Easy Mexican Slaw (with Cilantro-Lime Dressing)

Whip up this easy Mexican slaw with cilantro-lime dressing for a simple weeknight side dish or a delicious topper for tacos or veggie burgers. It's a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, with the perfect crunch factor!

This Mexican coleslaw is super simple to throw together, just toss everything together and go! Once prepped, the slaw just needs 30 minutes in the fridge to rest, so it's a great recipe to throw together right before you're ready to serve.

The simple cilantro-lime dressing is sweetened with honey (or maple syrup), and choosing maple syrup makes the whole dish vegan too!.

This Mexican Cabbage Slaw is...

• Easy to Make Vegan (with just one simple swap!)
• Easy to prep in 10 minutes.
• Slightly sweet... and a little spicy.
• A great make-ahead dish for parties.
• Family Friendly!

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Purple cabbage. The base of the slaw, and the reason it looks so beautiful on the table! Six cups is about half of a medium head. Green cabbage, or a mix of green and purple, works also.
• Carrots. Shredded carrot adds sweetness and a pop of orange color. Grate your own on a box grater or grab a bag of pre-shredded carrots to speed up your prep.
• Cilantro. Fresh cilantro gives the slaw its herby, fresh flavor. If you're not a fan, leave it out or use flat-leaf parsley instead.
• Olive oil and red wine vinegar. The backbones of the dressing. Avocado oil is a good neutral swap for the olive oil, and white wine vinegar can stand in for the red wine vinegar, if needed.
• Honey or maple syrup. A little sweetness balances the vinegar and lime. Honey is my first choice here, but maple syrup is an easy 1:1 swap that makes this slaw completely vegan. Agave nectar is another option!
• Lime. The juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons) gives the dressing its zing. Fresh lime tastes best, but bottled lime juice will do in a pinch.
• Cumin, coriander and garlic powder. These warm, earthy spices give this Mexican slaw recipe loads of flavor. Use ground coriander here, not the fresh leaves (that's cilantro, which is already in the slaw).

Helpful Tips

Slice the vegetables thinly. The key to a good cabbage slaw is thinly slicing the cabbage, carrots, and cilantro. Smaller pieces are easier to eat, and they soak up the dressing better than thick chunks.

Use a slicer for even shreds. A mandoline slicer makes quick work of the cabbage and gives you evenly sliced pieces. A sharp knife works too. You can also buy pre-shredded cabbage, but those bags tend to be green cabbage rather than purple. If you use a mandoline, always use the hand guard.

Let the slaw marinate. Letting the slaw sit in the fridge for 30 minutes allows the spices and dressing to flavor the veggies. If you serve it right away, it will taste a little flat.

Whisk the dressing well. Honey and maple syrup are thicker than the oil and vinegar, so whisk until the dressing looks smooth and fully blended. Shaking everything in a small jar with a tight lid works just as well.

Toss and taste before serving. The cabbage releases a little liquid as it sits, and the dressing settles to the bottom of the bowl. Give the slaw a good toss right before serving, then taste it and add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lime if it needs a lift.

Variations

• Green cabbage. Feel free to use a mix of green and red cabbage, or even all green. Red cabbage gives the slaw gorgeous color with the dressing, but green cabbage is a great addition.
• A different vinegar. Swap the red wine vinegar for white wine vinegar or even white distilled vinegar. Apple cider vinegar gives the slaw a tangier flavor.
• Make it more or less sweet. Adjust the honey or maple syrup to control the sweetness. Use just 1 tablespoon for a less sweet slaw, or 3 tablespoons for a sweeter one.
• More heat. To ramp up the spice, add a minced jalapeño to the slaw, or whisk a pinch of cayenne or ½ teaspoon of chili powder into the dressing.
• Extra crunch. Toss in thinly sliced radishes, red onion, or a handful of toasted pepitas for more texture.
• Corn and black beans. Add a cup of corn kernels and a can of rinsed black beans to turn the slaw into a heartier salad or side dish.

Serving Ideas

Tacos are where this Mexican coleslaw really shines. Pile it onto Grilled Veggie Tacos with Chimichurri or bean tacos for a cool, crunchy contrast to the warm filling. It's also a great side for Baked BBQ Tofu (Tofu for Tofu Haters!), where the tangy lime cuts through the sweet barbecue sauce.

Spoon it on top of burgers, especially black bean or veggie burgers, or tuck it into burritos for extra crunch. It also makes a colorful topping for grain bowls: start with rice or quinoa, add black beans, avocado, and Chipotle Sofritas, then finish with a big scoop of slaw. And of course, it's an easy side dish for cookouts and potlucks.

Storing & Freezing

You can store the slaw in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. You will find that it becomes softer as the days go on. Toss the slaw before each serving to mix the dressing back in.

To make it ahead, whisk the dressing and toss the vegetables up to a day early, keeping them in separate covered containers in the fridge. Pour the dressing over the vegetables 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

This slaw doesn't freeze well. The cabbage and carrots turn limp and watery once thawed, and the crunch is the best part, so make only as much as you plan to eat within a couple of days.

FAQs

Can I leave out the cilantro?

Cilantro is one of those ingredients you either love or hate. If you despise cilantro, you can indeed leave it out. It will of course alter the flavor a bit, but it will still taste delicious without it.

More Slaw Recipes

If you loved this slaw, here are a few more crunchy cabbage salads to try:

• Fennel and Cabbage Slaw
• Crunchy Asian Slaw with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
• Crunchy Vegan Coleslaw (with walnuts and pumpkin seeds!)
• 15 Coleslaw Recipes to Make This Summer

📖 Recipe