A deliciously warm shredded brussels sprouts salad with crispy bacon, toasted almonds, dried cranberries, and a maple bacon dijon dressing. This small batch recipe makes about 2 cups, but can be doubled or tripled as needed.

A white plate full of warm brussels sprouts salad with bacon, and a small bowl of maple bacon dressing.

This is an incredibly versatile recipe that can be considered a salad or a side dish. Either way, it is super flavorful and comes together in just 20 minutes! Most grocery stores offer bagged, shredded / shaved brussels sprouts near the other bagged vegetables – and if you can find those, that will save you a lot of time here. Otherwise, you can thinly slice whole brussels sprouts for this recipe.

The shredded brussels sprouts are tossed into a hot pan along with some bacon and shallots, then served with crunchy toasted almonds, dried cranberries, and a quick maple Dijon dressing that is made with a little bit of bacon fat from the pan. It’s an efficient, flavorful salad that is especially great around the holiday season.

The directions provided will create a warm but crunchy brussels sprouts salad. If the crunch factor isn’t really your thing, you can cook the brussels sprouts for a few more minutes until they’re softened to the texture that you like!

Ingredients

For the Brussels Sprouts Salad:

1 strip thick-cut Bacon
1 Shallot, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)
8 oz. shredded / shaved Brussels Sprouts
¼ cup toasted Sliced Almonds (or pepitas)
2 tbsp. Dried Cranberries
Parmesan Cheese, for serving
Salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper

For the Bacon Maple Dressing:

1 tsp. Rendered Bacon Fat
2 tsp. Maple Syrup
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper

Ingredient Notes

Bacon :

Thick-cut bacon will produce the most rendered fat, which is necessary to make the dressing. If you’re working with thin bacon slices, cook two of them to generate the flavor and rendered fat necessary for this recipe. If you really love bacon, feel free to add more, too! Brussels sprouts and bacon are true companions, so don’t be shy if you’re feeling it. You may have to skim off some additional bacon fat if there seems to be too much.

Shallot :

Shallots come in all sorts of sizes. I find that a typical “smaller” shallot will produce about 1/4 cup of thinly sliced rings. If you go a little over or under on this amount, that is totally fine!

Shredded / Shaved Brussels Sprouts :

I mentioned it above, but it’s worth mentioning again: bagged, shredded brussels sprouts will be a big time saver for this recipe! You can find them at most major grocery stores near the other bagged greens. If you cannot locate them, whole brussels sprouts are perfect, too. Just cut off the knobby stem end, then thinly slice the actual brussels sprout. (If some whole leaves escape the sprout while you’re slicing, that’s not a big deal. Just toss them in with the thin slices and they’ll cook just the same).

Rendered Bacon Fat :

This is just the fat that liquefies in the pan as you cook the bacon. I tilt the pan to one side and carefully pool some of it into a spoon, then empty the spoon into a small bowl. It adds flavor and because it is a fat, it emulsifies the lemon juice in the dressing to make it creamy.

This warm brussels sprouts salad is quite versatile, by the way. I created it to be a salad recipe, which to me means the brussels sprouts retain some of their crunchy texture. Raw brussels sprouts salads can be quite delicious, like in this Brussels Sprouts and Arugula Salad with Shrimp, Bacon, and Buttermilk Dressing. If you’re not a big fan of raw brussels sprouts, cook them until totally softened to make this warm brussels sprouts salad into more of a side dish. The flavor is still delicious, but the brussels sprouts are wonderfully tender instead of crunchy.

