Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad is a crispy, crunchy, healthy, gluten free salad recipe that's full of fresh fall flavors!
“I love this salad I make it multiple time throughout the year when we have gatherings and everyone always raves about it and wants the recipe!”
A ton of people have used the recent snowfall as an excuse to decorate for Christmas early, but I’m holding out as long as possible because:
- I don’t want to admit the season that shall not be named is most likely here to stay [sob]
- Thanksgiving should get the attention it deserves!
Ok, I can’t promise a Costco holiday planter won’t somehow find it’s way onto my front porch before Thursday, but that’s it! Besides, we should be focusing our attention and efforts on what will undoubtedly become your new favorite holiday side dish ever: Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad.
Make once and I promise it’ll become an annual tradition!
Watch How to Make It
Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with ALL the Fixins’
File this fall-themed Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad under “better than you can possibly imagine“. It’s like taking a Peloton class from Jess King. Oh wait no, that’s harder than you can possibly imagine. Hurts so (mostly) good.
Anyway, you can pick out and taste every single ingredient in this flavor and texture-packed Thanksgiving-friendly side dish, and the combination of fresh, savory, sweet, creamy, and crunchy is simply divine.
You will remember this salad LONG after taking your last bite!
What’s Inside
Shredded brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, fresh pear, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, and crispy shallots (the STAR of the salad!) are drizzled with the easiest Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette to create a flavorful and healthy fall salad that you’ll go back for more and more and more of.
It is beyond delicious.
Can You Eat Raw Brussels Sprouts?
Yes, you can eat raw brussels sprouts!
Brussels sprouts are in the cruciferous vegetable family with broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, and are completely fine to eat raw. I prefer to thinly slice each sprout with a sharp chef’s knife, vs purchasing a bag of pre-shredded sprouts because the bagged slices are a little too thick to eat raw (those are great for pan-seared brussels sprouts recipes or roasted brussels sprouts recipes).
You can basically shave the brussels sprouts using a knife rendering them super easy to eat raw in this salad.
How to Prepare Ahead of Time
This shredded brussels sprouts salad is great to make for Thanksgiving on account of its warming fall flavors, and it also can be partially made ahead of time which is nice when you’ve got a bunch of different dishes cooking on the stove or baking in the oven on the actual holiday.
Here’s a a breakdown of what you can prepare or make ahead of time, vs what’s best to prepare just before serving:
Make/prepare ahead of time:
- Shred the brussels sprouts up to two days ahead of time then store in a gallon Ziplock bag with all the air pressed out.
- Chop the pecans up to two days ahead of time then store in an airtight container.
- Prepare then refrigerate the vinaigrette 1-3 days ahead of time.
Prepare just before serving:
- Chop the pears.
- Pan fry the shallots.
- Add all ingredients into a serving bowl then dress and toss to combine.
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Pin ItHow to Make Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
Start by shredding raw brussels sprouts. Peel back the outer leaves of each sprout then hold onto the stem and use a sharp knife to shave them as thinly as possible.
Again, it’s tempting to use a bag of pre-shredded brussels sprouts for this dish, but they’re a touch too thick for a raw salad in my opinion. Hand shredding gets them much thinner!
Add the shredded sprouts to a large bowl with dried cranberries, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, chopped ripe pear, and pecans that have been roughly chopped.
Next, pan fry jumbo shallots sliced into rings – no breading required! Once fried, shallot rings are a FANTASTIC replacement for french fried onions on top of casseroles and in salads. You really can pick out the caramelized onion flavor amongst all the other ingredients in this dish. So, so delicious.
After slicing and separating the rings of the shallots, heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I always test a slice of shallot first to see if the oil is hot enough. If the slice starts sizzling right away, the oil is ready.
Add half the shallots to the hot oil then saute and stir occasionally until light golden brown, NOT dark brown which tastes bitter. Each batch should take 2-3 minutes.
Scoop the fried shallots onto a paper towel lined plate to drain then sprinkle with salt. Repeat the fry >> salt process with the remaining shallots.
Last step is to mix up the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette that ties the whole salad together. It is incredible! To a jar with a tight fitting lid add the following ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
Shake to combine then pour over the salad, toss to combine, add the fried shallots, and then toss again.
