Gimme Some Oven

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apple and Walnuts

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad recipe is tossed with chopped arugula, sweet apples, crisp red onions, toasted nuts, crumbled soft cheese, and my simple everyday salad dressing.

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples and Walnuts

It has been a grey and dreary week here in Barcelona, so I vote we brighten things up with a vibrant green salad today!

This shredded Brussels sprouts salad has been a favorite in our house lately and is bursting with so many of my favorite fresh, healthy, and colorful ingredients that are in season right now. As you can probably spy in the photos, there are lots of crisp sweet apples loaded in there that I’ve paired with tangy blue cheese. I’ve also mixed the shredded raw Brussels with chopped baby arugula, to add some peppery flavor and some softer greens to the salad. Then add in the toasted nuts of your choice, some thinly-sliced red onions, and my simple everyday salad dressing…and this gorgeous, simple, feel-good salad will be sure to make your day all the more delicious.

It’s one of those salads that would be fun and festive enough to serve for holidays, yet also quick and easy enough to whip up for a healthy weeknight dinner. Feel free, of course, to use whatever type of cheese (blue, goat, feta, cheddar, Parmesan), nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds), or dressing (lemony or balsamic) sounds best to you here. And while this recipe is already naturally gluten-free and vegetarian, you could also easily make it vegan (by using your fave plant-based cheese) if you’d like.

Alright, let’s make some salad together, friends! ♡

Bowl with Apples, Walnuts, Red Onion, Arugula, Shredded Brussels and Blue Cheese

Brussels Sprouts Salad Ingredients:

Before we get to the recipe below, here are a few brief notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Brussels salad recipe:

  • Brussels sprouts: Most grocery stores sell bags of pre-shredded Brussels sprouts nowadays. Or if you are starting out with whole Brussels sprouts, here is a quick video for how to shred Brussels sprouts, either by hand or with the help of a food processor.
  • Greens: I love the taste of peppery baby arugula paired with the Brussels and apples in this salad. But alternately, you could sub in baby spinach, chopped kale, or any other salad greens that you prefer. Or you could just opt to use 100% Brussels sprouts as your greens instead.
  • Apples: Feel free to use whatever type of apples you love best for this salad! I just recommend choosing a variety that is nice and crisp, to give the salad some extra crunch.
  • Nuts: As you can see, I opted for toasted walnuts for this salad. But pecans, almonds, pistachios or pepitas would all be delicious options here too.
  • Red onion: I love the crunch and sweet, sharp taste of thinly-sliced red onions in this salad. But if you are a bit more onion-averse, feel free to give the sliced onions a quick rinse with water before adding them to the salad, to mellow the flavor a bit. Or you can leave the onions out entirely if you prefer.
  • Blue cheese: Forever and always my favorite cheese to add to any sort of apple salad. But if blue cheese isn’t your thing, feel free to use crumbled goat cheese, feta cheese, shaved Parmesan, or even an aged sharp cheddar instead.
  • Dressing: Finally, I used my all-purpose everyday salad dressing for this recipe, made easily with olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper, which was lovely. It would also be delicious if you swapped balsamic or red wine vinegar for the lemon juice, if you prefer more of a vinaigrette!

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples in Mixing Bowl

Possible Variations:

This recipe is quite flexible, so please feel free to tinker around with any of the ingredient swaps mentioned above, or you are welcome to…

  • Use different fruit: Fresh pears and/or pomegranate arils would also be a delicious swaps for the fresh apples in this recipe. Or you could also opt to add some dried apples, cranberries, cherries, in the salad too!
  • Use candied walnuts: My recipe for candied walnuts  (or pecans) would also be an awesome option here, if you have the extra time to prep the walnuts.
  • Add bacon: If you feel like adding in a bit of protein, some salty smoky bacon would awesome in this salad too.

Apple Brussels Sprouts Salad Closeup

More Fall/Winter Salad Recipes:

Looking for more seasonal salad recipes to make this time of year? Here are a few of my faves:

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples, Walnuts and Blue Cheese in Serving Bowl

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples and Walnuts

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples and Walnuts

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Ali
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 0 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x

Description

This Brussels Sprouts Salad is made with a delicious blend of sweet and savory seasonal faves. See notes above for possible ingredients swaps and add-ins too!


Ingredients

Scale

Brussels Sprouts Salad Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces Brussels sprouts, shredded (with ends trimmed)
  • 3 ounces (about 3 cups) baby arugula,* roughly chopped
  • 2 crisp apples, cored and diced
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 5 ounces crumbled blue or goat cheese

Dressing Ingredients:


Instructions

  1. Make the dressing: Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl (or shake all ingredients together vigorously in a sealed jar) until completely combined.
  2. Toss the salad. Combine all of the salad ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, drizzle evenly with the dressing, and toss until combined.
  3. Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with an extra twist of black pepper if desired, and enjoy!

Notes

Dressing options: This salad dressing would also taste delicious made with balsamic or red wine vinegar, if you prefer to use more of a vinaigrette.

Share this Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

8 comments on “Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apple and Walnuts”

  1. If you didn’t dress this and used another fruit (apples brown) do you think this would save in the refrigerator? It looks delicious

    • Sure, I think it would save pretty well!

    • A little tip…I cut up apples for salad on Sunday night and use on salads all week….the secret is tossing/storing them in lemon juice! I assemble the salads the night before and the apples are never brown at lunch the next day or at the end of the week.

  2. Just got the ingredients. Looks fantastic. I just discovered your website so I will try some other recipes, too.






  3. Made this for dinner tonight – such a lovely fall salad and so nutritious! I subbed avocado for the cheese because I can’t do dairy. Will absolutely be making again. Love following you and making your delicious recipes!






  4. I made this salad today and my entire family (including teens) LOVED it! I used feta cheese and toasted walnuts. It was awesome, I’ve already shared the recipe with three people :)






  5. I enjoyed this salad and ate it for my dinner two nights in a row. I was out of blue cheese, but had feta, so used that instead. The first night, I made it as written, except for the substitution of feta for blue, and then added some chopped bacon. The second night, I added a dash of maple syrup to the dressing and tossed some dried cranberries into the salad. I thought it took the salad up a notch.
    This could easily be dressed up with cooked chicken or turkey added for a main dish salad.
    I would agree that the greens could be just about anyone you have on hand and will work well.
    The nice thing about this salad is it is easy to personalize it. It would be good with other cheeses, other fruits (dates or figs?) in addition to, or instead of apples.






  6. I am completely obsessed with this salad!!! I have had it four days in a row for lunch and I LOVE it. The dressing is the PERFECT compliment. Thank you so much.