Apple, Pecan and Brussels Sprout Salad is the salad that actually gets eaten at a holiday table full of heavier dishes. Shaved Brussels sprouts, crisp apple, toasted pecans and dried cranberries get tossed together and coated in a honey Dijon dressing sharpened with apple cider vinegar. Ready in 15 minutes.
Apple, Pecan and Brussels Sprout Salad Summary
- 🥬 Shave or thinly slice raw Brussels sprouts as the base
- 🍎 Add crisp apple, toasted pecans, dried cranberries and shaved red onion
- 🍯 Whisk honey, Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar with olive oil for the dressing
- 🧂 Season the dressing with onion powder, garlic powder and a pinch of salt to balance the honey
- 🧀 Finish with shaved or grated Parmesan
- 🥣 Toss just before serving so the sprouts stay crisp, not soggy
- 🗓️ Make the dressing up to 3 days ahead and store separately
About This Brussels Sprout Salad
This is the second Brussels sprout salad I've built around a honey Dijon dressing. The first version, Brussels Sprout Cranberries Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette used red wine vinegar, so when I made it again, this time with apple cider vinegar in place of red wine vinegar and a crisp apple folded in alongside the cranberries and pecans.
The vinegar swap changes several things. Apple cider vinegar carries a rounder, fruitier edge than red wine vinegar, and it plays straight into the apple already in the bowl instead of competing with it. Between the shredded sprouts, the crunch of pecans, the sweet hit of cranberries and a good shower of Parmesan, this salad earns a spot next to the mashed potatoes and green beans instead of getting pushed to the side of the table.
Key ingredients at a glance
- Brussels sprouts
The base of the whole salad. Shave them thin with a knife or a food processor slicing attachment; thick-cut sprouts turn tough and hard to chew raw. - Apple
Pick something crisp and a little tart, like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith. It adds moisture and a clean bite that balances the density of the sprouts. - Pecans
Toast them first. A few minutes in a dry skillet brings out the oil in the nuts and makes the crunch more pronounced against the raw vegetables. - Dried cranberries
These bring the sweetness that a raw Brussels sprout salad needs. Don't skip them; the salad reads one-note bitter without something sweet to offset it. - Red onion
A little goes a long way. Shave it thin so it distributes through the salad instead of clumping into sharp bites. - Parmesan
Shave it with a peeler for texture, or grate it fine if you want the cheese to melt into the dressing slightly as it sits. - Honey, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar
Equal parts of each, whisked with olive oil, is the whole dressing. The mustard and vinegar cut through the honey's sweetness so the dressing doesn't taste like syrup.
Why This Salad Works
🍎 The apple cider vinegar version has a different personality than the red wine vinegar one. Fruitier, rounder, and it lets the apple in the bowl do more of the talking instead of getting talked over by a sharper vinegar.
🥗 It's not a side dish you forget about. Between the apple, cranberries and Parmesan, this salad has enough going on to hold its own next to a roast or a casserole, not just sit there as the token vegetable.
🍯 The dressing does the heavy lifting. Honey, Dijon and apple cider vinegar in equal parts means you're not measuring six different bottles, and the balance is nearly foolproof once you've made it once.
🌿 Raw Brussels sprouts hold up. Unlike leafy greens, shaved sprouts don't wilt if the salad sits on a table for an hour, which makes this a genuinely good option for potlucks and holiday spreads.
How to make Honey Dijon Dressing
The trick is to use equal amounts of honey, Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons of each of these ingredients and ⅓ cup of olive oil.
Onion and garlic powder offset the sweetness of honey but do not overwhelm the overall taste. I also use salt here to balance out sweetness of honey and the zest of honey mustard.
Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries, Apples and Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts
- ½ cup cranberries, dried chopped
- ½ cup pecans broken into pieces
- 1 apple, such as Fuji cored and thinly sliced
- ⅓ red onion thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
Honey Mustard Dressing
- 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ⅓ cup olive oil more if desired
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Brussels Sprout Preparation: Cut off the ends of the sprouts and any browning outer leaves. Shred them in a food processor using the slicing blade or slice them as thinly as possible using a sharp knife. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
- Honey Mustard Dressing: In a small bowl, first combine the vinegar and mustard, season with salt and pepper and add garlic and onion powder. Then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking the ingredients together. Now whisk in honey.
- Adding it all together: Add cranberries, apples, pecans and red onion to the bowl with shredded Brussels sprouts. Add the Honey Mustard dressing Vinaigrette from step 2 and mix well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Recipes to pair up with Brussels Sprout Salad
The recipes below are loaded with flavor and good ingredients, such as green beans, kale, cabbage and even more (!) cranberries:
Creamy Chicken and Green Bean "Casserole" Skillet with Gruyere Cheese
Irish Mashed Potatoes with Kale
Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce
More delicious Brussels sprouts recipes:
Roasted Brussels sprouts with butternut squash
Warm Quinoa and Brussels sprouts Salad in Honey Mustard
Zesty Brussels sprout Coleslaw with Horseradish
Brussels sprouts and Bacon Gratin
Dennis Hogan says
If we don't like parmesan cheese will eliminating it be ok
Olya says
Yes!
Gabby says
I made this salad for Thanksgiving and had it for breakfast! It was a hit with the kids as well! Thank you for sharing!
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
So happy to hear kids ate it too.
Carrie says
My kids had to ask what the green ingredient was (Brussels sprouts)! well masked by the honey-mustard dressing.
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Well masked indeed!
Marina says
Can I use raw apple cider vinegar? Would it affect the taste?
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
You can use it, but it's definitely stronger than regular apple cider vinegar. To me the smell of raw apple cider vinegar can be overpowering.
Violet says
I made this salad - it was excellent! The only thing I changed is adding more olive oil to the dressing. It seemed to be to thick to me.
Lisa says
I didn't have brussels sprouts so I made a garden salad and "zipped" it up with apples and dried cranberries. Made your honey mustard dressing and it was FANTASTIC. Thank you for sharing this.
Janet says
Do you think apple chips will work here instead of fresh apples? I don't like fresh apples.
Olya at Whatsinthepan says
Yes - that's a great replacement for fresh apples. One of my favorite salads at Panera Bread has apple chips in it and they taste pretty soft in the dressing.
Terri says
Beautiful salad! Love salads with cheese!