Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries & Apples

With only 15 minutes of prep time, this crunchy Cranberry Apple Brussels Sprouts Salad recipe is a satisfying salad for your holiday table! Cranberries, apples, and pecans combine for a perfect seasonal holiday side dish. 

 Cranberry Apple Brussels Sprouts Salad is a Satisfying Holiday Salad Recipe

Up until a few years ago, I had never had a Brussels Sprout before! It was never a veggie that my mom served us for dinner, and it wasn’t found on restaurant menus as often until recently. In fact, right up until this post, I’ve been spelling it wrong. I started typing out Brussel Sprout Salad but learned that it’s always Brussels. The more you know …

Back to the point. When my husband finally decided to give Brussels sprouts a try and actually really loved them pan roasted, I decided it was time to start experimenting with a few different Brussels sprouts recipe to add into our rotation, including a few tasty Brussels sprouts salads.

Bryan was really skeptical of this dish at first. He’s not a huge salad eater anyway, so the idea of making a salad with Brussels sprouts weirded him out a bit. He was pleasantly surprised though!

Brussels sprouts salads have a wonderful crunch to them, made even crunchier with tart green apples and pecans. Add in sweet dried cranberries and pomegranate seeds and you have a gorgeous seasonal salad that would make a great holiday salad.

For regular family dinners, we  just use our favorite Italian salad dressing. When making this Cranberry Apple Brussels Sprout Salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I want to give this recipe for Creamy Apple Cider Vinaigrette a try or this Creamy Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette. Maple dressing with a little crumbled bacon actually sounds perfect to me right about now!

HOW TO SHRED BRUSSELS SPROUTS FOR A SALAD:

Several grocery stores sell shredded Brussels sprouts that you can purchase in a bag, but I prefer to shred them myself at home for Brussels sprouts salad. First, because I find that they’re fresher and taste better. Second, I find that putting in the little bit of prep work myself makes them more economical as well.

I have found that I can shred and wash them and keep them in a ziploc bag in the fridge for up to a week, so you can definitely do the prep work ahead of time for the holidays. Just make sure you dry them well after rinsing.

Here is the simple process for shredding them without any need to remove the core, which speeds up the process a TON!

1. With a sharp, chef knife, trim off the bottom of the core. About 1/4″.
2. Remove tough, loose leaves and discard.
3. Cut the Brussels sprout in half.
4. Lay flat and thinly slice from top to core to create shreds.

You can also cut them in half and run the Brussels sprouts through your food processor OR cut them with a mandolin slicer. Lots of easy options for your preference.

TIP: If you don’t like core in your Brussels sprout salad which can be extra crunchy, I recommend getting this core removal tool! It easily removes the core from the Brussels sprouts. Just use it as step 1!

KITCHEN GADGETS HELPFUL FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE:

Good Chef Knifes – A sharp chef knife will make shredding your Brussels sprouts easy work!

Mandoline Slicer or Food Processor – In case you don’t want to cut them by knife, but of these will make quick, easy work of your Brussels sprouts.

Core Removal Tool – If you don’t like the crunchier core pieces in your salad, this tool will save you a lot of time and effort.

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE OTHER SALAD RECIPES:

• Tossed Caprese Salad
• Caesar Vinaigrette
• Holiday Honeycrisp Salad
• Pomegranate Pear Salad
• Persimmons and Watercress Salad with Candied Walnuts

Crunchy and Delicious Brussels Sprouts Salad!

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries, Apples and Pecans

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

With only 15 minutes of prep time, this crunchy Cranberry Apple Brussels Sprouts Salad is a satisfying seasonal salad for your holiday table! 

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Ingredients

• 1 pound Brussels Sprouts, (bottom cut off, tough outer leaves removed and chopped into thin slices)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 green apples (chopped)
• 1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils

Instructions

1. Place chopped brussels sprouts, cranberries, apples, pomegranate arils, and pecans into bowl and mix. 
2. Toss with salad dressing of your choice. We used our favorite Italian salad dressing.