With a perfect blend of sweet, tart, savory, and nutty flavors, my Marinated Brussels Sprouts with cranberries, balsamic vinegar, and orange is the ideal cold-weather side dish. These gorgeously caramelized roasted brussels sprouts are welcome on any holiday table but are also easy enough to pull off on a regular weeknight as a side dish full of great flavor.
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About This Recipe
If you’re a fan of cruciferous veggies (read: broccoli, air fried cauliflower, and cabbage), you’re going to love this simple recipe. These marinated and roasted brussels sprouts with cranberries are my current side-dish obsession for many reasons, not least of which is that they are wonderfully seasonal and downright delicious.
As if that weren’t enough to love and add to your holiday menu, this recipe for caramelized brussel sprouts with cranberries is also:
- Made With Just 7 Simple Ingredients - And they’re all easy to find this time of year.
- Quick & Easy - You’ll only need to spend about 20 minutes of active time making this recipe for caramelized brussels sprouts, leaving you plenty of time for preparing any other holiday side dishes.
- Crowd-Pleasing & Allergen-Friendly - Roasting brussels sprouts in the oven gives them a gorgeously crispy consistency and a lovely caramelized flavor that even veggie-averse folks have a hard time resisting. Add tart cranberries, sweet orange juice, and syrupy balsamic vinegar to the mix and you have a naturally vegan, nut-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nutritious side that works with just about any diet.
Ingredients & Substitutions
As I mentioned earlier, this recipe for balsamic glazed brussels sprouts and cranberries calls for just 7 whole food ingredients for your Thanksgiving meal or as a delicious side dish. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Brussels Sprouts - I was lucky and found both green and purple brussels sprouts at the market for an extra visually appealing twist. Feel free to use easier-to-find green sprouts on their own if that’s all your store has.
- Olive Oil - Just your normal cooking oil is perfect here.
- Balsamic Vinegar - As with wines, vinegar can vary widely in terms of flavor and quality. If possible, opt for the best quality aged Modena balsamic vinegar you can fit into your budget.
- Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Pepper - For seasoning.
- Fresh Rosemary - For fresh, piney, herbaceous flavor reminiscent of a cold winter’s day.
- Cranberries - Feel free to use either fresh or frozen cranberries here. It's a great way to add a little bit of acid and flavor to this perfect side dish.
- Orange - You’ll need the orange zest and juice for the full flavor experience, so make sure to opt for fresh fruit. Any variety of orange, mandarin, clementine, or tangerine will work beautifully, so grab whatever you prefer to eat out of hand.
Equipment
Making these marinated and roasted brussels sprouts requires only basic kitchen equipment. Here is what you’ll need:
- Mixing Bowls - Make sure the large mixing bowl is either glass, plastic, or nonreactive metal (e.g. stainless steel) so the acidity from the vinegar and orange juice doesn’t give your sprouts a weird metallic taste.
- Baking Sheet Pan - Opt for a rimmed sheet pan so none of your tasty marinated veggies get lost when you move the pan to the oven and back.
- Whisk - You can also use a fork to mix the dressing if you don’t have a whisk.
- Spatula - For flipping the brussels sprouts over.
How To Make Marinated Brussels Sprouts
Making this recipe for marinated brussel sprouts with balsamic glaze is quite simple for your Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving table. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Marinate Brussels Sprouts. Add brussels sprouts, olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper and rosemary in a large bowl. Toss to thoroughly combine and marinate for 1- 2 hours.
Step 2: Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Toss fresh cranberries into the brussels sprouts mixture before pouring on the prepared sheet pan.
Step 3: Roast Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries for 20-25 minutes, flipping brussels sprouts halfway through.
Step 4: Make Orange Balsamic Dressing. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, add dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk thoroughly until homogenous.
Step 5: Assemble. Pour the dressing over your roasted brussels sprouts before serving! Any leftovers can be placed in an airtight container and reheated at your weeknight dinners!
Optional Variations
While I love this recipe for roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar, there are a few ways you can customize it to your liking.
First, consider add-ins like:
- Bacon - Add some salty, savory, fatty goodness to the mix by sprinkling on some homemade bacon bits before serving. I love using applewood smoked uncured bacon from my Butcher Box subscription!
- Nuts - Pecans or walnuts are a natural pair for these brussels sprouts with cranberries.
Also, if you can’t find fresh cranberries, you’re welcome to toss in dried cranberries or fresh pomegranate arils at the end.
Expert Tips
- Place cut sides down for the first oven spell. This will help to develop a nice crisp crust on your roasted caramelized brussel sprouts.
- There’s no need to defrost frozen cranberries before roasting. You can toss them directly on the sheet pan with the marinated brussel sprouts.
- Only zest the bright orange part of the orange skin; the white pith is very bitter.
- To get the most juice from your fruit, firmly roll it on the countertop for 10-15 seconds before slicing it open.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not necessarily. However, I do find that marinating brussels sprouts in a mix of oil, vinegar, and fresh herbs gives them a much deeper flavor than if you were to roast them directly after cutting them in half.
The key here is roasting the brussels sprouts at a high temperature. If you roast them low and slow, they can get soggy and extra bitter.
Additionally, using salt helps to draw out some of the bitter compounds, and using sweet ingredients like orange juice, cranberries, and balsamic vinegar helps to provide a nice contrast to the naturally bitter flavor of brassicas.
I like to cut brussels sprouts in half (or large ones into quarters) before roasting to expose more surface area that can caramelize and get crispy. Note that some leaves will fall off during this phase, but I like to toss them in the mix as they become delightfully crisp during roasting.
More Celebratory Side Dish & Appetizer Recipes
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Marinated Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries
Ingredients
Marinated Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, green and purple, optional stems removed, sliced in half
- 3 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt & Pepper, to season
- 1 Tablespoon Rosemary, minced
- 1 cup Fresh Cranberries
Orange Balsamic Dressing
- 1 Orange , zested
- ½ Orange, juiced
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Add brussels sprouts, olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper and rosemary in a large bowl. Toss to thoroughly combine and marinate for 1- 2 hours.1 pound brussels sprouts, 3 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar, Salt & Pepper, 1 Tablespoon Rosemary
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Toss fresh cranberries into the brussels sprouts mixture before pouring onto a foil lined sheet pan. Roast for 20-25 minutes, flipping brussels sprouts halfway through.1 cup Fresh Cranberries
- Meanwhile, create your orange balsamic dressing - add dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisking thoroughly until homogenous.1 Orange, ½ Orange, 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Pour the dressing over your brussels sprouts before serving!
Notes
- Place cut sides down for the first oven spell. This will help to develop a nice crisp crust on your roasted caramelized brussel sprouts.
- There’s no need to defrost frozen cranberries before roasting. You can toss them directly on the sheet pan with the marinated brussel sprouts.
- Only zest the bright orange part of the orange skin; the white pith is very bitter.
- To get the most juice from your fruit, firmly roll it on the countertop for 10-15 seconds before slicing it open.
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