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My go-to red cabbage slaw recipe is dressed up with shredded carrots and a tasty homemade apple cider vinaigrette. Light and zingy, this crunchy cabbage slaw makes a flavorful side dish or topping for burgers, tacos, and more!
Cabbage Slaw Recipe
Cabbage salad and grilled kebapi are the definition of summer in my homeland, Macedonia, and that was the inspiration for this bright, tasty red cabbage slaw. This recipe combines shredded red cabbage and carrots with green onions in a simple yet zingy coleslaw vinaigrette.
We ate this slaw with barbecue ribs and a Russian salad, and we were in summer-food heaven!
What Makes This Red Cabbage Slaw a Favorite Summer Dish
- Serve as a side or topping. This red cabbage slaw doubles as a side salad to grilled meats and as a topping for smash burgers, and I love it with my fish tacos!
- Sweet-tangy dressing. The homemade vinaigrette is easy to make with Dijon mustard, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar, brightened up with lemon juice and sweetened with honey.
- Quick. The dressing and salad take minutes to make, and you can prepare this slaw a couple of hours ahead of your cookout. A bit of chilling time brings all those delicious, fresh flavors together.
Slaw Ingredients
- Red Cabbage – Technically, you can make this slaw with green cabbage, or even a mix of the two. Just shred the cabbage head using the large holes of a box grater, or slice it thinly with a sharp knife.
- Carrots and Green Onions – I like adding shredded carrots and thinly sliced green onions to my red cabbage slaw for a little variety. You could also use shredded Brussels sprouts.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Dijon Mustard – Yellow mustard or stone-ground mustard will work here, too.
- Freshly Minced Garlic – Or, you can use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Olive Oil – Another good option is avocado oil, or you could use sesame oil for an Asian twist.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – If you don’t have cider vinegar, include red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Lemon Juice – Freshly squeezed is best, but bottled lemon juice works, too.
- Honey – Adjust the amount of honey to taste. You could also use sugar or maple syrup.
- Vanilla Extract – Yep! This might seem like an odd ingredient for a salad dressing, but just a dash is all you need. Try it, you’ll see!
- Chili Powder – Added to taste in addition to salt and pepper. You can substitute paprika or leave it out. Another way to boost the flavors in the slaw is to add fresh herbs like basil, cilantro, or thyme.
Recipe Tips for Making Slaw
- Use fresh ingredients. Crisp, fresh ingredients, like the lemon juice and garlic, are key to a great coleslaw. Make sure the cabbage is firm, and remove any wilted, blemished outer leaves before you shred it.
- Shred the veggies thinly. 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 the slaw marinate. Allow the red cabbage slaw to sit for at least 15 minutes, or up to a couple of hours if you have time. This allows the flavors to meld together and the vegetables to soften slightly in the vinaigrette. Just remember to give it a fresh stir before serving.
- 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.
Serving Suggestions
- BBQ. This crunchy, tangy cabbage slaw balances the richness of BBQ chicken skewers, ribs, and grilled carne asada. Serve this slaw at your next cookout with corn ribs and macaroni salad!
- Sandwiches and burgers. Pile it onto a pulled pork sandwich, turkey burger, or grilled cheese. You can even serve it alongside this pupusas recipe.
- Tacos. Scoop this slaw into your tacos. I especially love it in these mahi mahi tacos, but you can try it in chicken tinga tacos or Korean BBQ beef tacos.
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Red Cabbage Slaw
Tossed with tangy apple cider vinaigrette, this crunchy homemade red cabbage slaw goes perfectly as a side dish with grilled meats, burgers, tacos, and more.
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 freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the veggies. Place shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onions in a large salad bowl. Set aside.
- Make the dressing. 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.
- Toss. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Chill. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Enjoy! Remove from fridge and garnish with chopped parsley, then serve.
Video
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
Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 73mg | Potassium: 385mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6346IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
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.
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How to Make Red Cabbage Slaw
This red cabbage slaw recipe is super flexible. This is how I make it, but you can absolutely adapt the slaw and dressing to your taste or depending on what ingredients you have on hand.
Follow these steps to whip up your own batch of this easy shredded cabbage slaw:
- Combine the ingredients. Start by adding the shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onions to a large salad bowl.
- Make the dressing. Next, whisk the Dijon mustard with garlic, olive oil, 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 slaw. After combining, give it a taste and tweak the seasoning as necessary to suit your taste.
- Rest. Let the slaw chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. This step allows the flavors to meld and enhances the overall taste and texture.
Prefer a Creamy Coleslaw?
I use my easy homemade apple cider vinaigrette, but the dressing is where you can really make this red cabbage coleslaw your own. If you prefer a creamy slaw, borrow the dressing from my classic coleslaw recipe or add mayonnaise to this one.
How To Store Leftovers
- Serve it within a few hours. The salt and vinegar in the vinaigrette break down the cabbage and draw out moisture, so for the best results, serve this salad soon after adding the dressing.
- Refrigerate. If you want to store leftovers, keep them covered in the fridge. They can still be enjoyed the next day, but the dressing will soften the veggies.
- Make ahead. 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.
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!