This shaved brussels sprout salad with pomegranate, candied pecans and a lemon dijon vinaigrette went viral on all of our social media platforms for good reason...it's the BEST holiday salad! It's also easy to make, can be made ahead of time, and packed with different flavors and textures.
Several people that have made this recipe have said that it converted even those who allegedly hate brussels sprouts. It's really that good!
This salad is PERFECT for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. It's easy to assemble, it can be made ahead of time, and it's absolutely packed with flavors and textures. It's refreshing, tart, a little sweet, salty, and crunchy.
Ingredients and Notes
- Brussels sprouts: There are a few different ways to shred brussels sprouts, including a food processor with a slicer attachment, a mandoline or finely chopping. You can also purchase pre-shredded brussels sprouts at many stores!
- Candied pecans: We made our own on the stovetop but you can also make them in the oven for a crunchier version.
- Pomegranate: If you're not a fan of pomegranate arils, you can sub with more dried cranberries.
- Dried cranberries: Dried cherries or raisins are also a good choice here.
- Apple: Really any kind of apple works but we always prefer the flavor and crispness of a honeycrisp apple!
- Parmesan: We shave our own from a big block using a vegetable peeler. You can also make this salad with crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese.
- Mustard: Make sure to use dijon mustard in the vinaigrette - any other type will completely change the flavor profile.
- Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is ALWAYS best!
- Apple cider vinegar: If you don't have any, you can sub with white wine vinegar instead. If you decide to use balsamic or red wine vinegar, cut down on the amount as they have stronger flavor.
Tips
- Make it ahead of time: This is the type of recipe that actually tastes better when you make it ahead of time. You can assemble the salad up to 24 hours in advance, including tossing it with the dressing. If you care about keeping the nuts super crunchy, wait to add those in until just before serving.
- Add bacon: Several people that have already made this recipe said they added some crispy bacon and loved how it turned out!
- Not a fan of brussels sprouts? Try it with finely shredded cabbage or finely chopped kale.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days but note that it will get soggier the longer it sits.
FAQs
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The absolute best and easiest way is to use a food processor that comes with a shredder attachment. This is the food processor that we use and it comes with the slicer attachment that we used to shred these brussels sprouts.
If you don't have a food processor, you can also use a mandoline (although this is very tedious and a bit dangerous even with cut-proof gloves), or you can just use a sharp knife to finely chop them.
Lastly, you can also find pre-shredded brussels sprouts in many grocery stores!
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Print📖 Recipe
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate and Candied Pecans
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This shaved brussels sprout salad with pomegranate, candied pecans and a lemon dijon vinaigrette went viral on all of our social media platforms for good reason...it's the BEST holiday salad! It's also easy to make, can be made ahead of time, and packed with different flavors and textures.
Ingredients
Salad:
- 12 ounces shaved brussels sprouts, stems removed
- 1 ½ cups pomegranate arils
- 1 ½ cups honeycrisp apple, diced
- 1 cup pecans, candied (recipe below) or just toasted
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup shaved parmesan
Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Candied Pecans:
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp water
Instructions
Candied Pecans:
- Add everything but the pecans to a saucepan over medium heat and stir well, heating for 1 min. Add the pecans and stir well, then let cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until the glaze thickens and cooks down - it should look shiny and should be thick (if it's not, they will not set).
- Transfer to parchment paper to cool completely before breaking up. We only use half of this in the salad & the other half for snacking! If they are not crispy after cooling, you can put them in a 250˚F oven for ~10 minutes to further dry them out.
Salad:
- Using the shredder attachment on your food processor, a mandoline, a knife, shred your brussels sprouts into 1/16” shreds. You can also buy a bag of pre-shredded brussels sprouts at most grocery stores.
- Combine the brussels sprouts, pomegranate, apple, pecans, cranberries and parmesan in a bowl. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, pour over the salad, and toss.
- Let the salad sit for about 30 minutes before serving. As it sits, the acid in the dressing will soften up the sprouts. Serve with extra parmesan, pomegranate, and pecans.
Notes
Brussels: If you're not a fan, you can sub them with shredded cabbage or finely chopped kale.
Make it ahead of time: This is the type of recipe that actually tastes better when you make it ahead of time. You can assemble the salad up to 24 hours in advance, including tossing it with the dressing. If you care about keeping the nuts super crunchy, wait to add those in until just before serving.
