Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Published on November 15, 2022
Quick Summary
This shaved Brussels sprouts salad is crisp and refreshing, with just the right hint of sweetness. It’s a perfect veggie side dish for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table.
Brussels sprouts sometimes have a bad reputation, but they’re one of my favorite vegetables. They’re a go-to veggie in the fall and winter, and in my opinion should be included on any Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. This Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad is a great way to add a fresh element to a holiday meal.
The key to this dish is that the Brussels sprouts are served raw, along with raw apple. Holiday meals can be pretty heavy, and the last thing I want for my veggie side is another dish that’s roasted or braised. The raw Brussels sprouts and apples are fresh, crispy, and bring a light and refreshing element to the dinner table. The bitterness of the Brussels sprouts is balanced by the sweetness of the apples, dried cranberries, and a maple syrup dressing.
This salad is unlike any you’ve ever tried, and I think you’ll love it.
Table of Contents
Salad Ingredients
Here’s everything you need to make this refreshing salad. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact amounts for each ingredient.
For the Dressing:
- Olive oil– avocado oil will also work.
- Lemon juice – You should use fresh-squeezed lemon juice for this dressing.
- Apple cider vinegar– pairs nicely with the fall flavors!
- Maple syrup – Make sure to use pure maple syrup, rather than a syrup that’s been diluted or has artificial flavors.
- Dijon mustard – Not only does mustard add a nice flavor to this dressing, but it serves as an emulsifier, so the acid will mix with the oil.
- Garlic– always garlic!
For the Salad:
- Brussels sprouts – Make sure you wash the sprouts well before using.
- Apples – I like to use honeycrisp apples for this recipe, because they’re sweet and juicy. You can use other types of apples if you prefer, but the salad is best with apples that are more sweet and less tart.
- Dried cranberries– for a pop of sweetness!
- Sunflower seeds– you can also use almonds, pecans, walnuts, or pepitas!
- Parmesan cheese – Shaved parmesan cheese works best for this salad, but you can also use freshly grated Parmesan cheese. If you want to mix up the cheese, feta, goat cheese, blue cheese, or white cheddar are good options.
What Do Raw Brussels Sprouts Taste Like?
Usually Brussels sprouts are served roasted or fried. But they’re actually quite fantastic when served raw. The texture and flavor are similar to raw cabbage. They’re bitter but mild, a little bit sweet, and have a wonderful crunch to them.
How to Shave Brussels Sprouts
One of the keys to this salad is the shaved Brussels sprouts. They should be shaved fairly thin, as that gives them the best flavor and texture. There are three different ways that you can shave Brussels sprouts.
- Use a knife. If you have a sharp chef’s knife, and are comfortable with your knife skills, you can shave the Brussels sprouts by hand. Working slowly and carefully, cut the Brussels sprouts as thinly as you can. You can make it easier by first cutting the Brussels sprouts in half, so that they lay flat when you cut them into shreds.
- Use a mandolin. Mandolins are great tools to have for salads like this one. If you have a mandolin, use the thinnest setting to cut the Brussels sprouts. Just be very careful not to cut your fingertips!
- Use a food processor. Finally, you can shave the Brussels sprouts in a food processor with a slicing attachment. Just place the vegetables in the food processor, and pulse until they are shredded.
How to Make Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
This salad is quick and easy to make. It only takes about 15 minutes! Here’s how to do it.
- Make the dressing. Combine the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and garlic in a bowl, and whisk until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Make the salad. Place the Brussels sprouts, apples, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl or salad bowl.
- Toss. Pour the dressing on top of the salad. Toss until well combined, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Tips and Tricks
Here are a few tips to help you make this shaved Brussels sprouts salad.
- Make the dressing in advance. If you’re making this salad for the holidays, then you probably want to find as many ways as possible to save time when prepping. One thing you can do is make the maple syrup dressing in advance. Follow the instructions for the dressing, then place it in an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Shred the Brussels sprouts in advance. You can also shred the Brussels sprouts ahead of time! Shredding these veggies can take a little while, so if you’re worried about the timing, just shred them ahead of time, and store them in the fridge in an airtight plastic bag. They’ll last for up to 2 days.
- Mix up the ingredients. This is an easy recipe to customize. Are there dried fruits that you like in salads more than cranberries? Use them instead! You can replace the sunflower seeds with pumpkin seeds, or toasted almonds or walnuts. You can try different types of apples, and even different types of cheeses. Have fun with it!
How to Store Leftovers
You can keep this brussels sprouts salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve the leftovers cold, straight out of the fridge.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
I do not recommend freezing this salad. Raw salads take on a funny texture and flavor when frozen and thawed.
More Salad Recipes to Try
- Simple Kale Salad
- Roasted Butternut Squash Orzo Salad
- Easy Spinach Salad
- Apple Pecan Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing
- Citrus salad
- Easy Green Salad
More Brussels Sprout Recipes
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Parmesan
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Brussels Sprouts Casserole
- Roasted Pear and Cranberry Brussels Sprouts
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 1 lb Brussels sprouts ends trimmed
- 1 large Honeycrisp apple chopped (or 2 small apples)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, make the maple mustard dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, pure maple syrup, mustard, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Next, shave the brussels sprouts. Use a food processor with the slicing attachment and pulse until the brussels sprouts are thinly sliced. You can also use a mandoline or sharp knife if you don’t have a food processor.
- Place the shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl. Add the chopped apple, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Tag @twopeasandpod and hashtag it with #twopeasandtheirpod
Another healthy salad recipe. I love brussels sprouts. Thanks for sharing!
YUM! Give me all of the Brussels!
i made this for the salad bar at the school i work at, its a huge hit! saving for sure!!
For lovers of Brussels sprouts, this is an amazing recipe. What an interesting twist to it, and its great that it only takes a 15 minutes to prepare. True, this meal is perfect for a holiday side dish. A great recipe, would like to see more.
Made this twice now for family gatherings and itโs so delicious! Canโt believe I didnโt know it was so easy to shave my own Brussel sprouts! Will be adding them to lots of salads now.ย
Glad you loved the salad!
More new choice for weekend meal. I’ll make it for family. Great photos, thanks for sharing.
I really thought you were an expert in brussels, I was wandering for a recipe on it, and I stumbled across your blog by chance. Thanks for sharing.
Yummy, love sprouts. I added the recipe to my list. Love how you shared the recipe also with some tips. Thanks for posting.
My God, looks so good. I always prefer salad on my meal, added this on the my list, will make it sometimes. Thanks for nice post.
We loved it! I added sliced green onion and substituted blue cheese for parmesan cheese but besides that, we loved everything about this salad–yum!
This salad is better with shaved sprouts, it will be more tasty. And this recipe is easy to do, thanks for sharing.
This looks so simple to make, yet looking really satisfying and tasty!
Loved the salad. I added chicken to make it dinner. Enjoyed the dressing.
LOVE this absolutely amazing salad ! I used a mandolin to slice the Brussels sprouts at the finest setting which I think is key in this recipe. I could eat this salad daily. So delicious and healthy. Iโm planning to serve this salad along with my thanksgiving meal for my huge family. I think it will be a big hit.
So happy you love the salad!
I made this salad for our Sunday night family dinner and it was a huge hit!
I am glad I prepared the Brussel sprouts Saturday evening, that was a lot of hand slicing, but worth it.
I have already shared this recipe. Thank you.
Has anyone tried to substitute feta cheese for parm cheese? Would that be ok?
This salad was the hit of our Thanksgiving menu-fresh and delicious!
My Mom really loves to eat salad and your recipes give me the nutritious one for me to cook for her to keep heath and slim. Thanks so much for your tips and sharing.
I am allergic to garlic – will the dressing still be good if left out?
10/10 salad. Even better if you pop the salad in the oven for 20 mins at 400 after tossing it in the dressing.
Wow. This is great. Used the shredder on my food processor for lovely fine shreds. Macerated dried cranberries in brandy to plump them. Used pecans instead of sunflower seeds bc I had them. The dressing is amazing. Nice complement of maple syrup against the mustard. Almost didnโt make it to the dinner table….
I had been craving Brussels sprouts and something refreshing so I made this salad over the weekend. OMGee!!!! The dressing is SO flavorful and there are so many great textures in this salad. I’ll be making this salad every week! It’s. So. Satisfying.
One other thing… FIVE STARS!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. I’ve made it twice now. Everyone LOVES it!!! Today I didn’t have enough Brussel Sprouts so I used broccoli for part of it. I also substituted Feta cheese for the Parmesan and It turned out fantastic! This recipe is definitely a keeper!! Good work, twopeasandtheirpod.
I bring this to almost every potluck and gets tons of compliments. Of course, I pass along Maria’s recipe. Thanks for adding the nutrition information…bonus!
This was a big hit at my house. We are currently on lock down due to covid-19, so I am pretty much stuck with what I have in my fridge. I had most of the ingredients so I gave it a try.
This is a very forgiving salad. I made lots of substitutions. I used feta instead of parm, yellow mustard instead of Dijon, pecans instead of sunflower seeds, dried blueberries instead of cranberries and a Granny Smith Apple instead of a sweet apple. I also added sliced scallions , a little extra maple syrup and a big splash of white balsamic vinegar. It was wonderful!! I think the sunflower seeds would have taken it over the top for me! I went for a second helping for a after midnight snack and still tastes fresh.
I will definitely make this again soon!
I am so glad you loved the salad. Thanks for sharing your substitutions. Stay safe!
this salad sounds really ggod. I am making it right now but was wondering how soon can I add the dressing so it mixes well but not mushy.
how soon can i add the dressing to the salad before serving.
how soon can i add the dressing to the salad without it going mushy
This salad holds up pretty well. It is best the day it is made but you can store it in the fridge and enjoy the next day too!
Great way to use up leftover Brussels Sprouts without roasting anything. The salad has a great texture and the dressing is delicious.
can fresh fruit be used..like berries.will they hold up ok.
Made this a week or so ago and loved it so much that we’re having it at Canadian Thanksgiving. Thanks for the recipe!
You are welcome! So glad you loved it!
5 stars for this recipe. I also got more ideas from the comments about using feta or blue cheese. The recipe is exact in all of the measurements, directions, and time required. We love Brussels sprouts – we grow our own so we have a good supply at this time of year. Thank you for this – we loved it.
So glad you loved the salad!
I made this as a side dish for tonightโs dinner. My husband and I really liked the flavors and dressing. I didnโt have dried cranberries so I subbed dried currents. Delish !canโt wait to make for some friends ,thank you.
Delicious salad! I made it numerous times last fall and winter, and now I am back for more!
Ick. I made this for Thanksgiving and had to completely doctor it up. I put twice the cranberries, some monk fruit sweetener and a bit of wine vinegar…and itโs better, but still a huge disappointment.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! I subbed pepitas for sunflower seeds since that’s what I had and it made it a little more festive. I’ve already shared the recipe! Yum!
Absolutely wonderful…great the next day with some leftover Thanksgiving turkey on top!
This came out sadly flavorless. Independently the ingredients are yummy but mixed together it’s just bleah. I am going to try to salvage with Cotija cheese and the oven.
So tasty! The maple syrup was a great idea. I think it reduced the natural bitterness from the Brussels sprouts. I didnโt have apples at hand, so I used pears instead. Delicious! Iโll try it with apples next time. Thank you!!
Making for our Xmas eve dinner. Looks delicious! Thank you…
I made this salad for Christmas dinner. It was delicious……..the only change I made was that I used pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds. We loved it!
Very nice and different! I made it festive and refreshing by adding pomegranate arils and fresh, cut tangerine pieces. For nuts, I used toasted slivered almonds. I need to refine the dressing; raw garlic is too harsh…
Thanks for the recipe !
@twopeasandpod
#twopeasandtheirpod
We made this for NYE dinner and everyone who tried it loved it! We omitted the garlic and lemon juice from the dressing (used more ACV to compensate) and subtituted toasted pecan bits for seeds. Added some crumbled bacon. The leftovers disappeared quickly.
Love your variations. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely tasty and already in my permanent cookbook. Just made your salad last night and my husband grabbed the leftovers for his lunch! Thanks also for hints on substitutions so no necessary trip to the grocery to make this wonderful salad.
