Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Pecans
These Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Pecans is perfect for any Thanksgiving or holiday side dish! The roasting brings out the amazing flavour of caramelised brussels sprouts, onions and apples and crispy pecans.
These Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts might look familiar if you’ve been around for quite a long time. This recipe is a remake of maple roasted Brussels sprouts, onions and apples that I made way back when like two months after Jessica in the Kitchen was born.
Sometimes I look back, and there are some amazing recipes that I made four years ago, that somehow lost their momentum. These Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts were an example of one of them. I wanted to bring back this recipe and make it way better. Over the years, my tastebuds have definitely gotten “better” (if that’s a thing), and it’s allowed me to bring what was the best in an old recipe right to surface, while making the accompanying flavours even better.
ANYWAY. All of that to say that these are even better than the first set, if you remember those. If you’re someone who loves brussels sprouts, trust me, these are for you. If you consider yourself a “brussels sprouts hater” well boy are you in for a treat. These could convert anyone.
Let’s start with the basics. I love Brussels sprouts. I’ve made them raw in a salad topped with a sweet orange vinaigrette that Gavin and I pretty much devoured by itself. I’ve also had them pan roasted (my favourite way). Today, we are roasted the in the oven. The combination of the heat, sugar and seasonings allows the Brussels Sprouts to not only crisp up on the outside, but become soft and caramelised at the same time. They taste sweet, soft, crunchy all in one bite. Oh, and if you’re wondering – it’s absolutely enchanting. Not that I got to experience it this time – Gavin basically ate ALL of this. Yah, thanks.
Added in with the brussels sprouts in this dish are apples, red onions and thyme. The apples and onions also become soft and caramelised, and pair deliciously.
THEN. THE KILLER. Okay, that was super dramatic. But those caramelised pecans.
I was pretty extra and basically drizzled maple syrup over pecans, in a pan, for like two minutes over heat. It crisps them out, slightly caramelises them and tastes perfect. Or, you could just toast them by themselves in a pan. But that crunch is NEEDED and delightful. Here’s the full recipe if you need it. ALSO extra? I added in a vegan gouda cheese. OKAY – now we are talking Thanksgiving side dish.
Your guests will be wowed. It’s definitely not necessary but I know you guys are always talking about how to “up the wow factor” on dishes. Usually when I make them, I add a little something something to it but don’t include it in the recipe because I’m not trying to make you buy a million ingredients. I really do recommend it here. It reminds me of those blue cheese salads I used to have before going vegan. But I really do recommend it here. Either way, it’s an amazing side dish.
Enjoy, friends!
Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and outer leaves removed
- 1 medium red onion, cut in wedges
- 1 large apple, cored and cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3-4 sprigs of thyme
- handful of pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Cut the brussels sprouts in half. Add the brussels sprouts, onions and apples together onto a silpat lined or foil greased baking sheet.
- Mix the olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper together then drizzle over brussels sprouts mixture. Stir until everything is thoroughly coated (you can use your hands if you want).
- Turn all of the Brussels sprouts halves with the cut side down. This ensures that they get beautifully caramelised. Add some thyme sprigs to the baking sheets on top of or around the vegetables.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, shaking the pan a few times while baking, until apples are tender, onions soft and brussels sprouts begin to caramelise. You'll want to watch it around the 30 minute mark that it doesn't burn. Some of the Brussels sprouts skins may darken a lot, but they still taste delicious (and not burnt).
- Serve alongside caramelised pecans and soft vegan cheese (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
So tasty! Our favorite way to eat brussel sprouts now. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
We’re so happy to see this Monica! Thanks so much for the review.
Excited to try these for Thanksgiving next week. Any chance I can make this the day before and then heat it up or will it become soggy? Thinking I can at least do the pecans ahead of time and maybe cut up the sprouts the day before?
Hi Karol! I’ve had these as leftovers many times but I must admit, they taste best fresh! Things you can do ahead of time: prepping the Brussels sprouts like you mentioned, cutting the onions, chopping the pecans, and potentially mixing the olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a little dressing container separately. You could line up the Brussels sprouts, onions, and pecans in a Tupperware container side by side. Then the day off I would chop the apples (so they don’t brown), and then mix it all together and bake. I hope this helps so much!
Could you add thin sliced carrots to this?
Would they need to cook the same or longer time?
Of course you can! The cook time would be the same. I hope this helps.
I’ve made this recipe for several holidays, and it is always a hit! They are so easy to make and super delicious. I’ve been asked for this recipe several times. And I am now requried to make them for family gatherings lol. I definitely recommend making the candy pecans yourself. They are very simple to make and extra yummy. Thank you for this great recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear this!! Haha I love that you are now required to make them too! Thanks for this great comment and you’re so welcome Samantha!
can we use frozen Brussel sprouts?
Hi Deidre,
I wouldn’t recommend them for this post! They have so much liquid in them that they might make the entire dish soggy.
This is the recipe that finally got me to eat brussel sprouts. I love this recipe and make it all the time. My husband has been begging me to make brussel sprouts for years – now he is happy.