My red cabbage slaw is full of color, crunch, and coated with a creamy dressing. Perfect for a delicious side dish or a wonderful topping for things like tacos, sandwiches, and more.

I love a colorful dish like this red cabbage slaw, or purple cabbage slaw, that really brightens up a table. When I bring this to BBQ’s or serve it for dinner, everyone is always first drawn to the color but then go crazy for the taste.

This recipe is one that I developed when I had leftover cabbage and didn’t want it to go to waste. Traditional slaws are made with green cabbage but using red cabbage adds a nice twist.

It’s full of crunch that is offset with a creamy dressing making it a delicious stand alone side dish or something perfect to add to a fish taco, hot dog, and sandwich.

We love cabbage in meals like these purple cabbage recipes and blue cheese slaw, but it’s also great roasted like this air fryer roasted cabbage.

Ingredients

• Red cabbage – This cabbage actually looks purple and has a bit of a peppery flavor. Feel free to add green cabbage. You can also do a mixture of half red and half green cabbage.
• Carrots – Adds another layer of color and crunch.
• Fresh parsley – If you don’t have parsley, you can leave it out but it adds a nice freshness to the slaw.
• Green onions – Make sure to dice these up small.
• Sunflower seeds – These are optional but add another layer of crunch. Feel free to use plain or roasted seeds.
• Dressing – Mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, celery seed, salt, and pepper.

How to make red cabbage slaw

Scroll to the bottom for full, printable recipe, ingredients and video.

Step one: Chop: Chop the cabbage, green onions, parsley, and carrots. Add the vegetables and sunflower seeds to a large bowl.

Step two: Dressing: To make the dressing, mix together mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, celery seed, salt, and pepper.

Step three: Toss: Pour the dressing over the slaw and toss until everything is coated.

How to cut cabbage for coleslaw

Don’t let the thought of shredding cabbage stop you from making slaw. Here are some easy steps for getting perfect shreds.

• Start by removing the outer leaves.
• Cut the head of the cabbage in half and then into quarters. Remove the core from the bottom center of the wedge.
• To shred, cut with a sharp knife into thin strips or use a food processor with an attachment.

How to store leftovers

One thing to keep in mind is that red cabbage will tend to bleed color into the dressing. So the longer the slaw sits, the more purple the dressing becomes.

The cabbage and vegetables will also start to get soft after it sits in the dressing overnight.

Make ahead: If you need to make this ahead of time, chop vegetables and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Make the dressing and store in a separate container in the refrigerator. Once ready to serve, toss the dressing with the vegetables.

Store: Store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Heather’s recipe tips

• You can use pre-shredded bagged cabbage if you are in a hurry.
• Use pre-cut carrots for convenience. I like using a bag of matchstick carrots. You can also use a spiralizer to help cut carrots.
• Using tongs makes it easy to toss the slaw with the dressing.
• This is a great low-carb recipe.

Variations

This coleslaw is so easy to customize. Here are a few other variations you can try to change it up:

• Add in some green cabbage and use a creamy coleslaw dressing or even ranch.
• Try adding in fresh cilantro and diced jalapeno for a Mexican twist.
• Mix in some of your favorite nuts and dried fruit like cranberries or raisins.
• Incorporate some protein by mixing in crumbled cooked bacon.

How to serve

This slaw makes a great side dish for many things. It adds the perfect amount of crunch to things like tacos, sandwiches, and wraps. You can also serve it with chicken, pork, and meatloaf.

Common questions

More salad recipes

• Pea salad – Crisp peas with bacon and cheese tossed in a creamy dressing.
• Corn salad – Delicious side salad with tomatoes and corn.
• Broccoli salad – A classic side dish.
• Cucumber salad – Greek inspired flavors.
• Broccoli slaw with ramen noodles – A simple, crunchy salad recipe.

If you made this recipe, let me know in the comments and don’t forget to check out this list of napa cabbage recipes.