Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Dried Cranberry Salad with Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette

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Need a healthy salad that stays fresh for days? This kale and Brussels sprout salad is packed with goodies and tossed in a honey-Dijon vinaigrette. It’s perfect for meal prep, a light lunch, or a side dish with your favorite protein.

Wooden bowl of kale, brussels sprouts, and dried cranberry salad with honey-dijon vinaigrette.

I love making big salads that keep well in the fridge for a few days—it means I always have a healthy meal ready to go. This salad combines nutrient-rich kale and Brussels sprouts with walnuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, and dried cranberries, all tossed in a bright honey-Dijon vinaigrette. It’s perfect as a light meal or side dish alongside anything from grilled chicken to pan-seared salmon, to steak. Feel free to customize it by swapping out the nuts or dried fruit to suit your taste.

“The more I ate the more I absolutely loved it. This is a delicious keeper!”

Erin

What You’ll Need To Make Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Dried Cranberry Salad

Salad ingredients including lemon, olive oil, and honey.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F and place a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment for easy clean-up. Pop the walnuts in the oven and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until they’re nicely toasted and fragrant. Just be sure to keep an eye on them—they can go from perfect to burnt quickly!

walnuts on baking sheet

Make the dressing: In a bowl large enough to hold the whole salad, combine the honey, lemon juice, oil, mustard, shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine.

Whisked honey-dijon vinaigrette in a bowl.

Assemble the salad: To the bowl with the dressing, add the Brussels sprouts and kale and toss everything together until the greens are nicely coated in the dressing. Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes—or pop it in the fridge for a few hours—so the flavors can meld and the greens have a chance to soften.

Tossed vegetables in a bowl.

Before serving, add the toasted walnuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, and cranberries and toss until evenly combined.

Cheese, cranberries and walnuts added to a bowl of salad.

You can serve the salad cold or at room temperature. It stays fresh in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, though the flavors tend to mellow over time. Before serving, give it a quick taste and, if needed, brighten it up with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little extra seasoning.

Tossed salad in a bowl.

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Kale, Brussels Sprouts & Dried Cranberry Salad with Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette

This hearty kale and Brussels sprouts salad is perfect to keep on hand for healthy meals all week long.

Servings: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Salad

  • ¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 12 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded (about 5 gently packed cups after shredding)
  • 1 large bunch (about 12 oz) Tuscan or curly kale, thick center ribs removed, chopped (about 5 gently packed cups after chopping)
  • ¾ cup dried cranberries
  • ¾ cup coarsely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

For the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, from 2 lemons
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots, from one large shallot
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up. Bake the walnuts for 5 to 8 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Keep a close eye on them; they burn quickly.
  2. Make the dressing: In a bowl large enough to hold the whole salad, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, oil, mustard, shallots, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  3. Assemble the salad: To the bowl with the dressing, add the Brussels sprouts and kale; toss until the greens are evenly coated with the dressing. Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or up to a few hours in the fridge) to allow the flavors to meld and the greens to soften. Before serving, add the toasted walnuts, cranberries, and Parmigiano Reggiano and toss until evenly combined. Serve at room temperature or cold. (The salad will keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator but the flavors will mellow over time; before serving, taste and add a little lemon juice and adjust seasoning, if necessary.)

Nutrition Information

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  • Per serving (8 servings)
  • Calories: 343
  • Fat: 25 g
  • Saturated fat: 5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 24 g
  • Sugar: 14 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 10 g
  • Sodium: 355 mg
  • Cholesterol: 9 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

  • Very good! I think it was actually better on the second day, highly unexpected from a salad. The cranberries added the perfect touch of sweetness.

  • Absolutely delicious!!! Lasts for days, too. I can eat this everyday.

  • This salad is among the best I’ve ever tasted. My family loved it have asked me to keep it in the fridge for healthy grazing! I now make it every couple of weeks and the flavors never disappoint. Thank you for continuing to share delicious recipes that I use in my menu rotation.

  • Who knew that kale and Brussel sprouts could taste so good! I made it twice in two weeks. A great way to get healthy greens in your diet. Loved the flavor of the cranberries, nuts and cheese mixed in.

    • — KATHERINE S PORTER
    • Reply
  • Super easy and delicious! I used less oil and substituted goat cheese for the parmigiana because that’s what i had on hand. My teenage daughter and I ate it for days. 😋

    • Oops. I forgot to say that I used pecans instead of walnuts.

  • This salad is perfect in every way! I’ve made it twice this week already.

    • This salad is delicious! I used pecans as a personal preference and everyone loved it. It also tasted better the next day so another bonus. Thank you!

  • Delicious! Added grilled chicken to make it a light dinner. Combination of flavors is excellent. Didn’t have shallots and still came out great! Another wonderful recipe!

  • Hello, sounds wonderful. Question-best way to shred the Brussels sprouts?

    • Hi Lisa, I use my food processor with the slicing blade to make quick work of it but if you don’t have a food processor, you can slice them by hand.

  • Can’t wait to try this
    Looks amazing,my favourite ingredients

  • Delicious salad! Made for people who don’t like kale, including my husband, and he ate seconds the next day!

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