Brussel Sprout Red Cabbage Slaw with Crunchy Chickpeas (Vegan Gluten-Free)
The ultimate holiday side dish or easy lunch, this Brussel Sprout Red Cabbage Slaw with Crunchy Chickpeas is packed with festive ingredients and is delicious. It is wholesome, protein packed, naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Be prepare to fall in love with Brussel sprouts, even if you think you don’t like them. I agree that boiled and soggy sprouts are not that appealing, but shredded and tossed with a delicious zingy creamy dressing with other seasonal ingredients and they are so good. You will be craving this slaw as a main dinner side, a light lunch or to bring to family gatherings.
Why will I love this slaw?
This slaw is a family favourite for a few reasons:
- Fresh, crunchy and light
- Zingy, creamy and wholesome
- Made with healthy ingredients
- Easy to prepare in 5 minutes
- Naturally high in protein, vegan and gluten-free
- Easily nut-free
- Tossed with a fresh, zingy and creamy dressing (mayo-free!)
- Great to make ahead of time
- Delicious all year long
If you already love this seasonal slaw then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.
What ingredients do I need?
The slaw is made from a few simple ingredients that are split into the crispy chickpeas and croutons, the slaw itself and the dressing.
Firstly, the crunch:
- Chickpeas: tinned chickpeas are so convenient, simply drain and pat them dry to make sure they are super crispy. I love the Bold Bean Co queen organic chickpeas as they are so plump and juicy.
- Bread: I always use the KoRo gluten-free seedy bread as it’s made from seeds and other wholesome ingredients but if you want to make your own, my Gluten-Free Buckwheat Bread or Seedy Wholemeal Soda Bread would be amazing here. Other bread is also great like sourdough or sliced bread.
- Olive oil, salt and pepper: to toss with the chickpeas and bread to turn them crispy and golden.
Now for the slaw:
- Brussel sprouts: the star of the show. Trim the bottoms off the sprouts and roast with the chickpeas above and then finely shred or grate the sprouts so they are like a slaw.
- Red cabbage: I love the colour of red cabbage with the green sprouts and as I am always trying to eat the rainbow, the red cabbage is great to add contrast. Although, you can use white cabbage, too.
- Pomegranate: these are great throughout the autun and winter and add pops of colour and sweetness.
- Medjool dates: these add sweetness and a deliciously soft and sticky texture to the otherwise crunchy salad. You can use other dried fruits, like other dates, chopped dried figs, apricots or raisins, too.
- Pecans: these are also delicious this time of year and I love the sweet nuttiness they add. You can also use walnuts or hazelnuts or keep this nut-free with sunflower seeds.
Finally for the dressing:
- Coconut yoghurt: or other thick, dairy-free unsweetened yoghurt replaces the need for mayonnaise in this creamy dressing. my go-to brand is Cocos as it’s so thick and creamy, packed with gut-healthy ingredients and is made with simple wholefoods.
- Lemon juice: for zing.
- Olive oil: for texture. Having tried the dressing with and without the olive oil, it really does add a richness in texture and flavour that cannot be beaten. Try to use an extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
- Yondu or tamari soy sauce: yondu is a savoury umami sauce that packs so much flavour (it’s like a rich tamari soy sauce with garlic, ginger and other Asian-inspired flavours) and I am addicted. You can also use tamari soy sauce for that umami richness.
- Plant-based milk: just a little is needed to thin the dressing. Make sure it is unsweetened like almond, coconut or oat.
- Fresh herbs: these really elevate any fresh salad or dressing and I like to use coriander, parsley or mint here. I also love thyme or a little bit of rosemary.
- Garlic: for a rich warmth and tang.
How do I make this salad?
This slaw is easy and quick to prepare:
- Trim the sprouts: saving the bottoms to roast and nibble on (making this low-waste).
- Pat the chickpeas dry and cube the bread: and add to a bowl.
- Toss the chickpeas, bread and sprout bottoms with olive oil: salt and pepper.
- Air fry or roast until crispy and golden: and leave to one side.
- Prepare the slaw: shred and toss everything together.
- Make the dressing: stir everything together till smooth.
- Toss the slaw with most of the dressing: till combined.
- Top the slaw with the crispy toppings: and add on the remaining pecans, pomegranate and dates.
- Drizzle over the rest of the dressing: and dive in.
Is this gluten-free and nut-free?
Yes this is naturally gluten-free, just check that you are using gluten-free bread. The one I used from KoRo is gluten-free, take a look here and use code Nourishing5 for 5% off, it has a long use-by date, too and lasts a while once open. To make this nut-free, swap the pecans for sunflower seeds and check all your other ingredients do not contain nuts (e.g. the yoghurt and dairy-free milk).
How long will this last?
Once made, you can keep this slaw in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
What else can I make?
I hope you are going to love this slaw with Crunchy Chickpeas for the holiday season, and for other mains and sides, how about my:
- Sweet Chilli Pumpkin Hummus Board
- Ginger Roasted Squash and Chickpea Salad with Tahini
- Sweet Potato Black bean Bowls with Basil Vinaigrette
- Curried Lentil Soup
- Roasted Root Vegetable Soup
Brussel Sprout Red Cabbage Slaw with Crunchy Chickpeas
The ultimate holiday side dish or easy lunch, this Brussel Sprout Red Cabbage Slaw with Crunchy Chickpeas is packed with festive ingredients and is delicious. It is wholesome, protein packed, naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
For the Crunchy Chickpeas:
- 1 tin chickpeas, drained (240g) drained weight
- 2-3 slices of bread
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Slaw:
- 150g Brussel sprouts, trimmed weight
- 100g red cabbage
- 40g pomegranate
- 60g medjool dates, pitted weight, chopped (3-4 whole dates)
- 40g pecans, crushed
For the Dressing:
- 100g thick dairy-free unsweetened yoghurt e.g. coconut
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Yondu or tamari soy sauce
- 1 tbsp plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped herbs e.g. mint, coriander, parsley
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Trim the sprouts and add the bottoms to a bowl. Rub with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- For the chickpeas: preheat the air fryer to 180ºC or the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and line a tray with parchment paper. Pat the chickpeas dry, and chop the bread into small cubes. Toss with the oil, salt and pepper and lay out on the tray. Add the sprout bottoms to the side of the tray, too. Air fry for 15-20 minutes or bake for 20-30 minutes until crispy and golden.
- Meanwhile, for the slaw: finely shred, grate or chop the sprouts and cabbage and add to a bowl with the half the pomegranate, half the chopped dates and half the pecans. Toss well.
- For the dressing: stir together all the ingredients till smooth.
- Pour most of the dressing over the slaw and toss well.
- Serve the slaw topped with the crispy chickpeas and croutons (save the sprout bottoms crisps to eat on the side) and drizzle over the remaining dressing. top with the other pomegranate, dates and pecans.
- Enjoy straight away or keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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I look forward to hearing what you think of this Brussel Sprout Red Cabbage Slaw with Crunchy Chickpeas so please leave a comment below and a star review above. If you do make this, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest – please say hello!
With sprout slaw love x
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