Directions

If you’re working with whole brussels sprouts, cut off the woody stem ends and discard. Thinly slice or “shred” the brussels sprouts carefully with a sharp knife or a mandoline. Thinly slice the shallot, then cut the bacon into 1/2″ pieces.
Heat a large, non-stick pan over medium heat, and once it is hot, toast the almonds for 5-6 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer the toasted almonds to a small bowl and set aside.
Add the chopped bacon to the hot pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat is mostly rendered. Carefully spoon some of the rendered fat into a clean small bowl for the dressing, and remove the pan of bacon from the heat.
Add the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk until totally blended and creamy, then whisk in the olive oil. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
Return the pan of bacon over medium heat. Once the pan is hot again, stir in the shallots with a pinch of salt. Cook for a couple of minutes until the shallots are softened, then add the shaved brussels sprouts to the pan with a few cracks of black pepper.
Stir the brussels sprouts into the bacon and shallots until coated and starting to turn a darker shade of green. Cook for 3-4 minutes until somewhat softened, then transfer the contents of the pan to a serving bowl or plate.
Immediately toss the warm brussels sprouts with the dressing, toasted almonds and dried cranberries. Use a microplane to finely grate a chunk of parmesan cheese over the top, and serve.

These photos show brussels sprouts that were cooked for about three minutes total. Stir them constantly with the other ingredients so they cook evenly in the pan – you’ll notice that they’ll turn a slightly darker shade of green and glisten as they start to cook.

A spoonful of warm maple bacon dressing being slowly poured over a warmed brussels sprouts salad

For a softer version of this salad, continue cooking the brussels sprouts for about 6-8 minutes total – even to the point where they start to char a little. This will bring out a nutty flavor that is absolutely delicious! If you like brussels sprouts side dishes like that you have to check out these Small Batch Creamy Chopped Brussels Sprouts – honestly one of my all-time favorite side dishes that we have been making for years.

See below for a step-by-step guide on how to make this Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

Toast the almonds in a pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Toss the almonds to evenly toast both sides if possible. Transfer the toasted almonds to a small bowl and set aside.

A large skillet with chopped bacon cooking inside of it.

Return the pan to medium heat and cook the chopped bacon. Stir it occasionally so it cooks evenly, and cook it for a few minutes until most of the fat is rendered.

Bacon fat pooling in a teaspoon inside of a skillet.

Carefully spoon some of the rendered fat to a clean small bowl to make the dressing. Take the pan of bacon off of the heat while you make the dressing so the bacon won’t burn.

Stir the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper into the bowl with the rendered bacon fat until blended. Whisk in the olive oil until creamy, then season with more salt and pepper if needed.

A large skillet with bacon and shallots cooking inside of it. A wooden spatula stirs them around.

Shaved brussels sprouts being added to a large skillet.

Return the pan of bacon to the heat. Once the pan is hot again, add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook the shallots for a couple of minutes until softened, then add the shaved brussels sprouts to the pan with a few cracks of black pepper.

A large skillet full of shredded brussels sprouts and a bottle of olive oil being drizzled over them.

A large skillet full of a warm brussels sprouts salad with bacon being stirred with a wooden spatula.

Add a drizzzle of olive oil to the brussels sprouts. Stir the brussels sprouts into the bacon and shallots until coated and starting to turn a darker shade of green. Cook for 3-4 minutes until somewhat softened, then transfer the contents of the pan to a serving bowl or plate.

Immediately toss the warm brussels sprouts with the dressing, toasted almonds and dried cranberries. Use a microplane to finely grate a chunk of parmesan cheese over the top, and serve.

This makes about two cups of warm brussels sprouts salad, which is great for sharing between two people. This recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed, too! And for softer brussels sprouts, just continue cooking them with the shallots and bacon until they’re the texture that you prefer.

There is not a ton of dressing with this recipe, but enough to coat the brussels sprouts. It delivers a great blend of tangy mustard, acidity from the lemon, smokiness from the bacon, and sweetness from the maple syrup. Always add a pinch of salt and pepper to the dressing to start, then add more if you think it needs it!

More Small Batch Salads:

If you make this Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad and love it, a star rating and comment below would be so awesome! If you have questions about the cooking process or any ingredients, email me so I can help. 🙂 Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram so I can share your beautiful salad with everyone else, too!

xx Sara