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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!
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 506 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
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
To Make Ahead: the salad can be made up to 1 day ahead. Add the candied bacon before serving.
Leftovers: leftovers will keep well for 2-3 days. This salad is delicious warmed or chilled.
This post was originally published on November 2, 2023
This is a great salad!
I added a splash of orange juice to the dressing – YUMMO!!
Next time I would add more maple and brown sugar to the candied bacon. We added dried cranberries and feta as well. (couldn’t find manchego)
Hi Angela,
I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your review:) xT
I’m looking forward to trying this on Thanksgiving. The recipe says it can be served room temp or warm. How do you warm it? In the oven? Before or after dressing it? Thanks for any details on this part…
Hi Katie,
You could sauté your brussels if you want to serve this warm, also the heat from the bacon and walnuts will create warmth in the salad. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Saw this in you stories the other day and unbelievable! I had everything to make it. We had for dinner tonight as my family was coming over. HUGE hit! So flavorful and easy! I love that I could dress it an hour before sitting down. Add the crunchy stuff just before serving.
Will definitely make again! It was perfect!
Hey Juli,
Happy Monday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying and your feedback! xT
Happy Sunday (ie food prep day!),
Did I miss if I was suppose to add the pepitas to the candied topping, or raw to the salad at the end?
Love your content, keep it coming!
Hey Lauren,
Thanks so much for your message! You are going to add the pepitas with the walnuts:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
Dear Tieghan,
Wanted to take a moment to say, you are such a lovely, talented, and driven person. I am so proud of you for having the courage, day after day, to put yourself out there in the world, especially as a young woman in a world that is highly critical of us. You are a force of nature. Your blog is a bright spot in my sometimes hectic weeks, and on Sunday afternoons I look forward to stealing a few moments to enjoy your Favorite Things post. I feel inspired by how you romanticize life, and it brings magic into my life too.
Keep doing you and ignore the haters. As Robin Sharm sys, “Ridicule is the price of iconic.”
You’re beautiful and amazing!
Hi Nancy,
I appreciate your kind and thoughtful message:) It really means so much to have people like you in the HBH community!! Thanks for being here! Happy Sunday! xT
Is this an update to the “Shredded Brussels Sprout Bacon Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette” from 2018? I remember making that for Thanksgiving and this recipe is so similar. They both have manchego, bacon, shallot, pomegranate arils, and apple vinaigrette. Is this one inspired by that one but with some changes / updates? I notice the hazelnuts/pecans are swapped out for walnuts, and rosemary replaces thyme. I guess I’m just wondering what changes you made to that old recipe and why. I remember liking the salad in 2018 and it was beautiful on my Thanksgiving table, but I also remember it was a little complicated and involved when I had a lot of other dishes to make for Thanksgiving.
Hey Kate,
This is a different recipe, slightly changed and improved, but we still have the old one on the site if you were wanting to make that:
https://fett-weg.today/shredded-brussels-sprout-bacon-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I guess it’s just a little disappointing because it feels like you took that old recipe, made some very minor tweaks and swaps, and are sharing it as a new recipe. Is this one better than that last one? What improvements were made and why? I want to know what the BEST brussels sprout salad is, according to you. Not be inundated with options that are only slightly different from each other. I’ve had this frustration before where there are lots of recipes on this blog that are super similar to each other and it just feels like the recipes are churned out and repetitive. That’s just my honest feedback, I don’t mean for it to come across as harsh.
Can’t wait to try this! Kale upsets my stomach- would you recommend another green to replace it (maybe arugula?) or just leave it out? Thanks!!
Thanks Michelle! You could totally skip the kale, arugula would be great same with radicchio! Let me know if you give the salad a try! xT
Tieghan, I know this will probably be deleted. But I’ve followed you since shortly after you started blogging. I have made many of your recipes over the years and enjoyed them. My niece requests your Instant Pot mashed potatoes from your second cookbook every Thanksgiving. She says they’re the only mashed potatoes she’s ever loved. But for people like me who are fortunate enough to be comfortable but so far away from being wealthy, your new focus and priority on extremely pricey designer fashion, high-end skincare, super-luxurious boutique hotel suites and all the other completely unobtainable content for us “little people” makes me feel like I’m no longer the demographic you want. It’s certainly your business and your choice to go in a new direction, and I wish you all success. But I have to admit it hurts to be left in the wake after so many years of supporting you.
