Crockpot Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

Crockpot brussel sprouts with bacon or without is the best side dish ever. Tender and delicious green vegetable that is mouth watering with a ton of flavor. This is the best way of cooking frozen brussel sprouts or fresh.

Slow Cooker Brussel Sprouts

There are so many ways to cook brussel sprouts I tell you, and we’ve done them all. The biggest key to YUM when it comes to this green vegetable is to just get them nice and tender right?? Okay, and bacon is a must too but we’ll get to all of that later. 😉

Yes you can bake in the oven and frozen brussel sprouts in air fryer even come out great. BUT if you love cooking low and slow this will be a hit in your house too.

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
2. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

Brussel Sprouts in Crockpot

Back in the day I used this pot to make like everything. Most of what I thought of was the main dish like making a frozen roast for dinner BUT then I thought of easy side dishes. I mean I had a few different sizes so I literally could make a complete meal without ever turning on my oven, and I did.

I’ll say these are an acquired taste, and many don’t start to like them until they’re adults. 40 was when I started making them all different ways and really loving the taste. It takes a bit of finessing really, with all the different flavors that make them go from oh good, to OH MY!

If you dice up some smoked bacon and toss them with a bit of olive oil and red wine or balsamic vinegar it makes them delicious. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and there you go.

This is the mixture of ingredients we used this time and came out great. Of course if you wanted dairy free, just leave off the cheese. Want a gluten free version, check the bottles of ingredients you chose to ensure they are safe but the veggies themselves are naturally that way.

Ingredients

1. Fresh brussels with stems removed and halved is ideal, frozen is possible but will have a softer texture when done
2. Olive oil to keep moist
3. Red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
4. Salt and pepper are basic seasonings
5. Precooked bacon bits
6. Butter or dairy free alternative
7. Brown sugar is optional for sweetness
8. Garlic powder

If you wanted to add some minced garlic into the mix too that would be good, I was out….I know, tragic. Walnuts and/or dried cranberries are other ideas to add into the mix too. This mixture works in the oven too like our roasted brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar we make.

You don’t even really need to spray the inside with non stick spray because it doesn’t really stick to the sides, but you can.

What is the best way to clean brussel sprouts?

You’ll want to rinse them off under the sink first. Then have a cutting board ready so you can cut off the hard stem on one end. Before that, remove the outer leaves, there will be about 3. Those really are the only areas that could have potentially become dirty. Then cook whole or slice in half for a quicker cook time.

Do you cut the ends off brussel sprouts before cooking?

Yes, you don’t want that hard stem, and the outer leaves are usually the dirtiest part so go ahead and toss those too. Use a sharp knife and it will only take you a few minutes to prep these mini cabbages.

How to cook brussel sprouts in slow cooker

• Prepare brussels by removing the outer leaves. Cut off stems, slice in half lengthwise.
• Cook bacon and then dice with a sharp knife. Add brussels and all other ingredients into pot EXCEPT butter and parmesan cheese into your Crock pot. Stir contents together.
• Slice butter into smaller pieces and lay on top of veggies. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on low. Lift lid and sprinkle on cheese a few minutes before serving. Cover just long enough for that to melt. Serve.
• ** If you want the bacon to stay crunchy then add it in with the cheese at the end instead of at the beginning.

When slow cooking I always recommend using the low function. Some may say 3 hours or on high for 1 but really that defeats the purpose of this machine. Speeding it up doesn’t do anything justice. Sprouts cooked low ands slow with a balsamic glaze or just with some oil and seasonings get perfectly fork tender and just the best.

At the end if you want a stronger flavor you can whip up a balsamic reduction and drizzle that on top. There will already be a great flavor to them but some people really like a thick, sweet sauce on top. For nutritional information in regards to this one, follow our easy brussels sprouts recipe shown below.

If you need directions on how to cook these from frozen, we have link to that recipe at the top of this post for you too. Both are low in saturated fat and a yummy side that goes with just about anything for dinner. We love shredded brussel sprout salad with burgers too.

Worried this will make too much for your family? They save quite well so no worries my friend. Let me tell you what I do if it’s an overkill. Enjoy what you like and then turn off your pot so they can totally cool off. Once room temp. then you should use a plastic container, or a small freezer bag. I like the latter better quite frankly.

Best way to save leftovers

It is to spoon into that bag and then zip 90% closed. Then purse that little opening open and use your mouth to suck all that air out of there. If you have one of those fancy air seal bagging systems then by all means use that, we don’t.

How to Reheat Leftovers

Make sure you spoon in as much sauce you have left in your Crock to keep them babies nice and moist when you save leftovers too. Then you can enjoy them again the next day. The best way to reheat brussel sprouts is to use your air fryer y’all. I kid you not, this is a game changer.

Preheat that machine for 400 for 5 minutes. Then pour into the basket for about 4 minutes shaking the basket at minute 2. If you want them crispier add a few more minutes. Remove and enjoy. It will crisp up the outsides so they won’t be soggy or too soft anymore.

If you love this idea you could do this in small batches after this initial recipe is done. It adds a bit of texture to the dish but the insides are still nice and fork tender. Either way it’s delish.