Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw
This Brussels sprout coleslaw recipe is made with tangy honey-mustard dressing, toasted almonds and dried cherries (or cranberries). It's a great side dish!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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If you haven’t made this Brussels sprout slaw yet, you’ve been missing out! There’s a good chance you’ve missed this recipe, since it’s been hiding in the archives under some not-so-appetizing photos. I hope these are more enticing.
This slaw is irresistibly crisp and tangy, with a simple honey-mustard dressing. Freshly toasted almonds offer some savory crunch, and dried cherries (or cranberries) send it over the top.
This slaw stores well in the fridge for a few days, so it’s great to keep on hand for sandwiches, soups and quick meals.
It’s easy to make, too—especially if you have a food processor with a shredding attachment. Otherwise, you can thinly slice the Brussels sprouts by hand. Let’s get to it!
Recipe development notes from 2013 (the referenced restaurant has since closed):
I never ate coleslaw as a kid so it’s a novelty to me now. I always avoided the mysterious mayonnaise-laden salads at potlucks (what was hiding under there?). Looking back, I suspect that I missed out on a few wonderful slaws and a lot of terrible Jell-O salads. Oh well.
Coleslaw got my full attention on a warm night this summer. A few friends and I drove to Justus Drugstore, a family-owned, former-drugstore-turned-gourmet-restaurant in a quaint town outside of Kansas City. We sat on the patio, which has a more casual menu than the inside. Three swanky cocktails later, our food arrived.
My veggie burger came with a side of coleslaw. I took a bite and my taste buds did a little happy dance. That slaw was something else. It was crisp, fresh, tangy and sweet all at once. It teetered on the border of being too sweet or too tangy but never fell off the edge. It was perfect.
I’ve been obsessed with recreating the Justus coleslaw experience ever since. I called and asked the hostess to read the ingredients off the menu for me (house-made pear cider, vinegar pickled celery root, ginger and pickled carrot), but their slaw didn’t seem feasible for home cooks. I’ve since made bowls and bowls of vinegar-based cabbage coleslaw but none satisfied like the Justus slaw.
The other day, I noticed two of my real-life friends tweeting about a salad, so of course I had to know more about it. It was a Brussels sprout and arugula salad with honey mustard dressing at The Mixx, one of my favorite places in town. Being me, I had to try the salad immediately.
While I was happily chomping away on that giant Brussels salad, it occurred to me that shredded Brussels would make a great substitute for the finely shredded celery root in the Justus slaw. Then I thought that an emulsified mustard dressing would be nice and creamy, almost like mayonnaise. Ta da! This salad was born.
What to Serve with Brussels Sprout Slaw
This slaw is a great gluten-free salad or side dish. Brussels sprouts are generally best during the cooler months, so this recipe is perfect for fall/winter potlucks and holiday meals (such as Thanksgiving).
Here are some serving suggestions:
- Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries or Perfect Roasted Carrots
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup or Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Homemade Vegetarian Chili
Please let me know how your slaw turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Craving more sprouts? Here are a few more of my favorite Brussels sprout recipes:
- Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Pecans
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts & Arugula Salad with Sunshine Dressing
- Raw Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad with Tahini-Maple Dressing
- Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Balsamic Red Onions
Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw
This delicious slaw recipe features shredded Brussels sprouts tossed with tangy honey mustard dressing, toasted almonds and dried cherries (or cranberries). Recipe yields 4 substantial side servings; double if desired.
Ingredients
Coleslaw
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds, toasted (hickory smoked almonds would be great if you can find them)
- ⅓ cup tart dried cherries or cranberries, chopped
- ⅓ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Honey mustard dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Shred the sprouts: First, cut off the tough ends of the sprouts and any browning outer leaves. Then shred them in a food processor using the slicing blade, pressing the sprouts against the blade with the provided plastic pusher. If you don’t have a food processor, slice them as thinly as possible using a sharp chef’s knife, then give them a few extra chops for good measure.
- If you are using raw almonds, toast them over medium heat for three to four minutes, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and turning golden on the edges.
- Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard and garlic until blended. In a medium serving bowl, toss the shredded sprouts with the almonds, chopped dried fruit, Parmesan and dressing. Taste, and add another pinch or two of salt if it needs a little something more.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up for 4 days. The Brussels sprouts will continue to soften as they marinate. The edges of the sprouts might brown lightly over time. Wake up leftovers with a little sprinkle of salt and a tiny splash of vinegar.
Notes
Recipe inspired by the Justus Drugstore patio’s coleslaw and the seasonal Brussels sprout salad at The Mixx.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Skip the Parmesan, or substitute vegan Parmesan, or try mixing a little bit of white miso into the dressing to make up for it. For vegan slaw, also substitute maple syrup for the honey.
Make it nut free: Omit the almonds, and perhaps add pepitas or sunflower seeds if desired.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Excellent salad! We loved this. I can’t wait to make it again. Very light and refreshing.
