These Bacon Wrapped Kielbasa Bites with Brown Sugar Glaze will be the star of your Christmas brunch. They’re slightly sweet, slightly salty from the bacon and completely irresistible.
Watch the video below (above the recipe) to see how easy it is to make these! You can also watch the video on Facebook where you can easily share it.
Bacon Wrapped Kielbasa
You guys. It’s almost Christmas. ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. Are you ready? I sure as hell am not. I’ve got a teething baby and a healing toddler. Needless to say, we’re not getting much accomplished around here!
This is also the first year where I can’t shop for Kelsey’s gifts and wrap them in front of her and she has no idea what they are or even remembers seeing them come Christmas morning. I could do that with Mackenzie because she’s young enough, but Kelsey would remember.
She remembers everything. She’s like a little 26 pound elephant (because they remember everything, supposedly).
So, speaking of Christmas, I’ve gone a little overboard on the cookie posts. But can you blame me? December is most definitely cookie month. If it isn’t already official, I’m declaring that it is. Right now. Official. Done.
Something I’m not done with? Cookie posts. I’ve got one more for you next week, so get ready. Because it’s awesome. 7 layers of awesome. And they’re magic.
But let’s get back on track because this is not another cookie post. Today I’m sharing a recipe for these totally ridiculous bacon wrapped kielbasa bites with a brown sugar glaze. YES. The sausage is wrapped in bacon. And it’s EPIC.
Also epic? The brown sugar glaze with mustard and vinegar and pepper. So, so good. Not too sweet, just enough savory and BACON. Ps, by ridiculous, I really meant awesome in case you couldn’t tell.
We have these bacon wrapped kielbasa bites every year for Christmas brunch with our favorite Bacon and Swiss Quiche. Ham and Cheese Quiche is another great brunch option to have with these as is Gluten Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake. So many great options for brunch these days!
These are especially great because you can assemble the meat the day before (covered and refrigerated) and then just toss together the glaze and cook them in the morning.
If you’re really short on time Christmas morning, you could always completely cook them, as directed in the recipe, the day before and reheat them in the oven the next morning. Just save the extra glaze so you can re-glaze them a bit before throwing them in the oven.
Not only are these great for brunch, they also make a fantastic appetizer. We LOVE them, wish I made them more throughout the year. I’m not really sure why I don’t make them more. But I should.
They’ve really got the perfect blend of sweet from the brown sugar and savory from the pepper and bacon. I absolutely love, love, love these and so does everyone else who eats them. Enjoy!
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Bacon Wrapped Kielbasa with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 lb. kielbasa make sure it’s gluten-free
- 10 slices bacon
- 1 1/2 C brown sugar packed
- 3 Tbsp stone-ground mustard
- 3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp black pepper*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a baking/cooling rack. Lightly spray the rack with non-stick spray.
- Cut kielbasa done the middle, lengthwise. Slice each half into 1 inch pieces, you should have about 30 pieces of kielbasa. Cut each piece of bacon into thirds. Wrap one bacon strip around each piece of kielbasa and secure with a toothpick. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and pepper. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Keep warm on low.
- Brush the kielbasa with glaze and place on the baking sheet/rack. Bake for 40 minutes and baste every 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Disclaimers
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren’t always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.
Other Brunch Recipes You May Enjoy:
Eggnog Muffins with Eggnog Glaze
My nephew asked if I could make these for his graduation gathering. Of course I said yes!
Best aunt award goes to you!
I make this every year and people love it! Thank you
Thanks so much, Tawanda!
Was the star of the show! Numerous people asked me for the recipe after our Christmas Party last year, definitely making them again this year!
Thanks so much Craig!
I’d love to take these with me to thanksgiving dinner, if I were to reheat these right before serving what is the best way to do so? TIA
Try to keep them warm on the way in an insulated container. I would recommend warming them in the oven and brush with a little extra glaze before serving.
If in a pinch, you could warm them in the microwave BUT the bacon will get a little rubbery so I don’t really recommend it.
These are fantastic. To make it even easier I skip brushing on the sauce and instead use the toothpick to dip the bites directly in the sauce pan giving a beautiful coating. Then I sprinkle just a tiny bit of brown sugar on the tops. Easy peasy!
Thanks for sharing Kim!
These are requested at family events, and well worth the effort. Flavor is on point, I even use this for plain crockpot kielbasa. I cook mine longer as I like well done crunchy bacon. The ONLY way to do this is on skewers vs toothpicks. It’s 5000x easier to glaze and flip, served with the toothpicks on the side 😉
I made a double batch of these Bacon Wrapped Kielbasa with Brown Sugar Glaze for a pot luck at church. The only problem was I was at the end of the line and they were gone before I got there. I would give them a 5 star rating on a scale of 1 to 4.
