Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Bacon / Vegan and Oil-Free

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Delicious crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, roasted Brussels sprouts are tossed generously with smokey sweet coconut bacon and toasted walnuts. This irresistible recipe is a must-have for your holiday table. It’s made vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free with healthy ingredients the whole family will love.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Bacon

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of O3 Superfoods. The opinions, text, and recipe are my own creation. Thank you so much for creating the ultimate flax butter and for the support!

I’m tempted to call this recipe coconut bacon with roasted Brussels sprouts because I love coconut bacon so much! It’s that sweet, savory, and smokey flavor with a delightful crispiness that makes it hard to stop eating. Like seriously, I would choose to munch on coconut bacon over popcorn! It turns roasted Brussels sprouts from regular winter veg into a holiday worthy side dish.

The best part about coconut bacon is that it’s totally irresistible and healthy. Made with wide-chip coconut, flax butter, and sweetened with maple syrup, you can snack on it just like granola! Flax butter is also a great option for folks with nut allergies or those who dig this superfood in spreadable, butter form.

Mon petit chou…my little cabbage

Brussels sprouts are in season during the fall and winter. This is when they are at their sweetest making them great for holiday cooking. Look for sprouts that are vivid green in color and feel firm when you squeeze them.

Perfect roasted Brussels sprouts are deeply golden on the flat side, slightly crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. This usually means roasting them with oil. But, I’ve found that melted cacao butter is a beautiful substitute for oil. Cacao butter is a cholesterol-free fat that, just like canola oil, has a high smoking point (446 F / 230 C) which makes it wonderful for roasting vegetables.

Tips on roasting Brussels sprouts:

Preheat your baking sheet

To get that deeply golden charred bottom you need a hot baking sheet. Simply slide the sheet in the oven during preheating. Then it will get nice and hot while you prepare your sprouts. There is no need to grease the sheet or line it with parchment paper.

Flip the brussels sprouts cut side down, on the hot sheet

Tumble your prepped sprouts onto the hot sheet and carefully flip each one cut side down. The flat side will sear against the hot pan and continue to caramelize as it roasts. Give them enough room on the sheet so that they aren’t layered on top of each other which will steam the sprouts instead of roasting them.

Roast, undisturbed, at a high temperature

Let the Brussels be. With the flat side down and seared, air gets trapped on the inside of the sprout. This steams them on the inside making the interior perfectly tender and the outside lovely and crispy.

Tips on making coconut bacon:

Use wide chip coconut flakes

Large flaked coconut (aka coconut chips), not regular shredded coconut, makes for the crispiest bacon with the best texture. Don’t worry, your bacon won’t taste like coconut and the high-fat content makes it irresistible.

Liquid smoke is what makes it taste like bacon

This is the key ingredient that turns coconut into bacon. There’s no substitute for liquid smoke but you’ll find unlimited uses for it in plant-based cooking, and I highly recommend keeping a bottle in your pantry. There are different kinds of liquid smoke. The smokiest, most flavorful liquid smoke is pure concentrated liquid smoke by Lazy Kettle (not an affiliate link, I just love this flavor of this brand). This is what I use in this recipe.

Stir the flakes for maximum crispiness

Coconut bacon bakes in 15 minutes but it’s suuuper important to stir it at regular intervals during the cooking process so it browns evenly and becomes crispy on both sides. To do this, remove the baking tray from the oven at 5, 10, and 13 minutes to stir the bacon around with a fork.

This Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Coconut Bacon recipe is:

Festive and delicious
Savory with a hint of sweetness
Healthy
Vegan
Oil-free and gluten-free

Keep scrolling for step-by-step instructions with photos!

Ingredients for Coconut Bacon

2 cups of unsweetened large coconut flakes, aka coconut chips (not regular shredded coconut!)
2 tablespoons of tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of O3 Flax Butter (see note)
1 teaspoon of concentrated liquid smoke
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for sprinkling

Makes 2 cups of coconut bacon

Note: If you don’t have flax butter on hand, you can swap it out for tahini.

How to make Coconut Bacon

Coconut Bacon sauce — Steps 1-2:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F / 180 C / gas mark 4. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the tamari, maple syrup, flax butter, liquid smoke, and smoked paprika.

Coconut Bacon before baking — Step 3:

3. Scoop the coconut flakes into the bowl and mix until all the flakes are evenly coated with the bacon sauce.

Coconut Bacon in a baking sheet — Steps 4-5:

4. Spread the coated flakes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, scootching the pieces around with a fork so that they don’t clump up too much. Scrape any flakes that stuck to the bowl on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 15 minutes total, stirring the flakes with a fork at 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and 13 minutes. At this point, they should be golden brown and fairly crispy. If you need to bake them a minute more, keep a close eye on them as they can go from golden to burnt very quickly at this point.

Tips on storage:

Coconut bacon stays crispiest when stored in the freezer. You do not need to thaw it out as it weirdly doesn’t feel cold even straight from the freezer. You can also store coconut bacon in an airtight container in the pantry for a month, but it will lose some of its crispiness as it sits. To re-crisp, place under the broiler for 1 minute (watching to make sure it doesn’t burn), or in the toaster oven.

Ingredients for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Bacon

2 pounds (907 grams) of brussels sprouts, bottom trimmed, outer leaves removed, and sliced in half.
3 tablespoons of melted cacao butter (if using oil, use olive oil)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup of coconut bacon (see recipe above)
½ cup of toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

How to make Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Bacon

Prepped Brussels Sprouts in a bowl — Step 2:

2. Prepare your brussels sprouts by giving them a rinse, dry them, and then trim off the very bottom. Slice them in half, discarding the old outer leaves that fall away easily, and pile them into a mixing bowl. If some of the good green leaves fall off when you are slicing, add them to the bowl as well.

Steps 3-4:

3. Melt the cacao butter, in a small dish, in the microwave for 30-60 seconds at a time until it turns into a golden liquid that smells like white chocolate. You can also melt cacao butter on the stovetop in a small saucepan over medium heat.
4. Drizzle the melted cacao butter over the brussels sprouts and toss until all the sprouts are evenly coated. The cacao butter will turn milky in color as it coats the sprouts and begins too cool off. If you’re cooking with oil, use olive oil instead. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss again.

Steps 5-6:

5. Remove the hot baking sheet(s) from the oven and scoop the brussels sprouts onto it so they are nice and spread out. Carefully flip each sprout, cut side down, so it sears on the hot pan.
6. Bake for approx. 20-25 minutes, checking their progress after 15 and 20 minutes, adjusting the cooking time as needed. You are looking for sprouts that are deeply golden on the flat side, slightly crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. The stray leaves will turn slightly charred and deliciously crisp.

Planning your holiday menu? Check out these savory dishes and tempting desserts!

Vegan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Vegan Acorn Stuffed Squash

Vegan Dark Chocolate Tart

If you like this Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Bacon recipe, please give it a 5-star rating in the recipe card below, and lemme know how it turns out in the comments. Hearing from you always makes my day! And if you’re looking for more yummy vegan inspo, check out my Pinterest and Instagram Page!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Bacon

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Coconut Bacon / Vegan and Oil-Free

Mon petit chou…my little cabbage