Sprouts and crispy bacon make an easy, quick Christmas side dish. No soggy sprouts in sight in this recipe!
*Post updated November 2025
A delicious side dish the whole family will love.
Let's face it - everything tastes better with BACON 😋 Even kids will be converted to loving sprouts this holiday season!
Recipe top tips!
- Large Brussels sprouts tend to be more bitter than smaller ones.
- Choose small to medium Brussels sprouts, as larger ones will take longer to cook than the recipe suggests.
- Always cook the Brussels sprouts in salted water first until slightly undercooked. If you just sauté them, they will more than likely taste burnt before they are tender.
- If you can, buy Brussels sprouts still attached to the stalk (sprout tree)! They're likely much fresher than those ready-prepared sprouts packed in plastic bags.
- After cooking the Brussels, drain them and add ice-cold water, then drain again - do this to preserve the colour of vegetables.
- Butter will colour the sprouts, and the oil will stop the butter from burning.
- Dry-cured streaky bacon will result in delicious crispy bacon - regular bacon has too much water in it and boils before it crisps. 😨 I used Tesco's Finest, and it was perfect.
- Smoked bacon is always better. I can never understand why they even make unsmoked bacon. 😕
- Lightly bashing the bacon rashers between two sheets of cling film will make them thinner, and once cut in half and rolled up, they will crisp up nicely.
- Once everything is cooked, drizzle with maple syrup for a sweeter taste.
- You can also add halved ready-cooked chestnuts - you can buy vacuum packed chestnuts from Amazon or from any good supermarket.
Make ahead
Once you've cooked the Brussels and put them into ice-cold water, drain well and put them into a food storage container.
Put them into the fridge, and they'll be ready to continue with the recipe on the big day.
You could even cook the bacon and store it separately in the fridge.
Ingredients - serves 4
- 15g unsalted butter
- ½ a tablespoon of oil
- 500g Brussels sprouts - cooked in salted water until slightly underdone, drained, add cold water and then drain well.
- 12 rashers (strips) of dry-cured smoked streaky bacon
- freshly ground black pepper to season
Lay each rasher of bacon between two sheets of cling film (food wrap) and, using the flat side of a meat tenderiser (or the bottom of a saucepan).
Cut each one in half, roll it tightly like a cigar and set aside.
Full recipe in the printable recipe card below.
Cook the Brussels sprouts, but take care not to overcook them; you want them slightly just under.
Heat some oil in a large frying pan, then add the rolled bacon and cook until crispy, turning carefully to keep them from unrolling.
Wipe the pan to remove any excess oil - although bacon fat adds to the flavour! 😋
Add the butter, and once it's nice and hot, add the cooked sprouts into the pan and let them brown slightly before turning.
Once they begin to brown slightly, add in the bacon and serve immediately.
What to serve with Brussels sprouts and bacon
- Christmas dinner, the full Christmas roast, or Thanksgiving
- Pan-fried chicken
- Sunday roast chicken dinner
- Or even on their own!
Equipment
You will need a large sauté pan or a large non-stick frying pan.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!
Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Easy side dish for Christmas dinner and Thanksgiving. You can drizzle with balsamic if you wish.
Ingredients
- 15g unsalted butter
- ½ a tablespoon of oil
- 500g Brussels sprouts - outermost leaves removed
- 12 rashers (strips) of dry-cured smoked streaky bacon
- black pepper to season
Instructions
- Place each rasher of bacon between two sheets of cling film (food wrap) and, using the flat side of a meat tenderiser or the bottom of a saucepan, gently pound to thin it out.
- Cut each piece in half, roll it up tightly like a cigar, and set it aside.
- Bring a suitably sized saucepan of cold, salted water to a boil, then add the Brussels sprouts. Cover loosely with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them—you want them just slightly underdone. Once cooked, drain and add cold water to the pan and drain well. It's best to put the pan back on the stovetop (no heat) to dry the Brussels a bit.
- Now, add the oil to a large frying pan and heat it. Once it's nice and hot, add the rolled bacon and fry until crispy - take care when turning that they don't unroll.
- You might want to wipe the pan to remove any excess oil - although bacon fat does add to the flavour!
- Move the bacon to one side of the pan and add the butter. Add the cooked sprouts to the pan and let them brown slightly before turning. Once they get a bit of colour, mix the bacon in with them, season with black pepper and serve straight away.
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