20-Minute Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprout Salad - Joy to the Food High-Protein Side Dish Recipes (2024)

ThisHoney Sriracha Brussels Sprout Saladis packed with crunch, dripping in spice, and screams delicious! It’s ready in 20 minutes, only takes a few ingredients, and will be your new go-to salad!

why you need this brussels sprout salad

I love a great bacon and Brussels sprout situation and then when you add spicy sriracha and sweet honey it just gets better! But, with these Brussels sprouts I have a trick - shred the Brussels sprouts to make a salad!

Besides this MUCH better way of eating Brussels sprouts, here are a few more reasons you will love this Brussels sprouts salad recipe.

• Easy to eat: I am telling you, shredding Brussels sprouts is the best way to eat them! It allows the crunch and sauce to be evenly distributed throughout resulting int he perfect balance of flavors. Plus, they make a much better salad than lettuce.
• Minimal ingredients: This recipe uses 7 simple ingredients to make the biggest flavor impact.
• Scalable: I love making this salad for large family gatherings because it’s so easy to scale up or down depending on how many people you are serving. This makes it the perfect side dish!
• Warm salad: Warm salads are the thing, I’m telling you! They are cozy, yet refreshing and light yet bursting with flavor! Plus, Brussels sprouts are bitter if you don’t cook them.

ingredients and substitutions

All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See recipe card for quantities.

Brussels Sprouts:The star of the show! Brussels sprouts are bitter raw, but when heated they have a wonderfully sweet flavor.

Substitutions:I would think being a Brussels sprout salad, you would have them on hand. But if not, you could try using shredded broccoli.

Bacon:Brussels sprouts and bacon were meant to be together. The salty, crunch it adds is the perfect compliment!

Substitutions:We used fresh bacon, but you can use bacon bits.

Lemon:This lemon gets used in a few ways, part for the sauce and part to finish the salad.

Substitutions:I recommend using a fresh lemon since the lemon zest adds so much flavor. You can use canned lemon juice and just omit the zest but it will not be as flavorful.

Honey: The combination of honey and spice makes for the perfect balance in this easy recipe.

Substitutions: You can use agave in place of honey, but I would highly recommend trying to stick with honey. You could try maple syrup, but it is a pretty strong flavor so I think it would over power everything else.

Sriracha: Who doesn’t love sriracha? It’s a great way to spice of a dish because it has so many other flavors mixed in, like garlic and vinegar. Using hot sauce ot flavor a dish is like a 2 for 1 because there is no need for additional ingredients like garlic powder.

Substitutions:I know there’s a sriracha shortage, but there are plenty of brands that make essentially the same sauce. So, go get that sriracha and get cooking! (You can use additional oil and 2 teaspoon red pepper flakes if you absolutely cannot find sriracha.)

Pistachios: This idea came fromGiada De Laurentiis’ Tiktok. She has this warm salad with nuts, dates, and lemon and I thought ahh pistachios would be perfect for this warm salad!

Substitutions:Cashews or walnuts would also be tasty in this warm salad!

Soy Sauce:This might seem like an odd add to this salad but it adds umami that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

Substitutions:You can use coconut aminos with ¼ teaspoon of salt in place of soy sauce here if you can’t have soy.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

recipe testing notes

Throughout our testing of these honey sriracha Brussels sprouts, we learned what worked and didn't work. Here are the key takeaways!

• Shred the Brussels sprouts: I tested this recipe with the Brussels sprouts halved and shredded. Shredded was the clear winner because it was so much easier to eat and the sauce was spread throughout. This resulted in more flavor for every bite.
• Good cold or hot:While this salad was best right away, I also learned that I really enjoyed it cold too. I actually liked it better cold than reheated.

how to make this - step by step

Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full instructions!

Step one: prep

Shred the Brussels sprouts into a large pan with a little oil. Turn the stove to medium and cook the Brussels sprouts until softened. This should take about 7-10 minutes.

Expert tip for shredding: Shred the Brussels sprouts before you start, otherwise the bacon will burn! Use a mandolin if you have one! It makes it so much quicker. You can also finely chop them with a knife, removing the thick stock piece at the bottom. It's also helpful to remove the outer leaves when shredding as they tend to slip off anyways.

Step two: make the sauce

While the Brussels sprouts cook, make the spicy sauce by adding all the sauce ingredients to a small bowl or jar and mixing.

Step three: add everything together

Now mix in the pistachios, bacon, and honey sriracha mixture. Cook another 2-3 minutes until thoroughly combined.

Step four: finish and plate

Top the sriracha honey Brussels sprouts with freshly zested lemon and enjoy!

watch how to make this - step by step

common questions

recipe variations

If you want to mix up this delicious recipe, try one of these tasty variations for another easy side dish.

• Honey Sriracha Roasted Brussels Sprouts: To make these in roasted form, try adding the shredded brussels sprouts to a sheet pan in a single layer on one side and the bacon on the other side. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Chop the bacon, combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and top with honey sriracha dressing.
• Giada's Brussels Sprout Salad: For this variation, make the sauce using Calabrian chilis, lemon juice, oil, and salt. Then, add dates pieces to the salad in addition to the other mix in's.
• Pan Fried Spicy Brussels Sprouts: To make this, you can halve the Brussels sprouts and saute, cut side down, in a skillet until golden brown rather than shred them. This creates crispy honey sriracha brussels sprouts but they are a bit harder to ear than the shredded salad version.
• Thanksgiving Dinner Salad: For a more festive version, try swapping the Brussels sprouts for green beans! You can even add dried cranberries for a burst of sweetness. Or, try out ourCrack Green Beansfor a very similar flavor.

allergy swaps

If you have special dietary restrictions, here are some substitution ideas to keep these Brussels sprouts safe for everyone!

• Soy Free:To make this soy free, use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce. Coconut aminos are not as salty, so add an additional ¼ teaspoon of salt.
• Nut Free:You can leave out the nuts if you are allergic to nuts.

storage tips

To save this for later, simply place in an airtight container and store in the fridge. It will keep for 5 days. It can be eaten cold or reheated but the bacon will get soggy. It is not a freezer friendly dish.

ways to use leftovers

Have leftovers? Lucky you! Here are a few ways to use them up.

• Grilled Chicken and Brussels Sprout Salad: Try adding grilled chicken to the top of the cold brussels sprout salad leftovers. This makes a great main dish when topped with golden brown grilled chicken.
• Shrimp Salad: You can also try adding shrimp to the top of the salad for a coastal twist.

fun fact

Did you know that the bitterness of Brussels sprouts is due to one specific gene? Despite this, in 2008 Linus Urbanect ate 31 Brussels sprouts in 1 minute! (source)

more easy side dishes

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