To the Tieghan supporters who will most likely attack me and say I’m jealous, I’m not at all. I long ago decided to pursue a career in nonprofits and understood that meant I would never be wealthy. I fully respect those who chose a for-profit path. Heck, sometimes I wish I had too, although I know I personally wouldn’t ultimately have been happy doing so.
I simply am expressing my feelings about a food blog that once made me feel welcome and now has evolved to value a different audience.
Express your feelings to your non for profit organization friends. This girl is working her tail off to create a business for herself and she earned every right to travel, expand and make the most of her business. Hats off to you Tieghan!!
I echo your thoughts completely.
I agree with you. She is a bit all over the place and I’ve read that her candles are expensive and use toxic gmo soy! Shame on her for not doing more research and possibly making people sick.
I just don’t understand why any blog can’t be both and be multi-faceted? I realized the Sunday posts weren’t for me so I stopped reading them. I follow a lot of bloggers like that bc in order to make money providing free content, you have to do certain things. Some of those things are things you may need to set aside. Deciding you don’t belong somewhere due to that is definitely not anything at all about Tieghan or the blogger, but about the people who make that decision. And the FREE recipes I get all week help me be a better mom, cook and save money from going out to eat. In fact, my family is going through an extremely challenging financial situation right now and having amazing treats to bake and simple cheap meals to make has given us all something to look forward to, including me, at a time when lots of other things are completely off the table. I choose to not let the lifestyle I probably won’t ever have be an issue bc what I get out of the rest of it makes the life I do have, better.
Tieghan, I’m so sorry the petty haters aren’t required to get therapy and pick up all the dog poop at their local parks instead of being free to poison us all with their discouragement. Your recipes are fantastic and photography and generous spirit are FANTASTIC! Our family & friends are SO grateful for what you share and how you.share it lovely!
Lol thanks so much for your kind message Joy:) We appreciate you being here!! Happy Friday! xT
What about “I’m so sorry the petty haters aren’t required to get therapy and pick up all the dog poop at their local parks instead of being free to poison us all with their discouragement” is kind, exactly?
I agree Leah. And I agree that Tiegan is drinking the koolaid. All the high end fancy shmancy stuff is clogging up this previously fun culinary website. It’s annoying. She’s definitely not eating her recipes either, it’s too bad. Beautiful food photography though!
Yum! Sounds delicious, as always! Any suggestions to replace the bacon (making it vegetarian)?
Thanks so much Emily! Sure, you could just omit the bacon, that would be just fine to do! You could also add another variety of nuts in the mixture. Another veggie like roasted squash would also be delicious to add. I hope this helps! xx
Emily you could make some roasted chickpeas seasoning them with a little cayenne, rosemary, salt, and sugar to bring in some of the same crunchy, spicy-sweet-salty vibes that bacon would.
Great ideas! Thank you!!!
Love this idea! Thanks for sharing Lexie!
Can’t wait to try this!! Curious about the pepitas, add them as well?
Hey Katie,
Yes, if you like a little extra crunch go ahead and add the pepitas, but totally not necessary:) I hope you love this salad! xx
This recipe sounds amazing! Do you melt the butter and mix the walnuts in it before you add to bacon? Or just add walnuts and dab butter?
Hey Linda,
You will just add the walnuts and butter to the bacon:) I hope you love this dish! xT
This recipe has been proofread 3 times? I find that hard to believe.
More time proofreading and less time deleting comments to keep you in an echo chamber would go a long way.
No reason to be hateful Eric. If you don’t like her then stop following her. Simple as that.
I see pepitas in the photos but not in ingredient list or directions.
Hi Barita,
You can use an optional 1 cup of pepitas if you like:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I only brussel sprouts warm… how would you prepare this as a warm salad?
Hi Tara,
You could sauté the Brussels sprouts to serve this warm! I hope you love the recipe! xx
Hi! I hope you are doing okay. Press is stupid and we love you.
Thanks Whitney:)
Hey Tiegh! Just as an FYI, I think there might be a technical difficulty cos it seems your narrative reposted twice. Thought you might want to know for aesthetics 🙈
Thanks so much Natala, I was having trouble with the post saving last night!! Will get this fixed ASAP:)
glad to hear it 🙂
As we don’t eat raw veggies..has it been made with the Brussel sprouts cooked? Would it work if I sautéed them?I would steam the kale too..?
Hey Tina,
Totally, that would also work well here! Let me know if you have any other questions! xx