🍂🧡🥗 My Roasted Brussel Sprout Salad is a HEARTY salad that celebrates the flavors of fall including roasted Brussels sprouts and dried cranberries along with quinoa, chickpeas, spinach, and goat cheese! Perfect for lunch, a meatless main, or a HEALTHY side dish on your holiday table!
Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad Recipe
If you love lots of flavors in your salads and your motto is like mine, the more the merrier, you’re going to love this naturally vegetarian and gluten-free salad. I literally couldn’t stop eating it. Huge Brussels sprouts lover, right here!
- The roasted Brussels sprouts add robust flavor, and they’re tossed with chickpeas for protein, a quinoa and rice blend for texture, and spinach boosts the green quotient.
- Dried cranberries add a touch of natural sweetness and chewiness, while goat cheese adds a tangy touch that we adored.
- A spritz of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar brings all the flavors together.
- It’s the perfect healthy main course or side dish to celebrate the season!
Love Brussels sprouts?
Try my balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts, orange glazed Brussels sprouts, air fryer Brussels sprouts, and roasted Brussels sprouts, too!
Ingredients and Notes
The main thing to remember about this brussel sprout salad is its flexibility based on what you have on hand and enjoy. Here’s what I used:
- Raw Brussels sprouts – you’ll need 1 pound of Brussels sprouts, trim the outer leaves, and slice them in half with a sharp knife. You can also shave them for a shaved Brussels sprouts salad. Not a fan of Brussels sprouts? Use sweet potatoes instead
- Olive oil
- Chickpeas – White beans work well, too
- Quinoa or a quinoa/rice blend – Feel free to use brown rice, lentils, couscous, or another favorite grain
- Spinach – Kale or arugula work well, too
- Dried cranberries
- Goat cheese (optional and omit to keep vegan) – Use crumbed feta, aged manchego, or another bold-flavored cheese, if preferred
- Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar – These form the base of the dressing. Use Homemade Balsamic Reduction or store-bought rather than lemon juice and apple cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of granulated sugar (optional) – You can use a drizzle of honey or maple syrup rather than sugar
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
Making quinoa and Brussels sprouts salad is very easy! Here are the basic recipe steps:
- First, halve and roast the Brussels sprouts. Be careful not to let them overcook, or they’ll become mushy! While they’re in the oven, get your quinoa or grains simmering on the stovetop.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to a large salad bowl.
- When the sprouts are done, add them to the bowl as well as the cooked grains.
- Add a heaping handful of spinach and stir it into the bowl to combine. (The carryover heat from the vegetables and grains will gently wilt it.)
- Stir in dried cranberries and goat cheese crumbles. Spritz with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, season with additional salt and pepper to taste, and optionally a tiny pinch of sugar to balance the pungent nature of the Brussels sprouts, lemon juice, and vinegar. Toss to combine before serving.
What to Serve with This Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Salad
Possible Additions
This is such a flexible and forgiving roasted Brussels sprouts salad recipe, and really, you can keep adding and adding to it to stretch it and bulk it up.
Ideas to try include:
- Sauté an onion along with the simmering quinoa, like I did in this quinoa salad
- Add garlic
- Garnish with fresh green onions, mint, basil, parsley, or other fresh herbs
- Add zucchini, summer squash, or cucumber
- Include sliced apples
- Add nuts like pecans, almonds, or walnuts
- For an even heartier salad, add cooked diced chicken in addition to or instead of the chickpeas. Or, use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving
- If you are a fan of Balsamic Brussels Sprouts, I would skip the lemon juice and ACV, and drizzle in as much Homemade Balsamic Reduction or store-bought balsamic glaze as you’d like.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided or as necessary
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more if desired
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more if desired
- ¾ cup dry quinoa or a quinoa/rice blend
- water
- one 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 heaping cup, heaping handful fresh spinach, loosely packed
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup crumbled goat cheese, or as desired
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- pinch granulated sugar, optional and to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F (use convection if you have it), line a baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup if desired, add the Brussels sprouts, evenly drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and evenly season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the sprouts with the cut side down for about 20 minutes (my sprouts were small and only took 15 minutes) or until done. You will know when they’re done by the tops on a few sprouts just beginning to char. While the sprouts are roasting, start and cook the quinoa.
