This Warm Brussel Sprout Salad features crunchy pecans, sweet dried cranberries, diced apples and crispy bacon all brought together with a light maple vinaigrette dressing for a perfect balance of autumn flavors.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Not only is this salad delicious but it can also be served as a side dish or a main course – whatever best suits the occasion! Get ready to experience how incredibly mouth-watering and wonderfully textured this warm brussel sprout salad really is!
- Delicious. The hot maple salad dressing warms the shredded brussel sprouts just enough to tenderize them.
- Easy to make. Can be ready in under 30 minutes.
- Healthy. This nutritious salad is low in calories and fat.
- Perfect for celebrations. This shredded brussel sprouts salad is perfect for a fall or winter meal. It's also elegant enough to present at your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
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Warm Brussel Sprout Salad Ingredients
Deliciously tender yet crunchy, brussel sprouts drizzled with a hot maple vinaigrette, for a salad bursting with flavor from crisp Applewood bacon, diced apples, dried cranberries, and crunchy pecans.
For The Salad
- Brussel sprouts - Fresh, whole, cut in half.
- Red onion - Diced small.
- Bacon - Fried crisp, and crumbled.
- Pecans
- Dried cranberries
- Apple - Honeycrisp or Cosmic Crisp, diced.
Hot Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
- Maple syrup - Real, artificial, or sugar free, any is fine.
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice - From fresh squeezed lemons.
- Salt
- Black pepper
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Warm Brussel Sprout Salad
Prepare the brussel sprout salad base first, then make the hot maple dressing. This way, you don't have a cold dressing when ready to serve.
The hot salad dressing will soften the brussel sprouts slightly, making for an even more flavorful salad. Leftovers can be warmed slightly in a microwave, or eaten cold straight out of the refrigerator.
Read on for the step by step on making this delectable fall flavors salad.
Shred The Brussel Sprouts
- Wash and trim the ends from each brussel sprout. Peel any discolored or damaged leaves off and discard.
- Halve or quarter each sprout, depending on how large they are.
- Place in the food processor and pulse to shred into a loose and fluffy texture.
Mix Salad Ingredients
- Transfer the shredded brussel sprouts to a large salad bowl.
- Add the diced apple, crumbled fried bacon, diced red onion, and the chopped pecans and mix to combine.
Prepare The Hot Maple Dressing
- Mix the maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper into a pint size mason jar.
- With lid OFF, microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until the dressing has heated up. Stir to combine, taking care to not burn yourself.
Dress, Toss, and Serve!
- Pour the hot maple vinaigrette over the brussel sprout salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately while warm.
Serving Suggestions
This warm Brussels sprout salad can be served as a side dish with any type of meat, poultry, or fish. It is also a great holiday salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few delicious variations when making this warm brussel sprouts salad.
- You can also substitute other types of nuts for the pecans, such as walnuts or almonds.
- You can substitute the maple syrup with honey or orange juice if you prefer.
- If you don't have time to fry and crumble fresh bacon, you can use Real bacon bits, or try our Air Fried Bacon recipe crisp bacon without frying or baking messes!
- For a vegan or vegetarian version of this salad, omit the bacon.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this warm brussels sprouts salad.
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Storage and Reheating
- Warm brussels sprouts salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- This salad is not a good freezing candidate.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for making this warm brussels sprout salad:
- For the best flavor, use fresh Brussels sprouts that are firm and bright green.
- If you don't have bacon, you can substitute another type of cured meat, such as ham or prosciutto, or omit it altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're not planning to use the lemon juice, then use a rustic balsamic vinegar.
Omit it, and add something else with a salty flavor, such as Gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbles.
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📖 Recipe
Warm Brussel Sprout Salad w Maple Dressing
Ingredients
For The Salad
- 1½ lb Brussel sprouts fresh, whole, cut in half
- 1 large Apple cored and diced
- 6 slices Bacon fried and chopped (or use bacon bits)
- ½ Red onion diced small
- ½ cup Dried cranberries
- ½ cup Pecans
Hot Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
- ½ cup Maple syrup regular or sugar free
- ⅓ cup Olive oil
- 2 Lemons fresh, squeezed from medium 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Wash and trim the ends from each brussel sprout. Peel any discolored or damaged leaves off and discard. Halve or quarter each sprout, depending on how large they are.1½ lb Brussel sprouts
- Place in the food processor and pulse to shred into a loose and fluffy texture.
- Transfer the shredded brussel sprouts to a large salad bowl.
- Add the diced apple, crumbled fried bacon, diced red onion, dried cranberries, and the chopped pecans and mix to combine.1 large Apple, 6 slices Bacon, ½ Red onion, ½ cup Pecans, ½ cup Dried cranberries
- Mix the maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper into a pint size mason jar.½ cup Maple syrup, ⅓ cup Olive oil, 2 Lemons, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- With lid OFF, microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until the dressing has heated up. Stir to combine, taking care to not burn yourself.
- Pour the hot maple vinaigrette over the brussel sprout salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately while warm.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use fresh Brussels sprouts that are firm and bright green.
- If you don't have bacon, you can substitute another type of cured meat, such as ham or prosciutto, or omit it altogether.
Carol says
I love everything about this salad! can't wait to try it!
Delaney says
This sounds great! I don't eat meat so I'll leave off the bacon, but I'm excited to try this one 🙂