This simple slaw is made with just 8 ingredients, but it gets wonderful sweetness & crunch from apples, kohlrabi, dried cranberries, and pine nuts.
You may or may not have noticed, but I love salads. I intended to start November off with big hearty Thanksgiving inspiration… but, well, I’m not sure if the thought of mashed potatoes made my jeans feel tighter or if it was all the Christmas cookies I ate last week (don’t ask)… this week I ended up craving soups and, especially, salads.
I’m really excited about this salad because it’s so simple yet so delicious with all of its shred-y, crunchy textures. If you have a mandoline, this will go really quickly. If you don’t, you can use a sharp knife, just try to slice everything as thinly as you can. (And a side note: please use the safety attachment even though I didn’t here).
Shredded brussels sprouts and apples are the base of this salad. At the last minute I also tossed in some kohlrabi that had been sitting in my fridge for weeks as if it were waiting to be included in this salad. Sliced into thin matchsticks, it offers a really nice crunch. If you don’t have kohlrabi, you can skip it. But don’t skip the dried fruit or the toasted nuts. It’s these sweet & salty flavors that bring everything together.
We ate this salad with big bowls of pumpkin soup, but it’ll also be great as a lighter option on your Thanksgiving table.
Love Brussels sprouts? Roast them or try this salad!
Shredded Brussels Sprout & Apple Salad
- 12 ounces brussels sprouts (about 2 cups shredded)
- 1 apple, very thinly sliced
- 2 kohlrabi, stems removed, sliced into matchsticks
- ¼ cup dried cranberries or currants
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- A good drizzle of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
- Squeeze of ½ a lemon
- Salt & pepper
- Very optional: grated pecorino or crumbled feta cheese
- Clean brussels sprouts by wiping them with a damp towel, then removing the top leaves that are dirty. You want your brussels sprouts to be very dry so the salad doesn't become too watery.
- Get out your mandoline if you have one. Slice the brussels sprouts into thin shreds, then slice the apples. Peel any rough parts off of the kohlrabi skin. Thinly slice the kohlrabi bulb into planks, then use a knife to slice the planks into little matchsticks.
- Place cut veggies into a bowl and add cranberries, pine nuts, and a few pinches of salt. Toss well, then add olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon and toss again. Taste and adjust seasonings. Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes at room temp, then serve. (Add some cheese if you like)
I have this Benriner Japanese Mandoline and I love it.
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Made this as a fresh ‘n raw component of Thanksgiving. It was delicious, though I forgot the pine nuts. I had only one kohlrabi but it was still good. I shredded the sprouts and apples using the slicing blade of my food processor. Super easy! I did the same with the kohlrabi, then stacked the slices and cut them julienne.
One word of caution — add lemon juice, salt and pepper first. Lots of lemon and plenty of salt. Add much less oil than you usually would. I probably used twice as much lemon as olive oil. I tasted it after it had stood for a couple hours thinking it might need a bit more oil but nope — the tartness of the lemon offset perfectly the bitter of the sprouts and the sweet of the apple. All was balanced by the salt. Perfect!
This was unbelievable. We made this as a side at a heavy Thanksgiving meal, most of which I was not partaking of, and lots of heavy food meat eaters had second helpings of this fresh crispy salad. I made it earlier in the day, but it held together very well. You are such an inspiration.
Thank you for the terrific recipe. Super simple and really fresh, great taste. The crunchy texture of this light salad is the perfect foil for all the heavy food coming out of the kitchen on Thanksgiving. Can’t wait to serve it to my brother in law who detests brussels sprouts! He’ll never know…..
Thanks Katie, I’m so glad you enjoyed this one! Ha, best of luck winning over your brother in law 🙂
I love this salad. it is so tasty and the different textures make it sing! We have this often. Thanks for the recipe!
Finally finished making this salad today. On Wednesday I cut my finger on the first shred of the sprouts on the mandolin and fainted 15 minutes later!
So, I can say with confidence–USE THE SAFETY GUARD ON YOUR MANDOLIN !! (If you don’t believe me google “mandolin accidents” and look at the bloody pics)
This looks wonderful. I love roasted Brussels sprouts, but I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know you could eat them raw! I’ll definitely give this a go.
We always eat salad at dinner and what a good one! I add some pomegranate fresh arils. This is a perfect side for a BBQ pulled beef burger.
Thank you!
I just made this for lunch with toasted almonds and feta. Delicious. This was definitely a mouth workout – lots of amazing crunchy texture! Thanks for another great recipe.
Hi, I just came across your blog today and absolutely love your recipes! Your brussels sprouts and apple salad looks great – it could be a good one to try on our Thanksgiving table this year. I’ve never thought of eating brussels sprouts grated raw. Is it like green cabbage?
Yum! I adore the texture of shredded Brussels sprouts.
I love your photos and the delicious recipes!
Yes!! I make a very similar salad almost once a week during fall and winter. I add avocados and use slivered almonds instead of pine nuts, but everything else is the same. It’s delicious!
Hello! First of all – huge fan! Also, will you please tell me where you bought your mandoline? I have been looking for one like that but cannot find one I like that works well.
amazon! The link is right under the recipe. It’s not the sharpest one ever but I like the size and price of it. It fits in a drawer, and since I never use the safety piece I feel ok knowing that I won’t slice my finger off.
Sorry I missed that. Thank you so much! I absolutely love your blog and I am always excitedly awaiting your newest posts. Thanks again. 🙂
oh no worries, it’s a little bit hidden. I didn’t mean that exclamation to sound mean or anything – I just really like amazon and the mandoline 🙂
Sounds yummie! And great idea to slice nearly everything with the mandoline, I would like to try it for one of my GourMate evenings! http://gourmate.friend.launchrock.com
I fell in love with brussels sprout salads last year! I came across a local Philly vegan chef who has a killer recipe including “coconut bacon” and have been making it ever since. I like your addition of kohlrabi and would like to try that next!
lovely salad!! easy and yummy!
This salad looks great. And I love the photography as well – thanks for the recipe!
rae of love from berlin
I’m excited about this salad too. Love Brussels sprouts any way and am always trying to find new ways to use kohlrabi beyond my favorite way which is juicing it. This fresh slaw-like version would actually be a perfect addition to lighten up a Thanksgiving meal.