With all of the sweets and heavier recipes this season I’m here to bring you something super fresh and bursting with a mix of sweet, tangy and salty flavors. AKA a delicious flavor explosion you won’t be able to get enough of.
Kale salad recipes, in my opinion, get a bad rap, but this brussels sprouts kale apple salad has crisp greens, juicy honeycrisp apples, tangy & creamy gorgonzola cheese, and a crunchy nut & seed mixture. Take all of that, toss it in a light, perfectly sweet maple cider dressing and you’ve got yourself a damn good fall and winter salad.
Not only is this salad a wonderful meal prep lunch, but it’s also the perfect side dish for the holidays.
Give this gorgeous salad a try the next time you need some lunch inspo, and feel free to customize it with different proteins and fall produce! You’ll make this one again and again, promise.
FREE Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide (+ printable checklist!)
Whether you’re hosting or just attending, this Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide email series is for everyone. Enter your email below to get all of my best recipes, tips, and a FREE printable checklist for all of your Thanksgiving needs.
Everything you’ll need to make this brussels sprouts kale apple salad
This deliciously crunchy kale apple salad is packed with all of the textures and flavors you crave. Sweet, tangy, salty and oh-so addicting. Plus, kale is a superfood, so this salad is extra special. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- For the dressing: we’re using a light, sweet & tangy maple cider vinaigrette made with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, pure maple syrup, grainy dijon mustard, salt & pepper.
- For the salad: you’ll need brussels sprouts, kale, red or green cabbage, apples (I love honeycrisp the best!), red onion, dried cranberries or cherries and tangy gorgonzola crumbles.
- For the nut & seed crunch: we’re making a sweet and salty topping with pecans, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup and salt. SO GOOD.
Easy ways to customize
You can truly make this brussels sprouts kale apple salad your own with some simple ingredients swaps. Here’s what we suggest:
- Choose the cheese. If you’re not a fan of gorgonzola, feel free to use goat cheese, feta cheese, shredded parmesan or even white cheddar cheese. They will all still be delicious.
- Choose your fruit. I love using honey crisp apples but fuji, pink lady, etc. work just as well. Pears would also be perfect in this salad! They will break down more in the salad, so if you use them it’s best to eat the salad right away. I also think pomegranate seeds would be beautiful in the salad.
- Make it vegan and/or paleo. Simply leave out the cheese.
- Go nut free. You can also use extra pumpkin seeds instead of pecans. Easy!
Add a beautiful seasonal twist
This brussels sprouts kale apple salad would also be amazing with diced, roasted butternut squash or sweet potatoes. About 2 cups should do the trick — be sure to check out our guide for roasting the best butternut squash here!
Looking to add a boost of protein?
With the nuts and cheese included in this kale apple salad you’ll actually get almost 9g of protein per serving, but cooked, chopped chicken breast, roasted chickpeas or even bacon would be a delicious way to add even more protein! Bonus points if you double the dressing and use it as a marinade for the chicken. YUM.
You could also keep it vegetarian by adding a can of chickpeas or by using roasted chickpeas.
Tips for using kale in salads
Raw kale leaves are much tougher than a leafy green like spinach, so don’t forget these tips for making kale salads:
- Chop it small. Be sure to chop it very finely so that the bites aren’t too large. Use a sharp knife or salad chopper, or pulse the kale a few times in a food processor.
- Massage it. Add the maple cider dressing to your bowl with the kale, brussels sprouts & cabbage first and toss it all together really well. You can even do this with your hands and “massage” the dressing in so that all of the kale and crunchy veggies are well coated.
- Let it marinate. You’ll then want to let the dressed kale, brussels sprouts and cabbage sit for a bit (while you make the nut & seed mixture) so that the veggies soak up all of the flavor.
The best ways to shred brussels sprouts
Along with finely chopping up your kale, you’ll also need to shred all of those brussels sprouts. Here are 3 easy ways to do it:
- Use a food processor: trim the small stem off of the brussels sprouts and add them to your food processor about a handful or so at a time. Use the slicing attachment on your food processor and pulse until they’re nice and shredded.
- Use a box grater: you can shred your brussels sprouts against a box grater on the side with the largest holes. I’d suggest spraying the grater with a bit of cooking spray so that the sprouts easily glide against the grater.
- Shred them with a knife: this is the method I typically use, and once you get the hang of it it will go pretty quickly. Using a sharp knife cut the stem off of your brussels sprouts and then cut them in half lengthwise. Then, with each half laying flat side down, chop your brussels sprouts into fine shreds. No need for them to be perfect!
Store this brussels sprouts apple salad for later
Because this salad is filled with crunchy veggies, it will actually be delicious over the course of a few days after it marinates in the dressing! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. The nuts will soften a bit over time, so if you’re prepping this salad ahead of time I’d recommend leaving the nut mixture off until you’re ready to serve.
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Vegan Curried Broccoli Chickpea Salad
- Cashew Crunch Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Curry Roasted Cauliflower Sweet Potato Salad (whole30, vegan & gluten free)
- Sesame Chicken Cabbage Crunch Salad
Get all of our delicious salad recipes here!
I hope you love this crunchy brussels sprouts kale apple salad recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Brussels Sprouts Kale Honeycrisp Apple Salad with Maple Cider Dressing
Ingredients
- For the maple cider dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like your salad dressing
- 1 teaspoon grainy dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the salad:
- 8 ounces brussels sprouts, stems and outer yellow leaves removed
- 2 cups very finely chopped kale, stems removed
- 1 cup shredded red or green cabbage
- 2 medium-large honeycrisp apples, sliced
- ¼ of a red onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries (or sub dried cherries)
- 1/3 cup gorgonzola crumbles*
- For the salted pecan pumpkin seed crunch:
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
- ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, pure maple syrup, dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add a little more maple syrup if you like a sweeter dressing.
- Next, shred your brussels sprouts: shave the brussels sprouts by using a food processor with the slicing attachment and pulse until the brussels sprouts are thinly sliced. If you don’t have a food processor, feel free to use a sharp knife to thinly slice. Add shredded brussels sprouts to a large bowl.
- In the large bowl with the brussels sprouts, add the shredded kale and cabbage and pour dressing over. Use tongs or clean hands to mix everything together for 1-2 minutes. It may seem long but this helps to break down the kale and evenly distribute the flavor of the dressing. Allow it to sit and marinate while you make the pecan pumpkin seed crunch.
- To make the pumpkin pecan crunch: place pecans and pumpkin seeds in a skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until they turn slightly golden brown and fragrant, then turn off heat and immediately add in maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Stir for 30 more seconds to coat, then transfer to a plate or piece of parchment paper to cool for a few minutes. Some of the nuts will slightly stick together but this is what we want for the ‘nut crunch’ in the salad. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the sliced apples, red onion and dried cranberries/cherries and gorgonzola to the salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle the nut mixture on top and toss again. If you are serving the salad later, I recommend leaving the nut mixture out until you are ready to serve so it stays nice and crunchy. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on September 8th, 2021, and republished on December 19th, 2022.
37 comments
THIS. WAS. SO. GOOD. The kale/brussel/cabbage base is so versatile and I prepped a massive bag of it and have been mixing it up with different ingredients and proteins all week. The first time I made it, I used goat cheese and to save myself a prep step, used store-bought candied pecans and salted pumpkin seeds.
Yaaaaay! So happy that you’re loving it so much 🙂 Great idea to prep the greens and use store bought nuts/seeds!
We liked this so much that we’re meal prepping it again to have for lunch for our upcoming wedding weekend. We had it for dinner without the nut topping and used apple chicken sausage for protein. I used an extra tablespoon of apple cider vinegar so I only ended up needing 1 tbsp of oil and it was plenty coat the entire salad. Absolutely delicious!
Oh that’s so nice! Great idea on the chicken sausage. Hope it’s an amazing wedding!!
This salad combo is to die for! I didn’t have any pumpkin seeds to make the topping so I used sweet and salty pecans and it was still amazing. The cheese and apple pair so well together with the dressing. Def my new fav dressing!
Woohoo! Happy you tried and enjoyed it! Isn’t that dressing incredible?? 🙂
I made this for dinner the other night and it was delicious. It was so nice to be able to use fresh local kale and apples! We had it with some steak on the side (carnivorous husband) and it was just divine. This definitely makes plenty and I felt there was enough dressing to just add the whole (small) bunch of kale. The pecan crunch was also so yummy I might have made double to snack on the next day. Thanks Monique for always serving up yummy seasonal recipes. I’m going to work on being better about commenting more since I make your recipes a couple times a week.
Aw thanks so much, Adriana! So great that you used local veggies in here 🙂 Happy you loved it!
This is legit one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had – it’s a must!
Omg yaaaay! Happy you’re loving it!
Absolutely delicious!! Love the pecan/pumpkin seed crunch topping, would be a great topper on so many different salads!
Totally agree!! Love that texture 🙂
Probably one of the best sides I’ve ever had in my life! Adding roasted butternut squash to it was a game changer too! tomorrow will try adding avocado and leftover chicken thighs! hello fall!
AMAZING to hear!! I’m so happy you loved it, Micaela!
This is so good! I didn’t have kale so just used extra Brussels sprouts, but it is still yummy! The dressing is perfect and pairs nicely with all the salad flavors. I know it will be even better tomorrow for lunch!
Great call! So glad that you’re loving it, Sally 🙂
I LOVED this salad! From the first bite, I knew this was one that I would make again and again. Using the food processor for the brussels sprouts and cabbage made the prep so easy. Can’t wait to have this again soon!
Wonderful! I’m so happy you loved it. Glad that the food processor tip was helpful!
This was so delicious! I made it for dinner with my parents and my dad said it was one of the best things he’d ever eaten. I did leave out the red onion because my mom hates raw onions, but it was still incredible!
Omg best EVER?! That’s amazing! I’m so happy you guys loved it 🙂
I saw this recipe listed as your favorite salad, so I knew I had to try it. Best decision! It is SO SO good! The flavor combos are amazing! And it’s actually filling! Oh man it is up there with your CA sweet potato and avocado salad, Italian salad and the pear/sweet potato/spinach salad. Thank you for the recipe!
Love this super easy dressing/salad to make! Delicious! Thank you!
This salad is absolutely delicious!. And the leftovers are as tasty as the day I made it. I made the pecan/pumpkin seed topping several hours ahead of time but found that the little clusters were stickier than I had hoped they would be. However, when I went to eat the leftovers the next day I discovered that the nuts had dried and were nice and crunchy. So I would suggest making them the day before you make the salad. Also, because I knew I would be eating it over several days, I kept the nuts separate and add them when I eat the salad. I love salads like these that can be meal prepped.
So happy to hear that! Glad you enjoyed it for many days 🙂 Appreciate the review, Mary!
Another ‘go to’ recipe from Ambitious Kitchen!. This is an awesome salad and was loved by all who gathered around the dinner table. A mini chopper worked beautifully to simplify chopping the sprouts and kale.
No modifications needed!
I’m so glad you all loved this one! Great tip to use a mini chopper 🙂
Delicious salad!!! When I’m lazy will prebuy the salad bag and add this dressing and mix ins.
Great shortcut! So happy you love it 🙂
Can I get the recipe for 25 people? The amount of everything.?
Hi! Should be fine to just multiply everything by 6! You can do a bit less salt in the dressing to start just in case, tasting to make sure it’s properly seasoned 🙂
Wow!! This salad is a keeper. It’s so good! I wowed my family with this salad at Christmas Eve eve.
Amazing!!
I would just recommend doubling the pecans in place of the pumpkin seeds as they are bit chewy. 😊
So delicious and really filling. All of my guests loved it and asked for the recipe. I will definitely make it again.
This was soo delicious! I could eat it every day.
I didn’t add the Gorgonzola cheese because I didn’t have it, and it was still so good- I prob won’t even use it next time.
I did thinly sliced apples, but I think I’ll also cut them up into smaller, matchstick pieces next time.
I used pickled red onions and it was so perfect with this salad!
Yum! so glad to hear you are loving this salad, perfect for summer and love the addition of pickled onions!
This salad is delicious and I never get tired of it! I have meal prepped it every week for lunch for over 3 weeks now and I still look forward to eating it. The only thing I do differently is add some grilled chicken to it to bump up the protein. Excellent salad!
Excellent! I am so excited to hear that you are loving this salad, Meghan! ❤️😍