- Cook quinoa or quinoa/rice blend according to package directions. Tip – drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil from the beginning to prevent sticking.
- When the sprouts are done and the quinoa are done, transfer both to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the chickpeas, spinach, and stir to combine. The carryover heat from the sprouts and the quinoa will cause the spinach to gently wilt.
- Add the dried cranberries, goat cheese, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and stir to combine.
- Taste and check for seasoning balance and add additional salt and pepper, to taste. I added an additional teaspoon of both. If it tastes at all flat or boring, you probably need to add more salt.
- Optionally, to balance the pungent nature of the sprouts and the acidity of the lemon juice and vinegar, add a pinch of sugar.
- Serve immediately. Salad is great immediately, at room temp, or chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Fall Salad Recipes:
Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potato Harvest Salad – Fall-inspired ingredients including tender sweet potatoes, juicy chicken, red onions, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds topped with a honey apple cider vinaigrette!
Spinach Apple Salad with Cheddar & Cranberries — The flavors just POP in this fast, easy, and healthy spinach salad! There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite you can’t help but like it!
Roasted Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad – An EASY, healthy, lettuce-less salad with roasted curried cauliflower and chickpeas as the STARS! Topped with raisins, pistachios, cilantro, and a DELISH tangy Greek yogurt dressing!
Kale Caesar Salad — I used kale rather than romaine and fried chickpeas instead of croutons. They’re crispy, crunchy, and I added plenty of salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne for a kick.
Apple Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese — All the flavors of fall in one gorgeous, hearty, and healthy salad! The easy, tart-and-sweet dressing is just bursting with flavor!
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad — This roasted sweet potato salad is tossed in a honey Dijon dressing. The sweet and savory flavors of this potato salad are to die for!
Apple and Pear Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette – Complete with crisp apples, tender juicy pears, pomegranate seeds, nuts, crumbled feta, and a tangy homemade honey maple balsamic vinaigrette!
Originally posted November 17, 2020 and reposted October 13, 2023 with updated text.
Loved all the salads, and they were filling and satisfying
Thanks for the 5 star review, Deborah, and I’m glad you love the salad recipes!
This was delicious! Can you please verify the nutritional information as I am confused about the carbohydrate content. Thank you.
This was delicious! Can you please verify the nutritional information as I am confused about the carbohydrate content. Thank you.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you loved this! The stats are provided as a courtesy, and computer generated. They are not always perfectly accurate down to the letter. If you want, you can always calculate by hand using an app like myfitnesspal. Add everything up, divide by number of servings. I would agree that here the carbs seem a bit high for a recipe like this but I haven’t calculated by hand to see how that cross-compares with these stats.
This was amazing! I used kale and roasted red onion and zucchini with the Brussels sprouts. Instead of the lemon juice I added a balsamic glaze from a bottle I already had. Will definitely make this again and again.
This was amazing! I used kale and roasted red onion and zucchini with the Brussels sprouts. Instead of the lemon juice I added a balsamic glaze from a bottle I already had. Will definitely make this again and again.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it was great and you will make it again and again! This is a personal fave of mine, too!
This is absolutely delicious and filling and full of flavor. Thank you for a great recipe and ease of assembling all the goodies. I did drizzle some maple syrup on it for sweetness instead of honey or sugar. It adds a bit of yummy to the salad. Thanks again!
This is absolutely delicious and filling and full of flavor. Thank you for a great recipe and ease of assembling all the goodies. I did drizzle some maple syrup on it for sweetness instead of honey or sugar. It adds a bit of yummy to the salad. Thanks again!
Thanks for the five star review and glad this was a winner for you! I personally loved this salad and glad you do too! Also great idea with the maple in lieu of honey or sugar, I do that sometimes with some salads, too.
great
great