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Red Cabbage Slaw is dressed up with shredded carrots and a tasty homemade Apple Cider vinaigrette. It’s light, crunchy, and full of zingy flavors, making it a great side dish or even an excellent starter.
Red Cabbage Slaw with Carrots
Cabbage Slaw and homemade moonshine, friends! It’s the summer life of a Macedonian! 😊 Thus, please dive right in and enjoy the bright, tasty goodness of our cabbage slaw. It’s a real treat for your taste buds! This recipe features an exquisite blend of shredded red cabbage, carrots, and thinly sliced green onions, deliciously combined to create a salad that is as nutritious as it is appetizing.
Remember those barbecue ribs from the other day? THOSE with THIS = summer-food-heaven! Add shots of homemade moonshine to the mix and you’ve got 4 happy people singing patriotic songs from sun-up to sun-down. Yeah. That happened.
What Is The Difference Between Cabbage Slaw and Slaw?
A cabbage salad typically features just one vegetable seasoned and dressed, whereas coleslaw often incorporates additional ingredients like shredded veggies, fruits, or various seasonings for added variety. While both highlight cabbage as the main ingredient, the unique dressings are what distinguish one from the other.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
My cabbage slaw is set apart by a tangy, homemade apple cider vinaigrette. Made with a mix of Dijon mustard, minced garlic, and extra virgin olive oil and complemented by apple cider vinegar, this dressing adds a perfect tangy counterpoint to the crunchy vegetables. The additional freshness of lemon juice, a hint of sweetness from honey, a sprinkle of chili powder for a bit of heat, and a dash of vanilla extract for a nuanced flavor make this vinaigrette a must-try!
How To Make Cabbage Slaw
Creating a delicious and refreshing red cabbage slaw is very simple. With just a few crisp ingredients and a homemade vinaigrette, you’ll have a light, crunchy, and flavorful dish. Follow these simple steps to whip up your own batch of this beloved summer recipe.
- Combine the ingredients. Start by arranging the shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onions in a large salad bowl.
- Make the dressing. Next, mix together the Dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, vanilla extract, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Toss it all together. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and give it a good toss to evenly coat the vegetables.
- Season it. After combining, give it a taste and tweak the seasoning as necessary to suit your taste.
- Rest. Let the cabbage slaw chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. This step allows the flavors to meld and enhances the overall taste of the salad.
Recipe Tips for Making Slaw
Remember, the best part about a recipe like this is that it’s flexible. Feel free to adjust it to your taste or mix in other veggies you might have on hand.
- Thinly cut. Shred your cabbage and carrots as thinly as possible. This will give the slaw a nice texture and allow the dressing to better penetrate the vegetables.
- Let it rest. Allow the slaw to sit for at least 15 minutes or even a couple of hours if you have time. This allows the flavors to meld together and the vegetables to soften slightly in the vinaigrette.
- Season to taste. Always taste your slaw before serving. Depending on the acidity of your apple cider vinegar or the sweetness of your carrots, you may need to adjust the seasoning.
- Use fresh ingredients. Crisp and fresh ingredients are key for a great coleslaw.
Serving Suggestions
A great salad is all about balance, and this slaw perfectly marries the crisp, fresh veggies with the tangy vinaigrette to create a dish that you’ll want to make again and again. From hereon, we just need to properly celebrate what is in our present —flip-flops, barbecues, and a fantastically textured Cabbage Slaw.
This slaw pairs beautifully with a variety of dishes. Try it with grilled carne asada, chicken skewers, in a pulled pork sandwich, or alongside a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Its refreshing crunch makes it a versatile side.
But I like cakes, too. I just inhaled a slice of this cinnamon roll coffee cake for breakfast. For the rest of the day, looks like I’ll be enjoying protein shakes. 😁 I could’ve just reached for my uber-healthy blender muffins, but nah, I didn’t.
How Long Does Slaw Keep?
Since this slaw is made with a vinaigrette instead of a mayo dressing, it can last a bit longer. However, the salt and vinegar in the vinaigrette start to break down the cabbage and draw out moisture, so for the best results, I recommend serving it within a few hours after adding the dressing.
- If you have leftovers, they can still be enjoyed the next day, but the dressing will soften the veggies.
- For make-ahead prep, you can mix the vinaigrette up to 3 days in advance. Just pour it over the cabbage mixture when you’re ready to serve.
ENJOY!
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Red Cabbage Slaw with Carrots
Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD
- 1 small head red cabbage,, shredded
- 4 large carrots,, shredded
- 4 green onions,, thinly sliced
FOR THE APPLE CIDER VINAIGRETTE
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic,, minced
- ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey,, as needed, for sweetness
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract,, for flavor, optional
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder,, or to taste
- salt and fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
- chopped fresh parsley,, for garnish
Instructions
- Place shredded cabbage, carrots and green onions in a large salad bowl. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, garlic, oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, vanilla, chili powder, salt, and pepper; whisk until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine.
- Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Remove from fridge and garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve.
Notes
- Shredding: Cut the cabbage and carrots super thin. It’ll make the slaw extra tasty because the dressing can get into the veggies better.
- Wait Time: Let your slaw chill in the fridge for 15 minutes or longer. It gives time for the flavors to mix and makes the veggies a bit softer.
- Taste Test: Try a bite before serving. Add more salt, pepper, or honey if you need to, based on how sour your vinegar is or how sweet your carrots are.
- Use fresh ingredients for a better slaw. Fresh lemon juice and garlic make a big difference.
- Serving Tips: You can eat this slaw with grilled meats, pulled pork sandwiches, or even grilled cheese.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Really good and healthy!
Agree, something was missing . I made this during the pandemic and had your ingredients. I needed to use the red cabbage I had before it went to waste. This looked good. Sorry to say, very disappointed. A two-ingredient salad (minus the dressing) there was no substance. I added raisins and toasted walnuts, plus a little season salt. HUGE difference.
I made this as described but used 1/2 head of small red cabbage, did not use the carrots or the green onions and then added the following: One thinly sliced – yellow onion, cucumber, green pepper, yellow pepper and adjusted the dressing proportions to accommodate the extra ingredients. Served with cold sliced pork chop. Delish!
Followed the recipie. Everything but parsley. This is incredible. 5 stars
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
You had me at “Macedonian” – it’s where my grandpa immigrated from a long time ago! It’s good thus far – I’m impatiently waiting for it to “meld” and I’m sure it will be delish. It does look beautiful, regardless!
I just made this for lunch and it was not that hard to make and it was totally great! All the flavors fit together somehow and my boyfriend even had 2nds and 3rds which was not usual for him with vegetables !
Something is missing with this recipe! Am sorry if am giving u 2 stars but thank God I didn’t put the dressing in all the salad cause no one wanted to eat it .. am sorry..
I just made this beautiful slaw. I made two changes. One was I did not have green onion so I used shredded yellow onion. Two I added a vegetable called Kohlrabi, also called German turnip, is a biennial vegetable, a low, stout cultivar of wild cabbage. It is the same species as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy cabbage, and gai lan. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is very good,. Turn out great!
Thank You!
That looks delicious I love anything made with red cabbage.
These red cabbage and carrot slaw are so Instagrammable and adorable! As you know I made it a short while ago and it was lovely! Thx for sharing!
Can i replace lime juice for the lemon?
Sure! There will be a difference in taste, but yeah, you can definitely do that.