the roasting dish with the sprouts for garlicky Brussels sprouts.
🍴 Serving suggestions
These delicious roasted Brussels sprouts make delicious and obvious side dish to accompany any roast dinner like my Vegan Lentil Roast or Orange Glazed Tofu Roast.
You could also try it on the side with this delicious Vegan Sausage Casserole with Lentils & Cavolo Nero.
Personally, I love it with my Vegan Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese or this Vegan Lentil and Spinach Lasagne - there is never too much veg in my opinion, especially when it tastes this good!
❓ FAQs
Yes they are! They belong to the family of cruciferous vegetables and are low in calories yet high in many nutrients like fibre, Bit K & C. For more information on nutritional benefits of Brussels sprouts read here.
They're best when roasted just before consuming. However, if you'd like to get ahead you can wash and prep them ahead of time and keep in the fridge ready for roasting.
Definitely not! Cutting a cross in the stem of Brussels sprouts will not benefit them in any way when roasting them. When boiling Brussels sprouts, instead of them cooking quicker, it will cause them to get waterlogged.
Brussels sprouts are named after the city of Brussels in Belgium and the correct name is always Brussels sprouts and not Brussel sprouts even though a lot of people tend to call them Brussel Sprouts!
🔪 How to make Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic & Walnuts?
Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Preheat the oven to 180C(fan)/350F/Gas Mark 4.
Prepare Brussels sprouts by trimming, peeling and washing them (See: How to prepare Brussels sprouts for roasting)
Cut larger sprouts in half and leave small ones whole.
Put prepared Brussels sprouts in a large baking dish or tin, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with your choice of oil.
Give them a good stir to ensure that they're nicely covered with oil.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 min until nice and brown (feel free to give them a stir halfway through roasting).
When Brussels sprouts are in the oven prepare the balsamic vinegar reduction by putting it in a small pan with maple syrup and bringing it to gentle simmer over a low heat.
You want for the liquid to reduce nicely and become thick(ish) and sticky.
If adding walnuts, toast them first in a dry, non-stick pan until they start to brown ever so slightly.
Make sure to keep an eye on them and shake the pan every few seconds to prevent them from burning.
Once Brussels sprouts are out of the oven, toss in toasted walnuts and drizzle over balsamic vinegar and maple syrup reduction.
Serve as is or add a handful of dried cranberries for a bit of sweet and sour vibe and some colour too.
Enjoy!
Have you tried my Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar & Walnuts?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.
😋 More Brussels sprout recipes
Asian Brussels Sprouts with Miso
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan & Garlic
Brussels Sprouts Macaroni Cheese
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📋 Recipe
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar & Walnuts
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g Brussels sprouts
- 2 tablespoon rapeseed/olive oil
- 50 g walnuts roughly chopped if whole, see notes
- 20 g dried cranberries
- salt and pepper
Balsamic Vinegar & Maple Syrup Reduction
- 100 ml balsamic vinegar see notes
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C(fan)/350F/Gas Mark 4.
- Prepare Brussels sprouts by trimming, peeling and washing them (See: How to prepare Brussels sprouts for roasting).
- Cut larger sprouts in half and leave small ones whole.
- Put prepared Brussels sprouts in a large baking dish or tin, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with your choice of oil. Give them a good stir to ensure that they're nicely covered with oil.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 min until nice and brown (feel free to give them a stir halfway through roasting).
- When Brussels sprouts are in the oven prepare the balsamic vinegar reduction by putting it in a small pan with maple syrup and bringing it to gentle simmer over low heat.
- You want for the liquid to reduce nicely and become thick(ish) and sticky.
- If adding walnuts, toast them first in a dry, non-stick pan until they start to brown ever so slightly. Make sure to keep an eye on them and shake the pan every few seconds to prevent them from burning.
- Once Brussels sprouts are out of the oven, toss in toasted walnuts and drizzle over balsamic vinegar and maple syrup reduction.
- Serve as is or add a handful of dried cranberries for a bit of sweet and sour vibe and some colour too.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional information is approximate, per serving based on 4 servings and including walnuts, balsamic reduction and cranberries. Pleased do treat it as a rough guideline only.
- Feel free to substitute walnuts with pumpkin seeds for nut-free option.
- Instead of balsamic vinegar you could use blackberry vinegar (no need for maple syrup here) and reduce it down in a pan until sticky.
- Best served straight after baking but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- I don't recommend freezing.
- When choosing Brussels sprouts go for ones that feel nice and firm with minimal (if any) yellowing outer leaves.
- Try and keep your sprouts even in size for them to cook evenly. Leave small ones whole and halve larger ones.
- Don't overcrowd your baking dish as it will cause Brussels sprouts to steam rather than roast and they won't end up as crispy.
- Don't be tempted to put the side with Brussels sprouts to the cold oven, make sure it is well preheated first.
- This recipe will give you quite a bit of balsamic vinegar and maple syrup reduction but if you don't use all of it, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks.
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