How to Make a Salad with Brussel Sprouts

Easy salad with shredded brussel sprouts with a homemade dressing is the perfect healthy holiday or brunch side dish that everyone loves. With bacon or left vegetarian it is a great cold salad made with a different vegetable than normal. One of the many great ways to cook brussel sprouts that are now one of our favorites.

Easy Salad with Shredded Brussel Sprouts

It took me until I was in my 40’s to really enjoy this love/hate veggie. My dad steamed them when I was a kid and all I can remember is my mom’s reaction when we entered the house “uggggg” she would say. I agree the smell wasn’t great.

Add butter and bacon and everything becomes delicious right??!! Well, this is a healthier version than that. Served as a salad or main vegetarian salad for dinner, kale and brussel sprouts salad has great flavor and texture to it.

If you love simple when it comes to this green side dish, this isn’t for you. It’s packed with all sorts of things to amp up the flavors to the max.

How do you cut brussel sprouts for salad?

1. Trim the Ends using a sharp knife. Remove any outer leaves that are damaged or discolored and discard those.
2. Slice them either in half or quarter them. Here’s how to do each:
   • Halving you would place the trimmed Brussels sprout flat-side down on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice it in half vertically, from top to bottom.
   • Quartering Brussels sprouts may be necessary if they are large, you may prefer to quarter them for bite-sized pieces. After halving them, place each half flat-side down on the cutting board and slice it into two quarters.
3. Remove the Core if you find them to be tough or woody, I always do. Use the tip of your knife to carefully cut it out after halving or quartering. This step is optional, but it can help improve the texture of the salad.
4. Thinly Slice with a mandoline if you prefer a finer texture in your salad, you can thinly slice the halved or quartered Brussels sprouts crosswise into thin ribbons. This creates a shredded effect and makes it easier to eat raw.
   • you could use a cheese grater to make smaller pieces or use a food processor pulsing a few times to cut finer.
5. Rinse and Dry after cutting under cold running water to remove any dirt or debris. Pat them dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner to remove excess moisture before adding them to your salad.

You could shred as is or integrate diced up kale is even better. If you wanted to use another type of lettuce that would be an option as well. The add ins and vinaigrette dressing is where it’s really at though. Use bottled or make your own using the instructions below and see what you think!

Are brussel sprouts okay to eat every day?

Yep. You can eat raw brussel sprouts. They are full of antioxidants which helps to lower your risk of chronic diseases. As you would imagine they contain a great amount of fiber too so if you have high cholesterol this would be a great dish for you too. Cook them all sorts of ways like cast iron brussel sprouts, steamed, etc…

When it comes to chopping, shredding or shaving them you can do all or one of them. The idea is to remove the stem, slice in half and then cut them into smaller pieces. This will make it easier to eat as well as allowing each piece to soak up the great dressing.

Ingredients

1. Fresh brussel sprouts
2. Kale leaves
3. Some broccoli slaw was added but you could use anything like bagged cole slaw (without the dressing) as a 3rd greenery
4. Dried cranberries adds a bit of sweetness
5. Diced bacon is a must for me
6. Crushed or halved pecans are great
7. Pepitas, pine nuts or shelled air fryer pumpkin seeds are fabulous

How to Make Homemade Vinaigrette

• Olive oil and red wine vinegar
• Honey or maple syrup
• Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Variations

Of course you can use bottled dressing or just olive oil and lemon juice if you’d rather for this winter salad, but this is pretty easy to throw together. I personally would make air fryer croutons too and serve them on top for your holiday gatherings but that is up to you.

How to Make Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad

You’ll want a large bowl, a sharp knife or mandolin handy to get going. You could use a food processor to get them really fine or buy pre shredded brussel sprouts. Those aren’t really common though, if so they’d be with the bagged salads.

• For the kale you’ll want to cut out the thick stem and then dice it up into bite size pieces. Thinly slice the brussel sprouts small.
• Add all your add ins and toss to combine. We love this salad with pomegranate arils too if I can find them.
• Whisk together your dressing in a small bowl or mixing cup. Pour this on top your salad and toss gently so everything is coated nicely.

With this one and our cabbage salad it is really good to sprinkle some nuts on top when serving it too. Keep 1/2 cup of dressing to serve at the table for extra yum.

Kale and Brussel Sprout Salad

Generally I will say that salad leftovers don’t save well, but this is an exception. That is, for a day it keeps well enough. In a sealed bag since the leaves are tougher than traditional lettuce they will hold up. I wouldn’t push it beyond 24 hours though or it will be kinda’ slimy and no bueno.

Other easy brussel sprout recipes

• Instant Pot brussel sprouts and brussels in the air fryer are great options that don’t use your oven.
• Use the oven to make roasted brussel sprouts with balsamic vinegar as a side.
• Another thing we love making after this are Ninja foodi kale chips. Buy an extra bunch so you can give these a whirl. I kid you not even my kids say “Yay!” when I say these are cooking up for them as a snack. Many times I eat them all before sharing. 😉