Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Smoked Paprika Candied Pecans

I love jazzing up traditional thanksgiving side dishes, and this recipe is no exception. I’ve made Brussels sprouts with bacon before but thought they could use some smokey sweetness: that’s where the shockingly delicious, no-fuss candied pecans come in. Good luck not eating them all before the Brussels are done baking!

Why This Recipe is Special 

It’s a great make-ahead Thanksgiving side dish that reheats perfectly – You can just toss everything on a baking sheet, cranberries and all, and it reheats just as deliciously as when it was all first mixed together! No need to keep things separate if you don’t want to.

It takes just about an hour to make – Including the bacon, Brussels, and pecans!

Because bacon! – Who can resist eating their vegetables when there’s bacon all over them?!

Ingredient Notes

bacon – Use a nice thick cut. You can also use more than the recipe suggests if you want a more bacon-forward dish.

pecans – You can substitute walnuts or even cashews if you wish.

sea salt – You can also use kosher salt or any flaky salt. Don’t use table salt.

cayenne pepper – I like a little spice in my candied pecans, but this recipe only calls for an amount that just gives them a teeny zing. If you want to spice them up a little more, you can use twice the amount listed.

vanilla extract – Only use real extract. Not imitation.

How to Make these Brussels Sprouts – Step by Step

First, make the candied pecans

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.

2. To a pan, add 3 tbsp. dark brown sugar, ½ tsp. cinnamon, ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp. smoked paprika, ¼ tsp. vanilla extract, ¼ tsp. sea salt and 1 tbsp. water. Mix it all together and turn on MEDIUM heat. 

3. Allow sauce to bubble for 1-2 minutes, then add 1 cup pecans. Stir them around until each is thoroughly coated in the sauce.

4. Pour pecans onto the parchment in 1 layer. Do your best to spread them out a bit. Refrigerate them for 20 minutes to harden them. Once cooled, pull any that are stuck together apart with your fingers and set them aside.

While the pecans refrigerate, make the bacon and Brussels

1. Line a baking sheet with tin foil, and slice 32 oz. Brussels sprouts in half and place in a mixing bowl.

2. Pre-heat oven to 400 F. (204 C.) Fry 4 slices of bacon until crispy and place them on a paper towel to dry. 

3. Pour all the fat onto the Brussels sprouts.

4. Liberally sprinkle with salt and fresh pepper, then stir until all are coated.

5. Pour Brussels onto the lined baking sheet in one layer. I like to lay the Brussels sprouts face-down to make them crispy on the bottom, but you may not be as picky as I am about how your Brussels bake. Bake for 30 minutes, or until they’re looking crispy.

6. Pour them into a mixing bowl. Crush bacon into bits and sprinkle them in (not too tiny – you want nice bite-size pieces, not bacon dust). Add ¼ cup dry cranberries and candied pecans. Stir and serve.

A Few Tips

1. You can use more bacon than the recipe requires, but you’ll only want to use about 2-3 tbsp. of bacon fat. I find 4 slices provide a perfect amount, but if you use more bacon, you’ll obviously have more fat, so just be careful measuring out the fat when it’s time to add it to the Brussels.

2. If you want to make these vegetarian/vegan, simply leave out the bacon and substitute 2 tbsp. olive oil for the bacon fat. If you want to add a little bit of that bacon flavor while keeping it veggie, just add a few drops of Liquid Smoke before baking.