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Vegetable Dishes

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Brussels sprouts blanched until just tender, then tossed in a hot pan with crisp smoked streaky bacon and butter until browned at the edges, with a squeeze of lemon. Add vacuum-packed chestnuts for the classic Christmas version; the sprouts can be blanched a day ahead.

  • Serves 8
  • Side dish for 8
  • Ready in 25 minutes
  • Blanch the sprouts a day ahead
  • Chestnuts optional
  • British

Method

  1. Trim the base of each sprout (1 kg) and pull off any yellow or damaged outer leaves. Halve any that are larger than a walnut so they all cook at the same speed. There is no need to cut a cross in the base.

  2. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Add the sprouts and cook for 3–4 minutes, until just tender with a little bite. Drain and cool them quickly under the cold tap or in a bowl of iced water, then drain well. (You can do this up to a day ahead; keep them covered in the fridge.)

  3. Put the bacon (150 g) in a large, cold frying pan or wok and set over a medium heat. Fry for 6–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has run and the bacon is crisp and golden.

  4. Add the chestnuts (180 g) and fry with the bacon for 3–4 minutes until lightly toasted. Lift the bacon and chestnuts out with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.

  5. Add the butter (30 g) to the pan and turn up the heat. When it foams, add the sprouts and toss over a high heat for 4–5 minutes (a little longer if they came from the fridge) until hot through and browned in places.

  6. Return the bacon and chestnuts, grate over the lemon zest and add a squeeze of juice (½ lemon). Season with plenty of black pepper and taste before adding any salt, as the bacon is salty (to taste). Serve straight away.

Tip: tap a step to tick it off as you cook.

See also

Chef’s notes

  • Do not overcook sprouts: once they turn soft and olive-green they release the sulphur smell that gives them a bad name. Bright green with a little bite is what you want.
  • Shredded sprouts: slice the raw sprouts thinly and stir-fry them in the bacon fat and butter for 3–4 minutes instead of blanching. Quick and good for sprout doubters.
  • Roasted: toss halved raw sprouts with the bacon and a little oil and roast at 200°C (fan 180°C, gas 6) for 20–25 minutes, adding the chestnuts for the last 5 minutes.
  • Vegetarian: leave out the bacon, fry the chestnuts in 2 tablespoons of olive oil with a sliced shallot and a pinch of smoked paprika.
  • Pancetta lardons, cubed smoked bacon or even leftover ham all work in place of streaky bacon.

How this recipe was developed

We compared Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts from Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver with BBC Good Food’s most-rated version and its roasted variation.

  • Blanch, then finish in the pan. BBC Good Food’s sprouts with bacon and chestnuts (4.5/5, 46 ratings) boils the sprouts for 5 minutes, cools them, then finishes them in the pan with butter; Gordon Ramsay blanches halved sprouts for 2–3 minutes. We go for 3–4 minutes.
  • Halve the big ones. Gordon Ramsay halves the sprouts so the cut faces brown and soak up the bacon fat; Jamie Oliver halves only the larger ones. We halve anything bigger than a walnut.
  • Crisp the bacon, toast the chestnuts. BBC Good Food fries the bacon until crisp, then fries the chestnuts in its fat until tinged; Jamie Oliver crumbles the chestnuts into the bacon and fries them until deep golden.
  • Butter and lemon. Gordon Ramsay fries in oil and butter and finishes with lemon zest and juice; BBC Good Food tosses the sprouts in butter and adds a final knob. We use butter and an optional squeeze of lemon.
  • Make ahead. BBC Good Food par-boils the sprouts and fries the bacon and chestnuts two days ahead; Gordon Ramsay keeps blanched sprouts in cold water for a few hours. We suggest blanching a day ahead.

Sources we compared (ratings as shown on each site on 31 October 2026):

This is an original Cookeryonline recipe written in our own words. Ingredient choices and techniques are credited above; no source text has been copied.

Shopping list for 8 portions

Meat & poultry

Fruit & veg

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Store cupboard (check you have)