30 Minute Meals
Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad
Prep
20 minutes
Cook
5 minutes
Yield
4 -6
🥗 This shaved brussels sprout salad will convert even the biggest salad skeptics! Paper-thin brussels sprouts, candied walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and tangy lemon dressing create the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
This healthy, nutritious shaved brussel sprout salad combines delicious brussel sprouts with crunchy candied walnuts. It’s topped with a delicious lemon, garlic dressing that has a tad of sweetness from maple syrup. This salad is great on its own, or as a side.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad
- Quick Prep: Prep this shaved brussel sprout salad in just 20-minutes. Great for a quick lunch.
- Healthy: Everything in this salad is so nutritious and delicious.
- Versatile: Add your favorite dressing and swap out any veggies with whatever you have on hand.
🍲 Ingredients
Brussels Sprouts – High in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, brussel sprouts are so good for you. They’re also versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked. So many people hate this tasty veggie but it’s usually because you’ve never had it prepared correctly or just ate them on their own without complementary seasoning. So I encourage you to give them another chance. When shaved thin, they have a completely different crisp, fresh, and surprisingly delicate texture.
Harissa Seasoning – A ground spice blend of spicy, early North African paste with a base of smoked chili peppers. Used as a dry rub on meats or tofu, and in different dishes like tacos, tagines, or curries. In this salad, it adds a warm, complex heat that elevates the candied walnuts from simple to extraordinary.
👩🍳 How to Make This Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad
- In a small bowl, combine the sunflower seeds with 1 cup of cold water. Set aside for 20 – 30 minutes.
- To make the candied walnuts, add the walnuts to pan over medium-high heat. Stir for a couple of minutes as they toast. Once slightly toasted and fragrant, add the maple syrup and all of the seasonings. Stir until the walnuts are completely coated, and cook for 2 – 3 minutes for the syrup to harden. Transfer into a small bowl. Set aside.
- To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients to a blender. Adjust to taste, and add more water to desired thickness. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to dress the salad.
- To prepare the salad, clean the brussel sprouts, cut off the ends, and thinly slice using a sharp knife or mandolin (be very careful when using this tool, use a glove and guard). Add to a large bowl. Thinly slice the red onion and transfer it to the bowl. Add the feta, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds.
- Dress the salad with your desired amount of the salad dressing.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Shaving Technique: Use a sharp knife or mandolin for paper-thin brussels sprout slices. A food processor with a slicing blade also works well for larger quantities.
- Massage the Greens: Gently massage the dressed brussel sprouts with your hands for 1-2 minutes to soften them and help the dressing penetrate.
- Walnut Timing: Watch the candied walnuts carefully – they can go from perfect to burnt quickly. Remove from heat as soon as the syrup coating hardens.
🗒 Variations
- Dairy-free: Use plant-based feta or omit the cheese to make vegan!
- Nuts: Swap walnuts for pecans, almonds, or pine nuts. The candying technique works with any nut.
- Sweet Bite: If you don’t have pomegranate seeds, try dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or fresh apple chunks.
- Onion Upgrade: Follow this quick pickled onion recipe. It’ll only take 10 minutes and adds incredible tangy flavor.
🗒 Best served with
- Grilled Steak Sandwich
- Apple Caprese Sandwich
- Minestrone Soup Recipe (with Pastina)
- Dill Pickle Soup
👝 How to Store Leftovers
This salad can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 – 5 days.
🤔 Common Questions
Yes! Use the slicing disc attachment for quick, uniform results. This is especially helpful when making large batches for a crowd.
Aim for paper-thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. This creates the perfect texture that’s tender enough to eat raw but still has a nice crunch.
Absolutely! Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. They’re also delicious as a snack on their own or on other salads.
Definitely! Grilled chicken, roasted chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs, or even quinoa turn this into a complete meal. The salad is substantial enough to support additional ingredients.
Choose smaller, younger brussel sprouts when possible, and make sure to slice them very thin. The dressing and other ingredients help balance any natural bitterness.
Yes! Goat cheese, blue cheese crumbles, or grated Parmesan all work beautifully. Each will give the salad a different flavor profile.
Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 lb brussel sprouts
- 1 small red onion
- ¼ cup vegan or regular feta cheese
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup pickled onions or regular onions sliced
For the candied walnuts:
- ¾ cup walnuts
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp harissa seasoning
For the dressing:
- ¾ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large roasted garlic cloves or 2 raw garlic
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- 5-6 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sunflower seeds with 1 cup of cold water. Set aside for 20 – 30 minutes.
- To make the candied walnuts, add the walnuts to pan over medium-high heat. Stir for a couple of minutes as they toast. Once slightly toasted and fragrant, add the maple syrup and all of the seasonings. Stir until the walnuts are completely coated, and cook for 2 – 3 minutes for the syrup to harden. Transfer into a small bowl. Set aside.
- To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients to a blender. Adjust to taste, and add more water to desired thickness. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to dress the salad.
- To prepare the salad, clean the brussel sprouts, cut off the ends, and thinly slice using a sharp knife or mandolin (be very careful when using this tool, use a glove and guard). Add to a large bowl. Thinly slice the red onion and transfer it to the bowl. Add the feta, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds.
- Dress the salad with your desired amount of the salad dressing.
This kind of seems like too much for a salad, maybe I’m lazy and it just seems like too much work, but I’ll give it a try and tag you on my results 😅 😅 😅 😅
I promise you it’s not hard!!!! AT ALL!!!
Very yummy!! I subbed pomegranates for raspberries, I don’t know how much of a difference that would make but it was still really good!
I love that for you! What a fun swap!
Though I had never heard of this salad before, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was, had a variety of flavours and textures, super cool and fun recipe!
SOO GOOD, right?!