Add bacon: Several people that have already made this recipe said they added some crispy bacon and loved how it turned out!
Not a fan of brussels sprouts? Try it with finely shredded cabbage or finely chopped kale.
Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days but note that it will get soggier the longer it sits.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 299
- Sugar: 23.7 g
- Sodium: 432.4 mg
- Fat: 17.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.7 g
- Fiber: 5.7 g
- Protein: 6.2 g
Mary says
I had trouble with making the candied pecans. I tripled the recipe. One part of the recipe said to use 3 cups of pecans… And then in the directions for making the candied pecans it said to use 6 cupsof chopped pecans. So which is it? My pecans turned out too sticky even after putting them in the 250° oven is recommend.
Despina says
Very tasty, very festive! Will make it again
Mika says
I made this the morning of our Christmas get-together, which made it SO simple to put the rest of the meal together. And I think it was even better after chilling in the fridge for a bit! I only had cinnamon pistachios, so I used those. Everyone raved about it!
Magdalena Young says
Made it today for Thanksgiving and it was a hit!
Lexi says
Yay! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Denise says
This is so good and relatively easy to make. I made it for a Friendsgiving and it was a hit!
Lexi says
Yay so glad to hear that! Have a great Thanksgiving 🙂
Elle says
This is so delicious!! I’ve been putting the dressing on all my salads now, I’m obsessed! My mod for the dressing is a little bit of garlic (jarlic lol)
I only had almonds for the candied nuts but it still turned out great.
If you broil half your brussel sprouts and leave half raw it adds another dimension to the salad.
The dressing is a 10/10 for me.
Tammy says
I did not make this salad, but my friend brought it to my house last night. As a side dish for dinner! I cannot say enough good things about it! I asked her for the recipe and she sent me this link. I just had to write a review and let you know how phenomenal it is! The flavors and the textures are absolutely perfect! Thank you so much!
Lexi says
I'm so glad to hear that, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!!
J Combs says
It's fine, but not overly delicious.
Everyone at the dinner party was complimentary about it, but it was fine. Definitely wait to add the nuts until the end.
Debi says
Fabulous combination of flavors and textures, made it again today. Thanks so much!
Sonja says
Delicious and very easy to make! I used a food processor to shave my Brussels sprouts and just toasted the pecans. Everything came together very quickly and easily. So great to be able to make the salad the day before the party. Because the vinaigrette doesn't have mayo, I was comfortable leaving this on the buffet table for several hours, too. Definitely a salad I'll make over and over. Thank you for this great recipe!
Debi says
This salad was full of great flavors and textures! I doubled it for 12. Making again for new years! Thanks so much.
Ally Rutishauser says
This salad is really tasty. I just made it for Christmas and I can't stop eating it. Super simple to make too. If you can get pre-shredded Brussels it would only take a few minutes to assemble.
Chelsea Keat says
So if we make this in advance do I add the dressing (hold the nuts) and let it marinate for a day before serving for full flavor?
Lexi says
You definitely can but it's not required. I like to dress it about 6 hours in advance.
Jfran says
Conflicting recipe. Instructions say toss 30 minutes in advance, you add in the notes “This is the type of recipe that actually tastes better when you make it ahead of time. You can assemble the salad up to 24 hours in advance, including tossing it with the dressing”, and you reply “You definitely can but it's not required. I like to dress it about 6 hours in advance.”
Which is it. Should I make it today for Christmas tomorrow, make it six hours in advance, or 30 minutes before Christmas dinner. I can’t tell.
Lexi says
Hi, the point is that you can make it any time from 30 minutes to 24 hours in advance! I assume that most people reading the recipe are making it just before serving, which is why I say 30 minutes, as I wouldn't want to prevent someone from making it if they don't have time to let it sit. It still tastes great if you serve it right away, but it also tastes great if you prep it a few hours ahead of time. It's really up to you!
Jfran says
Thank you!
Holly Schembri says
Can I make the dressing 2 days in advance?
Lexi says
Yes for sure!
Becky says
A friend of ours brought the salad to a Christmas gathering, and everyone went crazy!! We couldn't get enough. Soooo yummy. I plan to make this for our summer picnics. Thanks so much for sharing this delicious salad!
BJ says
This salad is so yummy. I don’t like Brussel sprouts but I loved this!
Lexi says
So glad you enjoyed!