Roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes with maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, toasted pecans and plump cranberries is an easy and delicious roasted vegetables side dish, perfect for a weeknight dinner or your holiday table.
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Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Choose, Clean, and Cut Brussels Sprouts for Roasting
- The Best Way to Choose, Clean, and Cut a Sweet Potato for Roasting
- How to Make Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes: Step-by-Step
- Make Ahead
- Expert Tips
- FAQs
- Try These Easy Recipes Next
- 💌Let's Stay in Touch
- 📖 Recipe
Looking for easy, delicious side dishes for your holiday dinner? This roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts recipe is full of fall flavor and a great way to get even non-veggie lovers to load up on fresh vegetables.
Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are tossed with a sweet and savory dressing of maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, chili powder, and garlic powder, roasted to bring out their inherent sweet, nutty flavors, and served with toasted pecans and sweet, plump cranberries.
The crispy caramelized roasted Brussels sprouts and tender sweet potatoes will taste delicious with your holiday main dish or weeknight dinner.
More delicious side dish recipes for Thanksgiving dinner
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy oven-roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes recipe with simple ingredients
Delicious roasted veggies with toasted nuts and sweet cranberries
Perfect side dish for weeknights or your Christmas or Thanksgiving menu
Ingredients
Please see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
Brussels sprouts. When roasted, Brussels sprouts have a delicious nutty flavor, a crispy outside, and tender inside.
Sweet potatoes. Roasted sweet potatoes are tender and sweet, a delicious pairing with Brussels sprouts.
Extra-virgin olive oil. Use plenty of olive oil to keep the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes from becoming dry in the oven.
Maple syrup. Sweet maple syrup coats the veggies while they roast. An additional drizzle at the end is a rich, sweet finish.
Aged balsamic vinegar. Rich balsamic vinegar adds deep, tangy flavor. Use it for roasting and drizzling at the end.
Chili powder. Chili powder adds earthy flavor without heat.
Garlic powder. Garlic powder is great for long roasting times because it won't burn like fresh garlic. If you prefer fresh garlic, add it during the last 10 minutes or so of roasting.
Dried cranberries. Dried cranberries plumped in boiling orange juice add bursts of juicy sweetness.
Orange juice. Orange juice, or any fruit juice, adds delicious flavor to the plumped cranberries. You can also use water.
Pecan halves. Toasted pecans give the dish crunch and a rich nutty flavor.
How to Choose, Clean, and Cut Brussels Sprouts for Roasting
Choose
When you're in the produce section choosing Brussels sprouts, look for uniformly sized sprouts so they will cook evenly. Choose firm sprouts with bright green, tightly closed leaves.
Avoid ones with leaves that are shriveled, dry, or have holes. If the very outer leaves have just a few dry or damaged spots, it's okay, because you'll be removing them anyway.
Store the Brussels sprouts unwashed in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to a few days.
Clean
When you're ready to cook the Brussels sprouts, use your hands to pull off any dry, damaged, or wilted outer leaves until you reach the fresh, bright green ones.
Trim off the bottom of the stem with a sharp knife. Rinse them in a large bowl of cold water and drain.
Cut
To prepare Brussels sprouts for roasting, cut them in half vertically through the core. If you have very large Brussels sprouts, you can cut them again into quarters.
The Best Way to Choose, Clean, and Cut a Sweet Potato for Roasting
Choose
Look for sweet potatoes with smooth skin that don't have bruises, gouges, or cuts. If they have a few small imperfections, you can usually just cut those areas off.
Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dark place until you're ready to clean and cook them.
Clean
When it's time to cook the sweet potatoes, scrub the skins clean with a vegetable brush to remove any dirt and debris.
Cut
To prepare the sweet potatoes for roasting, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skins. The skins are safe to eat, so you can also leave them on, if you prefer.
If the sweet potato doesn't have a flat end, create one by cutting a slice off of one side. Cut the ends off, then cut sweet potato into lengthwise ½" planks.
