Orange Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Vegan) 🌱 Beautifully roasted and tossed in a lightly sweet & citrusy vegan sauce with fresh orange juice, zest, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and plant-based butter. Brussels sprouts have never tasted (or looked) so good!
My husband brought these gorgeous Brussels sprouts home from the grocery store the other day. I'd never seen purple sprouts before - they looked like tiny purple cabbages. They were just so pretty, I couldn't wait to make something with them. That's when I thought, wouldn't it be fun to combine the bright flavor & color of fresh oranges with these vibrant violet and green sprouts? I knew they would make the perfect veggie side dish to go with simple savory herbed tofu and homemade mashed potatoes.
Digging through my kitchen pantry, I found the basic ingredients I wanted to use in addition to the fresh oranges I had on hand. I had a partial bottle of white balsamic vinegar and a few tablespoons of maple syrup. I went online, looking for inspiration and came across a Martha Stewart recipe that looked really good, but required a lot of dairy butter and more oil than I like, so I reduced the amount of fat by about 75% and used all plant-based ingredients.
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I've always been crazy about Brussels sprouts, but when I first tasted these vegan orange balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts, my opinion was elevated to a whole new level. Honestly, I was stunned by how good they were. My husband loved them and my daughter said, hands-down, they were the best Brussels sprouts she'd ever had.
Why we love this recipe
- Quick and easy to prepare
- Makes a beautiful side dish for Thanksgiving or any occasion!
- Loaded with nutrition
- Vegan - no dairy
- Only a few basic ingredients
- The most delicious Brussels sprouts ever!
Can you believe those colors? You can see why I couldn't wait to try them! Can't find purple Brussels sprouts at your grocers or farmer's markets? Fear not! This recipe will work perfectly fine with any type of Brussels sprouts - purple, green or anything in-between.
🥕Tasty Tip
Have you ever made your own citrus-infused vinegar? I love bottling thin strips of freshly cut orange, lemon, or lime peels with white balsamic vinegar or white wine/champagne vinegar. Perfect for adding extra flavor to salad dressings and cooking, like in this recipe! Be sure to remove as much of the pith as you can from the peel (it tends to be bitter). Let the flavors infuse for a couple weeks, then strain and re-bottle the vinegar.
How to Roast Brussels Sprouts
This recipe requires just a few basic ingredients you might already have on hand. Feel free to make substitutions if needed, here are a few ideas, just in case!
Ingredients
🥕 See the recipe card below for quantities & details.
- Brussels sprouts (any variety - doesn't have to be purple)
- Olive oil - I prefer extra virgin.
- Salt - coarsely ground
- Balsamic vinegar - I prefer white balsamic (I used a peach infused white balsamic I had on hand, it was delish!)
- Maple syrup (you can replace with agave nectar or vegan honey if needed)
- Orange juice - fresh or bottled
- Orange zest
- Vegan butter
Instructions
When you're ready to prepare this dish, the first thing you'll want to do is throughly wash and rinse your sprouts. I like to soak my veggies for a few minutes in water with a small amount of white vinegar added. Rinse them in a large strainer or colander and let them drip dry. Once they're mostly dry, continue preparing them for roasting by trimming the stems and slicing each sprout in half.
- Preheat oven to 475º
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (for easier clean-up)
- Place halved sprouts in a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat sprouts well.
- Arrange sprouts cut side down onto baking sheet.
- Place in oven for 10 minutes.
- Use a knife to check for tenderness.
- Remove from oven when sprouts are tender and slightly browned.
- Transfer roasted Brussels sprouts to a bowl.
How to make a vegan orange balsamic sauce
While the sprouts are roasting, it's the perfect time to prepare the orange balsamic sauce.
- In a small saucepan, simply combine balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, orange juice and zest over medium heat.
- Stir. Add vegan butter, continue stirring until melted and all ingredients are fully blended.
- Pour the sauce over Brussels sprouts and toss until thoroughly combined.