I pretty much knew what I wanted to make but thought I would get a little input … the toasted slivered almonds … perfect! I subbed finely diced red onion for the garlic and omitted the cheese. Dressing is perfect.
Enjoyed this very much. Was mildly concerned that the sprouts would be very strong since they were raw, but they were not. I used the cranberries instead of the cherries. I did not have almond slivers of any kind, but I did have smoked almonds that I coarsely chopped. Sooo good!!
So good! Huge hit at the boat party
We really enjoyed this recipe. It never occurred to me to use Brussels sprouts for cole slaw, but now this might be might go-to. The flavors are great and the honey mustard dressing is just the right amount. Well, I say the right amount; I didn’t use an entire pound of Brussels sprouts, but about 10 ounces or so. Thanks for sharing this!
Love this recipe! I skipped the Parmesan and used a little bit of miso as suggested. About 1/2 tsp was perfect for me.
Your honey mustard sweet-sour dressing is fabulous. I had to make a few substitutions like Brussel sprout top leaves for Brussel sprouts, Asiago cheese for the Parmesan cheese and chopped peanuts for the almonds. I added some carrots for color which were pretty, but added nothing to the taste, and some onion chives. I planned to have the salad for supper, but only held out for 1 1/2 hours and ate it all for brunch. Delicious just delicious.
Delicious! Great idea with the Brussel sprouts!
So delicious! I hesitated to use the full amount of honey as I’m a bit shy of sweet dressings, but I’ll try the full amount next time. The dressing was complex and sophisticated, nothing like commercial honey mustard dressings. Very good the next day but by day 3 I’d say it’s no longer company-worthy in appearance (still fine for ‘just us’ lunch though).
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Ann! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Delicious! We had this Thanksgiving weekend and it made a nice light side dish for dinner. My husband proclaimed it his “favorite way to eat brussel sprouts.” Will be putting this on rotation for the winter for sure!
Wonderful, Rebecca! Thank you for your review.
Absolutely a “10” so delicious i could eat for dessert. I substituted Follow Your Heart Parmesan being dairy free and used avocado oil. Louise
Loved this, subbed avocado oil and rice vinegar and was amazing.
Excellent salad, has depth of flavor and a nice crunch from the almonds.
I was at one of the stores where I buy a lot of my produce and saw Brussels sprouts for 99¢ a pound. They weren’t distressed and looked good. I didn’t have anything in mind for them and figured that I would roast them. I’ve been roasting a lot of Brussels sprouts lately so, instead, I wanted I would try something different and came across this recipe.
Initially, I was skeptical of making something with raw Brussels sprouts but this is a really good salad that I will make again. The dressing is also very good and could be used for other salads.
A few notes on this –
We have a lot of almonds, the kind in the shell that people buy around the holidays, so I chopped those up and toasted them in the oven.
We used dried cranberries because that is all that we had on hand. Next time I will buy the dried cherries to use in this.
My daughter is vegan so I made up some of the vegan parmesan cheese that you have posted the link to. We had milled hemp seeds but not that much so I made up the difference with milled flax seeds. Also, we used maple syrup instead of honey to make it vegan. I think that agave syrup would work also. When we make this again, if my daughter is not eating it, I’ll use real parmesan and honey.
We served this with vegetarian stuffed acorn squash.
Thank you for sharing your modifications! I’m glad you were able to find a use and enjoy the raw Brussels sprouts.
Love the recipe. I used some candy pecans and orange soaked cranberries. I served it with homemade brioche. On Instagram under Chile acres farm.
Thank you, Celia! I’m glad you loved it.
Great recipe. I swapped pumpkin seeds for the almonds; and did not add the parma cheese. Best part is that it lasts for a few days…..presuming it doesn’t get eaten up on day 1. Fab all the way. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your review, CV!
That was a huge hit, served with grilled salmon and basmati rice. I’ll be making it again for sure. I used cashews instead of almonds and added some champagne vinegar. Next time, I might try a different kind of cheese, like emmental or cheddar.
Sorry to say, that my husband, soon to be 9 year old girl and I did not like this recipe
I’m sorry to hear that, Sherry! Thank you for your feedback.
Flavors NEVER disappoint, terrific recipe, I used cabbage but I can see how a more delicate Brussels sprout would pick up more flavor, substituted pecans, very good. Served with grilled Thai chicken. A big hit.
Thank you, Trex!
Made this tonight, absolutely delicious!!
Had with marinated chicken.
Will definitely use the dressing for other salads too.
I replaced the parm with miso like you suggested, and it was awesome!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this salad! It’s so yummy. I’ve made it with Parmesan and blue cheese and it’s great with both but as a blue cheese lover I’m partial. Thanks for another great recipe!
You’re welcome, Nicole! I appreciate your review.
This is our favorite side salad. So easy and pairs perfectly with any grilled protein. I make it all the time and occasionally will include shredded carrots.
