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These honey balsamic brussels sprouts are not only great tasting, but simple enough to make. Perfect side dish for your next meal or holiday dinner.

Have you noticed how popular Brussels sprouts are nowadays? The once dreaded vegetable of all children is now loved by many. Restaurants have even started included them as a side, and an extra cost side at that.

Brussels Sprouts are packed with fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants so you really can’t go wrong with eat a full bowl of the stuff. Check out my Brussels Sprouts Salad to get even more of the good stuff

How to pick out your brussels sprouts

Smaller brussels sprouts tend to have a sweeter taste
Baby brussels sprouts have a purple color to them and taste almost the same as full grown brussels sprouts
Pick sprouts that are tighter and firm
Avoid brussels sprouts where the leaves are yellowish which means those are a lot older

Ingredients for Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

Fresh Brussels Sprouts– nowadays you can find fresh brussels sprouts at most grocery stores. If you’re lucky you might be able to find baby brussels sprouts which have a pretty purple color to them which really make this dish pop with color.
Bacon– chop up 4 slices of this goodness and cook in a pan
Sliced Almonds– I keep a bag of this on hand because they good with so much. Check out my green beans with almonds recipe.
Balsamic Vinegar– brings such a great flavor to this brussels sprouts
Honey– takes out the bitterness that come with brussels sprouts
Dijon Mustard– another flavor enhancer

Prepping the Brussels Sprouts

Rinse your brussels sprouts in a strainer and pat dry. Take your mandilon shaver and place it over a big mixing bowl (Photo 1) Then take your rinsed brussels sprouts (Photo 2) and start by taking one brussels sprout and running it over back and forth over your mandolin shaver (Photo 3) until you start to see the stem (Photo 4)

Repeat the above steps with all the brussels sprouts. After they are all shaved go through the bowl of shaved brussels sprouts and unclump them and take out any stem pieces (Photo 5) and then set the bowl aside (Photo 6)

Mixing the Sauce

Add the honey to a small bowl (Photo 7) and then add the balsamic vinegar to the honey (Photo 8) and then the dijon mustard (Photo 9) Whisk together with a fork (Photo 10) Be sure to get the honey mixed on the bottom of the bowl and the mustard mixed well (Photo 12) and set aside

Cooking the Brussels Sprouts

Put a large pan over high heat and add your chopped bacon to the pan (Photo 13) and stir the bacon around (Photo 14) until the bacon is fully cooked (Photo 15) and turn the heat down to medium

Next add the shaved brussels sprouts to the pan of bacon and grease (Photo 16) and then add the balsamic mixture to the pan (Photo 17) Stir everything and cook for 5 min (Photo 18)

Then add the shaved almonds to the pan (Photo 19) and stir around and cook for 3 minutes (Photo 20) and then serve.

Tips for this recipe

For a quicker prep time use a mandolin slicer. I use mine all the time for different recipes and love it. This Prepwork Mandolin is the newer version on the one I have owned for 7 years
If you can find fresh baby brussels sprouts get them. They have a purple color to them and really make this dish pop out
Don’t slice the brussels sprouts all the way to the end. You will start to get part of the stem. If I do slice them a little too much I throw the stem pieces away
Don’t skip on cooking the bacon. Bacon bites might seem like a simple way to save time, but you need that bacon grease to cook the brussels sprouts in
If you want your almonds to be super crunchy cook the brussels sprouts, bacon, and balsamic mixture for the full 8 minutes and throw the almonds in and stir and serve.

Looking for other vegetable side dishes?

Spinach with Caramelized Onions
Green Beans with Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Walnuts
Cabbage Steaks with Balsamic Dressing
Sriracha Broccoli

Or check out all my side dishes to find the perfect one to fit your next meal