Brussels Sprout Salad with Dijon Dressing
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Serve this shaved Brussels Sprout Salad warm or cold as the perfect fall side dish! It’s tossed with honey dijon dressing, tart pomegranate seeds, crisp apples, and sweet candied pecans for a delicious combination of flavors and textures. This recipe is easy enough to make for weeknight dinners, but elegant enough for a Thanksgiving meal.
It’s officially Thanksgiving Week on the blog! One of my favorite weeks of the year because I get to share several new recipes to add to your Thanksgiving feast, while reminiscing about some of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving week recipes!
I can’t believe that I’ve celebrated 14 years of Thanksgivings on the blog. Throughout the years, I’ve posted dozens of recipes perfect for your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving celebration. In fact, you can find over 150 Thanksgiving recipes on the blog now!
This year, I’ve got a few new twists on some classic Thanksgiving recipes, starting with this brussels sprout salad, tossed with an easy homemade dijon dressing, pomegranate seeds, apples, and candied pecans.
This salad is on the smaller side, so perfect for a gathering of 6-8 people. But it’s also easy to double if you have a larger party coming to Thanksgiving dinner.
It’s flavorful, colorful and can be served either warm or cold, whatever works best for your Thanksgiving day schedule!
Ingredients
- Honey dijon dressing
- Garlic cloves – I recommend crushing fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor and texture in the salad dressing.
- Extra virgin olive oil – or another neutral-flavored oil.
- Lemon juice – I always recommend fresh-squeezed juice for the best flavor.
- Honey – to make this salad vegan, you can use maple syrup or agave nectar to replace the honey.
- Dijon mustard
- Ground ginger
- Kosher salt + black pepper – to season the salad dressing.
- Olive oil – to cook the brussel sprouts.
- Shaved brussels sprouts – click this link to learn how to shred brussels sprouts with a sharp knife, mandolin or food processor. You can also buy pre-shredded brussels sprouts in the produce section of the grocery store to make this salad quick and easy to toss together! For this recipe you’ll need 8 cups of shredded brussel sprouts, which is equal to 2 pounds of whole brussels sprouts.
- Apple – I recommend a honey crisp or fuji apple. You’ll want to dice it into small pieces before adding it to the salad. I do not peel the apples because I like the look and texture of the skin in the salad. This is my preference and you’re welcome to peel it first, if you’d like!
- Pomegranate seeds – click this link to learn how to cut a pomegranate and easily remove the seeds. You can also purchase pomegranate seeds (also called arils) in the grocery store, already removed from the whole pomegranate.
- Candied pecans – click the link for my homemade recipe, or purchase candied pecans in the bulk bins at the grocery store.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Add all of the ingredients for the honey dijon dressing to a small bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the shaved brussels sprouts, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes. I always recommend cooking the brussels sprouts first, whether you serve the salad hot or cold. This will reduce the bitter taste of the raw brussels sprouts and make the texture more tender.
- Remove from the heat, transfer the brussels sprouts to a large bowl, and toss them with the prepared honey dijon dressing.
- Add the pomegranate seeds, diced apples, and candied pecans. Toss to combine everything before serving. Serve immediately for a warm salad, or transfer the salad to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Time saving tip
You can make the honey dijon dressing in advance. Prepare the salad dressing and place it in a mason jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. It will reduce prep time when making the salad and last up to a week in the fridge.
To save even more time, you can also use bottled honey dijon dressing, instead of making the dressing at home.
Optional additions
This brussel sprout salad is easily customized to make your perfect salad. Whether you want to swap an ingredient, or add an ingredient, make it your own with these easy substitutions and variations!
- Nuts – if you want to trade out the candied pecans for another nut, try sliced almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts. The nuts add a crunch and texture to the salad, so almost any nut will work in it’s place.
- Protein – if you’d like to add a protein to this salad and make it a meal, I recommend this balsamic salmon, or marinated grilled chicken.
- Cheese – if you’d like to finish the salad with a sprinkle of cheese, I’d recommend adding ½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese, small cubes of cheddar cheese, or for something more funky, you can add crumbled blue cheese.
- Fruit – feel free to replace the diced apples with diced pears, or swap out the pomegranate seeds for dried cranberries.
What to serve it with
If serving this brussels sprout salad recipe as a side dish, try pairing it with these other main dishes and sides.
More brussels sprouts recipes
For more great brussels sprout recipes, check out these fan favorites!
Brussels Sprout Salad with Dijon Dressing
Ingredients
Honey dijon dressing
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cups shaved brussels sprouts, from 2 pounds whole brussels sprouts
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 apple, honey crisp or fuji (diced small)
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds, or dried cranberries
- ½ cup candied pecans, or almonds or walnuts
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the honey dijon dressing to a small bowl and whisk together, then set aside.
- If you did not buy pre-shredded brussels sprouts at the grocery store, follow this guide to learn how to shred brussels sprouts with a sharp knife, mandolin or food processor.
- Once the brussels sprouts are shredded, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the brussels sprouts, season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring them regularly.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the brussels sprouts to a large bowl. Toss the dressing with the brussels sprouts.
- Add the pomegranate seeds, diced apples, and candied pecans. Toss to combine everything before serving. Serve immediately for a warm salad, or transfer the salad to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- This recipe is naturally vegetarian, to make this recipe vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey in the salad dressing. Candied pecans or glazed pecans are traditionally made with egg white or butter. So be sure to check the ingredients if adding them to the salad. You might have to make a vegan version yourself, or just add plain pecans.
- You can make the honey dijon dressing in advance. Prepare the salad dressing and place it in a mason jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. It will reduce prep time when making the salad and last up to a week in the fridge. To save even more time, you can also use bottled honey dijon dressing, instead of making the dressing at home. You will need 1/2 cup of dressing for the salad.
Nutrition Facts
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