I like the idea of shredded carrots, Jennifer!
I hardly ever comment on food blog recipes but this one was really so astonishingly good! A definite 5 stars salad that looks set to become a staple for us.
Tonight I made the Honey Mustard Brussels Sprout Slaw. It was great. It had just the right balance of flavors. I did my shredding by hand — I do like chopping but a pound of brussels sprouts is a lot to “shred” by hand. Tomorrow I shop for a real food processor! Thank you for another great recipe. We had this with the Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. Very good.
This salad is very good! My husband enjoyed it as well. I may add a tiny bit more salt to the dressing next time though. I have never had raw brussel sprouts before, but will definitely eat them again. Thank you for the yummy recipe Kate!
You’re welcome, Karen!
Do you think you could freeze this? Maybe even pre-sause? I love Brussels, bought too many for an even that got cancelled, and trying to figure out how to make them last even longer. I’ll be making this either way, but hoping to extend the life.
Hi Kari, I’m not sure this is the best to freeze. You can try to mix it up – serve with eggs in the morning, on a sandwich at lunch, etc.
I figured – was hoping you had a magic idea. :) I did make two lbs of sprouts worth of it and it’s delicious – and healthy!! So thank you!!! I ate it as a side and put it on shrimp tacos. Great on both. More sprout slaw in my future all week long!!
Made this for a group of 12 people as one of a few salads…..everyone loved it….definitely a hit and one I will be making again…yummo
That’s great, Jen! Thank you for your review.
Hi, Kate — This is an outstanding and delicious recipe!!! I made it exactly as you describe — it’s perfect!! I’ll be back on your site looking for more great ones!! Scott
Thank you, Scott! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
What other nuts besides almonds would go well with this recipe?
Pistachios could be nice. Let me know what you think!
Hello Kate :) . Can I substitute parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast? What are some other options? I dont have vegan parmesan in my country
You could try it! Or try my Easy Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Absolutely amazing.
I also add toasted pine nuts
I wasn’t so sure about the parmesan with this but it was amazing! I really loved this one!
Local grocery stores sell a salad mix of red and green cabbage, kale, and shaved Brussell (sliced very thin),slivered almonds with a creamy poppy seed dressing which is very “likeable”, thank you for another option in this salad ballpark.
Wanted a sprout slaw recipe as I had bought some sale for £0.19 and my son wanted some to play with. Wow- this is so good! Thank you so much (I always love your recipes!)
You’re welcome! I’m glad you love it.
This is a keeper! My husband loves coleslaw. I do not, but I do love Brussels sprouts. This is a perfect compromise. I make it about once a week. Sometimes I add a chopped apple, sometimes I mix up the nuts. It’s the perfect side, for sandwiches to burgers to ribs. It somehow transcends the seasons and picks up the vibe of the main dish- fancy or casual. I’ve made many recipes from your site & cookbook, but this one is my favorite!
Great to hear, Heather! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve made this as written a few times and recommended it to friends. It’s always delicious. This is a really good recipe. I made a “clean out the fridge” version yesterday with a handful of sprouts, a few kale leaves, the last bit of cabbage and so on. It was very well received, but I suspect this dressing could make anything taste wonderful.
Thank you for your review, Ann!
This salad is EXCELLENT. My husband and dad, who never eat sprouts, kept asking for the bowl to be passed back. So easy to put together with those bags of pre-sliced sprouts – and the dressing is simple but perfect. The parm really rounded it out, too. Thank you, again, Kate!
You’re welcome, Katie! I’m glad you loved this salad.
Another great salad from Kate! Thank you. Made it today for lunch, I added a bit more honey to make it sweeter and it was wonderful. Shredded the carrots with a knife, no need to wash extra equipment. Most important my husband liked it too :)
I’m excited it was a hit, AC! I appreciate your review.
Loved it! I made it without the parm, but otherwise as directed. About to make this a second time! :)
I love to hear that, Amy!
Kate, I’d like to freeze this salad dressing so my husband can use it while I’m away. It’s his favorite; but I didn’t know if freezing would change the flavor. Would you please comment! Thank you so much!
PS. Your Easy Vegan Parmesan Cheese is so, so yummy!
Hi Donna, I’m so glad he loves this dressing! It’s dairy-free so I think it would freeze well, but I’ve never tried. The dressing itself will keep in the fridge for a while, likely up to 2 weeks, if that solves your problem.
Love hearing this! It’s good to know the dressing lasts longer in the refrigerator than I realized; ’cause he prefers this dressing over ALL others. I like variety. He likes same. :-)
A recipe I turn to time and time again all summer long. It’s delicious and elevated from bringing the standard Caesar salad or veggie tray to a bbq.
Yes I made this recipe and loved it. I didn’t have almonds on hand and it was yummy anyway. This is a keeper.
Great to hear, Kathy!