Fresh, decadent, crunchy, creamy — ALL. THE. THINGS! I know you are going to adore this texture and flavor packed Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad! Enjoy, enjoy!
More Fabulous Fall Salads
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Apple Orchard Salad
- Steak Salad with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Maple-Bourbon Pecan Salad
- Everyday Kale Salad
- Wild Rice Harvest Bowls
- Apple, Cranberry, Almond Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz brussels sprouts, tough outer leaves pulled away
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles, or chevre
- 1 pear, chopped
- 2 jumbo shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Using a very sharp knife, thinly shred brussels sprouts while holding onto the core end then discard cores and add shredded sprouts to a large bowl with dried cranberries, chopped pecans, gorgonzola cheese, and chopped pears. Set aside.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the shallots then fry until light golden brown (NOT dark brown) 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Scoop onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain then repeat with remaining shallots. Sprinkle with salt then let cool slightly.
- Add ingredients for Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette together in a jar then shake to combine. Pour over salad then toss to coat. Add fried shallots then toss to combine, and then serve.
Notes
- I recommend shredding your own brussels sprouts vs buying pre-shredded to make sure you can shave them very, very thin!
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I am not a fan of mustard. Would the dressing turn out ok without it?
I think so! It won’t be quite as thick and you may want to add a little less sweetner to compensate for losing a bit of tang.
I’ve made this recipe for the last 2 Thanksgiving dinners, and plan to make it again this year….best salad recipe I’ve ever come across! My husband even ate it! I also brought it to a work luncheon last year, and everyone wanted the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
This salad tastes amazing but it does take a while to shred the Brussels Sprouts! I will definitely make it again!
Has anyone tried this salad with cooked Brussels sprouts? I just don’t be think I’d like them raw, and was wondering if anyone had success?
I made this for our Christmas dinner with extended family (I left out the cheese) and even self-proclaimed “Brussels sprouts haters” went back for seconds! Great recipe!!!
HA – love it!! So glad you all loved it!
My “crispy” shallots turned out kind of limp and soggy. They tasted good – just no crunch to them. What do you think I did wrong? Thank you!
Hi Jenny! It sounds like maybe your oil wasn’t quite hot enough so they sauteed and softened vs fried.
Could you make the crispy shallots a day or two before and if so how would you store them? I am traveling out of town for t-day so I am bringing the ingredients with me to throw together there-I don’t want to have to cook at their house because I know the stove will be full of the other items.
Hi Emily! I don’t think the crispy shallots would stay crispy for more than an hour or two. What you could do is swap them for canned french fried onions if you don’t need to eat GF!
Oh my gosh, this is SO good! It’s been on my list to make for months and finally put it together today. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
So glad you loved it, Lisa, thanks for the feedback!
I made this salad earlier this month for a girls’ night in after making it about a year ago. I sub out the pecan with almonds and use feta instead of Gorgonzola. Great flavor profile with a variety of textures. Raw Brussels sprouts totally work when sliced thin in a mandolin. Great Thanksgiving salad recipe. Also holds up nicely the next day.
This has quickly become my “go to” crowd pleaser this fall. I LOVE THIS SALAD every time I make it. I made it for a work potluck this week and had FIVE people ask for the recipe (so if you see traffic uptick on this link you can thank me- HA!). Thank you, Kristin! Your recipes are so reliably good.
You are too kind, Leigh, thanks so much for the feedback and I’m so glad it was a hit! :)
Hi! Recipe looks delicious. I’m thinking about taking it to a holiday party – Should I wait until I serve it to put the dressing on, or will it benefit from marinating for a bit?
Thanks!
So I know this recipe is a year old, but I just made it and OMG <3 I have to tell you, all of your recipes are so dependably good, but each time I make one, I have the same reaction. Been following you since the beginning (Um, hello Glamour.com blogs! hahaha), and I’m so glad I have! Thanks again for the great recipe!
PS — This is excellent with pumpkin beer … you need to find a GF version to try with this salad! :)
So glad you loved it, Melissa!! I have been on the lookout for a good GF pumpkin beer for 3 years now – still keeping my eyes peeled!
Quick, easy and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe which was just as good as promised. I’ll be checking out your other recipes now.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Mary! I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish!