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Shaved Brussels Sprout Candied Bacon Salad – quick, festive, easy to make ahead, and so delicious. Shaved Brussels sprouts, kale, nutty Manchego cheese, warm candied bacon, buttered walnuts, and sweet pomegranates. All tossed with a delicious cinnamon apple dressing that’s sweet and tangy. Every bite of this salad is bursting with flavor. It’s the candied bacon and walnuts that create amazing textures. They’re tossed together with a little sugar and spice, then baked to deliciousness. Completely yummy atop this holiday salad. There never seems to be enough of them. This salad is bright, yummy, festive, and perfect for holiday entertaining!
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We’ve officially started sharing holiday recipes!! Thanksgiving is just a few short weeks away and I am happier and more excited than ever. The holiday season feels so special this year. I feel inspired and excited to be busy creating new recipes and to share all my love and joy for the season!!
Woohoo! On Tuesday I shared gooey pecan pie brownies for our Thanksgiving dinner. Today I’m balancing the yummy brownies with a bright, make-ahead Brussel sprout salad.
I’ve definitely shared Brussels sprout salads in previous years, but I just have to share this version with you all.
The candied bacon and walnuts are what make this salad and set it apart from others. I’m so in love with the crunch, the spice, the saltiness, and the tang. They’re just addictive when sprinkled atop this salad and then topped with this cinnamon cider dressing.
So many wonderful flavors, hoping this will be a new holiday favorite!
The details
Step 1: start with the candied bacon
I’m always of the mind that Thanksgiving recipes should be simple, and this salad is no exception. They should be easy to prepare or able to be made entirely ahead of time.
Thankfully this is a great side dish to make ahead!
I always start with the candied bacon since this needs time in the oven. Use a thick-cut, unsweetened bacon. Chop the bacon into pieces and toss with fresh rosemary, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper.
I use 1 teaspoon of cayenne, but if that’s too spicy for you, use the cayenne to your liking.
Bake this mix until the bacon is beginning to crisp and caramelize. Then pull the pan out and add the walnuts or even pumpkin seeds. I like to add the walnuts later, they tend to easily burn.
When everything on the pan is “candied”, pull it out of the oven and season with flaky sea salt. You’ll want to eat them all just as is!
Step 2: assemble the salad
For the salad base, you’ll need plenty of raw Brussels sprouts, kale, pomegranate seeds, and manchego cheese.
You can shave the Brussels sprouts yourself using a mandolin or sharp knife or buy them already shaved at the grocery store, which is of course super convenient!
For the pomegranate, you could use dried cranberries instead. But they usually come sweetened and will be sweeter than the pomegranate.
Lastly, the manchego cheese! This is my personal favorite, but cheddar, Gouda, or parmesan cheese would be great. Oh, and I do love a goat cheese with this salad too!
Step 3: the dressing
This is such a unique dressing, and one of my favorites. Olive oil, apple cider vinegar, thyme, and fresh orange zest with a tiny pinch of cinnamon.
The flavors of an old fashioned. It’s just a little sweetness with some citrus kick to it. The flavors really complement the saltiness of the bacon.
Step 4: toss everything
Now, toss the greens with the dressing and let the flavors penetrate into the salad. Finish with the candied bits of bacon and walnuts.
The color from the pomegranate and bacon will really pop off with the dark greens underneath. It’s so pretty!!
Not only is this so pretty on a dinner table, but it’s totally delicious too. Sweet, tangy, and spicy with so many cozy holiday flavors, plus an awesome CRUNCH. Excited to share this with my family this year, I really think they’ll love it!
Looking for other salad recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Fall Harvest Roasted Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad
Shredded Brussels Sprout Bacon Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette
Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Autumn Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Feta Salad
Lastly, if you make this Shaved Brussels Sprout Candied Bacon Salad be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Shredded Brussels Sprout Candied Bacon Salad
Ingredients
- 6-8 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
- 2-3 cups chopped kale
- 1 1/2 cups pomegranate arils
- 1 cup grated manchego cheese
- 1 cup pepitas (optional)
Cinnamon Cider Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. On the baking sheet, toss together the bacon, rosemary, brown sugar, maple, and cayenne. Arrange in an even layer. Bake for 5 minutes, until the bacon is crisping. Add the walnuts and butter, toss to coat. Bake another 8-10 minutes, watching close.3. In a large salad bowl, combine the Brussels sprouts and kale.4. To make the dressing, whisk/shake together all ingredients in a jar. Pour the dressing over the salad and massage into the greens. Add the pomegranates and cheese – toss. 5. Arrange the warm bacon and walnuts over the salad. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Looking forward to making this for Thanksgiving. Is there a way the candied bacon and walnuts could be made in advance, or would it ruin the essence of the salad?
Hi Holly,
That would be perfectly okay for you to do!
I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving!
Have made this two years in a row for a large Friendsgiving (30+ ppl) and get compliments and requests for the recipe every time! Perfect for the holidays and a large group …. I just double the recipe.
Hey Char,
Happy Monday! Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
Making it now. It’s kind of a lot of work!!! Hope it’s good
I hope you love the recipe, Maggie!!
Absolutely LOVE this salad. Made it for Christmas for 17 of us and it was a huge hit with everyone!
Thanks so much, Jenny! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy Holidays! xx
One of my absolute favourites and so refreshing to have a delicious, flavoursome but light meal during the holiday period.
Hi Marie,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out well! xx
So good! I had some spinach and arugula that I needed to use so I swap the kale out.
Your salads are sooo good. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you sooo much Ellen! So glad to hear you loved this salad! 🙂 xT
I made this salad for my extended family’s Thanksgiving meal. It was a huge hit! It was lovely and delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Hey Mandi,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend:) xxT
Can’t wait to try this! Has anyone tried roasting the brussel sprouts slightly? I like a warm(ish) salad in winter and love roasted brussel sprouts!
Thanks so much, Liza! You could totally roast the Brussels sprouts, what would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! xx
This was a knockout at our Thanksgiving! My husband says we should have a bowl in our fridge at all times.
Hey Kim,
Amazing! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! xx
Just made it today and it was SO GOOD! 😋
I try one of your salad recipes every holiday season and they never disappoint!
Happy holidays to you and yours!
Armelle
Hey Armelle,
Amazing! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and your comment! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! xx
Followed the recipe to a T. Was a lot of work and the result was not very good.
Hi Ali,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Making this tomorrow!! but was wondering how long can the dressing be mixed in to the kale and brussel sprouts before serving or is it best to put the dressing on right before serving?
Hey Jill,
The dressing is good to sit on the Brussels and kale for a couple hours:) I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
I really don’t like kale. Can you suggest a substitute? I usually think of spinach but not sure this would work with this salad. Please let me know your thoughts.
Hey Beth,
You could really use any greens like you like here! Spinach would work nicely:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Anyone tried this without the bacon? I’m serving to a vegetarian crew. Salad sounds lovely – wondering if it still works without the bacon.
Hi there! This woulds still be delish even without bacon! 🙂 xT
Amazing! Huge hit
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an awesome New Year! xT