This Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad features sweet sliced apples, candied pecans, red onion, and is tossed in a delicious simple homemade honey apple cider vinegar dressing! For anyone who wants to learn how to eat raw Brussels sprouts, or who picked up a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts from Trader Joe’s and doesn’t know what to do with it… this recipe is for you.
This shaved Brussels sprouts salad is a gorgeous salad for fall and winter. It’s a fun lettuce-free salad recipe that’s hearty and healthy. Packed with nutrients, you’re going to love this salad as an interesting addition to any dinner!
Serve shaved Brussels sprouts salad with simple roast chicken, pork chops, or even grilled halloumi cheese. Let’s get to the recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts – you can sometimes find these already prepared and shredded (similar to shaved cabbage for coleslaw). But if you can’t, you can easily shred them yourself (more on that below).
- Despite the title of this recipe, you can substitute shaved Brussels sprouts with another shredded cruciferous vegetable, such as cabbage, kale, or broccoli.
- Sliced Apples – any kind will do, I used Fuji. You can also use another sweet fruit, dried or fresh, such as sliced fresh pears or dried cranberries.
- Candied Pecans – or another candied nut, store-bought or homemade (such as these candied walnuts) is fine. If you want, you can use any plain nut as well, if you don’t want to fuss with candied nuts or want a lower sugar option.
- Red onion
- For the dressing: Dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Feel free to use agave or sugar as a vegan substitute for the honey.
How to make Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Its as simple as mixing the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl, adding the salad ingredients, and tossing together! I like to transfer to a separate serving bowl if I’m feeling fancy.
Wait… can you eat Brussels sprouts raw?
Absolutely! Usually you find Brussels sprouts cooked, but they are easy to enjoy raw if they are shredded like this. Having them in a salad is a great way to eat raw Brussels sprouts.
Tips and Tricks
- Mix the salad well. When tossing the salad with the dressing, mix it for at least a minute or so. The more you toss it, the more evenly distributed the dressing will be. And the Brussels sprouts will soften a bit (in a good way!). Kind of like when you make a massaged kale salad, it’s important to really distribute that dressing.
- If the salad seems dry after mixing, you can drizzle in a little more olive oil, or make a little more dressing to add to it.
How to “shave” Brussels Sprouts
Shaved Brussels sprouts are just shredded Brussels sprouts, the same as you would find shredded cabbage for coleslaw.
You may be able to find it pre-shredded at your grocery store (I got some at Trader Joe’s for this recipe). But if you can’t, you can do it yourself!
I recommend using a tool like a Mandoline Slicer or a Food Processor Shredding Attachment to make easy work of this. Or, if you have a little extra time and patience, you can (carefully) just use a knife to slice the sprouts. Then, separate them out a bit with your hands after slicing.
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Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
- 10 oz. shaved Brussels sprouts (see notes)
- 1 large apple sliced (I used Fuji, any kind will do)
- ½ cup candied pecans roughly chopped (see notes)
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
For the Dressing:
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more or less according to taste
- a few turns fresh cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more if needed
Instructions
- In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the dijon mustard (½ teaspoon), honey (2 teaspoons), apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon), kosher salt (½ teaspoon), and a few turns fresh cracked black pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil (3 tablespoons) while whisking, until dressing is mixed well and emulsified.
- Add all of the salad ingredients to the bowl (10 oz. shaved Brussels sprouts, 1 large sliced apple, ½ cup chopped candied pecans, and ½ cup thinly sliced red onion). Toss together well until all ingredients are coated in the dressing (the more you toss the more the dressing will be dispersed and the Brussels sprouts will soften a bit, in a good way). Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- Serve immediately (see notes for making ahead).
Notes
- You can buy shaved Brussels sprouts already prepared from some stores, such as Trader Joe’s (look where the other shredded veggies would be, such as cabbage for coleslaw). Or, you can make them yourself using a mandoline slicer or a food processor shredding attachment, or, if you have the time for a tedious task and are careful of your fingers, just slicing them thinly with a knife.
- As an alternative to Brussels Sprouts, you can use another shredded cruciferous vegetable, such as cabbage, kale, or broccoli.
- Candied Pecans: you can buy candied pecans at most grocery stores, or you can use another candied nut. You can make your own (such as these candied walnuts or pecans) or if you want to keep things simple (and a little less sweet), just throw any regular nut in there (sliced or slivered almonds, chopped pecans, pistachios, etc.).
- If the salad seems dry even after tossing very well, you can add some more olive oil to the mix or make a little more of the dressing.
- Make the salad ahead of time by prepping all the ingredients and placing in a large bowl, and mixing the dressing separately. Toss together well just before serving. This salad holds up well for an hour or two, but gets kind of soggy after it sits too long.
- To make the salad vegan, use a substitute for the honey such as agave or sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Diane
This salad has been a great hit
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Gay Egan
If you’re craving a sweet salad, this one is outstanding. I used dried cranberries instead of apples (better to travel with) and made candies walnuts. Otherwise, followed recipes for salad and dressing exactly. Big hit at a dinner party of picky eaters! Will definitely make this again and use the dressing on other salads, too. Thanks for another great, simple recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!