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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Tried this recipe? Please leave a star โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Print๐ Recipe
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pomegranate and Candied Pecans
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- 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.ย
Ingredients
Salad:
- 12 ounces shaved brussels sprouts, stems removed
- 1 ยฝ cups pomegranate arils
- 1 ยฝ cups honeycrisp apple, diced
- 1 cup pecans, candied (recipe below) or just toasted
- ยพ cup dried cranberries
- ยพ cup shaved parmesan
Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ยฝ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ยฝ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon black pepper
Candied Pecans:
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- โ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ยผ-ยฝ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ยพ tsp salt
- 1 ยฝ 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.โจโจWe 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 250หF 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 1/16โ 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:ย If you're not a fan, you can sub them with shredded cabbage or finely chopped kale.ย
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.ย
Add bacon: Several people that have already made this recipe said they added some crispy bacon and loved how it turned out!ย
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
J says
This salad was absolutely delicious! I did half Brussels sprouts and half kale and my kale hating family loved it! I added the dressing to the sprouts and kale the morning we were eating it, and then right before serving, added the rest of the ingredients. It was perfectly delicious. I changed absolutely nothing in this recipe, and will continue to make it for years to come.
Annie says
Just to warn anyone who may be dumb like me - I used the shred attachment on my food processor and it completely pulverized the Brussels sprouts. I then tried the Slice attachment and that gave me the desired results. I had bought 2 16oz bags of Brussels sprouts because 1 did not look like nearly enough for 6-8 servings (especially when I am bringing it to Christmas Eve tomorrow and there will be 2x that many people there) and sure enough, I definitely need more especially since I ruined the entire first bag of Brussels sprouts by using the shred attachment.
Jessica S. says
THE best salad I have made in years!!
Deborah says
Made this salad to take to Thanksgiving dinner and made another post-feast. Beautiful to look at, delicious and nourishing.
Lexi says
So glad you enjoyed!
Tammy says
I'm curious if the juice of an orange instead of lemon would work in this?
Lexi says
It would just be a bit milder, but would still taste good!
Amanda Andrews says
Recipe says 2 cups pecans but ingredients say 1 cup? Which is it?
Lexi says
We make 2 cups of the candied pecans to have extra, but you only use 1 cup in the actual salad. If you don't want extra, you can cut the quantities in half.
Syd says
We have a tree nut allergy in our family - do you have any substitution suggestions for pecans?
Lexi says
We like to use pepitas in place of pecans!
Emily Morgan says
This is just what I needed to branch out with a new veggie recipe! Will definitely make again, plus it only took me a few minutes to prepare.
Lexi says
So glad to hear that ๐
Jess says
Substitute for pomegranate?
Lexi says
You can just use more dried cranberries!
Virginia Maurer says
I can hardly wait to try this recipe! And the other ones listed look delicious!
Thank you!
Marlene Good says
Recipe
Lexi says
Hi Marlene, the recipe is just above here! ๐
Danika says
Came out very tasty! It reminds me a bit of the premade packs at Costco but not as sweet which is nice.
Lexi says
So glad you enjoyed!
Clarice Bridges says
I canโt wait till Thanksgiving Eve 2025. Iโm trying this recipe with one substitution. I wanted to try with chopped kale. Thank you so much for sharing. The picture has given me the confidence to try to speed my wings and make this.
Lexi says
Kale would be a great substitution. Hope you enjoy! ๐