Brussel sprout salad is so fresh, crunchy and loaded with great flavors and textures. It’s delicious as a dinner side dish or for a make-ahead lunch.

Here's a quick run-down of our weekend:

• Double date night out for sushi on Friday. 🍣 Oh how I love a grown-up dinner date!
• Lunch date and afternoon hang-out with my parents. ❤️
• Harry Potter themed birthday party. We are reading the books, my kids are obsessed and the mom of the birthday girl went all out - it was awesome!
• Bike rides and movie time and snuggles and general chill time after the kids' first week of school. Much needed all around!

Now for the food today!

You guys know I love me some Brussels sprouts, right?

I’ve shared roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and red onion, possibly my favorite go-to for everyone dinners, as well as balsamic Brussels sprouts, one that I started making years and years ago.

I also love wild rice and Brussels sprouts salad and shredded Brussels sprouts with cranberries and walnuts, which is another great go-to that also works for the holidays.

Today I’m sharing another favorite: Brussel sprout salad.

It’s unbelievably fresh and crunchy and loaded with great flavors and textures.

The crunchy, raw, shredded Brussel sprouts are mixed with chopped apples and walnuts, salty feta cheese and tart/sweet dried cranberries.

It’s finished with a healthy drizzle of a super easy homemade apple cider vinaigrette to bring all the flavors together.

You are going to LOVE this salad!

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on Brussel sprout salad:

• Shredding the Brussel sprouts is the hardest part of this recipe but really, it’s just tedious. I’ve got some tips below on that.
• I recommend you start with about ⅔rds of the dressing and add extra as needed.
• If you don’t use all of the dressing, save it to wake up and refresh any leftovers or use it for a different salad or grain bowl at lunch.
• I like a firm, crisp, sweet apple for this recipe, such as a Fuji or Gala.
• I used chopped walnuts but pecans would work too.
• Crumbled feta cheese is delicious here, but you could also substitute crumbled fresh goat cheese. (Or leave off the cheese if you need this to be dairy-free.)
• The dried cranberries add a bit of tart, a bit of sweet and a bit of chewy, so I recommend you include them.

I'm a big fan of homemade dressing. And this one is super quick and easy to shake up yourself.

You could, however, substitute a store-bought dressing if you prefer. An apple cider vinaigrette or even a citrusy vinaigrette would be great here.

(You know I won’t tell or judge!)

Also, because not everyone is familiar with this part of the process, I thought I'd explain...

How to shred Brussels sprouts:

- Shredding Brussels sprouts is tedious but not difficult.

- First, wash your sprouts well, cut the hard bottom core off and then remove any outer leaves that are discolored.

- It also really helps to take the time to remove part of the hard inner core from each one. I use a little triangle cut to get it out. (See the very beginning of the video for this recipe to see it in action.)

- You’re left with just the more tender leaves on each sprout and that’s what you want.

- Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice each sprout, carefully moving along down each one. 

- You could try using a mandolin or the shredding blade on a food processor. Just be careful of your fingers and make sure you’re getting a really thin slice.

(Check the picture above and/or the video to see what mine look like shredded.)

Tip: I’m not a fan of the store-bought pre-shredded Brussels sprouts for this dish. They are usually sliced too big and have too much of the core in them to work well here. (They end up too tough.)

How long does Brussel sprout salad keep in the fridge?

• This salad is best served in the first 24 hours.
• Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. (It’s even OK to store leftovers that have been tossed with the dressing.)
• After a few days though, the apples and walnuts start to lose a lot more of their crunch.

So you can definitely make or prep this ahead and have it ready to go for your dinner. Or for a Labor Day party if you’re looking ahead to next weekend!

As is, this Brussel sprout salad is gluten-free and vegetarian.

You can make it dairy-free by skipping the cheese. (Though that’s kinda sad and will take away from the salad.)

Or make it vegan: Substitute the feta cheese for a vegan feta and use maple syrup or agave in the salad dressing instead of honey.

Everyone should be able to enjoy this deliciousness!

I think you’ll really love shaved Brussel sprouts and having them make up the “lettuce” of your salad. Such a fun and different twist!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Check out these other delicious side salads:

- Kale quinoa salad (Family Food on the Table)

- Marinated veggie salad (Family Food on the Table)

- Chickpea salad with cucumbers and tomatoes (Skinnytaste)

- Mexican Caesar salad (Gimme Some Oven)

- Creamy pea salad with bacon (Family Food on the Table)

- Healthy broccoli apple salad (Family Food on the Table)