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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.
Very simple, very delicious! I love love red cabbage and the apple cider vinegar and lemon make the perfect slaw!
Thank you so much, Robin! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Beautiful salad! I didn’t have Dijon, so I substituted spicy brown mustard. Instead of green onions, I used purple onions. No vanilla, I’ll save that for my pound cakes. I will definitely use this again as a side!
I am glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Was a great success. Made half recipe and the two of us just about finished it off!
But it was a lot of work/ time to slice up the red cabbage. Didn’t want big course chunks and don’t have electric gadget. Also sliced red onion thin as it’s what i had.
When I first added dressing, I thought too sweet, but after it sat for a half hour before dinner, i stirred it a few times and all the flavors blended beautifully. End result: it looked & tasted great!
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Very good! I don’t like shredding vegetables either. Had to grate the carrots…no other option. But when it comes to cabbage I much prefer to thinly slice it by hand. Yeah, it takes a bit more time, but it saves fingers and the end result is a crispier salad.
I start by quartering and coring the cabbage. Depending on the size of the cabbage, you may also want to halve the quarters before slicing. Using a large slicing knife, thinly slice the cabbage, letting the slices fall atop one another. At first you will perhaps end up with super long strips. Just cut them in half or thirds, to your liking, then continue slicing. I turn the cabbage quarters a few times during slicing to cut from different sides. Eventually you will have shorter strips and no need to cut them.
Again, it no doubt takes more time, but to me it is totally worth it.
Good recipe! The ratio of oil to vinegar seemed off to me, so I doubled the vinegar without changing the amount of oil and it worked out. Also, since this is oil and vinegar based, it comes together better if you mix all of the dressing ingredients except the oil together, and then slowly add the oil in while whisking.
Very nice, fresh side. I served it alongside baked chicken thighs. My husband liked it enough to have seconds. Will definitely make this again.
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This was so good! Great summer side 🙂
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I enjoyed the honey vanilla flavor with hint of spice. I used diced apples no carrot or green onions or parsley. I didn’t have enough apple cider vinegar on hand. Would’ve liked more dressing.
Very tasty but the vanilla extract ruined it for me. I added extra dressing, minus the vanilla, to subdue it. Very good otherwise.
Super easy and tasty! This was a side dish for chicken lettuce wraps with basically the same marinade (wasn’t on purpose). This is definitely getting made again.
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Amazing!