Mexican Coleslaw Recipe

This easy Mexican coleslaw recipe is the perfect, healthy coleslaw for all your spring and summer festivities!

Mexican coleslaw is light, refreshing, and has just a slight tang to it from the lime juice. It’s perfect for tacos, burgers, and just about any spring or summer food you need a good side dish for. It has lots of crunch, and your guests will definitely want seconds.

A closeup of Mexican Coleslaw in a white bowl. A fork lifts a bit of it up out of the bowl.

Mexican Coleslaw For Tacos

If you’ve never put fresh coleslaw on your tacos, you’re missing out! This Coleslaw mix could also be referred to as taco slaw. Tacos made with coleslaw instead of lettuce or some other green are so fresh tasting! It adds a level of flavor that other greens just cannot provide.

How To Make Coleslaw Without Mayo

At the risk of stating the obvious, you don’t put any mayo in your coleslaw. Ha! But seriously, coleslaw doesn’t need mayo. Made with other dressings, coleslaw can be just as tasty without the added fats.

A closeup of purple cabbage, shredded carrots and greens in a glass bowl.

How Bad Is Coleslaw For You?

On the contrary, coleslaw can be very healthy for you! Cabbage and carrots, and other whole-food ingredients make for a delicious salad. For low-carb folks, cabbage and mayo is a perfect combination (although you may want to cut back on, or cut out, the carrots completely as they can add up in carbs. For those who aren’t low-carb, a good coleslaw made without mayo is perfectly healthy. It’s just veggies! And aside from that, if you find a clean and healthy mayo, it’s totally fine in moderation. So enjoy that homemade coleslaw!

That being said, the store-bought variety has a lot of garbage in it. So that stuff, you may want to go easy on…

What Goes With Mexican Cabbage Slaw?

You can pair all kinds of foods with this easy Mexican coleslaw recipe!

  • Tacos
  • Burritos
  • As a side salad for summer foods.
  • On burgers
  • In sandwiches
  • Chicken
  • Fish
  • Steaks
  • Fajitas
  • Enjoy it by itself as a cabbage salad
An overhead view looking down into a white bowl filled with Mexican Coleslaw. A fork lays to the side of the bowl.

Can You Make This Creamy?

You can! While most folks would add mayo or sour cream to the dressing, you can instead use Greek yogurt or plain yogurt. Simply mix a few tablespoons into the dressing to taste.

How Long Does Fresh Coleslaw Last?

Never leave coleslaw out of the fridge for longer than 2 hours. If it’s safely kept in the fridge, it will last from 3-5 days in a food-safe container.

How To Shred Cabbage For Coleslaw

If you aren’t sure how to shred cabbage properly, here’s a video on Youtube that will walk you through the process.

An overhead view looking down into a white bowl filled with Mexican Coleslaw. A fork rests on the side of the bowl.

Recipe Variations For This Easy Mexican Coleslaw Mix

Coleslaw Additions:

  • Corn
  • Black beans
  • Red onion
  • Red pepper
  • Jalapeno pepper
  • Lime zest

Dressing Additions:

  • Add a sprinkle of taco seasoning
  • Add a dash of cayenne pepper

About The Ingredients For Mexican Coleslaw

The Vegetables

Green cabbage – Purchase this shredded or shred it at home.

Red cabbage – Purchase this shredded or shred it at home. And yes, you can purchase a pre-shredded mix if that’s easier. Why do all that work at home?

Carrots – You can purchase them already grated or grate them at home.

Fresh cilantro – Chopped well.

The Dressing

Lime juice – Fresh is best, but bottled will do.

Rice vinegar – This is found in the ethnic section of the store, or in with all the other vinegar, depending on your store.

Ground cumin

Garlic powder – Or garlic granules.

Ground black pepper

Salt  – I used pink Himalayan salt, but use any type you wish. You can add this to taste.

How To Make Mexican Coleslaw

Mexican Coleslaw Recipe ingredients gathered on a white surface.

Gather, prep, and measure all your ingredients.

Mexican Coleslaw veggies mixed in a glass mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the slaw ingredients.

Mexican Coleslaw dressing mixed together in a small white bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Some folks may want to add a little oil just for texture and mouthfeel. If you do, try 1-2 tbsp. But it’s not a necessary addition. I did not use it.

An overhead view looking down into a white bowl filled with Mexican Coleslaw.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Serve with your favorite Mexican dishes!

Storing Mexican Coleslaw

Pack this in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing Mexican Coleslaw

Freezing is not recommended for this recipe.

More Healthy Coleslaw Recipes

Recipe Supplies

Food processor with a shredding blade sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)
Mixing bowl set with lids sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)
Glass food storage containers sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)

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An overhead view looking down into a white bowl filled with Mexican Coleslaw. A fork lays to the side of the bowl.

Mexican Coleslaw Recipe

A delicious slaw with a nice, little tang.
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Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetables
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 60kcal

Ingredients

SLAW

  • 2 cups green, shredded cabbage
  • 2 cup red, shredded cabbage
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • ¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro

DRESSING

  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp. salt (or more to taste)

Instructions

  • Gather, prep, and measure all your ingredients.
    Mexican Coleslaw Recipe ingredients gathered on a white surface.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the slaw ingredients.
    Mexican Coleslaw veggies mixed in a glass mixing bowl.
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Some folks may want to add a little oil just for texture and mouthfeel. If you do, try 1-2 tbsp. But it’s not a necessary addition. I did not use it.
    Mexican Coleslaw dressing mixed together in a small white bowl.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Serve with your favorite Mexican dishes!
    An overhead view looking down into a white bowl filled with Mexican Coleslaw.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25the recipe | Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Sodium: 184mg | Potassium: 401mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 11290IU | Vitamin C: 46.8mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1.2mg

This recipe is from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted on 5/5/19.

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