This crunchy fennel cabbage salad with orange and pomegranate is everything I love in a salad—bright, fresh, and full of texture. Thinly shaved cabbage, fennel, and kohlrabi create a crisp base, while sweet citrus and juicy pomegranate add bursts of flavor. Tossed with fresh herbs and a vibrant lemon and pomegranate molasses dressing, it’s the kind of salad that feels both refreshing and deeply satisfying. It works beautifully as a light meal or alongside a larger spread, especially when you’re craving something colorful and full of life.
Fennel Cabbage Salad with Orange and Pomegranate
A bright and refreshing crunchy fennel cabbage salad with sweet citrus, juicy pomegranate, and a mix of fresh herbs and seeds for texture. Tossed in a vibrant lemon and pomegranate molasses dressing, this colorful salad is crisp, flavorful, and perfect as a light main or a fresh, seasonal side.
Ingredients
- ½ medium purple cabbage thinly sliced or shaved on a mandolin
- 1 large fennel bulb thinly shaved
- 1 kohlrabi peeled and thinly shaved
- ¼ cup fresh mint chiffonade
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 orange segmented
Lemon Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables. Thinly slice the cabbage and fennel using a sharp knife or mandoline. Peel and slice the kohlrabi into thin matchsticks or shave it thin. Chop up herbs, separate pomegranate seeds and segment oranges.
- To a large mixing bowl add cabbage, fennel, kohlrabi, mint, cilantro, pomegranate, oranges and all the seeds.
- Make the dressing. In a measuring cup, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and salt until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Serve immediately or let sit for 10–15 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. *If preparing this salad for meal prep, skip the oranges and it will last 3-5 days in the fridge.