Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad With Quinoa and Apple
With crisp apples, protein-packed quinoa, and a sweet-and-tangy orange vinaigrette, this Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad works as a light meal or as a holiday side dish!
Brussels sprouts are so fabulous when they’re roasted (ahem: Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Onions and Apples) that I forgot they also make a stellar base for a salad. Evidence? This shaved Brussels sprout salad recipe! The sprouts have the hearty, crisp bite of cabbage, with a stronger flavour that works well when balanced with sweet ingredients. Think of this as a spin on Kale Slaw, but with extra fall vibes.
Why This Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad Belongs on Your Menu
The first time I made this recipe, my husband and I ate it for five days straight—often right out of the Tupperware container with a fork. I’m pretty sure that is a testimony to this salad’s deliciousness!
- Bright, sweet, and tangy dressing. Raw unrefined sugar and apple cider vinegar add a beautiful sweet-tart flavour, with orange juice for a citrus kick.
- Awesome textures and flavours. Aside from the vinaigrette, the other ingredients provide a sweet and savoury flavour combination filled with lots of complementary textures. You get crunchy, crispy, chewy, and tender all in one dish.
- Versatile. The festive colours and seasonal flavours make this an awesome salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas to serve alongside Vegan Wellington. (You didn’t think I was going to say turkey did you?!). But this shaved Brussels sprouts salad is also easy enough to make for meal prep lunches or light dinners.
Notes on Ingredients
As with most salad recipes, this shaved Brussels sprout salad is versatile. I share some variations later in this post, but here’s how I usually make it. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
Sweet Orange Vinaigrette:
- Apple cider vinegar – In a fall salad, I just love using apple cider vinegar.
- Orange – You’ll need the juice and if you’d like, you can also add the zest to the dressing for extra citrus flavour.
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dijon mustard – Even if you don’t like mustard, you’ll want to add this. It adds depth to the flavour of the vinaigrette.
- Raw cane sugar or coconut sugar – Because Brussels sprouts can be bitter, I find that a sweeter vinaigrette is best for this recipe to bring everything into balance.
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad:
- Brussels sprouts – You can shave Brussels sprouts by thinly slicing them, using a mandoline slicer, or shredding them in your food processor—or you can keep things easy by picking up pre-shredded sprouts from the produce section of your grocery store.
- Gala apple – Or another crisp apple with a good sweet-tart balance like Honeycrisp.
- Quinoa – Cook the quinoa before starting the recipe. You’ll need a cup of cooked quinoa, but if you have a little more or a little less, that’s fine.
- Dried cranberries
- Walnuts – You can toast these or keep them raw.
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
This salad is a cinch to make! Here’s the process, step by step.
- Make the vinaigrette. Add the ingredients to a jar or bowl. Shake (in a jar) or whisk (in a bowl) until the dressing emulsifies.
- Dress the sprouts. Add the Brussels sprouts to a bowl and toss with half the dressing. Let this sit while you prep the rest of the salad ingredients.
- Finish. Add the rest of the ingredients to the salad, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve immediately or chill for 30 minutes.
Tips and Variations
Here are a few more pointers for making this shaved Brussels sprouts salad.
- Let it marinate. I would recommend making this salad at least an hour ahead of time so that the vinaigrette marinates the salad and all the flavours come together perfectly.
- Try other fruits. Swap pears for the apples or pomegranate arils for the dried cranberries. Golden raisins would also work as a cranberry substitute!
- Swap out the quinoa. Hearty farro would be an awesome addition to this salad, as would freekeh, wheat berries, or wild rice.
- Make it nut-free. Use toasted pepitas instead of walnuts.
What to Serve With Brussels Sprouts Salad
This salad pairs beautifully with fall flavours like those in my Stuffed Butternut Squash or Creamy Pumpkin Soup. It’s also great with all your favourite vegan Thanksgiving dishes, from Vegan Turkey to Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potato Soufflé.
How to Store Leftovers
Store this shaved Brussels sprouts salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Toss it again before serving to redistribute the dressing.
More Satisfying Salad Recipes
Enjoy friends! If you make this shaved Brussels sprout salad, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
Sweet Orange Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 30mL
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, 45mL
- ½ tablespoon orange zest, optional, 3g
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, 3g
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1g
- 2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 37mL
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 5mL
- 1 tablespoon raw cane sugar or coconut sugar, 12–15g
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- 16 oz brussels sprouts, shaved , 453.5g (about 6-7 cups)
- 1 Gala apple, cored and chopped
- 1 cup cooked quinoa, 185g
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries, 40g
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts, toasted if preferred, 35g
- salt & pepper to taste, don’t skip this!!
Instructions
Sweet Orange Vinaigrette
- Add all the ingredients to a mason jar or any jar fitted with a top. Shake vigorously until combined thoroughly. Set aside until ready to use. Feel free to double the dressing if desired.
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- To prepare the Brussels sprouts, wash thoroughly and dry. Remove the shrivelled outer leaves (if any) and cut the tough ends off of the Brussels sprouts. Using a mandoline, or a food processor fitted with a shredded top, shred the Brussels sprouts. Use a mandoline glove to protect your hands!
- Pour half the salad dressing onto the Brussels sprouts and mix to combine. Let it sit on the salad while you prepare the other ingredients (about 5 minutes, or 8 minutes if toasting the walnuts).
- Add all the other ingredients to the salad. Season with salt and Pepper (this really pulls out the flavours) and add the rest of the vinaigrette. Toss to combine.
- You can eat it immediately, but I highly recommend waiting at least 30 minutes while the salad marinates in the fridge. It tastes even better after a day in the fridge! Enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
Versatile and delicious! I love brussels sprouts, but they don’t like me that much…but this is so pretty that I want to dig in too, Jessica.
Hi Robin,
Sorry about that! It’s tablespoons! I hope you enjoy so much!!
This looks delicious! How many does it serve?
Hi Laura, if I remember correctly about 6 to 7!
Love this salad. I didn’t have everything on hand, so I used pecans instead of walnuts and pomegranate seeds instead of cranberries. I also roasted the brussel sprouts, because I actually got this recipe confused with another but decided to just push forward. I am going to make it again this week. Thank you so much for this.
Hi Michelle thank you so much! We really appreciate that you tried the recipe. I hope it turns out just as great for you next week.
Delish! A hit for the whole family. I roasted the sprouts with the dressing and added in the quinoa and walnuts in the hot pan.
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Karen! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
I really liked this salad and it was so hearty/ filling. My husband isn’t a big fan of raw Brussel sprouts, even when coated in yummy dressing. I subbed pecans for the walnuts . . . and next time, I’m going to try roasting the Brussel sprouts before adding them to the salad.
This was a new twist on brussels sprout salad for me. I wouldn’t have thought to put those ingredients together, but it worked and was a bright easy meal prep lunch for a few days. I enjoyed the texture that the dried fruit and crunch added. I added sunflower seeds since I was out of walnuts.
I doubled the dressing. No regrets! The extra flavor and moisture was amazing I’ve also chopped a few oranges into the salad and loved that too.
Hi Sue,
I love this! No Regrets! It’s so tasty, I totally support this.