Name: Mixed Purple & Green Creamy Cabbage Slaw
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 1 teaspoon raw honey; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or Greek yogurt; 6 cups very thinly sliced cabbage (green, purple, or a combination); 2 large carrots (grated (optional))

This crunchy cabbage slaw recipe mixes green and purple cabbage, grated carrots, together with a creamy and healthy dressing. My family loves it! I love it because it comes together 15 minutes, making it the perfect quick and easy side dish for any meal.

thinly sliced cabbage and carrots in a bowl with striped blue napkin

This is one of those side dishes that’s so simple it hardly needs an actual recipe. I make it so often, though, and it’s such a go-to in our house that I wanted share it with you here.

It’s a great vegetable side dish recipe to have in your weeknight arsenal and an easy way to add more veggies to just about any meal. Like most of my recipes, it’s gluten free and dairy free – so everyone can enjoy it!

how to make the easiest purple cabbage slaw

This recipe requires no cooking at all & couldn’t be simpler.

It’s really just a matter of thinly slicing some cabbage, and maybe a carrot or two, if you like. Then a quick whisking together of some mayo or Greek yogurt, a squeeze of lime juice, a little salt, and a toss of everything together. That’s it!

As an added bonus, the slaw gets better as it sits, making it a perfect make-ahead option for potlucks or barbecues.

The Mayo I Use

I always have a jar of this in my pantry, it’s made with great ingredients (including avocado oil). They carry a vegan option too. Use my code ROBYN for 10% off your order.

View product

tips for thinly sliced cabbage

The crunchy texture of this is everything! Slicing the ingredients very thin makes a big difference.

If you also like a finely shredded slaw – it’s easy enough to shred your own cabbage and carrots at home. I love that both of those ingredients are super affordable and easy to find. If you happen to have extra veggies on hand, feel free to throw them in here, too. It’s really a base recipe that you can experiment with and make your own.

For the cabbage, I like to use a sharp chef’s knife to cut it into quarters and then cut out & discard the core. Then I thinly slice each quarter by hand into thin ribbons. For really uniform slices, you could also use a mandoline or use the shredding attachment with your food processor.

For carrots, I find a grater or using a food processor with the grating attachment to be the quickest method, but a julienne peeler works too.

Shortcut: on busy weeks, grab a bag of shredded cabbage & carrots or coleslaw mix from the store!

ways to enjoy this everyday coleslaw

This is my favorite coleslaw for tacos, but there’s so many ways my family & I love to eat this slaw, including:

hamburgers
chili (like this black bean & sweet potato chili)
any tacos, but especially good with fish tacos
any sandwich, like tropical pulled chicken sliders
with spicier foods like my slow cooker buffalo chicken
grilled bbq chicken (really anything bbq or grilled for that matter)
to make a big salad served with leafy greens & your protein-of-choice

I hope you’ll make this purple cabbage salad recipe at home soon. If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

thinly sliced cabbage in a white bowl with striped blue napkin and carrot on table

recipe & kid-friendly adaptations

1 | Use white balsamic or white wine vinegar in place of the lime juice.

2 | Skip the honey if you’re watching your sugar intake or want to make this recipe vegan or Whole30 compliant.

3 | Use a vegan mayo if you need to make a version without eggs.

4 | On busy weeks, use shredded coleslaw mix from the store for a quick & easy option.

this recipe is…

dairy free , gluten free , grain free , nut free , paleo , soy free , vegetarian

thinly sliced cabbage and carrots in a bowl with striped blue napkin and two spoons

5 from 3 votes