What is the serving size for this recipe?
I did not make the vinegarette this go round as I had a jar of strawberry champagne dressing that needed to be used. I also added broccoli & subbed pecorino romano on hand. This was delicious! The bite from the cheese really tied the sweetness of the toppings together with the brussel sprout base. Highly recommend!
An awesome salad loaded with fresh fall flavors and tons of different textures.
I made this last night. Fantastic! I have bookmarked it with my other favorite recipes. Loved the dressing as well. Itโs ramped up a similar one I used to make…used to because I am replacing it with the one! This salad has easy substitution potential to accommodate whatโs in my pantry and fridge. Thanks for sharing.
I made this for Easter dinner 2019 (pre COVID) EVERYONE loved itโkids, teens, adults. Only tweak was to add some dried cherries along with the cranberriesโonly โcause I had them and needed to use them up. Iโll do exactly the same this year.
very healthy salad
hi! I can’t eat raw brussel sprouts on my diet and I’m wondering if you can roast them/cook them somehow before making this salad? I’d like to make this recipe for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend!
Sure, you can sautรฉ them briefly, just don’t over cook. You don’t want them to be soggy. Enjoy!
Really enjoyed this! Added some chicken for extra protein, but this is a really great salad! Will be making again. Thanks.
Love this salad! I used goji berries and pumpkin seeds instead of dried cranberries and sunflower seeds because that’s just what I had. I also added chia seeds to add some more texture to the salad and it was awesome! Can’t wait to make this again, thank you!!
So good, and so easy to make (although a food processor is KEY here). Made this for Thanksgiving and am super disappointed there weren’t any leftovers to take home. May need to make it again immediately!
It’s one of my favorites! Glad you loved it too!
Would this be good without the cheese? Making for people who can’t eat dairy
Yes, I think so!
My family even the young kids loves this salad. It is very easy to put together. I use a food processor so it takes no time at all. I do not put the maple syrup in with the apples and cranberries there is plenty of sweetness and I use vegan Parmesan cheese.
It was so good my whole family loved eating it. It was so delicious we could’nt stop eating it.
Yay!
My daughter made this for Thanksgiving and it rocked our table! This goes in our rotation.
YAY!
As a single person I just love to make this under a piece of seared salmon. I like using my knife to shred brussels, something soothing about it. Great balance of lemony fresh sweet and texture with the fish. My favorite brussel sprout salad recipe out there. And so easy to switch out with different nuts or fruit. I always add a bit of hemp seed. Thanks for sharing.
Fresh, light and delicious!
I made this salad on Christmas Day as written with no substitutions. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. Thank you for sharing. Iโll definitely make this again!
yay!
This salad is so easy and delicious!
Great thanksgiving salad! My family has been using it for several years and it has become a standard that is looked for each year. Cuts through the richness of all the other dishes. It is not at all bitter especially if you use the smaller sprouts.
Have served this several times this Spring and has been a hit! A different take on coleslaw.
It’s such a great salad.
This has become one of our staples. Even my kids love it. I do sometimes swap out ingredients, like using sprouted pumpkin seeds depending on what I have on hand.
Yay, awesome!
I made this with pear instead of apple and pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower since thats what I had in the pantry. My guests all loved it!
Perfect!
Does the salad get too soggy if you add the dressing a few hours before serving
It will be fine. The brussels hold up nicely!
We made this salad on Thanksgiving, swapping out the dressing recipe for your lemon poppyseed dressing in your Blueberry Brussels Sprouts Salad that my daughter loves. It was fantastic!
With advance prep it was easy to assemble while the turkey was resting. We also enjoyed the leftovers the next day.
Thank you for sharing!!
Love this salad! I’ve made it multiple times, only adjusting to make it dairy free by leaving out the parm. It is easy to multiply for a crowd for a great Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish or great to make on a weeknight.
It’s my favorite!
This one got multiple raves and recipe requests at a recent cookout. Nailed it, Maria!
Yay!
I came across this recipe a few years back and I keep coming back to it. The dressing is perfect on any salad. But I really do love the combination with the Brussels sprout mixture. Itโs a nice change of pace from a typical salad with greens.
I am so glad you love this one.