Radicchio Brussels Sprout Salad
5 from 4 votes

This colorful radicchio Brussels sprout salad with cranberries and pistachios will add cheer to your holiday table—along with flavor, crunch, and nutrition!

A white salad plate has been topped with a colorful, crunchy radicchio and Brussels sprout salad. It rests on a white surface.

When the holiday season draws near, it’s fun to make big, ambitious dishes for gatherings and celebrations.

It’s also lovely to whip up a bunch of easy, low-stress vegetable sides.

A lot of people claim that Thanksgiving is all about the sides. I think there’s truth to that. I’d take it a step further and say that a lot of holiday meals are side-dish-centric. It’s not easy to come up with a single entree or centerpiece that will satisfy a whole group of eaters. After all, people have very different tastes and preferences, not to mention eating styles.

Sides, though? There can be something for everyone. There’s such a huge array of side dishes to choose from: soups, salads, slaws, roasted vegetables, grains, gratins, and so much more.

This radicchio Brussels sprout salad is a perfect example of a fast, easy side salad that packs a lot of nutrition, flavor, and texture. Plus, it’s really pretty to look at, colorful and bright, which makes it a very nice thing to serve during the winter holidays.

The joy of shaved Brussels sprouts

For so many years, I only ever roasted my Brussels sprouts.

There was nothing wrong with this, exactly. Roasted Brussels sprouts are one of the best things about fall, if you ask me. Roasting brings out their sweetness and crispiness. As making miso butter Brussels sprouts taught me, it’s also an opportunity to experiment with different glazes and marinades.

However, Brussels sprouts are a versatile little crucifer. And they lend themselves to far more preparation methods than one. Lately, I’m enjoying them steamed—it really highlights their natural sweetness, and it’s a quick and easy method when I’m in a rush.

Most of all, I’ve fallen in love with raw, shaved Brussels sprouts. They give such a spicy, crunchy bite to autumn salads! They pair wonderfully with kale, with tender roasted butternut squash, or they can constitute a good little salad all on their own.

Shaved Brussels can also be cooked. I use them in this very beloved fall hash, pair them with tempeh and grits for breakfast, and I sometimes add them to pasta, too.

Plump, halved Brussels are a beautiful thing, but the sprouts are so much more versatile than that.

Brussels sprouts have been shaved into thin pieces and are used in a colorful winter salad.

How to shave Brussels sprouts

So how do you shave Brussels sprouts thinly enough to work in salads like this one?

I usually shave Brussels sprouts by running them through my food processor. The slicing blade makes it easy and fast. If you have a mandoline slicer, that will also allow you to shave your sprouts paper thin.

But if you don’t have a special gadget for this job, not to worry. You can shave Brussels sprouts the old fashioned way, with a sharp chef’s knife. Here’s a nice tutorial on the process.

Radicchio Brussels sprout salad ingredients

What I love about this salad is its simplicity. It has texture and color and crunch, but you won’t need too many ingredients to make it. Here’s what you will need:

Brussels sprouts

Naturally! The salad calls for a pound of Brussels sprouts. Wash them and trim them before you shave them.

Radicchio

I know that I have a lot to say about Brussels sprouts, but radicchio is the other star of the show in this salad. Oh, how I love radicchio: the color, the bitterness, the beautiful firm leaves. It’s one of my favorite winter ingredients.

You’ll need one small head of radicchio for the recipe. Be sure to shred it finely, so that the radicchio and Brussels sprouts have an even texture and size.

Cranberries

Between Brussels sprouts and radicchio, there’s a lot of natural bitterness in this salad. As a result, a sweet ingredient is a nice complement.

Dried cranberries give the salad sweetness, some texture contrast, and a nice pop of color to match the radicchio. If you don’t have dried cranberries, I like golden raisins as a substitute.

Pistachios

I think that cranberries and pistachios make a great combination, especially in festive holiday dishes. A third cup of pistachios gives the salad some nutty flavor and crunch.

You can choose to roughly chop the pistachios or leave them whole for the recipe—it’s all about which texture you’d prefer.

Vinaigrette

The salad features a simple vinaigrette, one that I use on a lot of fall and winter salads. It’s olive oil, apple cider vinegar, a touch of maple syrup, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Simple and tasty, with slight sweet notes that work well for the bitter brassicas.

