Meet your new go-to fall salad! This Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with apples, pomegranates, candied pecans, feta, and crispy bacon is fresh, crunchy, and bursting with sweet-savory flavor. It is easy to make, perfect for holidays, and totally delicious.
If you’re a fan of Brussels sprouts, you’ll also love these Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
I love a good salad, but this one gets all the thumbs up from me. In fact, when I was in the testing phase and we finally nailed it, my daughter and I ended up just sitting and eating this Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad from the bowl with our forks. It’s like every bite had something delicious to offer.
This is a great holiday salad, or really, it’s just a great salad to enjoy all fall and winter long. It goes so well with so many things, and even though most people think they don’t like Brussels sprouts, they will so find that this salad will convert them!
Ingredients
- Pecans: I like to roughly chop the pecans before adding the sugar. You could also use walnuts or sliced almonds.
- Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, & Salt: These are used to flavor and candy the pecans.
- Olive Oil or Avocado Oil: This is the base of your dressing. I like avocado oil the best, but a good olive oil will work as well.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: I like apple cider vinegar for this recipe. I did try it with balsamic vinegar, and not only did it discolor the salad, but it was way too strong. If you don’t like apple cider vinegar, try a white wine vinegar.
- Maple Syrup: Use a real maple syrup for this dressing.
- Mustard: Dijon mustard will give you the best flavor
- Salt: Make sure and taste the dressing and add salt as needed. The salt really can make or break the dressing.
- Brussels Sprouts: I like to shred the Brussels sprouts myself. You can sometimes find them pre-shredded, but they tend to be dried out. But feel free to use the shortcut if needed.
- Apple: I like to use a sweet apple, like honey crisp or gala.
- Pomegranate Seeds: Fresh seeds are always best. I tend to find that the seeds you can buy in the little cups tend to be less sweet and are usually kind of slimy.
- Bacon: You’ll want to cook your bacon before making the salad.
- Feta Cheese: You could also use blue cheese. Or leave the cheese out if you don’t want cheese.
How to Make This Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
STEP 1: You’ll want to make the candied nuts first so that they have time to cool. Simply add the pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar melts and coats the nuts. When coated, turn the nuts out onto parchment that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Let them cool.
STEP 2: Make the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a jar and shaking vigorously. You can also make this in a blender.
STEP 3: Place the Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl, then add the apple, pomegranate, bacon, feta, and cooled nuts. When ready to serve, add the dressing and toss to combine.
Tips and Tricks
The nuts will be very hot when you transfer them from the skillet to the parchment paper. Do not touch them with your hands. Use a spatula to spread them out a bit to cool. If they do clump together, you’ll want to break them up a bit before adding them to the salad.
I like to make sure everything is about the same size, so I do cut the apples into a pretty small dice.
To shred the Brussels sprouts, you can use a food processor, a mandolin, or a knife. I usually just use a knife and cut them as thin as I can.
This salad is best served right after dressing it. But since it is Brussels sprouts, it doesn’t get as soggy as a salad with lettuce will. We still ate leftovers the next day, but the salad was not as good as when it was fresh.
More Fall Inspired Salads
Thanksgiving Salad
Winter Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Fall Harvest Salad
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Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
Ingredients
Candied Pecans:
- 1/2 cup pecans roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- pinch of salt
Salad:
- 12 oz Brussels sprouts thinly shredded
- 1 apple cored and diced
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup cooked chopped bacon
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Combine the pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small nonstick skillet and set over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and adheres to the pecans. Once coated, remove from the heat and spread out on a piece of parchment paper that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. (Don’t spread with your hands – they will burn! Use a spatula and don’t handle the nuts until they are fully cooled.)1/2 cup pecans, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of salt
- In a small jar, combine the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, and salt. Shake vigorously to combine and emulsify.1/3 cup olive oil or avocado oil, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, pinch of salt
- Place the Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl. Add the apple, pomegranate seeds, bacon, feta, and cooled nuts.12 oz Brussels sprouts, 1 apple, 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, 1/2 cup cooked, 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine.
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