In the last few weeks, with the start of the holiday season, I have been buried in freelance work and neglected this space a little bit. But worry no more, because I am back with the first Thanksgiving recipe of the year.

Allow me to present you this Brussels Sprout Kale Salad recipe, aka the most colorful, festive, and delicious salad that will help you add some color to your holiday menu.
The idea for this shredded brussel sprout salad recipe came last week when I was in Trader Joe’s. Have you ever seen it? They sell brussels sprouts as a whole plant. The whole branch and everything.


I realized that I have no brussels sprout recipes on the blog so I picked up a branch. I had recently ordered a shredded brussels sprouts salad in a restaurant and loved it. So I thought it would be great to create a similar recipe for the blog, especially with the biggest cooking day of the year is around the corner.

How to make Shredded Brussels Sprout Kale Salad Recipe:
The recipe for this Shredded Brussel Sprout Salad is pretty straight forward and has 4 folds.
First, toast pecans with a little bit of maple syrup, cayenne pepper (optional), and flaky salt in a preheated 350-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Be sure to give them a stir halfway through the roasting time.
As they are toasting, make your dressing. To do so, whisk together olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, garlic, and salt and pepper in a bowl. If you don’t have access to shallots you can substitute them with 2-3 stalks of thinly sliced scallions.
Next, shred the brussels sprouts and chop up the kale. I like my brussels sprouts and kale sliced as thinly as possible, but you can chop them up in any way you prefer.
Finally to assemble, drizzle an empty salad bowl with half of the dressing. Add in the kale and shredded brussel sprouts. Using a salad tong, toss until vegetables are coated with the dressing. Top them off with pecans, cheese, pomegranate arils, and avocado. Drizzle everything with the rest of the dressing. Give it a toss and serve.
In my opinion, the sweetness coming from the maple-roasted pecans and pomegranate arils mixed in with the garlicky lemon salad dressing complement the humble flavors of kale and raw brussels sprouts and create a delicious shaved brussel sprout salad making it a next-level Thanksgiving salad.

How to shred Brussel Sprouts for Salad:
When it comes to shredding brussels sprouts you have a few options:
- Use a sharp pairing knife and slice one by one as thinly as you can. This takes around 10-15 minutes for a pound of raw brussels sprouts.
- Use a food processor that is fitted with the shredding blade. This method is my favorite as it takes no more than 3 minutes to shave a pound of brussels sprouts.
- Use a mandolin. This method produces evenly sliced brussels spouts and takes about 8-10 minutes to shred a pound of brussels sprouts. If you need an advise on a good mandoline, I just purchased this one (affiliate link) and I love it.

A Few Variations for The Best Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad
- Don’t like blue cheese? At the last minute, I topped the salad off with crumbled blue cheese. We love blue cheese, but I know a lot of people don’t like it as much. If you feel that way, feel free to swap it with parmesan, goat cheese, or feta cheese.
- Swap up a few ingredients for a new version of this salad: I used pecans and pomegranate arils, but I have also made this salad with sliced almonds and chunky apples or sliced grapes.
- Change up the oil used to create an additional layer of flavor: In the recipe below, I used extra virgin olive oil, but if you can get your hands on pecan or avocado oils they work really well too. I am adding this alternative as nowadays these different kinds of oils are becoming more mainstream and I am a big fan of them.
- Serving a vegan? To turn it into a vegan brussel sprout salad simply omit the cheese.
Other Brussels Sprout Salad Recipes You Might Like
Other Salad Recipes For Your Holiday Table
- Apple Salad Recipe
- White Bean Salad
- Wild Rice Salad
- Baby Spinach Salad
- Roasted Delicata Squash
- Acorn Squash Salad
- Roasted Carrots
- Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
- Need more inspiration? Check out all our Salad Recipes
Brussels Sprout Kale Salad
Ingredients
For the maple candied nuts:
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon flaky salt or kosher salt
- Pinch of cayenne pepper – optional
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 small shallots peeled chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the salad:
- 1 pound brussel sprouts sliced thinly
- 1 bunch kale rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1 ripe avocado cut into small cubes
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ½ cup blue cheese or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- To make the maple candied pecans: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together the pecans, maple syrup and cayenne pepper (if using) in a bowl. Roast for 8-10 min. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.
- Meanwhile, to make the dressing place all dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Put the lid on and shake until fully combined. *You can prepare the dressing a day in advance and keep it in the fridge.
- To assemble the salad: Place brussel sprouts and kale in a bowl. Pour half of the dressing over it and give it a toss. Top it off with now-cooled candied pecans, avocado, pomegranate arils, and blue (or parmesan) cheese. Pour the rest of the dressing over it. Give it a gentle toss. Taste for seasoning and add in, if necessary.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
This recipe was initially posted in November 2017, but updated with additional helpful information with no changes to the original recipe in November 2019.
Chanel
Looking for something healthier after the gluttony of holiday dining. Very happy with this salad. Even my college son enjoyed it. I subbed vidalia onions for the shallots and forgot the avocado altogether. It was terrific – perfect blend of sweet and savory. This is definitely staying in my meal planning lineup, and I’m excited to try different seasonal fruit as the months roll by. Very impressed!
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Chanel,
I am thrilled to hear that you like it. I make this salad all the time.
Blood oranges pair very well with this salad. ? I hope you try it some time.
Cheers!
Caitlin
When I first read the ingredients I thought it would be needing a protein but it totally doesn’t. It’s perfect like it is! My husband loved it too.
Aysegul Sanford
So happy to hear that you guys liked it Caitlin. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Cheers!
Liz
SO many of my favorites in this salad and the dressing was fabulous, too!
Sandy
I love how fresh this salad is. Perfect for TG!
Aysegul Sanford
I agree. It will be on our table for sure. 🙂
Toni | Boulder Locavore
I love how flavorful it is! So festive, too!
Aysegul Sanford
Thank Toni. Perfect for the holidays, for sure.
Barbara Schieving
A perfect salad for the holidays.
Aysegul Sanford
Thanks Barbara. Can’t agree more.
Trish Rosenquist
The colors are just GORGEOUS! What a salad!
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Trish. So glad you liked it.
Melissa Sperka
Packed with flavor I loved the addition of pomegranate to the mix!
Aysegul Sanford
So happy to hear that you liked it. Thanks Melissa.
Joanne
I LOVE the brussels and kale combo here. So good!
Brenda
Can I just say…I LOVE this salad!!
Aysegul Sanford
Ha ha. Yes, you can. So sweet of you. Thanks Brenda!
Lori
The sugared pecans and the blue cheese and the pom seeds all really add to this salad and make it wonderful!
Aysegul Sanford
Can’t agree more. Thanks for stopping by Lori!
Lisa Blair
We made this last night and it was so good. I didn’t have pomegranate seeds so I swapped them with raisins. It was great. Thanks for another great recipe.
Larry Lee
This salad is the perfect addition to your holiday table: colorful, delicious and made with fresh seasonal ingredients. It is delightfully crunchy and healthy. Enjoy!!
Aysegul Sanford
Brussels Sprouts never disappoint, do they? Thanks so much for letting me know. I am so happy to hear that you liked it.
Cheers!
Zerrin
This salad is calling my name! Love everything in it! The tips about shredding brussels sprouts are really helpful. Your story about using a mandoline sounds so scary that I don’t even think of buying one.
Lauren
This looks so delicious! What a great combo of flavors!
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you sugar. It ended up being so SO yummy. Working on another brussels sprouts recipe today, wishing you were still here to test it. 🙂