Serving suggestions

This is a fun side salad to serve with your favorite plant protein. For example, it works nicely in a bowl with with my balsamic tofu and a whole grain, like farro.

Speaking of farro, I like to serve the salad with my mushroom farro. Together, the two side dishes create a really nice balance of earthiness and brightness.

Here are a few other winter recipes that are good to serve alongside the radicchio Brussels sprout salad:

Preparation & storage

The radicchio Brussels sprout salad will keep nicely in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. One of the nice things about the salad is that the vegetables in it retain their crispiness over time.

Modifications

Naturally, you can modify the salad as you like. Almond slivers and toasted, chopped walnuts would be great in place of pistachios. So would pecan pieces.

If you don’t have Brussels sprouts, you can try making the salad with shredded dinosaur kale: different texture, but similar flavor profile. The radicchio can be replaced with shredded purple cabbage

So many options to explore. And here’s the recipe for you to start with.

A colorful winter salad, made with thinly sliced Brassicas, is served on a round white salad plate.

A white salad plate has been topped with a colorful, crunchy radicchio and Brussels sprout salad. It rests on a white surface.
5 from 4 votes

Radicchio Brussels Sprout Salad

Author – Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yields: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb brussels sprouts washed and trimmed
  • 1 small head radicchio
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup shelled, roasted pistachios (whole or roughly chopped; substitute chopped nuts of choice)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Use a food processor, mandoline, or sharp knife to shave the Brussels sprouts. Thinly slice the radicchio.
  • Mix the sprouts, the radicchio, the cranberries, and the pistachios together in a mixing bowl.
  • Whisk the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and salt together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Toss the dressing over the salad and mix well. Season to taste with additional salt, vinegar, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve.
A white and gray, round ceramic salad bowl has been filled with a Brussels sprout salad. The salad contains pistachio nuts and dried cranberries. The bowl rests on a white surface.

Perhaps this tasty little salad will be a part of your holiday celebrations sometime. But no need to use the holiday as an excuse. Make it today, tomorrow, or through any of the winter months.

I hope you’ll enjoy it!

xo

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Categories: Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Raw, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Holidays

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Recipe Rating




    24 Comments
  1. 5 stars
    The salad tastes as good as it looks! I highly recommend using the slicing disk in your food processor to get a nice fine shred. I subbed dried cherries for cranberries and I didn’t have quite enough pistachios so I supplemented with toasted walnuts and it was excellent. I served this with the balsamic tempeh and reduction from Power Plates and it was so satisfying and flavorful. I would definitely make this again!

  2. I’m definitely making this! I wanted to bring a salad, just to be sure to have something crunchy and fresh for myself, and this one is sure to be that. Also, won’t wilt over the long afternoon as we figure out the serving and timing with many family members!

  3. The combination of flavors, colors, and textures in this salad looks amazing! I am definitely making this for Thanksgiving; thanks for another simple, yet elegant, recipe!

  4. I never really use pistachios due to cost either, but I’ll definitely try this with almonds! And in case you’d like more complements (because who wouldn’t), my dad made your butternut, bread, and brussels sprout stuffing last year for Thanksgiving, and he liked it so much that he’s making it again! And my father never makes the sam stuffing twice!

  5. i love this style of raw salad. i tried another one of your shaved brussel recipes a while ago..i think it had apples in it! very refreshing and this one is festive enough to pass for thanksgiving or christmas with those colors! i love when food looks beautiful 🙂

  6. I am not a fan of cooked brussels sprouts. Maybe I will like the raw version! Thanks for the great recipe!

  7. Oh man, that looks awesome! I might make that for one of the zillion holiday parties I have coming up. This would probably be good with pine nuts too!

  8. Hi Gena! I’m so excited to make this over the coming weekend. A question: do you think that using hemp oil in place of walnut would be too overpowering? I’m a big fan of the taste of hemp, but I’ll opt for olive oil if the hemp is likely to dominate the other flavors of the dish.

  9. I have never tried walnut oil before–probably because of cost, but now I’d love to try it, sounds so delicious with this combo of ingredients.

    Pistachios are expensive. But that’s where Costco comes in… 🙂

  10. This is such a beautiful dish! Just perfect for the holidays. I’ve never used walnut oil before, but it sounds like it would be really good in this. Does it have a really strong flavor or is it a more subtle oil?

  11. I had never heard of radicchio before. Thanks Gena!

    I don’t think we have it at my grocery stores.