this holiday brussels sprouts salad is packed with tons of flavor and texture. this is a salad you won’t be able to stop eating.

Holiday Brussels Sprouts Salad with Vegan Cheese, Craisins, and Hazelnuts

the inspiration

I really love to give you all well rounded out holiday menus. So, when I was thinking about Thanksgiving recipes for this year I wanted to make a salad. But not just any old boring fall salad, something fun!

Of course this salad does use some classic fall toppings like craisins and apples. However, I think the hazelnuts and vegan parmesan add delicious texture and flavor. The fun part about this salad is you actually can enjoy it warm. The Brussels sprouts are cooked ahead of time so they are tender and warm.

I honestly couldn’t get over all the flavor in this salad and I couldn’t stop eating it. It reminded me of something. There’s an episode of the show King of Queens, with Kevin Jame and Leah Remini, where Doug (Kevin James) becomes friendly with his friends girlfriend because she’s a chef and he loves to eat. Carrie (Leah Remini) doesn’t love this and asks him to stop eating her food. Of course, at the end of the episode she finds him licking the bowl that had salad in it.

So, she says to him I could imagine some pasta, a pizza, that you couldn’t control yourself over but a salad…. a salad. This is what I would imagine that salad was like. Full of different texture, flavor which makes it irresistible.

Holiday Brussels Sprouts Salad with Vegan Cheese, Craisins, and Hazelnuts ingredients

the ingredients

Brussels Sprouts: of course for the base of our recipe we will need Brussels sprouts.
Apple: you can use any apple you like. I went with a golden apple because I felt the color would look better in the salad.
Hazelnuts: the hazelnuts add nice texture and crunch to the salad. If you want to swap it for something different, pecans, walnuts, almonds, or any other nut that would work fine.
Craisins: the craisins of course hit on that typical holiday flavor. Their slight tartness also is delicious in the salad.
Vegan Parmesan: for this salad I knew I wanted a lot of thinly grated vegan parmesan. So, I used the Violife block. You can use any vegan parmesan you can find, and I have a vegan parmesan recipe as well.
Lemons: these are used in our dressing. The lemon juice flavor pairs nicely with all the ingredients in the salad.
Olive Oil: used in our salad dressing. You can use any oil you like.
Agave: this will add sweetness to the salad dressing.
Salt and Black Pepper: we will use this to season the Brussels sprouts and dressing.

making the holiday brussels sprouts salad

This salad is very easy to make! The homemade dressing is ready in a matter of a seconds and the food processor does a lot of the work for the Brussels sprouts!

First, you want to trim the ends of all the Brussels sprouts off. This is slightly tedious but important. I also look at the leaves and make sure they look good. Then, put them all in a food processor and pulse until they are shaved Brussels sprouts.

Transfer them into a large pan with oil, salt, and pepper. Toss everything to coat the Brussels well. Then, cook over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until they are cooked.

In a small bowl prepare the dressing. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, agave. I like to do this with a whisk. Then, add salt and black pepper to taste.

Once the Brussels sprouts are done cooking add them into a large bowl. Then, add the hazelnuts, chopped apples, craisins, vegan parmesan, and half of the salad dressing. Toss to coat everything well.

Transfer to your serving dish. Then, add more vegan parmesan on top. You can also do a bit of extra salt and black pepper if desired.

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make ahead tips

This salad can be enjoyed cold or warm. If I am being honest though I do love it better when it is warm. The vegan parmesan cheese melts a little bit, the apples soften slightly, and of course just makes for a more fun side dish or appetizer. But if you want to make the whole salad ahead of time you can and keep it stored in the fridge.

Alternatively, if you want to serve the shaved Brussels sprouts salad warm you can make the dressing, grate the vegan parmesan, and shave the Brussels sprouts ahead of time. Keep the dressing and vegan parmesan stored in a container. You can also shred the Brussels sprouts in the food processor and then keep them stored in the fridge. Then, right before eating finish the cooking and plating steps.

why you’ll love this recipe

I think you will love how it incorporates traditional and seasonal ingredients while being delicious. It is a great way to get in a vegetable during the holiday season. Salad recipes can often get overlooked during the holiday season but I promise this is one you will never forget.

It is also easy to customize and add to it. For example, you can use different nuts or incorporate toppings and fruit such as pomegranate seeds or dried cherries. There are a lot of ways to play around with this salad.

This salad is also easy to make. We don’t need to play around with a mandoline and deal with an injury before Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other get together. The food processor does all the work. Also, unlike other recipes online I love that we aren’t eat raw Brussels sprouts. Cooking them ahead of time makes them softer and better.

holiday brussels sprouts salad faq

Is this recipe allergy friendly?

It does contain nuts, which you can of course leave out. Otherwise, it is soy and gluten free.

How do I store leftovers?

Just store them in airtight container in the fridge.

I don’t like Brussels sprouts, can I swap it?

While the base of this salad is intended to be Brussels sprouts. I do think a good substitute could be thinly sliced or shaved green cabbage.

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