Light and Crunchy Coleslaw

A light and fresh coleslaw recipe full of crunchy cabbage, sweet carrots, tangy mustard, and celery seed. The perfect addition to a summer picnic or BBQ!

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I’m going to come out and say it – I love coleslaw. Mostly because I love cabbage. Cabbage tends to get overlooked as a vegetable. Which is unfortunate because it’s incredibly versatile and it has tons of flavor. You can steam it, saute it, or stuff it. I’ve even seen cabbage baked into cookies (although I personally believe that cabbage has no place in desserts). It’s cheap, hearty, and super good for you. When I make coleslaw, I love to highlight the flavor of the cabbage – not mask it with cups of mayonnaise. You can eat this coleslaw on its own, as a side dish, or use it to top a sandwich. I think this recipe just may bring out the inner coleslaw-lover in you.

The key to a good coleslaw is to use fresh cabbage. You can use pre-packaged cabbage as well but I definitely recommend using fresh if you can find it. Especially during the late summer when cabbage is in season. This recipe calls for 6 heaping cups of chopped cabbage – 3 cups of red and 3 cups of green. This amounts to roughly 1/2 head of each of red and green cabbage. You can use all red or all green but I love the color you get from mixing the two. The cabbage can be chopped in a food processor or with a knife. I actually prefer to chop cabbage with a knife but either way works fine. Simply chop the cabbage into small slices or throw the cabbage into the food processor.

I love to add fresh carrots to coleslaw in order to give it a little bit of sweetness. Simply grate 1-2 large carrots using a box grater. You can use pre-grated carrots as well but grating carrots on that box grater gives you a nice little arm workout. You want to end up with about 2 cups of fresh carrots. Throw all the vegetables into a large bowl once they are all chopped.

Next up is the dressing for the coleslaw. The ingredients in this dressing that really highlight the flavor of the cabbage are the Dijon mustard and the celery seed. I’m not sure who first thought to add celery seed to coleslaw but that person is a genius. This dressing is super easy – Combine 1/2 mayo, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar, a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and 2 1/2 tsp. of celery seeds in a small bowl. Whisk to combine completely. That’s all there is to it.

The trick with coleslaw is to get all the cabbage coated in the dressing. Add a quarter of the vegetables to a large bowl along with a quarter of the dressing. Mix together until the vegetables are coated. Repeat with another quarter of the vegetables and the dressing. Do this two more times until all of the cabbage is completely coated. Garnish with another pinch of celery seed.

This is a great all-around coleslaw recipe. It makes a large bowl so it’s perfect for BBQ’s, potlucks, or picnics. Simply cut the recipe in half if you’d like a smaller amount. I’m telling you, the crunch of the cabbage makes this coleslaw something you’ll keep coming back to. You might find yourself like me adding coleslaw to your tacos, wraps, and sandwiches. I still stand by conviction that cabbage does not belong in desserts but it’s a welcome addition to almost everything else.

Try these other coleslaw recipes – Fish Tacos with Spicy Cilantro Lime Slaw and Slow Cooker Barbacoa Tacos with Chipotle Slaw!

Pottery by Bill Gossman.

5 from 4 votes

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Christine Rooney

Prep Time

20 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

A light and fresh coleslaw recipe full of crunchy cabbage, sweet carrots, tangy mustard, and celery seed. The perfect addition to a summer picnic or BBQ!

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10

Calories: 119 kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Ingredients

• 3 heaping cups green cabbage
• 3 heaping cups red cabbage
• 2 cups carrots
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. celery seeds divided
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Chop 3 heaping cups each of green and red cabbage using a food processor or with a knife.

2. Grate 1-2 large carrots using a box grater.

3. For the dressing: Combine 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp. ACV, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 1/2 tsp. celery seed, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk together to completely combine.

4. Add 1/4 of the vegetables to a large bowl along with 1/4 of the dressing. Toss to coat. Add another 1/4 of the vegetables and another 1/4 of the dressing. Toss to coat. Repeat until all the vegetables are completely coated.

Nutrition Facts

Christine Rooney

Amount Per Serving

Calories 119

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.