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This shaved Brussels sprout salad is a crunchy, fresh salad made with raw shaved Brussels sprouts, apples, cranberries, and a simple apple cider vinaigrette. It’s simple enough for weeknights but elegant enough for any hosting event.
Try my lemony kale salad or my strawberry salad next!
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Why You'll Love This Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
Brussels sprouts get a bad rap sometimes, but when they're shaved thin and paired with the right mix of sweet and tangy flavors with crunchy ingredients, everything changes. I created this recipe to do just that, using the perfect combination of raw shaved sprouts, fruit, seeds, and a bright vinaigrette. It's crisp, refreshing, and truly makes the notoriously bitter vegetable actually crave-worthy.
During winter, when Brussels sprouts and pomegranates are in season, and a boost of raw nutrition is welcome, I love serving this as a side salad with oven baked chicken thighs or broiled salmon.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This salad is built from simple, easy-to-find ingredients:
- Raw shaved Brussels sprouts: Thinly shaved Brussels sprouts create a crisp, hearty base that holds up well to dressing without becoming soggy. Shaving them makes raw sprouts easy to eat and much less bitter.
- Kale: Kale adds extra texture and nutrients without overpowering the salad. When thinly sliced, it softens naturally once dressed and blends right in with the Brussels sprouts.
- Dried cranberries: These add a pop of sweetness that balances the bitterness of the greens. If they’re firm or even slightly dried out, a quick soak in warm water helps plump them back up.
- Red onion: Red onion brings a sharp contrast and extra crunch. Using a small amount keeps the flavor from overpowering the salad.
- Pomegranate seeds: Pomegranate seeds add freshness, color, and little bursts of juicy sweetness, brightening every bite.
- Sunflower seeds: These add a mild, nutty crunch. They also help balance the salad's softer textures once it's dressed.
- Apples: Apples add sweetness, crunch, and moisture, tying all the flavors together. Honestly, these are the chef's kiss of the recipe, and adding them last keeps them from breaking and helps them stay fresh.
- Apple cider vinaigrette: A simple, quick-to-make dressing that balances the bitterness of the greens with sweetness and acidity, bringing all the flavors together.
How to Make Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
Shave the Brussels sprouts. Shaving Brussels sprouts by hand can be tedious, especially if you’re new to cooking. A food processor fitted with the slicing blade makes this step fast and easy. Feed the Brussels sprouts through the feed tube on top and let the machine do the work.
Make the vinaigrette. You can make the apple cider vinaigrette in advance if you like. Blending it with an immersion blender makes it extra creamy, but shaking it in a lidded jar works just as well.
Assemble the salad. Add the shaved Brussels sprouts, kale, dried cranberries, red onion, pomegranate seeds, and sunflower seeds to a large mixing bowl. Just before serving, toss everything with the vinaigrette until evenly coated. Add the apple slices last and gently toss to combine. This keeps them from breaking and helps them stay fresh and crisp.
Time to serve and devour!
The Best Dressing for Brussels Sprout Salad
This salad uses a simple apple cider vinaigrette made with pantry staples. Apple cider vinegar adds brightness and a subtle sweetness, pairing perfectly with the savory flavors of raw Brussels sprouts, kale, and sunflower seeds.
Pro tip: the vinaigrette can be made a few days ahead, and the flavor only improves as it sits.
Tips From The Test Kitchen
- How to choose fresh Brussels sprouts: Look for bright green, tightly packed leaves with no signs of drying or yellowing for the best texture.
- Use any slicing method: If you don’t have a food processor, Brussels sprouts can be thinly sliced with a chef’s knife, mandoline, or box grater.
- Use any kale: Lacinato (Dino) kale works well here, but curly kale or any variety you have on hand can be used as long as it’s thinly sliced.
- Soften dried cranberries if needed: If they’re firm, soak them in warm water for a few minutes, then drain well to plump them up.
- Prevent apples from browning: When prepping ahead, soak sliced apples briefly in 1 cup of water mixed with one tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Make-ahead friendly: Prep the salad ingredients a day or two in advance, but wait to add the vinaigrette until shortly before serving to keep everything crisp.
More Vegetable Recipes
📖 Recipe
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad Recipe
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Note about scaling
When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 pound Raw Brussels Sprouts, about 4 cups once shaved
- 2 cups Lacinato Kale (2-3 ounces), chopped
- ⅓ cup Dried Cranberries
- ¼ small Red Onion, finely diced
- 1 cup Pomegranate Arils
- ¼ cup Sunflower Seeds, or other nuts or seeds
- 1 medium Apple, thinly sliced
For the vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup, or other sweetener
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon Sea Salt, or more to taste
- Black Pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Trim the ends from the BRUSSELS SPROUTS, if needed. Using a food processor fitted with the slicing blade, feed them through the feed tube on top to shave them. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- To the sprouts, add the KALE, DRIED CRANBERRIES, RED ONION, POMEGRANATE SEEDS, and SUNFLOWER SEEDS to the bowl and toss to combine.
- Using a whisk or an immersion blender, combine the APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, MAPLE SYRUP, DIJON MUSTARD, SEA SALT, and BLACK PEPPER in a small bowl or tall container. Slowly whisk or blend in the EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL until the dressing is creamy and emulsified.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Add the APPLE SLICES and gently toss just to combine. Serve chilled.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy within one to two days for best texture.
Recipe Notes
Equipment
- immersion blender or wire whisk
- 7-cup food processor fitted with shredding blade
- large mixing bowl
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
Arielle says
I love this recipe. Its easy delicious and just a little different
Traci says
Yay Arielle! I'm so glad you're enjoying it 🙂 I agree, it is a unique spin from traditional salad greens. It's honestly one of my favorite ways to eat Brussels sprouts. Thank you for trying my recipe and coming back to share this! xoxox