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 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.
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 Brussels Salad:
To make this Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad recipe, simply…
- 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.)
- 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.
- Season. Taste and season the salad with extra salt and pepper, as needed.
- Serve. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
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.
More Favorite Salad Recipes:
Looking for more salad recipe inspiration? Here are a few of my faves!
- Everyday Salad
- Everyday Kale Salad
- Feel-Good Fall Salad
- Sunshine Citrus Avocado Salad
- Tahini Ranch Avocado Chicken Salad
Brussels Sprouts, Cranberry and Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 pound shredded Brussels sprouts
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 1 medium shallot, peeled and finely chopped
- orange vinaigrette (see below)
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
- Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together until combined.
- 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.
- Season. Taste and season the salad with extra salt and pepper, as needed.
- Serve. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
After my frozen sprout debacle, I bought some fresh sprouts. To minimize GI discomfort, I cored each sprout — a time consuming process. Also, the dressing’s very sweet. It needed a full 24 hours, plus some periodic tossing to marry the flavor with the produce. To help offset the sweetness, I topped the salad with some crumbled feta flavored with mediterranean herbs (I forget the brand). That really “made” the dish.
Still, I and a friend experienced some bloating after eating it. That’s it — no more raw crucifers for me! I’ll try it next time with Napa cabbage and see if it’s kinder on the digestive system.
My sister shared this with me and we both love it. I happened to have Blood Orange Olive oil in the pantry to use and like that in the viniagrette ! Thanks for posting this‼️
We’re so glad you and your sister enjoyed this Julie! And we think that blood orange olive oil sounds heavenly — yum! :)
You know what would’ve been nice to know before starting this recipe? The Brussels sprouts must be FRESH, NOT FROZEN. When I saw “Trader Joe’s” and “brussel sprouts,” I assumed that I could use the frozen variety, because that’s what I’d always used.
And 2:1 water:quinoa ratio?! Only if you want it soggy. 1.5:1 gives you the fluffy, separated grains.
Hi Jake — when listing vegetables in a recipe, if it doesn’t specify “frozen,” then we mean fresh.
My new favorite salad! I’ve been bringing it to work in a small mason jar and it’s been the envy of my coworkers. Tossed with a little goat cheese – super yummy! Also love it as is :) Sometimes it’s hard to wait until lunch!
Thanks for your sweet comment Victoria — we’re so happy you love this! :D
What do you normally pair this with?
Sometimes we’ll eat it on its own, as a meal (it’s great for lunch)! You can also add some shredded roast chicken to it for some added protein. If you want to eat it as a side, it can really go with anything, though we feel like it’s more of a fall/winter meal. :) We hope this helps, and that you enjoy!
made a variation of this with stuff I had in my pantry (cooking without planning a trip to the grocery store is always a beautiful thing)- barley and pumpkin seeds instead of quinoa and pecans, and I used some fresh chopped kumquat (with some lemon soda to thin it out) instead of orange juice. Turned out great!
Thanks for sharing Luchia — we’re so glad this worked out for you, and that you were able to modify it! :)
I cut up a naval orange and added it to the salad to give it a little more flavor. This was a good change from my standard salads – thanks!
We think that sounds like an excellent addition Linda! We’re glad you enjoyed this. :)
I had never made quinoa before, and if you are also one of those people, you may want to know that it swells up when cooked. I didn’t see it on the package anywhere or on the recipe. My advise would be to measure about 2/3 of a cup raw quinoa to get the 2 cups of cooked. The recipe, other than that, was good.
This looks really healthy, always looking for ways to use quinoua, thankyou for sharing the recipe.
Thanks Barb, we hope you enjoy! :)
So, I’m not a big salad person at all, but I LOVE Brussels sprouts, and I am a terrible person and never leave comments on recipes but this salad was so unreal and kept me full for HOURS. Definitely going in my favorites. Thank you for making this so I can find a salad that I love!!
Katie, we’re SO happy you loved it! Thanks for sharing with us! :D