Cut each plank into ½" inch sticks. Line up the sticks and cut them into ½" cubes.
How to Make Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes: Step-by-Step
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray.
Bring the orange juice to a boil. Place the dried cranberries in a small bowl and pour the orange juice over them. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and set it aside while the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes roast.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl -- olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, chili powder, and garlic powder.
Add the halved Brussels sprouts and chopped sweet potatoes to the bowl. Give it a good toss to coat the veggies with the maple balsamic dressing.
Pour the vegetables onto the prepared baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer, spreading them out as much as possible. Generously season with salt and black pepper.
Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until the roasted Brussels sprouts are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and the sweet potatoes are golden brown and nearly fork-tender.
The cook time will vary depending on the size of the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, so keep a close eye on them toward the end of the baking time.
Add the pecans and roast for an additional 6-8 minutes or until the pecans are toasted. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn.
Drain the orange juice from the cranberries.
Place the roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes in a serving bowl or platter. Add the plump cranberries and a drizzle of maple syrup and/or balsamic vinegar, if desired.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Make Ahead
Roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are best served fresh from the oven. To save time, you can do some prep a couple of days head of time.
- Mix the dressing together in a small bowl and store it covered in the fridge.
- Clean and halve the Brussels sprouts and place them in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the fridge.
- Peel and cut the sweet potatoes and store them in water in the fridge.
Expert Tips
Cut the sweet potatoes into as equally sized cubes as possible so they roast uniformly.
The cook time will vary depending on the size of the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, so keep a close eye on them toward the end of the baking time.
Keep a close eye on the pecans to make sure they don't burn.
A drizzle of maple syrup and/or balsamic vinegar over the finished dish is a tasty touch.
FAQs
It's best to keep Brussels sprouts whole until it's time to cook, but if you need to make them ahead, trim and cut them 1-2 days ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can cut sweet potatoes a day or so ahead of time. Store them in cold water in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To get roasted vegetables nice and crispy and caramelized, you'll need a hot oven. 400 degrees f is the perfect temperature that will result in a crispy exterior and tender interior.
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📖 Recipe
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- ½ cup orange juice or water
- 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½" cubes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅓ cup pecan halves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray.
- Bring the orange juice to a boil and pour it over the dried cranberries in a small bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside until the vegetables are done roasting.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, chili powder, and garlic powder. Add the halved brussels sprouts and chopped sweet potatoes to the bowl and toss until coated in the dressing.
- Pour the vegetables onto the prepared baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer, spreading them out as much as possible. Generously season with salt and black pepper.
- Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until the brussels sprouts are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and the sweet potatoes are golden brown and nearly fork-tender.The cook time will vary depending on the size of the brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes, so be sure to check them toward the end of the baking time.
- Add the pecans and roast for an additional 6-8 minutes or until the pecans are toasted. Keep a close eye on them so they don't burn.
- Drain the orange juice from the cranberries.
- Serve the roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes with the plump cranberries and a drizzle of maple syrup and/or balsamic vinegar, if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Make Ahead
- Roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are best served fresh from the oven. To save some time, you can prep the individual components and day or two ahead of time and store them separately in the refrigerator. • Mix the dressing together and store it in a small covered bowl. • Clean and halve the brussels sprouts and place them in an airtight container or ziptop bag. • Peel and cut the sweet potatoes and store them in water.
This is such a great dish! I overcooked a bit my first go around and this next time I'm going to keep a better eye on the veggies, they should still have a bite to them and not be mushy. I didn't use pecans due to allergies. I used fresh cranberries instead of the sweetened dried ones. I sprinkled them around on top about 3-5 minutes before done time. They swell and the skins break and it adds a nice layer of flavor and that beautiful pop of color.
Hi, Lexi, I'm so glad you enjoyed the dish. You're exactly right -- nothing better than perfectly crisp tender Brussels sprouts. The fresh cranberries sound delicious, thank you for sharing that tip! Thanks again, Cara