Coconut Free Basil-Pesto Brussels Sprout Salad
Shaved raw Brussels sprouts make a surprisingly craveable salad base — tender enough to eat fresh, with just enough bite to hold up to a bold dressing. The real star here is a vibrant homemade basil pesto blitzed with garlic, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and a hint of ground ginger, which gives the whole dish a bright, herby punch you won't find in anything from a jar. Tossed with paper-thin red onion and chewy dried cranberries, every forkful hits sweet, savory, and tangy all at once. Store-bought pestos can be a minefield for anyone avoiding coconut-derived ingredients or oils, but this one is made entirely from scratch with olive oil as the only fat — so you know exactly what's in it. A short 10-minute rest after dressing lets the sprouts soften just slightly and soak up all that flavor without going limp. Finish with an extra squeeze of lemon and torn fresh basil if you want to really make it sing. It's the kind of salad that converts Brussels sprout skeptics on the first bite.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 ½ lb brussels sprouts, tough outer leaves removed, ends trimmed
- ¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, unsweetened or honey-sweetened
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
For serving
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, for finishing (optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Shave the Brussels sprouts: working in batches, halve each sprout through the root end, then place cut-side down and slice crosswise as thinly as possible with a chef's knife, or use the slicing disc of a food processor. Transfer the shaved sprouts to a large mixing bowl.
- 2
Add the thinly sliced red onion and dried cranberries to the bowl with the shaved sprouts and toss to combine.
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