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Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad

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This Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad is super-easy to make with shredded fresh Brussels sprouts and a zippy orange vinaigrette. It’s also naturally gluten-free and vegan, so that everyone at the table can enjoy it.

Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad

Brussels sprouts are back in season! Which means it’s time we all make my favorite Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad! ♡

This salad has been my go-to salad for holiday entertaining for years and years now. It’s quick and easy to make with fresh, healthy, seasonal, simple ingredients. It holds up really well in the fridge, if you would like to prep it up to 3 days ahead of time. It looks beautiful on any holiday table, especially with all of those vibrant reds and greens. And best of all — it’s quite simply so delicious!

Since many of you probably missed this recipe the first time I shared it five years ago, I thought I would bump it back to the top of the blog today for some holiday salad inspiration. I’ve updated the post with a fresh batch of new photos, and have also included a video tutorial on how to shred Brussels sprouts either by hand or with the help of a food processor. (Or nowadays, you can also buy Brussels pre-shredded at most grocery stores, if you would like to save a step!)

Tons of our readers have made and loved this recipe over the years, so I hope you enjoy it too!

How To Shred Brussels Sprouts:

Ok, first things first, let’s talk about how to shred Brussels sprouts!

Nowadays, you can purchase pre-shredded Brussels sprouts at most grocery stores. But if you would like to shred them yourself, you can either do so by hand (example #2 in the video above). Or if you happen to have a food processor with a blade attachment, you can do so extra-easily with the help of a food processor (example #3 in the video above). No need to cook the Brussels afterwards — we will just be eating them raw as our salad greens.

Brussels Sprouts, Quinoa, Cranberry, Shallots and Pecans for Salad

Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad Ingredients:

In addition to shredded Brussels sprouts, you will also need the following ingredients for this salad:

  • Shredded Brussels: As detailed above.
  • Quinoa: I always like to cook my quinoa in vegetable stock (or chicken stock) to give it extra flavor.
  • Dried cranberries: Or dried cherries — whichever you prefer.
  • Chopped pecans: Which I highly recommend taking a few minutes to toast — either in the oven or in a skillet — before adding to the salad, for extra flavor.
  • Shallot: I’ve added this into the updated version of this recipe, to round out the rest of those salad flavors. (If you don’t have a shallot on hand, you can sub in some finely-chopped red onion instead.)
  • Orange vinaigrette: Which is super-quick and easy to make with orange juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper.

Full ingredient amounts/instructions listed in the recipe box below.

How To Make Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad

How To Make Brussels Salad:

To make this Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad recipe, simply…

  1. Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients together until combined. (Or my preference — combine them in a mason jar, cover, and shake until combined.)
  2. Make the salad. Combine the shredded Brussels, cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, chopped pecans and shallot in a large bowl. Drizzle evenly with the vinaigrette, then tossed until completely combined.
  3. Season.  Taste and season the salad with extra salt and pepper, as needed.
  4. Serve. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberry, Pecans and Quinoa

Possible Variations:

Want to customize this recipe a bit? Feel free to…

  • Add avocado: My best suggestion? Add some diced avocado to this salad for an extra creamy twist — delicious!
  • Use pomegranates: In place of (or in addition to) dried cranberries, some fresh pomegranate arils would be beautiful in this salad!
  • Use different nuts/seeds: In place of pecans, feel free to use sliced or slivered almonds, walnuts, pepitas or sunflower seeds.
  • Add bacon: For an extra delicious twist, feel free to add in some chopped cooked bacon. YUM.
  • Add arugula: I’ve also made this salad using half Brussels and half arugula, and the peppery flavor of arugula was a delicious addition to the other flavors.
  • Add cheese: Some freshly-grated Parmesan or Manchego cheese would also be delicious addition to this salad.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad Recipe

More Favorite Salad Recipes:

Looking for more salad recipe inspiration? Here are a few of my faves!

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberry and Quinoa in Bowl

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Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad Recipe

Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 13 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

Description

This Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad is super-easy to make with shredded fresh Brussels sprouts and a zippy orange vinaigrette.  See notes above for possible ingredient variations.


Ingredients

Scale

Salad Ingredients:

Orange Vinaigrette:

  • 1/4 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • generous pinch of fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Instructions

  1. Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until combined.
  2. Make the salad. Combine the shredded Brussels, cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, chopped pecans and shallot in a large bowl.  Drizzle evenly with the vinaigrette, then tossed until completely combined.
  3. Season.  Taste and season the salad with extra salt and pepper, as needed.
  4. Serve. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.


Notes

*Recipe update: Shallots and Dijon were added to this recipe in the fall of 2019.  Otherwise, the recipe is the same as always!

*Cook time: Cooking time does not include the time required to cook the quinoa.

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170 comments on “Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad”

  1. Absolutely delicious! We’re trying to eat healthy, so I tried it. This recipe is a keeper.






  2. Very eaay and delicious salad. I wanted to try it with bulger wheat instead of quinoa because i had quinoa only a couple daya ago. I also diced a couple oranges because inhad extra from the vinegarette. Plus it adds a nice color.






  3. Delicious. I added some orange pieces and Feta.

  4. I quartered and roasted my brussel sprouts and added feta. Took it along as a side for Thanksgiving dinner. Just ate some leftovers today with a bit of chopped turkey mixed in for lunch. This will be put in high rotation for easy work lunches.

  5. Healthy, easy, tasty. I get big bags of brussels from costco and get tired of my normal ways of preparing them so I was looking for a new interesting recipe. Will 100% be making this again.






  6. Just about to make this again to have for lunches the next few days, and I realized I should let the review world know we love it! :) I’ve made this many times, it’s always a hit, great balance of texture and flavor. It’s filling without making you feel heavy. We eat it cold from the fridge. I’ve used walnuts before when I didn’t have pecans on hand. It’s great the day you make it, and still great a few days later. A keeper!






  7. I made this salad for my book club and it was so delicious. Several members asked for the recipe and I can’t wait until I make it again when my vegetarian sister comes for a visit in a couple of weeks!

  8. I want to try this. It looks wonderful and sounds delicious. I’m trying to do low carb and not sure about the quinoa. I do eat carbs. I just have a daily limit I try to stay under. Knowing the nutrition information for any recipe is helpful. Please consider adding that to the recipes. If I missed it, I apologize. I searched.

    As is I will use the recipe converter on my fitness app which takes time. Having the nutritional values at a glance is so much easier.