Red Cabbage Slaw

Creamy red cabbage slaw with carrots and homemade mayo dressing is a perfect balance of tart and sweet and ready as a BBQ side dish in just a few minutes. 

There are two types of side dishes that I tend to flock to here on my blog – the first one is dips because who doesn’t love a good dip. (pssst, cucumber dip is my fav). The second one is salads.  The beautiful colors, the amazing flavors- the earth has yielded to us some of the best combination of colors and flavors and with NO work. Raw veggies, a bit of homemade dressing and boom- instant taste bud love. 

And there are so many kinds of salads to choose from! Pasta salads, fruit salads, traditional salads. And this slaw, which yes is also considered a side salad, is no exception.

The red cabbage makes a gorgeous choice for a salad and provides the best crunch.

Creamy Red Cabbage Slaw

Raw red cabbage slaw in creamy vinegar based dressing with bits of crunchy carrots is a bright, flavorful and fun slaw that can be eaten alone or compliment shrimp and fish tacos, burgers, pork and so much more!  

• 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup matchstick carrots
• 1/4 cup dry cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
• 1/2 cup real mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar

RELATED RECIPES: Cucumber Vinegar Salad, Marinated Tomato Salad, Creamy Cucumber Salad, Broccoli Slaw, Cucumber Tomato and Feta Salad

Cutting down Red Cabbage

When picking our a red cabbage, just look for a tightly wrapped red cabbage with little indication of loose leaves. Pick off any loose leaves prior to cutting. 

• Food Processor – Its easy to add red cabbage to the food processor, which typically creates the perfect slaw. Just be careful not to puree! 
• Shredded – Manually thin slice the cabbage with a knife into bite sized pieces. 

 

How to make Cabbage and Carrot Slaw

Add red cabbage (shredded or food processed down), match stick carrots, dried cranberries and pecan pieces to a mixing bowl and mix together to combine the ingredients. 

In a separate bowl, add mayonnaise, milk, apple cider vinegar and sugar and mix well.

Pour mayo dressings over red cabbage mixture and stir well to evenly coat all leaves.

Fold in walnuts with a spatula.

Refrigerate slaw for 2 hours or overnight for flavors to mingle well.

Stir before serving.

 

Variations: This type of slaw salad is easily altered! Try one of the follow suggestions to mix it up:

• Add Apple slices or diced apple. Red for sweet or Green for tart. 
• Add more matchstick carrots for color and flavor both.
• Bites of cucumber go great with the vinegar mayo dressing.
• Mix up dried cranberries for dried cherries.

What goes with Red Cabbage Slaw: You can easily add on top of a hamburger, pulled pork,  inside a pork taco or even with salmon for some delicious flavor. If you are making this recipe specifically to add on the top of meat, some like to leave out the crunchy nuts. 

If you tried my recipe and love it, or have improvements that you made in your own kitchen, I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment below or send me an email (I will respond to both!). As a community, we make the best, homemade simple recipes that you can count on. 

~Trisha