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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!
More Delicious Coleslaw Recipes
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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.
I added shredded green pepper and zucchini. Yummm!
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I made this today and it’s nice and fresh and crunchy! The only thing was I didn’t have any green onions on hand, so I added red radish instead, which turned out pretty good except the cabbage dyed the radishes purple! I think this will make a good side for tacos!
I have made this salad for barbecues and it’s always a hit. I like to make it the night before to allow the flavors to sit. Always delicious!
That’s great to hear! I’m very happy everyone loved it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! Perfect healthy,tasty side dish. Thanks. And sorry for your lower ratings for anyone who minuses a star rating for ” lot of work” in preparation of a SLAW recipe. 🙄 .
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for chiming in! 🙂
Really delicious. Dressing was just perfect. Dressed only the salad I was using that night. Did not add garlic. Will use remainer of dressing on salads. A really nice vinagrette
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Hi I have just made this and it was absolutely amazing I was just wondering how long the dressing would keep for ?. I was thinking of making it for my normal salad as iv not had a dressing like it .
Hi!
So happy you liked it! Thank you 😊. Generally, homemade vinaigrettes can be kept refrigerated for about 2 weeks, and dairy-based dressings will keep up to 1 week.
I made this salad exactly as per instructions and was rewarded with the best red cabbage salad I have ever tasted. The blend of sour, sweet, and spicy ingredients in the dressing was an absolute burst of flavor to the tastebuds. Like you I always have cake on the mind but I understand that I have to make healthy food choices as well, but nevertheless, I will be peeking at some of those cake recipes on your page as well. Thanks for a new wonderful summertime fave.
That’s great to hear! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Great salad that tasted even better the next day. I added chick peas and golden raisins which added great contrast in taste and texture.
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Loved this slaw! I have just started eating a plant based diet and am having trouble finding recipes I love. I’ll definitely be adding this one to my recipe box! I added some crushed raw cashews to the slaw and it was awesome! I used a cheese grater to shred my cabbage so the shreds were pretty small so the cashews added some extra crunch and creamy flavor. I did not add any vanilla.
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
No matter how good the recipie is I couldn’t get through all the pretentious waffle, the never ending links and countless adverts. Going through the page is like staring at a pinball machine from six inches away. Why on earth are you waffling on about cakes? You need to be a lot more subtle if you want to link in other recipes. This is one site I’ll not look at again. Unless I want a headache!
Bye.
Pro tip
It’s called “jump to recipe”
What, are you new?!?
Is there something else I can use besides honey?
Agave
I use maple syrup in place of honey for all recipes, as I prefer the depth of flavor.
Loved this. Quick question — it says it makes 8 servings, but what is a serving size? It says 1 gram in the nutrition info.