Sprinkle with a bit of extra zest. I suggest enjoying them right away while they're hot. I seriously doubt there'll be any leftovers!
Equipment
- Large strainer or colander
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Measuring spoons
- Citrus juicer
- Mixing bowl
- Small sauce pan
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
FAQ's
Are Brussels sprouts good for you?
These tiny cabbage-like veggies are loaded with healthful nutrition, like vitamins C and K, as well as minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, and folate. Did you know they're also high in protein?
According to an article in WebMD.com: Eating a lot of Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous veggies may help protect against cancers of the stomach, lungs, kidney, breast, bladder, and prostate.
Crunchy veggies like Brussels sprouts may also help you stave off other health issues, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes. Brussels sprouts also have carotenoids, colorful pigments found in plants, which are good for your eyes.
Food for Thought
Just a word of caution. Because Brussels sprouts are high in Vitamin K, people taking blood thinners may need to avoid them. Like other cruciferous veggies, Brussels sprouts have a type of carbohydrate that some people have difficulty digesting.
Why are they called Brussels sprouts?
Brussels sprouts originated in Belgium almost 500 years ago and were named after the capital city - Brussels, of course!
How to store Brussels sprouts?
Fresh, uncooked Brussels sprouts should be stored (dry and unwashed) inside an airtight plastic bag in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator until you are ready to use them (up to about 4 days). It is important to keep them dry in order to prevent them from rotting, so wash them just before cooking.
Orange balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts should be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
If you enjoyed these beautiful roasted Brussels sprouts, be sure to check out these other easy & delicious vegan recipes!
- Tofu Orange Veggie Skillet
- Vegan Roasted Root Veggies
- Garden Zucchini Squash Casserole
- Vegan Mediterranean Roasted Veggies
- Vegan Cuban Crushed Potatoes
very vegan 🌱 very good
Recipe
Orange Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Vegan)
Equipment
- large strainer or colander
- Knife
- mixing bowl
- small sauce pan
- baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts fresh - any variety washed, trimmed, sliced in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ teaspoon salt coarsely ground
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475°
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper (for easier clean-up)
- Place clean, trimmed, halved Brussels sprouts in a bowl
- Drizzle with 1- 2 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt
- Toss with a large spoon until thoroughly coated
- Arrange Brussels sprouts cut side down onto baking sheet
- Place in oven at 475° for about 10 minutes, until tender and slightly browned
- Transfer Brussels sprouts to a bowl
- Pour orange balsamic sauce over sprouts, toss to thoroughly coat.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with a little bit of orange zest.
Orange Balsamic Sauce
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine orange juice, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and orange zest.
- Stir until hot, add 1 tablespoon vegan butter. Stir until melted. Remove from heat.
- Pour sauce over roasted Brussels sprouts & toss.
- Serve while hot.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Donna Hopkins
I made this for a side at lunch today and it was so delicious. My omnivore daughter couldn't get enough of it and raved on and on.... I will definitely be making it again, thank you ♥
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Donna, I'm delighted that you & your daughter enjoyed the sprouts! Thanks a bunch for sharing!🥕💚
Connie Edwards McGaughy
I've always loved Brussels sprouts but until I tried making them with this recipe, I had no idea just how fabulous they can be!
Sheila
Going to try this in a few days. I don't have white balsamic vinegar (didn't even know it existed), but I might get some, if it's available at my store. Anyway, do you think dark balsamic vinegar will work well with this? It's the kind I have on hand.
Oh, and by the way, I absolutely love your quiche recipe. Made it several days ago! So good. Should have posted it on that page but will do so now.
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Hi Sheila!
I'm so happy you tried the quiche recipe & love it! We're kind of hooked on it at my house 😬
Yes, you can use red or dark balsamic. It might be a bit sweeter, which is fine. The main reason I use white balsamic is to let the color of the sprouts shine through. Red balsamic tends to darken them a bit. But you should be good either way. I'd love to hear your thoughts when you make them.
Happy cooking!🥕🌱