Thank u for putting out this recipe I was looking for something different to try with kielbasa I just made them today in my air fryer and it turned out great there very very yummy,I love kielbasa and the wrapped bacon makes them that much more better
OMG,. I’m going to try that now. What a wonderful combination!!!!!!! I will definitely let you know!!!!!
@Diane, chicken works as well
When I make these I partially precook the bacon to remove some of the fat before wrapping it on the Kielbasa. Otherwise I find they bake is a sea of bacon fat.
These are my favourite appetizers anytime of the year! 😋
These bites are to die for! I made them twice this past Christmas for parties, and they immediately disappeared! A wonderful, savory appetizer for any gathering. I found the glaze a bit ornery to brush on the meat after the toothpick was inserted, but there’s really no other way around this to get the glaze on. Still, a wonderful, different treat. I will be making them from now on! Forget the Li’l Smokies wrapped in bacon appetizer — this recipe takes the appetizer to a whole new level!
Virginia
Thank you Virginia! I’m so glad this recipe has been such a hit!
Just made these and they’re great! Taste just as good, if not better than any store-bought!!
Thank you Alan!
I have made these several times and they are delicious. I have also made them a couple times substituting Chorizo. The sweet and spicy makes for a great combo.
Thank you Lisa! Chorizo sounds like a great alternative!
These sound so much more appetizing than using Lil Smokies for some reason! But! Where in the world can you find Black Pepper FLAKES? I’ve searched the web high and low — even Amazon doesn’t carry it — so I’m curious as to where you found it!
Thanks,
Virginia Dryden
Thanks Virginia! It’s basically ground black pepper or “table grind”. Just don’t use fresh cracked black pepper as it will be too strong.
One last question — I’m making these for a Christmas party, but have a lot going on, so could I prepare these like the day before and put them in a zip lock, and then cook the next day — would they cook up okay after being in the fridge overnight?
Thank you, again!
Virginia Dryden
Okay – makes much more sense now! Thank you – Happy Holidays!
Can you make ahead and bring to party in a crockpot on warm or will they get soggy?
That should work!
I made these for a party recently. Only had one problem. I had to make them again the next day for Hubby and I because my place came home empty.
Made this for Christmas Eve….everyone LOVED, LOVED, LOVED them…..been asked to make them again for New Years!!! I made them exactly as recipe called but was wondering how they would be if chicken was used. Figured I’d make 1/2 kielbasa and 1/2 chicken.
Chicken would probably be great!
Are you able to have these cold? I would like to make them ahead of time and then serve.
These wouldn’t be good cold. There are directions in the post about making them partially ahead of time but if you absolutely have to make them completely ahead of time, you’ll want to reheat them in the oven.
It would work with other smoked and already cooked sausages *I think*, as long as they are mild flavored but I haven’t personally tried this with anything other than kielbasa.
What are your reheating recommendations if I do decide to completely cook them the night before, such as temp and time?
These sound dynamite. Can’t wait to make!
I re-heat these in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes (or until hot all the way through). They’re so good 🙂
Do you cook bacon 1st or wrap uncooked bacon around kielbasa? Thanks!
I don’t cook it first, I use a thin/regular sliced bacon. If you use a thicker cut of bacon, you might want to cook it a little first before wrapping on the chicken to ensure it gets cooked all the way.
Which gluten free kielbasa did you use? Can’t wait to try this!
The Kielbasa Bacon Bites were outstanding. They looked just like the photo and the directions were easy to follow. I served them as an appetizer for my Husband, Karl’s, Birthday which is on New Years Day. Karl loves his Birthday and says that the Whole World Celebrates his special day. The entire family enjoyed this new and flavorful recipe. We all decided that the glaze would also be delicious on fried Cheese Sticks. Our family watches what we eat all through the year; sugar, carbs, fat, calories, and Gluten, so for Karl’s Birthday, we just forget about those “Can’t Haves,” except for the Gluten, and we enjoy a delicious meal along with Birthday Cake and Ice Cream for dessert, without any guilty feelings. I also baked the “Baking Beauties” recipe for Marble Pound Cake for the Birthday Cake. I baked the batter in a 10″ Springform pan. The batter was just the perfect amount to fill the pan perfectly. I frosted the cake with Butter Cream Frosting, and pressed Finely chopped Cashew Nuts onto the sides of the cake. It was just delicious. Both of these recipes are “Keepers” for special dinners. Thank you for posting these great recipes. Sincerely, Suzy